Nick Haley is joined by James Cameron, the founder of Mission Motorsport - a charity focused on using motorsport to aid the recovery and reintegration of wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women - and a former Army officer. James shares the details of his extensive military journey, including his time in the Royal Tank Regiment, the impact of urgent operational requirements in Afghanistan, and his eventual role in pioneering the deployment of new armoured vehicles.

Transitioning from the Army to the corporate world is never easy, and James shares the challenges he faced when establishing Mission Motorsport. He highlights the importance of putting recovery first and leveraging his passion for motorsport to create meaningful opportunities for veterans.

Expect advice for those nearing the end of their military careers, ways you can prioritise personal goals and utilise available resources, and methods to actively seek help from the veteran community.

It’s the camaraderie and resilience found in military life that sets veterans up for success. Find out how James channelled the personal and professional growth it fostered into a thriving business.

“I wanted to start something where I start something, where I could build it, see the fruits of my labour, learn things that I could utilise going forward.”

These words come from Duncan Grocock, former Operations Officer for the British Army and Nicky Haley’s guest for this episode of Little Big Vets, who moved from law school and a stint as a semi-pro rugby player to full-time military service and eventually entrepreneurship.

Duncan shares his personal story and talks insights from his time in the military and his transition to civilian life, including the founding of Cannonball Coffee, Duncan’s own high-caffeine coffee company. He goes on to talk about the trials, tribulations and lessons learnt from running a business and his current role in freelance strategic communications and as a Communications Planner for the military reserves.

In this episode, your three important takeaways are:

1. It’s Who You Know: Duncan swears on the power of networking. Build professional relationships and keep at it. From leveraging connections to explore career options post-military, to partnering with a local roastery for his coffee business, Duncan’s journey demonstrates how effective networking can open doors and provide support.

2. Know Your Niche: Duncan’s experience founding Cannonball Coffee underscores the power of identifying and catering to a specific target audience when starting a business. Thorough market research and understanding customers’ needs can set you apart and drive growth!

3. Bounce Back Stronger: Duncan’s story is a masterclass in resilience – a key trait in veterans. Exploring business challenges head on, learning from failures, anticipating obstacles and staying flexible can transform setbacks into stepping stones. Try, fail and grow.

Nick Haley sits down with Tom Sherwood, former Lance Bombardier of the British Army’s Fire Support Team and Co-Founder and CEO of Koios.

Tom shares his incredible story, from joining up (influenced by his dad’s background in law enforcement and the impact of 9/11), to navigating the highs and lows of military life through operational tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nick and Tom also discuss his transition into corporate and civilian life, excelling in the recruitment industry on behalf of massive companies like Spotify, Apple Music and Snapchat before founding his own startup, Koios – a business which leverages the power of AI to predict personality and behaviour accurately from speech.

In this episode, your three takeaways are:

1. It’s All About Resilience: Tom’s story highlights the importance of resilience in both military and entrepreneurial settings. Overcoming setbacks and persisting through challenges is crucial for long-term success.

2. Change Happens, Embrace It: Look, veterans know that sometimes the unexpected happens. It’s the same in business. When things don’t go to plan, you need to be agile. Tom’s journey underscores the skill of adapting to change and being open to pivoting strategies.

3. F*CK IT!: Tom’s advice for veterans leaving the military – go for it! Humans are endlessly adaptable, especially military vets, so take bold steps and you’ll thrive.

Find out more at littlebigtech.co.uk