Civilian Acquiring Military Facing Business - Bad Idea?

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February 28, 2022

by a searcher in Austin, TX, USA

Hi all, I'm looking at a business that was founded by military spouses, primarily employs military spouses and sells directly to the military. I never served and don't have any direct connection to the military community. My businesses have always hired vets and contributed to military charities but that's about it.

There aren't any technical reasons that the business can't be run by a civilian and the business is very hands off. I'd like to hear opinions from those in the community on what challenges I could face operating the company. Is the community too insular for an outsider?

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Reply by a searcher
from University of Illinois at Urbana in Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Scott makes an insightful point about the logistics of on-base recruiting. If that's not an issue, or at not a deal-killer, I'll offer a different angle. I led a B2G services firm for many years, serving DoD among other public sector clients. While aspects of the culture certainly differ, I never felt it was insular. Some of my best, longest-lasting professional friendships were from that community. Good luck.
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Reply by a searcher
from Harvard University in Boston, MA, USA
I would be careful. The secret sauce for recruiting spouses may be on-post events, so if you can't get on to the bases and don't have a strong connection to the community, you may struggle to recruit. The military moves folks around every ~3 years, so it could be tough to retain your people (I know remote could be an option, but it's tough to work when you get sent to Korea/Europe).
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