The following is an interview with AW2 Veteran Tim Gillem who has started his own security firm in Greenville, S.C. after recovering from wounds suffered as a result of combat in Iraq. Tim graciously agreed to this interview in the hopes that it would inspire AW2 Soldiers and Veterans to start their own businesses.
AW2 Veteran Tim Gillem pictured while on active duty in Samarra, Iraq at FOB Brassfield-Mora.
What does it mean to you to be an AW2 Veteran?
It means that I have constant support. I’ve been out of the Army since November 29th and my AW2 Advocate at Ft. Jackson calls me at least once every two weeks to see how I’m doing and what’s going on. She knows me and she alerts me to new programs that come up and asks for my input. That’s the most important part: knowing that I have a support system if I need it.
When did you decide that you wanted to start your own business?
Actually, my co-founder Tony and I discussed it during our 2006-2007 deployment to Iraq. We talked about it the entire time we were deployed and before we got wounded. We really wanted to do something together when we retired. As fate had it, the night I got wounded Tony also got wounded when he came out to rescue me. I got hit by an IED and while Tony was coming out to get me he got hit by an IED. It was a very well coordinated attack; it took out our platoon, and it took out the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) along with Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD).
Throughout our deployment we had been discussing different business plans and coming up with ideas for what we wanted to do. Since both of us served in the infantry we really wanted to continue in similar line of work, but we also wanted to do it for civilians and executives. That end up being what our company is all about — executive protection.
When I say that we protect executives I mean that we protect judges, celebrities, politicians, or anyone that feels that there is some threat level, whether it’s a low threat level or a high threat level. Our aim is to protect those kinds of individuals so they can go about their business and everyday lives.
Did your AW2 Advocate provide you with any support or guidance to start your own business?
Definitely. Wanda, my AW2 Advocate, has been a great resource to me. She was actually the one that pointed me to the Web sites for the Small Business Administration in South Carolina. She also made sure I was aware of small business briefings and she got me into an ACAP class that helped me learn a lot about running my own business. The class also featured a number of speakers from Veterans and others that had started their own businesses. It was very informative and helped me understand what I was getting myself into. The class also had a group come from Benedict College in Columbia and that helped me set up a business plan and assisted with financing. Wanda was very instrumental in helping us, and Tony and I are very thankful for her help and support.
What was the most challenging aspect of starting your business?
One of the most challenging aspects was getting over the initial shock of what I was getting myself into. When I first took the plunge, I immediately froze up and thought about how is this going to affect my Family, how is this going to affect my personal life, and how is this going to affect me a recovering wounded warrior. I often asked myself, “Am I going to be able to do it all of the time?” and wondering if I am going to get halfway through it and say, “I can’t handle it anymore because of my physical impairments.”
Another challenging aspect is the money required to start your own business. The first advice I would give to anyone starting their own business is to write down how much money you think you need to start the business and immediately double it. There are so many obstacles that you don’t plan for and so many unforeseen things that come up, that it really helps to have extra funds for those unplanned expenses. For example you may go online and order your business cards and realize that they aren’t really the quality that you want when they arrive and have to order them all over again.
I’ve also found that I personally really like dealing with people face-to-face. I like to be able shake a person’s hand when I do business with them and I think that in the long-run that is the best way to do business. Doing something over the Internet is fine for personnel shopping, but when you need your licenses or your printed materials to get your business up and running, the best way to do it is to meet people face-to-face. It reassures me to know all of the people I’m doing business with and I’ve found that it’s a great learning experience. When I meet with business owners in person, almost all of them offer me advice or lessons learned from how they started their businesses. You also learn a lot from just walking into another person’s business and just watching how they operate. These experiences give you great insight as to what you should or shouldn’t do in running your own business.
Do you have any other advice for wounded warriors who may be interested in starting their own businesses?
One of the biggest things is writing exactly what your business is going to do. Any business course will tell you that the most important thing is knowing what your business is all about and what your mission is. It’s kind of like giving yourself an operations order: this is my mission, this is my situation, this is my command and control, and this is where I go if I get into problems. You really need to know what you are going to do. Your mission statement and your company charter are the two things that attract clients. If your mission statement isn’t stated clearly and there is any doubt as to what your company does, then you are going to lose business. If you state it clearly and keep writing drafts as part of your business plan, it will really help guide you down the road.
How has your Army training and the skills you learned in the Army helped you in establishing your own business?
Self-confidence and self-reliance. From day one, the Army teaches that your career depends on you. It doesn’t depend on the command or who is above you — your whole career is up to you. How you handle yourself in day-to-day activities and how you conduct your life in the military is what determines your success. It also teaches that not only are you an individual, but you are also part of a team that will support you. As a Soldier, whenever you get into issues – whether it be personal or professional – you can always go to a fellow Soldier and say, “Hey buddy, I need your help” or , “Hey this is what I have going on, can you square me away?” That teaches you to get out there and get after what you want to do and things you want done.
Personally, I think our country as a whole would be better set up for success if we went to a system where you have to do a few years in the military or a few years of social work. After every major war in this country, the Soldiers have come back and gone to work and the economy really picks up. The men and women that come back from deployment say, “If I can make it through this, I can make it through anything.” Throughout my travels, I’ve noticed that many small business owners are Veterans. I’ve thought about as to why that is and I think it’s because most Veterans have an inner voice that tells him or her that, “I can do this” or, “I can do this better.”
What services does your business provide?
We provide a safe and secure environment for our clients to fulfill their personal or business obligations. There are a lot of security companies out there, but what makes us stand out is that we are mostly wounded Soldiers who have been to combat.
How many wounded Soldiers do you have working for you?
Out of the first seven men that we started this company with, six of them have been wounded in combat. The 7th one is actually a former police officer from Michigan who was wounded in the line of duty.
Any other advice for wounded warriors starting their own businesses?
I did not come into this planning to become a millionaire. Don’t do that. If you are planning to start your own business, don’t go into it for the sole reason of becoming a millionaire. I say that because you are going to forget about the important things on the way to trying to make that big money. All of the priorities that you had in the military need to be the same when you get out. You need to take care of your team members, you need to take care of your Family, and you need to take care of yourself. If you are geared towards, “I’m going to be a millionaire” it’s not going to happen. All of the successful business people that I have talked to didn’t start out that way. They struggled, they sweated, they cried, their Families went without.
For more information about AW2 Veteran Tim Gillem’s business, please visit www.triplestrandsecurityLLC.com.
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