Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a veterans hiring training program. The program was presented by The Coalition for Government Procurement. The primary purpose of the event was to share veteran hiring strategies with hiring managers and employment recruiters. A considerable amount of notable companies were represented at the event: i.e. General Dynamics, Harris Corporation, etc. There I was – Wide-eyed and young accompanied by my Nikon D3200, and my Apple manufactured note taking device (le notice my strategic and completely necessary use of French here iPad mini).
Side Note: You are probably wondering how a veterans hiring training program relates to entrepreneurship. Allow me to provide you with a quick back brief.
A few weeks ago, I reached out to the CEO of an organization called Women Veterans Interactive (WVI). I sought her mentorship. Last fall, I had the opportunity to attend one of her events: the 2014 Women Veterans and Women in the Military Extravaganza. As an active duty soldier, I have found that attending conferences and events targeting past and present military service members is very beneficial to my personal and professional endeavors. Anyhow – I managed to connect with various professionals, and I gained a lot of insight from her event. I have always been enamored by professional who successfully exhibit the ability to host an event and assemble a consistent group of people. The CEO of WVI, Ginger Miller, has that aforementioned skill.
Side Note: Has the mysterious connection been made yet? In case it hasn’t, Mentor Ginger invited me to attend the veterans hiring training event. Boom.
Now, take my hand as we journey toward the same side of the Venn diagram.
Survival. “To survive, we all need the skills required to continually reinvent ourselves.”–Crazy Is a Compliment: The Power of Zigging When Everyone Else Zags by Linda Rottenberg
I am naturally a creative person; I enjoy problem solving, and I am addicted to sleep deprivation and coffee. Pretty Girl Movement, LLC. led me to a concept much larger than fitness and clothing: entrepreneurship. I began Pretty Girl Movement as a fitness enthusiast who wanted to make a positive contribution to society. I had this desire to build a community with a foundation completely derived from positive energy. I had no idea that six months later I would be the CEO of Pretty Girl Movement, LLC. and the Founder of Indigenous Complex. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I have a passion for what I am doing, and I want to be able to continue to do it. Additionally, I was able to identify that the only way to endure in an arena gradually shifting toward over saturation and competition is to hone my capacity to exercise innovative initiative. I didn’t reach out to Ginger Miller because I thought she could help me sell hats and t-shirts. I pursued her mentorship because I knew she would trigger my innovative initiative. She would play a major role ensuring that my mind and perspective continue to expand; I cringe at the thought of fostering a stagnant, dormant, idle mind.
If we don’t look in a different direction, then we will spend our lives staring at the same thing.
[1] Passion is listed on Entreprenuer.com in The 7 Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs. Check it out. It’s a cool article.
Adaptability. “Unwavering commitment to an idea, in my opinion, is kryptonite to an entrepreneur.” [2]
Adaptability applies to a lot of shit. Let’s be honest: people, places, things, and etcetera. Cool – noted. I am a visionary. Seriously, if Kanye can be a self-proclaimed visionary, then I am going to go ahead and throw visionary on my email signature.
Simply stated – I believe in Pretty Girl Movement, LLC. I believe in the company’s ability to succeed, and I believe in the vision. However, I will never subject myself to the notion that there is a sole method or step that will lead to my company’s peak. The market is constantly changing. As a result, market strategy needs to change along with it. Sam Walton once stated, “If everybody else is doing it one way, there’s a good chance you can find your niche by going in exactly the opposite direction.” Yes – I made the joke about Kanye and being a visionary, but the truth is I strive to be a visionary.
Let’s dissect two terms: entrepreneur and visionary. Today is definitely a Venn diagram sort of day.
Blue and yellow totally make green. See what I did there? I don’t want to imply that I am a visionary, but I mean it was visionary-like. #teamKanye
Don’t ever get complacent. A strategy or tactic that works today may not work tomorrow. Personally, I would rather be playing the explain yourself game leading in the front as opposed to the catch-up game in the back. I compare business to a keynote speaker. People are always intrigued by the introduction; they are attentive until about the middle of a speech or presentation; the speaker becomes repetitive as the conclusion nears. Before the conclusion is even presented, the audience is already checking the time and agenda because the desire and demand shift in favor of the next speaker. The demand for speaking and pedagogy have not decreased. The demand for the present speaker or medium has decreased.
I want to be the introduction and the next speaker. Fuck the middle.
Why did I attend a veterans hiring training program presented by The Coalition for Government Procurement with the CEO of Women Veterans Interactive? I attended that training program because I am entrepreneur who plans to survive, and in order to survive I need to be adaptable, I need to be a visionary, and I need to be the introduction. The only way to ensure innovative initiative is to keep your head on a swivel and constantly identify something different.
Jordyn Short is the CEO, Founder and Creative Director of Pretty Girl Movement, LLC. and Indigenous Complex. The 24 year old fitness enthusiast is an active duty soldier and college senior majoring in cyber-security at the University of Maryland University College. She is currently stationed in Washington, DC.
