Winter Issue 2015

MILITARY ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE

THE NON-PROFIT PUBLICATION BY MILITARY ENTREPRENEURS, FOR MILITARY ENTREPRENEURS.

©

Special Ops Vets And Military Spouse Business Owners

Shop Military Owned This

Holiday

Navy SEAL Conquers

BY MILITARY ENTREPRENEURS, FOR MILITARY ENTREPRENEURS

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When you use veteran and military spouse companies, or hire them, everyone

wins. Because they’re looking to build their future with you, and you’re looking

for top talent with integrity, leadership experience, advanced education and

technical know-how.

That’s why USAA has teamed up with some of America’s leading corporations to

we encourage organizations of all sizes to become a part of our mission by:

• Using veteran-owned companies

• Hiring veterans and military spouses

• Supporting local veteran organizations

• Encouraging others to do the same

Join us today and start creating success for your business and America’s

military families.

To learn more, contact supplier.diversity@usaa.com

Military Family Supplier Diversity

WHERE BUSINESS AND SERVICECREATE SUCCESS

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Message from our

FounderIt seems like a lifetime ago that we started this journey. Like so many other small businesses, it all began with a problem. In my case, I was looking for someone to do repair work on our home in San Diego County. After many frustrating hours on Craigslist and Angie’s List, it hit me: how could I find vet-eran and military spouse-owned businesses to patronize?

If we were going to spend our hard earned money, my pri-ority would be to support a military family-owned company. Turns out I wasn’t alone. More than 70 percent of American consumers were like me. We wanted to patronize these busi-nesses, but finding them was a challenge.

That’s when Rosie’s List was born. It began by talking to al-most 150 veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs. How can we help you? What are your greatest challenges? Their answers provided us with the framework for The Rosie Net-work, a publically supported tax-exempt organization whose mission is to support and promote our nation’s military fam-ily-owned small businesses.

What we learned along this journey has been remarkable. Veteran-owned businesses are two and a half times more likely to succeed than their civilian counterparts and 10 times more likely to hire other veterans and military spous-es. We knew we were on the right track. If we could help these

businesses succeed, we would be creating jobs for other vet-erans while strengthening our military families and econo-my. A win-win.

Since its launch in early 2014, Rosie’s List has grown to more than 5,000 verified veteran and military spouse-owned busi-nesses! Our direct financial impact has been over $4.2 mil-lion dollars in revenue for our members. Rosie’s List is grow-ing and our goal is to surpass Angie’s List as a trusted source for service/business providers and become the first place American consumers go to “Shop Military Family Owned.”

ME MAG is for you, the military entrepreneur. We hope you enjoy it, share it and provide feedback. If you are a veteran or spouse business owner, join us—membership is free. If not, then support your local military small business owners by using Rosie’s List or consider making a tax-deductible dona-tion to help us meet our mission.

Thank you.

Stephanie Brown Proud Military Spouse CEO & Founder, The Rosie Network

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As a military spouse, Patricia Garza has grown accustomed to expecting the unexpected. That

ability to adjust to changes has prepared her to navigate the ups and downs of starting and run-ning her own catering business,

Bones Kitchen Catering.

Eli Crane, a former Navy SEAL, started Bot-tle Breacher in a one-car garage and a gift from his brother that he retooled into his first product. In less than three years, he and his wife, Jen, have been featured on the ABC TV’s Shark Tank, had several

patents issued, launched new products and sold millions of dollars’ worth of Bottle

Breacher products.

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10Starting Lock-n-Load Java, a premium coffee company, during “The Great Recession” was a labor of love for Lori and Carl Churchill.

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Featured Stories

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Deployment doesn’t have to be sad says Bridget Platt, the founder and CEO of Daddy’s Deployed and wife of a Marine Corps aviator. She created a personalized story book in which kids are the star even during a family separation.

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12Navy SEAL veteran Nick Norris, founder of predator warpaint, has embraced the spirit of entrepreneurship and advocates for the inclusion of veterans in the workplace

everywhere.

The MOUNTAIN UP lifestyle is about living life with a flair for adventure,

patriotism, and generosity. It was started by three military veterans: Ryan Hunt,

Veronica Hunt and Douglas Schmidt.

Navy SEAL veteran Derrick Van Orden’s book is both a “how to” and a “how come” that explores the difference

between being a male and being a man.

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09

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Success has not come without its challenges.

The company has had to deal with the “Shark Tank

Effect” and scaling their business to accommodate

demand. It’s meant dividing responsibilities,

compromising and adjusting to their post military

environment.

Eli Crane, a former Navy Seal, is the

founder and CEO of Bottle Breacher, a

San Diego company that sells 50-caliber

bottle openers hand crafted by active

duty service members and veterans.

Bottle Breacher started in a one-car garage with

Eli taking a gift his brother had given him from

the Philippines and giving it a serious facelift. By

painting, polishingand incorporating a sticker of

his platoon logo (the Punisher Skull) he created his

first Bottle Breacher. He showed his teammates at

work, watched their response and knew he was

on to something.

In less than three years he has been featured

on the ABC TV’s Shark Tank, had several patents

issued, launched news products and sold millions

of dollars’ worth of Bottle Breacher products. New

products include a new wine opener, which has

been by far their most successful new product

launch to date. They are working on getting into

big box retail stores and securing strategic licenses.Jen and Eli meet with one of their “Sharks,” Kevin O’Leary.

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From Garage Gadget to Shark Tank Sensation

leading marketing efforts, overseeing accounting

and ensuring that all administrative ducks are in

a row.

When asked what he enjoys about being an

entrepreneur Eli responded, “I do not think there

are too many jobs where you can directly see real

BEHIND THE BOTTLE

Eli joined the Navy one week after September

11, 2001. Like many Americans, he saw the

atrocity of 9/11 as a call to action. His career

path led from being stationed aboard the USS

Gettysburg to serving on SEAL Team 3 and later

NSW TRADET.

He credits his training and service in the

Navy with giving him the skills to be a good

entrepreneur. In SEAL training, he learned he

was insignificant by himself and how important

his teammates were to overall mission success.

He’s carried that same mentality into day-to-day

operations at Bottle Breacher.

He also learned the value of surrounding

oneself with people who are smarter and more

talented. He made good on that by adding his

wife, Jen, as his first team member. She is not

only part owner, but an integral asset to the team,

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Bottle Breacher (continued) SEAL TO SUCCESS

Eli credits his success as the CEO of Bottle

Breachers to valuable lessons he learned in the

Navy:

Every SEAL has no choice but to learn how to lead. One of the mottos on the SEAL Teams is “Leadership

at Every Level.” Due to the very small number of

operators deployed on their missions, everyone has

to be cross-trained to know everyone else’s job and

to be ready to step up and take ownership of any

situation.

A good decision now is better than a great decision later. There’s not always have time to

have a full-blown board meeting for each and

every decision. Leaders who fail to be decisive and

lack the ability to make quick decisions are always

playing catch up and quickly lose the confidence

of their staff. Eli says that this concept is especially

important in the startup world.

time results of whether your vision, decisions, and

execution are either successful or unsuccessful like

being an entrepreneur.”

Jen added, “I love being able to have a flexible

schedule to be a mom. I have two daughters, so I

want to ensure quality time with making dinner

and doing homework with them. Spending time

together is very important to us. It is a typical eight

to ten hour workday, but I am able to split it up

between day/night and be the mom I want to be.”

Eli shared the following thoughts to other

military veterans interested in starting their own

business:

“Take the lessons that we have learned while

wearing a uniform and apply them into your own

business,” he said. “Leadership, teamwork, attention

to detail, situational awareness, and how to out

think and out maneuver your enemy are all lessons

that we learn in the military that apply directly to

being an entrepreneur.”

THREE STEPS TO GETTING STARTED (ELI‘S ADVICE TO INSPIRING ENTREPRENUERS)

Step 1: Figure out what you want your business to be. Keep in mind: you have to follow the green, not

the dream. If your business does not provide value to customers, you will not make it.

Step 2: Find like-minded individuals that also enjoy the risk and excitement that goes hand-and hand

with a startup and have skill sets that complement yours. You need a team if you ever want your business

to become significant.

Step 3: Divide-up responsibilities and GET AFTER IT. Too many entrepreneurs don’t understand this

concept, they try to do everything by themselves and end up doing most things poorly.

For military spouses, Jen adds her own advice:

“As a military spouse, do not take the alone time you have for granted,” she said. “Take the time and let

it be an advantage to work on a hobby, exercise and start that business that you have had in mind! Take

advantage of your support system and resources. Open your door to other military spouses, and be a team

with one another.”

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thing Eli learned in the SEAL Teams is something

that he uses at Bottle Breacher on a daily basis:

position your organization to be constantly making

tactical moves forward and your competitors will

be constantly reacting to you instead of the other

way around. Eli says he has people assigned to

keeping him up-to-date on what his competitors

are doing, but this information is nowhere near

the top of his priority list.

“I spend 95 percent of my time focused on

creating, innovating and making our process more

efficient because at the end of the day I believe

that we are our only real competition,” he said. “If

we take care of business here, the other guys do

not even matter.”

Out-think your enemy. Bottle Breacher seeks

enthusiastic self-starting staff members who can

handle multiple roles and be flexible. SEAL Teams

learn to be unconventional as they are always

outnumbered whenever they operate. They

need to out-think their enemy and make sure

that they are always four to five steps ahead of

them. Running a startup business is no different,

Eli says: “On a daily basis, we compete with huge

conglomerate companies that have been doing this

much longer than we have. We cannot outspend

them so we have no choice but to out think them.

Business is war!”

The best defense is a good offense. The last

Eli Crane, Founder & CEO, Bottle Breacher

• Eli joined the Navy seeking a SEAL contract;

however, he did not make it through SEAL

training on his first attempt.

• After two and half years aboard the USS

Gettysburg and two deployments in the fleet, Eli

finally became a SEAL in 2006 with Class 256.

• Eli spent the entirety of his operational time at

SEAL Team 3 in Task Unit 2-Delta Platoon. Eli

served directly for Chris Kyle (aka American

Sniper) from 2006 to 2008.

• Eli went on to serve three tours of duty in

different parts of Iraq. His qualifications and

responsibilities throughout his time in Delta

Platoon were lead navigator, automatic weapons

gunner, point man, and sniper.

• After leaving SEAL Team 3, Eli went on to join the

NSW Recruiting Directorate. His responsibilities

here included being a member of the Navy SEAL

Scout Team and traveling around the country to

raise awareness and find our nations next crop

of SEALS.

• Eli finished up his career at NSW TRADET. He

quickly became the LPO VBSS (Leading Petty

Officer) (Visit Board Search and Seize).

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They go on to explain that on September 11,

2010, they founded Lock-n-Load Java with the

following mission: provide awesome coffee, be a

warrior, give back to the military and have fun.

So far, they’ve hit their check marks. Customers

consistently rave about the

quality of their blends. Their

business philosophy of integrity,

honor, loyalty, pride and service

embodies the warrior spirit. They

give back by offering a 10 percent military discount

(type VETERAN at check out) and sending donated

coffee to troops deployed downrange. Anyone

who has spent time around them or perused their

website (www.locknloadjava.com) can see that

they are clearly having fun.

They’ve been featured on the cover of

When asked why they would start

a premium coffee company

during a period of economic

decline that has what has now

been dubbed “The Great Recession,” Lori and Carl

Churchill look at each other and

laugh.

Lori, wife of a 21-year Army

combat veteran, smiles and says:

“We’ve been together for 28 years,

through multiple moves, deployments, financial

and career challenges, raised two amazing

children together, and so I figured what doesn’t

kill you makes you stronger.”

Added her husband Carl: “It’s been a labor of

love—with heavy emphasis on the labor—but

neither of us is afraid of hard work.”

Mission Accomplished for Premium Coffee Company

Military Family Strong

LOCK-N-LOAD JAVA

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Vetrepreneur magazine,

in INC and Forbes, and

Lori was honored last

year by AUSA as a top

Military Spouse CEO. She’s

especially proud that her

daughter, Denai, was able

to accompany her to accept

the award.

“For her to interact with that group of proud, strong, military spouse

entrepreneurs was such a great opportunity,” Lori said.

Both Denai and their son, Trevor, are part of the team at Lock-n-

Load Java, though they have plans to join the “other family business”

next year. They will head off to Army Basic Training as part of the

Utah National Guard.

The Rosie Network is proud to support this great military family

owned company and encourages you to purchase some of their

amazing coffee and cocoa.

From Lock-n-Load Java’s Code of Conduct:

We welcome into our community of customers, all those who support our armed forces, our veterans, and their families and loved ones.

We give back to the military com-munity and its families by making regular donations to charities that support them.

We commit to donating no less than the equivalent of $1 per order to these charities.

We recognize the special sacrifice of those serving in harms way and we commit to a discount for orders shipped to war zones.

Lock-n-Load Java conducts busi-ness with professionalism, honor, and integrity – Always!

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Veteransare the Next Generation of

LeadersBy Nick Norris

Navy SEAL veteran Nick Norris

is no stranger to a hard-fought

battle. His career took him on

multiple deployments to both

Iraq and Afghanistan, conducting

counter insurgency ops and

training in the War on Terror.

Since departing active duty,

Norris has embraced the spirit of

entrepreneurship and advocates

for the inclusion of veterans in the

workplace everywhere.

This Navy

SEAL Believes

My military service has shaped me into the person

I am today. Attributes like discipline, loyalty,

integrity and commitment are veteran traits that

prove valuable to companies, and I owe my career

to a mentor who believed in my military service.

Combat has forged this latest generation of veterans into highly

capable leaders who have learned to achieve victory in even the

most ambiguous and challenging situations. Combat veterans have

fought as diffuse elements scattered over a rugged and violent

landscape, and they’ve utilized cutting edge technology to win.

Executive coaches and leadership organizations have used our

modern military as an example of what it means to be an effective

and competitive organization in the knife fight that is American

business. But few have realized that we stand on the edge of

perhaps another golden era of business prosperity not seen since

the years after World War II.

The modern combat veteran is perfectly prepared to storm the

entrepreneurial stage, and build the next generation of companies

that will solidify our position as a global business leader.

Because the modern military is expected to adapt to constantly

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changing battlefields, veterans are perfectly suited

to tackle the evolution of the business world. The

remarkable thing about these people is that they

already thrive in this environment, because they

quickly define goals and ultimately build on small

victories to achieve big victory. Basically, they

figure out how to win without even knowing how

to win. They’re adaptive and responsive. Combat is

entrepreneurship with a little more at stake, and I

have personally witnessed numerous teammates

depart active duty only to build successful young

companies. These companies aren’t always the most

mind-blowing sources of advanced technology, but

they consistently score small victories because of

the people running them. We’re in the infancy in

this era of combat veteran entrepreneurship, and

the people starting these small brands are cutting

their teeth in business. This initial round of start-

ups will become the foundational experience that

will launch the next generation of companies. This

talented generation will continue to learn, debrief,

adapt, and execute. They will strive to improve their

fighting position in order to maintain an advantage

over the competition, and in the end, the United

States will win. As we always do.

Nick Norris is a graduate of the United States

Naval Academy, and member of Basic Underwater

Demolition / SEAL (BUD/S) Class 247. As the CEO

and Co-Founder of Predator Warpaint, Norris is

elevating the standards for camouflage face paint and

sunscreen products. His company has developed an

extremely durable SPF 50, water and sweat resistant

product that will be launching on Predatorwarpaint.

com on October 27th. Please support this veteran-

owned company today and enter to win free product

on their website.

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Patricia Garza is a military spouse and

mother living in San Diego, California.

Her husband is on active duty in the

United States Navy. She is the owner and

founder of Bones Kitchen Catering.

Patricia became an entrepreneur and started

her own business three years ago. After working

for a meal prep food business doing sales and

marketing, she realized her passion for the

food industry. Patricia learned to cook the old

fashioned way from her mom and grandma and

knew she could provide catering services as a way

of bringing all different types of people together.

Bones Kitchen Catering has found its niche in

wedding, corporate and contract catering. Patricia

is in the process of opening up her own 2,500 square

foot rental kitchen in downtown San Diego, as she

wants to empower others by providing them the

stepping-stones needed to open their own food-

related business.

As a military spouse, Patricia has grown

accustomed to expecting the unexpected and

that ability to adjust to changes as preparing her

to navigate the ups and downs of starting and

running her own catering business.

Bones Kitchen Catering

Military Spouse Finds Her Niche

create personal structure and priorities. WORKING 24/7 DOES NOT GET YOU AHEAD

BUT INSTEAD CAUSES BURN OUT FASTER.

“Offer your family the best of you first

every day and then give the rest of yourself

over to your business. You will be happier

and your employees will be too. Make time

for yourself and set hours.”

pray.BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR CAN BE A LONELY EXPERIENCE AT TIMES

“Take time to pray and God will bless your

business daily.”

Patricia‘s Tips for Success

continued next page

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She shares that her greatest challenge so far has

been balancing a thriving business with caring

for her six-month-old daughter. She balances the

demands on her time by using daycare two days a

week to knock out clerical work and tastings, and

taking her daughter with her to work on the other

days. Patricia strives to take two days a week off

to focus on family. She believes that organization

and schedules are key elements to running a great

business.

The benefits of being an entrepreneur and business

owner is that it allows Patricia the flexibility to travel

and vacation whenever her husband has holidays or

leave. She also loves the opportunity to hire people to

work her catering events.

Predator Warpoint‘s mission is to produce the best

camo face paint that exists in the market.

“THE CAMO FACE PAINT THAT WAS ISSUED

TO US NEVER PREVENTED SUN BURNS DURING

MULTI-DAY TRAINING EVENTS, AND

IT USUALLY ENDED UP SWEATING

OFF MY FACE BEFORE WE EVEN

MADE IT TO OUR HIDE SITE. I WAS

DETERMINED TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS,

AND PREDATOR WARPAINT BECAME THAT

SOLUTION. WE EXPECTED INNOVATION

FROM EVERY COMPANY THAT PROVIDED

GEAR TO OUR UNIT, AND FACE PAINT

SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THIS

INNOVATION DECADES AGO.”

-NICK NORRIS

Predator Warpaint was born out of a

glaring need to make a better product in

an industry that has failed to innovate.

The problem was obvious: camo face paint

should do more than just conceal.

The solution was simple. The

Navy SEALS who created Predator

Warpaint leveraged decades of

innovation in sunscreen technology

to provide a superior product that

protects the user from the sun and

doesn’t need to be reapplied during

high perspiration activities. If

sunscreen can be designed to stay

on in salt water, then camo should stay on during

every hunt.

Predator Warpaint is designed to provide a

multifunctional camo face paint solution to both

military and hunters. Reputation is everything, and

IN FOCUS

Predator Warpaint

Bones Kitchen (cont’d)

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ONE TODDLER HELPED INSPIRE A COMPANY THAT

NOW HELPS HUNDREDS OF MILITARY CHILDREN DEAL WITH

ONE OF THE MOST STRESSFUL EVENTS OF THEIR LIVES:

SEEING THEIR PARENTS LEAVE FOR DEPLOYMENT.

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help of her brother, a Harvard Business School

graduate, she put together a business plan, copy-

righted a logo and brought on a great illustrator to

help with creating the book’s artwork.

Now parents can go on the Daddy’s Deployed

website (there’s a Mommy’s version as well), put

in their custom information (such as name, rank,

branch of service and family information) and or-

der their books. In about three weeks, Platt and

her team send back a personalized book with the

family drawn into their own

story.

“The whole point of it is

that when the kids open page

one they see their family in

the story,” Platt said. “They see

themselves in the story. They

see their dog in the story. So

that they know that it’s this

happy, brightly colored vision

of what their life could be or is

going to be.”

The company is exploring

its niche beyond custom books about deployment,

launching a book about military moves and look-

ing into selling eBooks and other interactive ma-

terials, such as audiobooks where the deployed

parent can read the story to their loved ones.

“The most common thing that is said to me

is, ‘Why didn’t I think of this?’” Platt said. “That

shows me that there was a problem and we are

answering it. And that is the best thing.”

Daddy’s DeployedFamily Story

“It doesn’t have to be sad,” said Bridget Platt, the

founder and CEO of Daddy’s Deployed and wife of

a Marine Corps aviator. “And that’s what I want-

ed to do. Create this story where [kids] are the star

even if their family is separated at the time.”

Founded in 2012, Platt’s company creates cus-

tom-designed children’s books that explain where

mom or dad are going, what they’ll be doing and

how they’ll stay in touch through tools like Skype.

The first book she ever created was for her own

daughter, with pictures of the

family literally cut out and

glued onto the pages.

She had been inspired

three years earlier, while

working with a two-year-

old girl at the child

development center

on Naval Air Station

Whidbey Island, Wash.

“She was perfectly

behaved, would eat ev-

ery meal, play outside

and she shared. She was potty-trained and would

nap everyday,” Platt said. “And then her dad de-

ployed and all of that changed. I remember think-

ing that somebody has to do something to help

these kids, but I was just too far from it at that

point. We were newlyweds. We didn’t have any

children so I couldn’t wrap my head around what

that concept might be.”

Once she had her own children, and with the

“They see themselves in the story. They see their

dog in the story. So that they

know that it’s this

happy, brightly

colored vision of

what their life

could be or is

going to be.”

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UNIQUE ARMY DIVISION INSPIRES

A Brand of Their Own

MOUNTAIN UP ValuesADVENTURE: OUR GEAR HOPES TO INSPIRE THE ADVENTUROUS NATURE OF OUR VETERANS

WHETHER CLIMBING MT. EVEREST OR STARTING THEIR OWN BUSINESS.

PATRIOTISM: OUR GEAR IS INSPIRED, DESIGNED BY AND DESIGNED FOR VETERANS, FAMILIES, AND MILITARY SUPPORTERS. WE ARE 100 PERCENT VETERAN OWNED AND OPERATED. WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE MILITARY IN A VARIETY OF WAYS.

GENEROSITY: WE ARE HUGE ADVOCATE FOR VETERAN ISSUES AND AT THIS TIME, WE DONATE A PORTION OF ALL PROCEEDS TO SEVERAL CHARITIES TO INCLUDE: ARMY WEEK, 22KILL, AND THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE 10TH MOUNTAIN.

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UNIQUE ARMY DIVISION INSPIRES

A Brand of Their Own

Douglas Schmidt. Veronica served in the Army

for three years, including a deployment to Iraq.

Douglas served more than four years in the Army

with deployments to Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo.

The trio’s greatest challenge in forming their

company was fusing their military experiences

into a civilian business. They stayed open-minded

to new ideas and ways of doing business and made

sure they remained flexible and willing to try

new things. They also found value in networking

and the synergistic opportunities that resulted,

helping their business grow rapidly and in new

directions.

“Being our own boss is awesome for a lot

of reasons—to include having pride and joy in

having something to call my own,” said Veronica.

“I love the vision of MOUNTAIN UP being a great

apparel and gear line, but also reaching out and

helping the veteran community. Taking the first

step is the most important step. Remember that

you have brothers and sisters in the veteran

community, such as the Rosie Network, who are

here to help you out. And, never give up on your

dream to be an entrepreneur.”

For more information, please visit their website

at www.10thmountainapparel.com.

MOUNTAIN UP is a military apparel

and gear line inspired by and

founded by veterans of the 10th

Mountain Division. The brand

is about a lifestyle and a tradition influenced by

this unique military unit—from the veterans of

World War II and continuing through the today’s

veterans of the Global War on Terrorism. The

MOUNTAIN UP lifestyle is about living life with a

flair for adventure, patriotism and generosity.

MOUNTAIN UP founder Ryan Hunt is active

duty and has served both as an enlisted soldier

and officer for more than 17 years. Ryan has been

deployed to Iraq and Bosnia. When asked how

the military prepared him to be an entrepreneur,

Ryan shared:

“Over the last 17 years, the Army has provided

me with so many opportunities to learn, manage

and lead diverse organizations. The military also

provided me with opportunities to obtain my

undergraduate and graduate degrees. Education

is the foundation, but my military experience is

paramount to all my successes in and out of the

uniform. These leadership opportunities have

equipped me to be an entrepreneur.”

Joining Ryan is co-founders Veronica Hunt and

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“Book Of Man,” A Navy SEAL’s Guide to the Lost Art

of Manhood is a wryly written book intertwining

practical skills with personal stories and philosophical

musings that are equally perfect for today’s men, boys,

women, and girls.

The book is both a “how to” and a “how come” that

explores the difference between being a male and being

a man. A male is a bully who abuses power for personal

gain or gratification. A Man is a protector who takes care

of his family and contributes positively to his community.

Being a Man is about the choices you make, not what

the world makes of you.

Contributors include other former Navy SEALs, studio

owners, stunt men, a book publisher, insurance agent,

karate fighter, banker, haberdasher, graphic novelist,

and actors including the Academy Award winner, Jon

Voight.

Author’s Bio: Derrick F. Van Orden

spent more than 20

years in the United States Navy SEAL Teams serving multiple tours in

Afghanistan, Iraq and other hotspots around the globe.

Filmography includes the hit movie “Act of Valor” and “Azadah,” a

short film depicting the brutal choices required of men in combat. He is

the recipient of Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal,

Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Navy

Achievement Medal, and multiple other campaign awards and decorations.

He is based in Minneapolis with his wife Sara; they have four children and one grandchild.

“DERRICK’S BOOK GIVES MAN A KNOWLEDGE OF SURVIVAL

IN LIFE’S LESSONS. THERE IS SOMETHING TO LEARN FOR

EVERYONE. IT IS A GRADUATION GOING BEYOND THE BOOK FOR BOY

SCOUTS. EVERYONE WILL FIND IT VERY EXCITING”

—-ACTOR JON VOIGHT

SEAL Senior Chief Shares What It Means to Be a Man

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SPONSOR OUR PARTNERS The Rosie Network is a publicly supported non-profit.

SPONSORSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE, PLEASE CONTACT LEONA SUBLETT AT LSUBLETT@THEROSIENETWORK.ORG

“Supporting the entrepreneurial efforts of our veterans and military spouses is the least we can do for these heroes and those who stand beside them. It’s good for our country, our economy and our military families.” - Stephanie Brown, CEO & Founder

The Rosie Network’s mission is to build stronger military families by developing entrepreneurial programs and support services that empower military spouses, transitioning service members and veterans, creating financial stability and self-sufficiency for our American families who serve. We host Rosie’s List, the nation’s largest non-profit search tool, featuring only 'verified' veteran & military spouse-owned small businesses. But we do much more - our programs help BUILD these businesses, create direct financial IMPACT and ADVOCATE on behalf of our military families across the country. "Shop Military Family-Owned" today!

We are proud to have served over 5,000 veterans and their families - at NO cost to them.

THE ROSIE NETWORK IS A PROUD FOUNDING AFFILIATE PARTNER OF

The Coalition will provide economic opportunity to veterans, their families and the communities in which they live by offering leadership and a national platform to

support military spouse and veteran-owned businesses, entrepreneurs, and suppliers.

We started Bottle Breacher in our garage. The Rosie Network team and their efforts had

a tremendous impact on our business. Every veteran business owner should join.

- Eli Crane, Veteran & CEO Bottle Breacher (Shark Tank Investee)

Between moving and frequent deployments, a traditional career was next to impossible. Instead, followed my passion and started a

small catering company. The Rosie Network's support and impact has been huge -

$11,000 and counting! Patricia G., Military Spouse & Owner, Bones Kitchen

Financial impact on TRN member businesses in 2014/15 & GROWING

Visit us at www.TheRosieNetwork.org and click on our donate badge to make

your tax-deductible donation. Help us fulfill our mission of building stronger, financially stable military families.

The Rosie Network is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. TAX ID: 46-1522625

5,000+

1 Million

Verified veteran & military spouse entrepreneurs served by TRN

$4.2M

WWW.THEROSIENETWORK.ORG

28% military spouse unemployment rate,more than 2x the national average

Veterans expected to transition out of service over next 4 years

Veteran business owners are more likely to hire other veterans & military spouses10x

22

A Navy SEAL’S Global Fight radm Thomas BrownNEVER RING THE BELL: BUD/S TRAINING AND SEAL CONDITIONING

I learned of the UDT/SEAL program as a

freshman at the University of Connecticut.

The depth of the challenge appealed to me,

so I decided to pursue an NROTC scholarship

at the University of New Mexico that would be

put in position to apply after I graduated.

Though I didn’t know it at the time, there

were only 17 billets a year for officers to attend

BUD/S, and NROTC grads only got four of those. I

guess I lucked out, and I got one of those slots. By

comparison, today, there are around 90 billets a

year for SEAL officers.

There has been a massive growth of the SEAL

community since 1983, when there were about a

thousand active duty SEALs.

Special Operators have what it takes to succeed in building a

career after they transition out of the military, whether it is as an

entrepreneur or an employee. RADM Thomas Brown, an avid supporter

of The Rosie Network, shares his drive to become a SEAL, his insight

on the value of Special Operations Forces and how he‘s used what he

learned in his military service to transition into his next career.

At BUD/S, I flirted with the idea of ringing the

bell when things were especially painful, but I

didn’t let myself give it any serious thought. In

Hell Week, they organize you as seven-man boat

crews, including a coxswain who steered the boat,

and every event is a competition. This was when

most of the guys who quit rang the bell. This one

member of our team—whom I recall as one of the

strongest, fastest athletes in the class— always held

back and put a greater burden on the rest of the

crew, whether it was lifting the log or rowing the

boat. During ‘surf conditioning’ where we spent

most of the night staying just on the alive side

of hypothermia, this man got the thousand-yard

stare. As the boat crew leader, I was supposed to

encourage the whole team to stay in the program,

but I knew this man was holding us back. I put little

23

effort into convincing him to stay. The instructors

got him to give it one more try, but an hour later he

quit. For good.

Regardless of one’s abilities, be it strength,

endurance, or intelligence, the SEAL program is

not for everyone. And that will never change. So

if someone wants to quit, and you see character

flaws in a trainee that will make him the wrong

person you’d want to rely upon in combat,

they should ring the bell. The people who quit,

however, are for the most part good and highly

motivated young men; it’s just that the program

wasn’t meant for them.

ON THE SEALS OF YESTERDAY AND TODAY

The SEALS of the post-9/11 world are better

trained, equipped, and prepared than those of

my generation. They’ve also been forged in the fire

of combat and intelligence and other operations,

opportunities that were in short supply during

the pre-9/11 times when the military and special

operations forces sat on the sidelines of the war

against Islamic extremists. This is a conflict

that had been going on for decades prior to 9/11

waking the country up to what very well may be

an existential threat to our way of life.

The 80s were a time of reinvestment in special

operations, and we saw the beginnings of improved

training and equipment, but it was very rarely

employed in field operations. The 90s saw the first

Gulf War, troubles in Haiti, and conflict in the

Balkans, so the investment in improved training

and equipment paid off and the SEALs were

employed more frequently, though they remained

mostly maritime focused. At the time, few military

leaders really understood that the light infantry

training the SEALs receive is probably the best in

the world (although I’m a little prejudiced in my

judgment here). But overcoming this idea that

SEALs always had to have swim fins in one hand

and a gun in the other wasn’t achieved until after

9/11, where the demand was so great that leaders

threw out their preconceived perception of the

continued next page

Do you know anyone lookingto buy or sell their home?

As their Realtor, I will donate 15%of my commissions to a military-focused

nonprofit of your choice

24

L in Sea, Air, and Land. They eventually came

around to the understanding that SEALs were

highly proficient in land combat ops.

Today’s Naval Special Warfare Community

is in the best possible place. We’ve increased

the number of combat support personnel,

from intelligence analysts that map out enemy

networks, SEABEEs that maintain our forward

operating bases, aviators that fly our UAVs, supply,

gunner’s mates, personnel that operate our tactical

ops centers that track missions and can call for fire

support and CASEVAC, and a list of other essentials

too long for this article. Most importantly, we

continue to be seen as the best option for most

maritime special operations, but we’ve also proved

ourselves as expert light infantrymen, from the

precision commando raids to kill bin Laden and

rescue hostages, to the battles along the Euphrates

River Valley were SEALS supported infantry and

armor in operations against radical extremists.

ON POST MILITARY LIFE.

I’m presently in a leadership position with GVP

Global Corporation, a Captive Venture Fund

focused on clean energy, biotech, firefighting, and

water remediation. It’s a very entrepreneurial

endeavor where good judgment and leadership

values are critical. I hope my experience in the

Navy and special operations serve me well here.

I’m also quite involved with my wife Stephanie

and her team—Leona, Jill, Robin and others—

who make up The Rosie Network. They continue

to raise funds for the innovative idea they’ve

implemented to help veterans and their families

become entrepreneurs or expand businesses. It

works principally through the presence of veteran

and military family owned businesses where

consumers can choose to purchase services or

products of veterans and their families. The Rosie

Network offers or intends to offer a variety of

other services including education, micro-loans,

and mentorship.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY: THE CONTINUED IMPORTANCE OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES

The nation will increasingly rely on SOF to guide our efforts against the kind of hybrid and political

warfare being waged today by Russia and Iran as well as combating increasingly dangerous non-

state actors who use unconventional approaches and tactics that SOF is best equipped to confront. Our

community includes information operations, civil affairs, and other capabilities that form a powerful

platform to combat the complex forms of aggression our foes wage worldwide. SOF excels at confronting

these threats wherever they arise.

If you make it into the SOF community, study the world, learn the languages, and be an expert in

military science. SOF excels at understanding countries, regions, sub-regions, building partnerships and

unconventional thinking and solutions. You need to truly understand how our adversaries think and

operate, just as you need to understand our allies.

RADM Brown (continued)

25

Veterans are smart,

educated, resourceful,

loyal and relentless in their pursuit

to succeed. Employers should leverage these qual-

ities helping to improve their businesses and the

quality of their products.

Two and a half million service members com-

pleted four million deployments to Iraq and Af-

ghanistan over the last decade. As they begin to

transition into civilian life, members of the armed

forces and their families bring a wealth of experi-

ence and potential to the next phase of their lives

and have earned the opportunity to enjoy the suc-

cess and prosperity of civilian life.

Many employers want to connect with these

service members. Additionally, most employers

have heard about—but not taken advantage of—

government hiring incentives available for hiring

qualified veterans. We can help! The Rosie Net-

work is excited to announce the most innovative

veteran-focused job board in the world: www.

RosiesJobs.org.

Rosie’s Jobs is a traditional job board and it also

has an integrated government hiring incentives

(aka tax credits) engine. Roughly half of veteran

job seekers (and in some cases military spouses)

are unaware that their service earned them a tax

credit and many companies are not aware of the

potential credits available upon hiring a veteran.

Rosie’s Jobs solves these problems and provides

full service around tax credit processing.

The tax credit application process is arduous

and cumbersome so hundreds of millions of dol-

Hire Smart, Help a Vet

lars in benefits go unclaimed each year according

to the IRS. Rosie’s Jobs completes and files the re-

quired federal/state paperwork for employers to

maximize their tax credit capture.

Take advantage of our state-of-the-art Job Tax

Credit Board and POST YOUR 1ST POSITION FOR

FREE. Go to RosiesJobs.org or contact Dayna Klock

at dklock@therosienetwork.org for more infor-

mation.

For each tax credit an employer earns, a percent-

age of the total goes back to The Rosie Network. So

hiring from the military community is good for your

business and helps us succeed in our mission.

JOB SEEKERS • CREATE AND MANAGE YOUR PERSONAL

PROFILE

• POST YOUR RESUME AND SEARCH JOBS FOR FREE

• ADD VALUE TO YOUR RESUME WITH A “BLUE TICKET” INDICATING YOUR TAX CREDIT ELIGIBILITY

EMPLOYERS• POST JOBS AND SEARCH FOR VERIFIED

MILITARY SPOUSE, TRANSITIONING SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERAN JOB SEEKERS

• TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR INTEGRATED TAX CREDIT SCREENING AND SEE ELIGIBLE HIRING INCENTIVES FOR EACH JOB SEEKER

• WE PROCESS THE REQUIRED FEDERAL AND/OR STATE APPLICATIONS FOR YOU

26

Top 10 Citiesfor MilitaryEntrepreneurs

The 2015 “Best Places for Veterans” entrepreneur list,

created by USAA and Hiring Our Heroes, identifies U.S.

metro areas that offer higher education opportunities

for veterans seeking to leverage their education benefits. The

top cities for entrepreneurs list includes:

1. Asheville, N.C.

2. Sarasota, Fla.

3. West Palm Beach, Fla.

4. Staunton, Va.

5. Prescott, Ariz.

6. Wilmington, N.C.

7. Missoula, Mont.

8. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

9. Oklahoma City

10. Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

“Entrepreneurship is one of three avenues that separating

service members are encouraged to consider through the

military’s Transition Assistance Program, and early planning

can help them succeed,” said Eric Engquist, an assistant vice

president at USAA and Army veteran. “The cities represented

on this list have industries that align with the attributes and

skills sets that many veteran entrepreneurs possess, such as

service and hospitality.”

USAA, a leading financial services provider to the military

community, and Hiring Our Heroes commissioned Sperling’s

Best Places and the Institute for Veterans and Military

Families at Syracuse University to create or provide data for

this list. The four organizations worked together to determine

measurable variables for 401 major U.S. metropolitan areas,

27

which are defined as one or more central cities

including the surrounding county or counties.

The variables for the Entrepreneur list included:

• Veteran-owned businesses per capita

• Small businesses per capita

• Percentage of very small businesses

• Certification/license transfers

• Presence of colleges

• Retirement tax climate

• Airport nearby

• Stability

• Health resources

When the community works together, the community works Bank of America congratulates The Rosie Network for creating the kind of environment where people work together in a community that becomes stronger day by day.

Visit us at bankofamerica.com/local Life’s better when we’re connected®

©2015 Bank of America Corporation | ARB8SPB6

Each variable was weighted and each metro area

was then ranked based on its total points for all

variables. Metro areas with the following attributes

were excluded from the list: unemployment rate

more than one percent above the 2014 national

average, property and personal crime in the top

five percentile and median cost of living more

than 20 percent above the national average. More

information about this year’s criteria can be found

at http://www.usaa.com/bestplaces.

USAA is an active supporter of The Rosie

Network.

28

Confessions of Social Engineer

What Every Soldier Needs to Know

Criminals use social engineering tactics because

it is usually easier to exploit our natural inclination

to trust than it is to discover ways to hack your

software. (It is much easier to fool someone into

giving you their password than it is for you to try

hacking their password, unless the password is

really weak.) Our soldiers and veterans are used

to trusting those they believe to be in their trusted

network so they may become victim to the well

crafted message of social engineer.

Social engineers leverage confidence tricks

which differ from a traditional “con” in that it is

often one of many steps more complex scheme

to obtain an ultimate objective. We know that

all social engineering techniques are based on

specific attributes of human decision making

and biases which are actually “bugs” in human

phycology.

While the global media consistently churns out a deluge of

reports about “sophisticated” hacks against prominent

individuals, organizations and institutions, social

engineering remains the leading tool and tactic of choice

for many state sponsored agent hackers, cybercriminals and politically

motivated hacktivists. Contributed by Darin Andersen

Social engineering is generally a non-technical

method of hacker intrusion that relies heavily

on human interaction and usually involves

tricking one or more people into breaking normal

security polices, procedures and protocols. It is

one of the greatest threats that organizations

today encounter. Our Veteran community is

equally vulnerable to these social engineering as

non military personnel.

The goal of the social engineer is to get people

to physically performing actions or divulge

confidential information. These “confidence tricks”

allow the social engineer to gather information,

implement a fraud to further their purpose or

actually access a government or corporate system.

Social engineering is both an art and the science of

manipulating people so they give up confidential

information.

29

The social engineer exploits various

combinations to create attack plans using well

established and proven techniques. These planned

attacks are launched like any other sales or

marketing campaign in order to achieve a goal such

as stealing an employees‘ confidential information

such as passwords, banking information, access to

a company Servers, Laptops and BYOD devices and

computers in order to secretly install malicious

“Command and Control” software which will give

the social engineer to access desired information.

One most common type of social engineering

happens over the phone and whereby the social

engineer poses as someone other than their true self

such as network security administrator, company

executive, government auditor, a fire marshall, or

other public safety officer or service provider which

can unnoticed as the steal organizational secrets.

The TOP 5 techniques used by the social engineer and which are hard for companies and or employees to detect include:

1 Retexting (adj. Pretextual). Retexting is

the act of creating and using an invented

scenario (aka the pretext) to engage a targeted

victim in a manner that increases the chance the

victim will divulge information or perform actions

that would be unlikely in ordinary circumstances.

An elaborate lie, it most often involves some prior

research or setup and the use of this information

for impersonation (e.g., date of birth, government

ID, last bill amount) to establish legitimacy in the

mind of the target victim.

This technique can be used to fool an individual

at a business to disclose customer information as

well as by private investigators to obtain telephone

records, utility records, banking records and

other information directly from company service

representatives. The information can then be used

to establish even greater legitimacy under tougher

questioning with a manager, to make account

changes, get specific balances, etc.

Pretexting can also be used to impersonate

co-workers, police, bank, tax authorities, clergy,

insurance investigators—or any other individual

who could have perceived authority or right-to-

know in the mind of the targeted victim.

2 Phishing. Phishing is a technique of

fraudulently obtaining private information.

Typically, the phisher sends an email that appears

to come from a legitimate business—a bank, or

credit card company—requesting “verification” of

information and warning of some dire consequence

if it is not provided. The email usually contains a link

to a fraudulent web page that seems legitimate—

with company logos and content—and has a form

requesting everything from a home address to an

ATM or card PIN.

A related form of phishing or phone phishing (or

“vishing”) uses a rogue interactive voice response

(IVR) system to recreate a legitimate-sounding copy

of a bank or other institution‘s IVR system. The

victim is prompted (typically via a phishing email)

30

to call in to the “bank” via a number provided in

order to “verify” information. A typical “vishing”

system will reject log-ins continually, ensuring

the victim enters PINs or passwords multiple

times, often disclosing several different passwords.

More advanced systems transfer the victim to the

attacker, posing as a customer service agent for

further questioning.

3 Diversion Theft. Diversion theft, also known

as the “Corner Game” or “Round the Corner

Game,” originated in the East End of London. In

the diversion theft, a con exercised by professional

thieves is normally targeted to persuade the persons

responsible for a legitimate action (such as delivery

or transport) that the consignment is requested

elsewhere — hence “round the corner.”

4 Baiting. Baiting is like the real-world

Trojan Horse that uses physical media

and relies on the curiosity or greed of the victim. In

this attack, the attacker leaves a infected USB drive

or some other form of media in a location where

someone will find and use a device out of curiosity

or help someone they deem is in need.

For example, an attacker might create a drive

featuring a corporate logo, readily available from

the target‘s web site, and write “Executive Salary

Summary Q2 2015” on the front. The attacker

would then leave the device on the floor of an

elevator or somewhere in the lobby of the targeted

company. An unknowing employee might find it

and subsequently insert the disk into a computer

to satisfy their curiosity, or a good Samaritan might

find it and turn it in to the company.

5 Quid pro quo. Quid pro quo means

something for something whereby the

social engineer calls random numbers at a company,

claiming to be calling back from technical support.

Eventually this person will hit someone with a

legitimate problem, grateful that someone is calling

back to help them. The attacker will “help” solve

the problem and, in the process, have the user type

commands that give the attacker access or launch a

malware attack.

If you want to hack a corporation fast, social

engineering techniques will work every time

and more often than not it works the first time.

Securing the information that is in the human mind

is a monumental, colossal, epic, task compared with

securing digital data.

There is a lot that companies can do to project

themselves. The best defense is to start by building

“security culture” in your organization. Security

culture is all about building awareness and common

goals and best practices around security. It teaches

everyone in the organization to develop situational

awareness and look for possible social engineering

attacks. Security assessments, determining your

Cyber Value at Risk and preparing for a breech

before, during after are all ways for an organization

to build resiliency and thwart the social engineers

looking to prey on unsuspecting and uneducated

employees.

Security is all about “trust verified.” Our soldiers

and veterans know the importance of following

good protocol and verifying trust. Knowing who

and when to trust someone trying to conduct work

at your place of business is critical. Knowing when,

and when not to trust or take a person at their

work is key to protecting the valuable assets or an

organization.

About Darin Andersen Darin Andersen is a distinguished Internet of Things

(IoT) and cybersecurity professional with over 15

years of experience in the security industry. Mr.

Andersen is the Chairman & Founder of CyberTECH,

a global cybersecurity and IoT network ecosystem

providing cybersecurity and IoT resources, strategic

programs and quality thought leader IoT Forums

across the nation. Andersen is also the founder of

CyberUnited, Inc. a cybersecurity, big data and

predictive analytics consultancy firm.

31

,

A coalition of industry leaders, committed to providing innovative solutions and thought

leadership to grow and support veteran-owned businesses in communities throughout

the nation. First Data has committed to providing resources to launch the coalition with

the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF).

VISIONThe Coalition will provide economic opportunity to veterans, their families and the communities in which they live by offering leadership and a national platform to support military spouse and veteran-owned businesses, entrepreneurs, and suppliers

VETERAN BUSINESS PROFILE• Of the more than 27 million Small Businesses in the U.S., more than 2.5 million (9 percent)

are veteran owned (SBA)

• Veteran-owned businesses generate more than $1.2 trillion in sales per year (SBA)

• Veteran businesses employ more than 5.8 million people in the U.S. (SBA)

COALITION GOALS• Increase opportunities for veteran and military family businesses within corporate supply

chains • Increase % of spend, % of vendor, and access to opportunities and information

• Find gaps in veteran and spouse vendor supply chain

• Increase opportunities for veteran and military family businesses in the public marketplace • Drive awareness and commerce

• Increase loyalty of customers

• Increase employment of veterans and military families

• Increase awareness of and opportunities for access to capital by veteran and military family businesses

PARTICIPATING COMPANIESFIRST DATA

THE INSTITUTE FOR VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

USAA

ENTERPRISE HOLDINGS, INC.

AMERICAN EXPRESS

FLEISHMANHILLARD

SUNTRUST BANKS, INC.

VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC.

LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION

BP AMERICA

KKR

WALMART AND SAM’S CLUB

U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION

Enhancing veteran and military family-owned business success

veteranbusinesscoalition.org

Coalition for Veteran Owned Business

Enhancing veteran and military family-owned business success

To learn more or to discuss joining the Coalition, please contact:

Meg O’Grady at First Data (Meg.OGrady@firstdata.com)

or

James Schmeling at IVMF (jschmeli@syr.edu)

A coalition of Industry leaders, committed to providing innovative solutions and thought leadership to grow and support veteran and military spouse-owned businesses in communities throughout the nation. First Data has committed to providing resources to

launch the coalition with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF).

VISIONThe Coalition will provide economic opportunity to veterans, their families and the communities in which they live by offering leadership and a national platform to support military spouse and veteran-owned businesses, entrepreneurs and suppliers.

The Rosie Network (TRN) is honored to be a founding affiliate partner of the CVOB. To participate in the opportunities provided by this coalition, veteran and military spouse business owners need only create a profile page on Rosie’s List (www.RosiesList.org). Profiles and membership are free.

COALITION GOALS• Increase opportunities for veteran and military family businesses within corporate supply

chains

o Increase % of spend, % of vendor and access to opportunities and information

o Find gaps in Veteran and Spouse vendor supply chain

• Increase opportunities for veteran and military family businesses in the public market-place

o Drive awareness and commerce

o Increase loyalty of customers

• Increase employment of veterans and military families

• Increase awareness of and opportunities for access to capital by veteran and military family businesses

For more information contact Stephanie Brown at sbrown@TheRosieNetwork.org.FOUNDING AFFILIATE PARTNERSTHE ROSIE NETWORK

STREETSHARES

MILITARY ONE CLICK

32

We all know that fighting for a parking space and standing in long

lines at big box stores tends to take the joy out of the holiday sea-

son! What better way to show that special someone how much

they mean to you, than purchasing from another military family-owned small

business. It is the ideal way to Give Back during this Holiday Season.

Here are just a few shopping options for your holiday gift-giving needs. We

hope you will take the time to visit their Rosie’s List profiles (just click on the

company name or image) and Buy Military Family-Owned.

ARCHITECTURAL RENAISSANCE TECHNIQUESCUSTOM METAL AND WOOD DESIGNS.

We combine various skill sets from wood to steel to set us apart from the competition. Our vision to emulate the most legendary artists of the re-naissance period.

Virginia Beach, VA

KOTA LONGBOARDSACTION SPORTS/ACTIVE LIFESTYLE.

KOTA Longboards manufactures longboard skateboards for the action sports enthusiast.

Denver, CO

THE ROSIE NETWORK’S

Find thousands of veteran and military spouse-owned businesses on Rosie’s List (www.RosiesList.org).

Holiday Gift Guide

33

BOTTLE BREACHERHand crafted 50 Caliber bottle openers made by Active Duty Service Members and Veterans. Groomsmen gifts, corporate Ggfts, and one of a kind bottle openers to complete the perfect man cave.

Tucson, AZ

RESCO INSTRUMENTSFROGMAN WATCH COMPANY

From Downrange to Downtown; timepieces designed for high performance and high class.

Coronado, CA

HOMEFRONT GIRL, L.L.C.HOME DECOR/PRODUCTS

Who is the Homefront Girl? She’s anyone who has ever loved someone serving in our military and “shared her Hero with the world.”

Arlington VA

FREEDOM ROSE SEWING AND CRAFTSSEWING, EMBROIDERY, ALTERATIONS, AND CUSTOM CRAFTS

I love making custom items. My specialties are baby items, totes/purses, and blankets.

Abilene, TX

LILY SWEET LILY SWEETA CUSTOM INSPIRATIONAL BOOK FOR GIRLS

Lily sweet is a picture book for girls to inspire girls to make the most of every day in order to foster a positive outlook in life at the outset.

Tampa, FL

34

COOKIOLOGYFRESHLY BAKED CUSTOM COOKIES

Providing freshly baked custom cookies for any celebration or event.

Gulf Breeze, FL

DOG BABY TREATSPERSONALIZED DOG WALKING, PET SITTING

AND HOME-MADE, GLUTEN-FREE TREATS.

Caring for your pets as if they’re members of our family because they’re members of your family.

Chicago, IL

LOCK-N-LOAD JAVAVETERAN AND MILSPOUSE OWNED. NO COMPROMISE. PREMIUM

COFFEE AND COCOA

Fuel for Warriors - We provide premium coffee and cocoa via our online store delivered right to your front door. We donate 1% of all sales to military charities.

Salt Lake City, UT

GOOD LOOKIN’ HOOKIN’-TWISTEDLY VINTAGECUSTOM CROCHET AND DESIGNS

Anything Crochet! You dream it...I make it! Taking custom orders for that perfect gift and even designing patterns for those who crochet already!

Villa Grove, CO

NOMADES CHARMINGMILITARY INSPIRED JEWELRY,

HOME DECOR AND GIFTS.

Columbia, SC

Find thousands of veteran and military spouse-owned businesses on Rosie’s List (www.RosiesList.org).

35

It’s not a surprise to small business owners that eCommerce has had a huge impact on our economy and society. It offers the con-sumer a wide range of information and purchasing options. If you don’t offer your customers the means to learn about your business and purchase your products and/or services online, you are miss-ing the boat.

Most of us are familiar with Etsy and Amazon. Heck, we’ve no doubt purchased products from one or both of these sites. What if there were an eCommerce platform just for Military Family-Owned small busi-nesses?

Well, now there is. It’s a publicly sup-ported non-profit platform that features only verified veteran, active-duty and mil-itary spouse-owned businesses called Rosie’s List™ (think Angie and Craig). Now it offers no-cost shopping carts. No gateway fees.

Since the majority of American consumers prefer to shop Military Family-Owned, what better way to capture those sales than by providing a One-Stop Shopping experience featuring those prod-ucts and services?

Join the national movement to Buy Military Family-Owned and register your small business and get your shopping cart at no-cost on Rosie’s List today!

For more information, contact The Rosie Network at contact@TheRosieNetwork.org. We are standing by to help you ”get your cart on.”

e-Commerce Impact on

Small Business

By 2017 online shopping

services are predicted to

grow to

$370 BILLION

Percentage of American

consumer who PREFER to

buy Military Family-Owned

70%

Cyber Monday 2014 sales

represents over

$2.29 BILLION

# of users that put and

purchase an item in their

shopping cart

58%

Average cost of a gateway

$50/mONth

The Rosie Network

Marketplace

Rosie’s Marketplace© is brought to you by The Rosie Network, a non-profit whose mission is to build stronger military families

by providing the tools and services they need to launch and grow their small businesses and by First Data, shaping the future of global commerce by delivering the world’s most

secure and innovative payment solutions.

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Limit one (1) Clover Station, Clover Mobile or Clover Mini option per client.

*With a current payment processing agreement. Offers available through participating processors only.

**Offers good for veterans and military spouses whose status has been validated by ID.me

***Free processing offer applies only to transactions processed on the Federal holiday of Veterans Day, 11/11/2015, between 12:01 AM Eastern Time and 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Rebate will appear on the merchant statement up to 60 days after it is applied, and will be given for qualifying transaction processing fees. Monthly processing fees, chargebacks, billbacks, fines, and disputed transactions are expressly excluded from rebate eligibility. Minimum processing fees may apply to this offer.

Clover, Perka and Payeezy offers begin on 12:01 AM Eastern Time 6/4/2015 and expire 11:59 PM Eastern Time 12/31/2015, and are subject to change without notice. Promotion may be not retroactively applied.

Clover, Perka and Payeezy offers cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts. Processing rate must be within Clover guideline. Matching of competitive rates that are below the Clover guideline will not be considered for this promotion.

© 2015 First Data Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks, service marks and trade names referenced in this material are the property of their respective owners.

First Data Salutes Veterans With an Exclusive FREE Offer.

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Learn more about First Data solutions for small business and our special offers for veterans and military spouses at firstdata.com/veterans-offer or by calling (888) 265-4181.

Grow your business with FREE Clover® Mini or Clover MobileAs a veteran, you’ve got drive, tenacity and discipline—traits that will make your business successful. First Data is proud to offer veterans and military spouses a variety of small business solutions designed to support your success.

Running your business is more than a full time job. First Data makes managing your business easier with innovative solutions for everything from tracking inventory and managing employees to building lasting customer relationships and securely accepting all types of payments.

If you are a veteran or a military spouse, come learn how Clover can help you grow your business.** With Clover, you can do more, know more, and sell more—more easily.

FREE processing on Veterans Day.