#278: The 3 Pathways to Small Business Ownership with John Panaccione, Army Veteran

Service Academy Business Mastermind

“Entrepreneurship, at its core, is all about leading. Leading customers, leading suppliers, leading bankers, leading lawyers, leading employees, and no one spends more money than the Department of Defense developing leaders. Have confidence that the raw leadership skill gets you halfway there.” -John Panaccione, Army Veteran

John Panaccione is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a history of working in the information technology and services industry. He is a strong business development professional who is well-versed in the world of equity and debt financing, and the emerging wonderful world of equity crowdfunding and other SEC-exempt offerings used to raise capital. John’s company, Folla Capital, provides a platform for average Americans and accredited investors to invest in private small businesses of their choice, supporting the ventures and management teams they believe in. John also works with fellow veterans who are exploring entrepreneurship as a career path once they leave the military through his nonprofit, VETtoCEO.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The origin story of VETtoCEO
• John’s advice for those looking to transition from the military into entrepreneurship
• The three pathways to small business ownership
• What led John to start Folla Capital
• John’s ideal client that he serves at Folla Capital

John shares that sometimes it takes veterans years after transitioning out of the military to discover the pathway to entrepreneurship. There are many different ways to become an entrepreneur and one that can be a great fit for veterans is buying an existing business, as they can apply their leadership and decision-making skills to make improvements and move the needle. John is helping veterans succeed through his offerings at VETtoCEO and investment services at Folla Capital. Thank you for all you do for our military community, John!

Connect with John:

• LinkedIn
• vettoceo.org
• follacapital.com
• Folla Capital YouTube Video: Introduction to Alternative Investments - Opportunities for All of Us

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Special thanks to John for joining me this week. Until next time!