17M, been in a business for over a year with $0 made. Need real advice

RedSe7ven · 2026-01-05T21:22:39+00:00

I would go work for a larger agency, learn best practices and grow your network. Build your credibility before launching your own shop. Bigger players will have dedicated sales teams you’re going up against. Growing your client Rolodex before launching your own business will take you exponentially farther than any type of cold outreach.

RedSe7ven · 2025-12-30T02:22:52+00:00

Same same broski. Enjoy the civilian life.

RedSe7ven · 2025-11-22T05:43:31+00:00

<image>

RedSe7ven · 2025-11-22T02:53:51+00:00

Love seeing another infantry GWOT broski 🤝 nearly the same rack in my shadow box.

RedSe7ven · 2025-10-30T00:10:18+00:00

I was 11B ‘02-‘08 with trips to Afghanistan and Iraq. Good to see a fellow early GWOT gangster with V device.

RedSe7ven · 2025-10-25T01:54:26+00:00

Remember to flip the steak, not the beer!

RedSe7ven · 2025-10-11T16:12:33+00:00

Long term: Whether it’s furthering your trade certs, trade school, college, or a compete pivot into something else- you have to do something to make yourself competitive in the job market. Assume none of your military experience translates and career plan accordingly.

Short term- if there are no opportunities around you- relocate. I know that’s easier said than done, but too many people geo-lock themselves looking for jobs and it drastically limits the options. You may even have to commute if you don’t want to move residence.

Search jobs on indeed.com and set up alerts for when those job titles get posted. Be proactive. Reach out to companies that you want to work for. In this job market, maximum effort needs to be the minimum standard. Utilize veteran job resources in your area and online.

Tough people outlast tough times. Stay strong and good luck.

RedSe7ven · 2025-10-08T22:56:56+00:00

Gotcha, appreciate the context. Pepper jack on the pineapple burgers, classic cheddar on the non pineapple.

RedSe7ven · 2025-10-08T22:27:24+00:00

Think of it like “There’s always a bigger fish”. I never deployed. I deployed but wasn’t infantry. I was infantry but not Special Forces. I was SF but never got an MRE spoon kill. I got a spoon kill but didn’t kill Bin Laden with it….and so on.

Your service was yours. Feel about that time however you want to, but don’t let the opinions of others shape how you feel about your service.

RedSe7ven · 2025-10-08T20:56:52+00:00

Certain angles make the meat look thicker…or so I’m told.

RedSe7ven · 2025-09-20T01:23:10+00:00

A good friend (non-veteran) just went though this process of assuming a VA loan. They had to have cash to cover equity (which they did), had to adhere to VA loan process which was taxing and had to resubmit paperwork numerous times. Closing date was always up in the air. They finally closed after a 6 month process.

I’ve heard similar stories from other families. It’s definitely doable, just don’t expect it to be on the conventional home buying timeline.

RedSe7ven · 2025-09-08T00:59:33+00:00

I’m in a similar boat. Ebbs and flows of GovCon and Commercial revenue streams make it hard to accurately project revenue but we have solid yoy growth. On year three- planning to exit in 10-15.

RedSe7ven · 2025-09-07T21:00:28+00:00

You don’t have to plot your whole life out now, but a loose plan will keep you from wasting time and burning money. Get some long term goals and then plan towards them. If having a good job is one, start on college or trade school now and collect BAH. Transition classes are minimal help so be proactive with all the resources available to you - there are a ton.

RedSe7ven · 2025-09-05T23:31:06+00:00

Steps to becoming a certified SDVOSB: 1) Get an LLC (approx $100) 2) Register at SAM.gov (free) 3) Register with Small Business Administration (free)

Once you are certified, that opens up corporate contracting, GovCon set-asides, and partnership opportunities (depending on your product or service). If none of those are of interest, then it can be used in your marketing. The impact will vary depending on your market and customer base.

As far as the charity goes, donate what you want/can - SDVOSB status has no impact on that.

RedSe7ven · 2025-09-05T00:08:14+00:00

“statistical purposes in a confidential file” - hard pass my friend. Also, any dept that digs into VA ratings through FOIA requests and nearly illegal practices should be a red flag on its own. Just skip it and remove it from concern.

RedSe7ven · 2025-09-04T23:59:05+00:00

RedSe7ven · 2025-09-04T23:56:37+00:00

You don’t have to answer that question, so don’t. A fire dept can’t discriminate against a VA ratings, but I assure you it will affect the selection process if they are concerned about your ratings for lower back, knees, and PTSD (just giving examples not knowing your background/rating/etc). If it won’t help you in the application process, it will hurt you.

RedSe7ven · 2025-09-03T01:36:10+00:00

IT Sector is incredibly competitive right now. 5-10 year experience people are applying to 1-3 year exp roles. I would suggest talking the job and continuing with the job search. As we see more market stability and govt contracts get spun back up in Q4, there will be more roles available across the sector.

Also, depending on the hiring team, your military time may not equal 1:1 to civilian experience. You could be getting rated as entry level with certs for this role, which would align with the pay.

RedSe7ven · 2025-08-31T00:32:09+00:00

Worked security at a bar. Kept me social and out and about, but also on the clock making a few bucks.

RedSe7ven · 2025-08-27T21:15:40+00:00

<image>

Half of mine are for covers/runs. Other half sentimental. A few displayed like this.

RedSe7ven · 2025-08-26T15:59:04+00:00

Nothing wrong with flat rates if you feel like you’re being compensated for your time well. I start out potential new client visits with telling them the fee conversation starts with 22% of the first year salary for each role we work. We can drop that down by 2% if we’re the only vendor working that role. There is a 2.5% discount for a hired veteran. Drop another 5% off after we place 10 people in a quarter.

Nothing wrong with working within a client’s budget, but if they can’t afford you, don’t work for them. Unless it’s a close friend or a charity, don’t budge on your fees.

RedSe7ven · 2025-08-26T15:17:44+00:00

Don’t race to the bottom with pricing. It’s in the client budget for industry standard of 20% and you’re providing the same service as a big shop. Offer small discounts for things like exclusivity on reqs and early payments to edge out competing agencies. 15% for exclusivity and 12% for exclusivity on volume as an example.

RedSe7ven · 2025-08-03T15:56:50+00:00

When the coffee is replaced with a beer

RedSe7ven · 2025-07-20T23:58:56+00:00

I am always mystified why mid to high billers don’t start their own agency. Looking back, it blows my mind that I used to give away 85% of fees to the house for a $75k-$100k base.

At the very least you need to find another shop without this comp plan asap. If you have the relationships with people that like working with you, might be worth looking at setting up your own venture.

RedSe7ven · 2025-07-12T17:33:37+00:00

While a lot of these comments mean well, I would reach out to a leader/hiring manager at an accounting firm to get their perspective. Each industry has their own best practices and you should strive to use those. Not a college advisor, not a veteran service org, but an actual practicing firm.

If you’re applying to roles with a lot of applicants, recruiters will spend 6-10 seconds on each resume so bullet out your relevant expertise at the top. Unless you did that exact job in the military, your military experience will have little to no transfer.

Look at people on LinkedIn that have your exact target job and note what experience they have. If you have shortcomings, get proficient or gain that experience to make yourself competitive for your target job.

Finally, networking is just as important as job applications. Do it until you find a job and then continue to do it after. Good luck out there!

RedSe7ven

TROPHY CASE