Jay Danforth has plans to launch a janitorial services company early next year.
To prepare, he says he’s been consuming YouTube videos and getting as much information as he can from others who have done it.
But he said his biggest step was attending a Veterans Entrepreneurship Initiative workshop on the Space Coast. The Orlando-based organization helps veterans build businesses and connections.
“I was very impressed with how they cater to us with the training,” said Danforth, a U.S. military veteran entrepreneur.
Well, there is more of that ahead.
The VEI is set to debut SPEAR, its first-ever accelerator program for veteran-led businesses in the healthcare space. The 12-week program will run entrepreneurs through a step-by-step process of building a thriving business.
The idea is to help veteran entrepreneurs build while also connecting them to industry leaders, mentors and potential partners, said Ricardo Garcia, a founding member of the accelerator.
“We want to create a pathway for veteran-led tech startups to transform their innovative ideas into impactful businesses,” said Garcia, who serves as cofounder and vice president of the VEI. “Veterans bring resilience, mission-driven focus and adaptability, all qualities that make them leaders in tech.”
“Ultimately, our goal is to empower veterans to drive meaningful innovations and make a lasting impact,” he said.
Danforth is trying to do just that.
He takes pride in his military service but says he’s also trying to turn the page and apply what he learned there into his entrepreneurship.
“I want to be known as a good business owner,” he said. “I look at role models who used to be military leaders and now they are executives.”
The similarities are certainly there but it’s also important to adapt a little, he said. For instance, in the military, “I don’t have to remember Johnny’s birthday.”
“But this is a people game now,” he said.
Like most people coming into an early stage effort, Danforth has suggestions for improving VEI’s offerings.
But even attending the event in Melbourne made him realize the things that he didn’t know while also seeing the value in the connections and events.
“I knew I had homework to do,” he said. “It didn’t cost me anything and I’d be happy to pay for those services.”