Episode #43: Navy Helicopter Pilot Nick Kesler is the Founder of VetImpact – A Business Incubator for Veteran Run Companies

(LT) Nick Kesler currently serves in the Navy Reserves at the Navy Warfare Development Command supporting concepts, innovation, and fleet experimentation generation.  While on active duty he flew SH-60/HH-60 helicopters and later served in the CNO’s Office of Navy International Engagement.  Nick is now pursuing his MBA at the College of William and Mary, after which he plans to join the world of international business consulting.  He also has a passion for entrepreneurial endeavors, his most recent being VetImpact, which serves as a business incubator for veteran run companies promoting trade between the U.S. and former areas of conflict, most notably, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nick, can you briefly tell us about your career in the Military?

“I graduated from the Naval Academy in 2003 with a BS in Political Science and finished flight school in July of 2006.  I flew SH-60/HH-60’s with the Nightdippers of HS-5, base out of Jacksonville, FL from 2006-2009, deploying twice to the Persian Gulf.  I moved to DC and worked in the Office of Navy International Engagement from 2009-2012 as the CNO’s Africa Desk Officer and later as the Aide to the Director.  During that tour I also earned my MA from Johns Hopkins University in Global Security Studies.  My last active duty assignment was as the Safety Officer on the USS KEARSARGE from 2012-2014.”

What was your transition like?

“My transition was bittersweet, as I love flying and miss the squadron life, but grew to have other passions I wanted to pursue that the active Navy couldn’t allow.  Attending business and/or law school seemed like the next logical step for me to gain some understanding of the business world before I jumped into it.  The MBA program at William and Mary has been eye-opening; we have some of the best and brightest professors in the country and they have exposed us to a host of concepts and real-world applications.  Having formal channels to help shape a resume and cover letter so that we can get our foot in the door into industries we’re interested in has been incredible.  Having access to the “design/makers space workshop” and other entrepreneurial classes has helped someone like me who is more hands-on with learning and application.  I can’t just pick up a book on entrepreneurship and have an “ah-ha” moment, so the formal education process has been good.”

Where did you come up with the idea for your business?

“I started thinking about VetImpact last summer when I was helping manage the Defense Entrepreneurs Forums’ Innovation Competition.  I’m really interested in cultivating business opportunities that fosters trade between the U.S. and emerging economies, especially those prone to unstable economic, social, and political conditions that cause the U.S. to to be prone to using hard power instead of smart/soft power.  I learned about the Atlantic Council’s Veteran Take Point Initiative in October, so I sought to flush out a formal business concept to enter their start-up competition and vie for $25k in seed money, thus VetImpact was born.  Since then I have been reaching out to veteran run companies, such as Rumi Spice and Combat Flip Flops, that have developed businesses leveraging trade between the U.S. and Iraq/Afghanistan.  Their successes are proofs of concept that veterans are tapping markets in these countries ripe for development.”

Can you divulge any numbers for us? Revenue, sales volume etc, something that can help us gauge your success?

“Since this is a brand new start-up, I don’t have any current revenue.  I do have a formal Advisory Board made up of several former CEO, COO, and CFO’s associated with W&M’s business school that is helping build out the business concept in preparation for the “Shark Tank” style competition at the Atlantic Council to be held at the end of January.  I’m seeking out entrepreneurially-minded colleagues now who are already in business or at other MBA programs interested in helping start this boutique consulting firm.”

Have you always been an entrepreneur?

“I honestly never thought of myself as an entrepreneur until a couple years ago, but growing up I always had a passion for tinkering with things around the farm.  I’m also hugely interested in helping create sustainable ventures out of current business processes, which Big Data and innovative technologies are currently doing and promise to enable more of in the coming years.  As I think about it now, being an entrepreneur is more of a mindset…so in that regard, yes, I guess I have always been one.  I love piecing together ideas, challenging norms…anything to make the world a little better.”

Compare what it’s like working at the J.O.B. to being an entrepreneur.

“My time in the Navy was pretty scripted, as I would imagine most careers are through the junior ranks.  I know I sometimes feel overwhelmed with questions and the inability to find direct answers, but that’s also part of the excitement.  I don’t know where VetImpact or my career is going in the next year or two, but I know hard work, passion, and a pragmatic mindset will help determine the path along the journey.  I guess that’s probably the biggest difference; in the military you always generally know your path through the ranks and jobs, but as an entrepreneur, there is no path, and there certainly aren’t any limits, to both your successes and your failures.”

Now that you have become an entrepreneur, would you consider yourself unemployable?

“Not at all; I would actually consider myself MORE employable, but it obviously depends on the company and what you want to do there.  I am currently applying to innovative internships at Google, IBM, and USAID, with the hopes that I can learn more about the business world and the awesome potential that exists in emerging economies.  I think in order to be good in business you need to understand business, and that means being willing to market yourself and your ideas to businesses that can properly leverage your talents.  For me my business is going to harness some of the potential of Big Data, so to best leverage that potential, I have to understand the industry.  Hence why I am applying to the internships.  But if you have an idea that’s marketable beyond the scope of your job, then by all means, jump ship and create your own adventure!”

What advice do you have for Veterans that are looking to transition into entrepreneurship?

“Direct your passions into something tangible, even if at first it’s just writing out your ideas.  Get around other crazy, interesting, innovative, and different people…let them challenge you.  The military, for the most part, is good at suppressing some of your creative impulses, so take part in professional networks that expose you to other entrepreneurs and ask questions…lots of questions.  Be bold, take risks…have fun with your passions.  In the long run, those are the ones that are the most “successful” and create worth in the world.

VetImpact aims to merge design thinking and big data in ways that allow entrepreneurs and international businesses both to challenge the way we look at development in emerging economies, especially in areas rife with instability and conflict.  VetImpact believes the best was to foster peace and security is to grow economic development from the grass roots up.  Our veterans who honorably served in many of these areas, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, have great ideas for business start-ups, but often don’t have the voice or wherewithal to turn their ideas into reality.  VetImpact aims to change that and empower our veterans to help instill long-term peace and security through business development in the places they honorably served.”

What’s the best way to contact you and your business (i.e. website, products, contact info etc.)?

Nick Kesler:

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