Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ritchie Thomas, owner of Ritchie R Thomas LLC, located in Mableton, GA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I help our transitioning military service members & veterans mentally transition from a Soldier's mindset to a business professional's mindset via speaking engagements, transition workshops, and coaching; so they can win the battle against unemployment ❤️🤘🏽.
Tell us about yourself
I got started by transitioning out of the ARMY (active duty🤘🏽) and into the Army of the Unemployed 😐. It was wild, I got out of the Army in 2007, and by 2008 I was legit unemployed, but how? I worked hard: Showed up on time, did everything I was told to do, and did it at a high level 🤔Little did I realize I would be educated on the biggest issue in the military community-- Al Qaeda? The Taliban? The evil Caravan from South of the Border? NO, ladies and gentlemen, it is UNEMPLOYMENT. I didn’t realize that unemployment is the biggest enemy of veterans, followed by: mental health (suicide), homelessness, physical injuries, and lack of education. I would go on to check ⅘ of those topics and just recently realized that sometimes we get exposed to something because we were meant to do something about it. So while I worked as an IT Executive by day, I slowly became ‘The Soldier’s Coach’ as I began to teach our brave men and woman how to mentally transition from a soldier’s mindset to a business professional’s mindset so that they can win the battle, of unemployment.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
This is an underhand pitch-- for me, 10/10 it's seeing the growth, journey, and small wins for any and all folks I work with. I helped a young woman DESIGN the book cover of her 1st book, and I shed tears like it was my own dream come to reality, or the former Olympian getting ready to transition out of his corporate job of 20 years. He and I sat down and drew out a business strategy to ensure his 'side hustle' can now match his corporate salary and a longer roadmap to double & triple his previous income. My biggest accomplishment is helping people design and implement their side hustle and experiences and turn them into profit-producing platforms to feed their families-- it just started with veterans ❤️🤘🏽
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The complete lack of vision, strategy, and ‘answer guide’ to any business. If we lined up 100,000 business owners, they would EACH have 100,000 different questions w/ 100,000 different needs and answers. I think many of us (myself included) specialize in ONE area of business, but do not realize how significant ALL aspects of the ‘wheel’ we need to master: MARKETING (50% to any business), finances (taxes & accounting), Customer relationships, marketing, marketing, DIGITAL marketing, etc… The hardest thing is accepting the fact that there is hardly a clear (or right decision) to make, and even if you do have the right answer, is this the right season to apply it?!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
👉🏽Start a business.
👉🏽Start a business.
👉🏽Start an (online) business.
I started this with veterans, but really it applies across the board, but my big message is, “You don’t own that job, the company does.” Therefore, if you make $10 an hr. or $10M per year, if your name is not on that business logo, you better keep your head on a swivel. For example, the richest dude in the world just nonchalantly bought one of the largest social media platforms and wiped out the ENTIRE executive team (who were all making $1M+ per year) NOTE: I’m not saying this is ok, I’m saying this is a lesson)). The sooner you can start your business, the sooner it’ll teach you about, business. And the big COVID takeaway, start it, online. Why, because the internet, never closes ladies and gentlemen. You have to learn how to see yourself, sell yourself, and brand yourself to the marketplace as the expert you really are. Wink-n-the-Gun, This is Ritchie Thomas, A Soldier's Coach America's #1 Military Speaker.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.ritchiethomas.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ritchie.thomas.31
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asoldierscoach/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RitchieThomasJr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritchierthomas/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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