Entrepreneurship for Military Veterans with Bernie Stone.

What are the particular challenges and opportunities for military veterans if they want to transition to entrepreneurship? How does Bunker Labs help military veterans and military spouses start and grow successful businesses and startups? Bernie shares his experiences, tips and insights.

Bernie Stone is the Managing Owner at Strategery Holdings, where he invests in “Zebra” companies as a Seed Stage and Angel Investor. He is also the Founder & President at Strategic Scouts Consulting where he leverages his diverse skills and experiences to solve clients challenging problems and “bring order to chaos”. He is also the Founding City Leader for Bunker Labs Des Moines where he equips, mentors, and connects Veterans and Military Spouses with resources to get them on the path to a successful business. A retired Army Officer and Afghanistan Combat Veteran, Bernie served overseas for fifteen years and traveled to over fifty countries. He also served in five U.S. Embassies as a Diplomat and received the Republic of Lithuania’s Medal of Merit – that country’s highest military honor. Bernie is a dedicated volunteer and plays an active role in several organizations including FedTech, the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce, is a Member of the Iowa Advisory Committee for USGLC, is a Collaborator for Gino Wickman’s “Entrepreneurial Leap” and is a Board Member at Polk County Health Services.

Bernie lives in the Des Moines, Iowa Metropolitan Area.

Entrepreneurship for Military Veterans with Bernie Stone:

• Bernie shares a brief summary of his military and diplomatic careers.
• What led you to start your first consulting business?
• When did you know you wanted to be your own boss?
• What were some of the early challenges you had to overcome, when you transitioned military life to the corporate world, and then to business ownership?

• Please introduce Bunker Labs (a national nonprofit providing community, programs, and courses to help military veterans and military spouses start and grow successful businesses and startups.)
• How does Bunker Labs help veterans transition from service to entrepreneurial life?
• What are some of the common challenges veterans often face when transitioning into entrepreneurship?
  • “49% of World War II veterans started businesses, compared to just 5.6% of post-9/11 Veterans” – Why?
  • Access to Capital
  • Financial Knowledge
• What are some of the key skills acquired during their time in the service that transfer particularly well to business ownership?
  • “You’ve Got the Grit to Start a Business”
• What are a couple of business skills that former military men and women often may not have fully developed?
  • What are some of the more popular Bunker Lab courses?
• As a private equity investor, what’s most important to you when deciding to invest in a start-up?
• Other common myths or misunderstanding about transitioning from military service to entrepreneurship?

Episode Host: Henry Lopez is a serial entrepreneur, small business coach, and the host of this episode of The How of Business podcast show – dedicated to helping you start, run and grow your small business.