By Debbie Gregory.

Did you know that thirty-one out of forty-five United States Presidents have served in the Armed Forces? An unprecedented number of veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq are seeking state and federal elected offices.  While the number of United States senators with war experience in both conflicts will be relatively the same, a surge has taken place for both parties in the United States House of Representatives.

Both political parties have encouraged veterans to run for Congress.  As the number of military personnel serving in Afghanistan and Iraq decreases, more veterans are funning for office because they want to continue to serve their country.  Additionally, efforts to recruit, train and support veteran candidates has moved from ad hoc initiatives to more formalized support.

Veterans are very attractive candidates to voters as well.  They tend to be more pragmatic and their military experience of mission accomplishment, teamwork, service above self, and nation over faction appeal to voters tired of constant bickering in Washington, D.C.

If you’re a veteran looking to run for a political office, you may have found the barriers of entry to be incredibly high. But there is hope on the horizon.

In part made possible by a grant from JP Morgan Chase & Co., Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) and the Maxwell School are collaborating to introduce a new and innovative program for veterans and military family members who aspire to public office or another form of a political career.

The goal of the “Veterans in Politics” (VIP) program is to act on the opportunity to continue public service demonstrated by those who have served in our nation’s military.

“The IVMF’s deep involvement, understanding and engagement with the veteran and military-connected community, coupled with the Maxwell School’s standing as the nation’s  No. 1 ranked school of public affairs, positions this program to empower those who have served our nation in uniform with preparation, expertise and confidence so that they can extend their commitment to public service in the form of a political career at the local, state or federal level,” said David M. Van Slyke, Dean of the Maxwell School

The VIP program will enroll its inaugural class in late 2019. The program will feature both online coursework and a one-week intensive residency.  VIP curriculum will cover election law; party politics and public policy; creating, managing and leading campaign teams; campaign finance; understanding voters; message development; mobilizing volunteer teams; responding to citizen issues; and conflict management, among others topics.

To request more information about the VIP program, visit www.maxwell.syr.edu/veterans-in-politics.

Veteran and Military Business Owners Association, VAMBOA.

By Debbie Gregory.

Delegation doesn’t come naturally for many small business owners. It’s often difficult to shift gears when you’ve been used to wearing multiple hats to get your business off the ground. But don’t underestimate the benefits of delegating. It is nice to share the workload and it enables you to move forward and be more creative.

First, you need to learn to recognize the difference between giving orders and delegating. A key to the delegation process involves documenting what you want to accomplish and then transferring the knowledge needed to your team members to get it done.

Effective delegation provides you the opportunity to focus on fueling those areas of your business that will drive longer term profits and growth. It also provides you more breathing room to brainstorm ideas enabling and providing you valuable time to think of new ways to take your business to the next level.

You also need to be able to create and implement repeatable systems. Systems should be created to provide repeatable results; rinse and repeat is the key. Also implement step-by-step workflows for time-consuming tasks that can be handed off to your employees, removing you from the process.

It is paramount that you have an understanding of each position within your company and listen to your employees with their ideas and concerns. Even though you may have an overview of the position, your employees know the minutia of it, and they may have ideas of how to increase efficiency.

No one is good at everything so be cognizant of the fact that there will be aspects of running your company that you’re not particularly good at nor enjoy doing. You need to either hire employees to do those tasks or outsource them.

It is important to know what you should be doing when it comes to delegation and it’s equally important to know what you should avoid doing.

Micromanagers aren’t very good at delegating and interacting with their team. They take on all the business responsibilities, watching over what the team does, redoing work, and stopping the flow. Letting go of perfection and trusting that your team members will take the ball and run with it will result in company growth. It is challenging to let go but it is important.

It is natural to feel anxious about trusting a capable employee, partner or outsourced service to take over the tasks you’ve done to make your company thrive. Trusting your team with specific tasks can free up your time to focus on what’s important- growing your company.

Veteran and Military Business Owners Association, VAMBOA.

By Debbie Gregory.

Starting any business takes a huge leap of faith. You’re jumping off of a cliff and hoping your parachute will open and lead you and your business to success. So how do you decide what’s really a great idea? Sure, you can rely on your gut instinct, but that isn’t the only good measure. Identifying the difference between a good business idea and a good business opportunity will serve you well on your entrepreneurial journey.

Recognizing that passion for your concept is important but will only get you so far. It is important to be both realistic and well informed as you approach the process. Successful business opportunities should fill an ongoing need. They provide a new or different product or service that also allows you to make a profit and grow your business. But just how will you translate your idea into a viable business?

Here are some key questions to ask yourself:

Why are you doing this? What’s your mission?

Your business needs a sense of purpose that sets it apart from the competition. If your business improves people’s lives in some way, that should drive your mission.

What problem are you solving?

You need to be solving some sort of real problem that exists for your customers. If not, how will you motivate people to buy your product or service?

Who is your customer?

Knowing who your ideal customer is and how you can find them is critical to starting a successful business.

How are your potential customers solving their problem today?

Identify the choices your potential customers currently have and how your solution is better.

What will potential customers be willing to pay for your solution?   Do you think you can make money?

You want to make sure your idea can be profitable, and that your planning and hard work will result in success.

While there’s no definitive way to tell if a company will be successful, if you put forth a quality offering that solves a problem and reflects your passions, you’ve greatly increased your odds.

Veteran and Military Business Owners Association, VAMBOA.