Inc. Entrepreneurship Mentoring Fair

Posted by Steve Richard at 07:11 AM on 09/23

Yesterday I was honored to act as a mentor at the Inc./Joining Forces’ Entrepreneur Mentoring Fair. The highlight of the afternoon was a keynote by Dawn Halfaker, a wounded warrior from Iraq who started the very successful government contractor, Halfaker. Dawn’s emotional story of losing an arm and the subsequent recovery is well documented by HBO, but hearing her tell it live left few dry eyes in the room. The day belonged to entrepreneurship, however, and with Dawn’s permissions I recap some of her excellent points on starting a business here:

Focus on what you have rather than what you’ve lost.

Bring together a small team who shares the same vision. People want to be focused around an idea. For Dawn, Halfaker’s mission continues to be “Continuing to serve…”

Focus on revenue producing activities. There are a lot of things you can do to waste your time.

Have a talent strategy in mind. Know who the next hire is going to be before you need that person.

It’s all about relationships, and relationships take time. In the government contracting world, sometimes you need to wait for up to 18 months to land your first contract. She said, “The best thing I can do is help someone else because that creates a relationship that will last.

She concluded the day with some timeless military wisdom every entrepreneur needs: adaptability, resilience, resolve, and time/courage/determination.

Categories: Events •