MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — From service to startup — a new veteran-centered program started in February at the State College of Florida.
What You Need To Know
- A new five-month veteran entrepreneurship program just launched in February called "Veterans Florida by 26 West"
- The program educates veterans on how to start or help boost their business
- This program is free at State College of Florida
Its goal is to help veterans start a business or expand their current one.
Kim Richmond is the Executive Director for 26 West Entrepreneurship Center and explained how this will help local veterans.
“Our program is a five-month program, and what it does is take our veterans and their spouses through the process of actually developing their idea and making sure it’s viable,” she said.
A Manatee County veteran plans to use the classes to boost his business.
From takeoff to looking skyward, Dan Bidwell is charting new skies.
“You can stop anywhere and snap a photo. I can switch over and do video if I want,” he said.
And that’s his job — capturing drone video and photos. “I love my job. I wish I had done this years ago,” he said.
He established Sky Scout Drones LLC last June. “So far, I’ve done real estate, aerial lot photos and ground photography,” he said.
But starting a business wasn’t easy.
“It was tough because you think you know what you’re doing — until you don’t,” he said.
Bidwell has been around things that fly for decades. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1981, serving as a production superintendent, among other roles.
“I enjoyed it. I spent three years in Panama, eight years in Southern California, five years at two different bases in England, and my last four in Texas,” he said.
But his motivation to start a business came from a personal tragedy.
“In 2005, I had a house fire in North Port. My brand new home burned to the ground. That was the moment I decided, all those things I planned to wait until retirement to do, I’m doing now. And I don’t regret a minute of it,” he said.
Bidwell wants to grow his business, so he applied for a free course at “Veterans Florida by 26 West.”
The program teaches veterans and their spouses business planning, networking and more.
“I’m hoping to improve my marketing and advertising because right now, it’s lacking, and I know it,” he said.
Another part of his job is editing footage — a skill he is still learning. “Trial and error. I go here, then there, then YouTube,” he said.
He’s invested over $80,000 into his company. So far, he’s only made $500 from four jobs.
“Failure is not an option. FAIL stands for ‘First Attempt In Learning,’ and NO means ‘Next Opportunity.’ I’m pushing forward, and it’s all going to come together,” Bidwell said. “You learn discipline in the military. You don’t give up.”
On June 18, the class will graduate and receive a certificate of completion.
