Staff Report
Military veterans who are aspiring entrepreneurs packed the SBCC Fé Bland Forum recently for guidance and inspiration from successful entrepreneurs who have been in their shoes.
The event for “vetrepreneurs” featured VIP speakers, an inspiring keynote address, a Q&A session and networking opportunities.
It also served as the kickoff for the Vetrepreneur Launch program offered by the Jack & Julie Nadel School of Business & Entrepreneurship and the Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at SBCC, which are dedicated to honoring U.S. veterans by supporting the success of vetrepreneurs.
Julie Nadel reflected on the legacy of her late husband, Jack Nadel, international hall of fame and award-winning vetrepreneur whose career spanned seven decades.
She also shared her own story of entrepreneurship in Los Angeles, where she started a successful event-planning business from the ground up.
Larry Broughton, an award-winning vetrepreneur and CEO, best-selling author, hotelier, speaker, and former U.S. Army Green Beret, gave the keynote presentation and answered questions from the audience during a fireside chat with SBCC Business Administration Department Chair Bonnie Chavez.
Broughton’s advice for the aspiring vetrepreneurs included:
n Serve others, including your family, teammates, clients, investors and community.
n Pursue excellence in all you do.
n Be tenacious; tenacity eats talent for lunch.
n Join a mastermind and hire a business mentor.
Anthony Beebe, SBCC superintendent/president, spoke about the teamwork and collaboration between departments that went into the creation of Vetrepreneur Launch.
Hazel Blankenship, co-founding director of the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation, shed light on the resources available to local student veterans at SBCC and UCSB.
Scheinfeld Center director Julie Samson urged vetrepreneurs to make their voices heard through a survey that will help shape the future of the Vetrepreneur Launch program.
Samson also announced there will likely be startup seed funding designated for vetrepreneurs at the ninth annual Scheinfeld New Venture Challenge business plan and pitch competition April 26.
Updates on the 2019 Scheinfeld New Venture Challenge will be shared at www.scheinfeld.sbcc.eduand in the Scheinfeld Center’s monthly e-Newsletters.
For more information about Vetrepreneur Launch, visit www.scheinfeld.sbcc.edu.
