We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful DONNELL JOHNS. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with DONNELL below.

Alright, DONNELL thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I initially came up with the idea while serving in the military and modified it several times. I wanted to create a community similar to the military to support veteran business owners. Starting a small business is hard, and lonely everyone is working on their own to turn their passion into a business. When I retired I started a small business and was looking for a community that not only educated me on how to start a business but also connected me with customers. It’s a huge difference between theory and execution. I woke up one morning crying for no reason, feeling defeated, and missing the camaraderie and support of my team. Every time I told someone I was a veteran they referenced PTSD, suicide, or homelessness. Most organizations for veterans focus on those issues, so I decided to show America that we’re leaders, entrepreneurs, and heroes. That those issues are human conditions, not Veteran Conditions. Using entrepreneurship to showcase the excellence and talents of our community. I was inspired by an event I attended that had resource tables and thought it would be awesome if we could host a pop-up event that showcased veteran small businesses and opened it up to the public to shop. It’s a triple win, the veteran wins, America/customer wins and VGA wins. The veteran now reunites with a community that supports and understands them and also can make money, America now has an honorable way to thank a veteran for their service and receives a product or service in return, and VGA wins by expanding and supporting our customers. With VGA veterans are in business for themselves but not by themselves. We’re the only company that hosted Veteran Business Pop-Up/Expo full-time.

DONNELL, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a husband, father, son, and United States Army Command Sergeant Major retired. My superpower is building and empowering community, I love celebrating people and their talents, and supporting their dreams. I successfully transferred the leadership skills I learned in the military to support veteran business owners. We connect our customers with community, resources, and customers, and connect America with unique and innovative products made by military-connected business owners. We’re proudest of creating a safe space where veteran business owners can showcase and grow their businesses. We have helped veteran businesses all over the United States. We partnered with the Army and Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES) to host Veteran Business Expos in VA, MD, NC, SC, FL, and Texas.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

In 2019, I was on a mission to showcase veteran-owned owners. My goal was to show America that veterans are leaders, entrepreneurs, heroes, and human beings. I used my iPhone to share their story in a short video interview, which I posted on all my social media platforms, I also shared free business resources as well. The more people I showcased the larger our audience grew.

My advice to anyone just starting to build their social media audience is to be authentic, be consistent, and tell a story about your product or service.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

We adopted the Army Values of Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage It’s everyone’s responsibility to protect and uphold the standard.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.veteransgrowingamerica.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veteransgrowingamerica/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Veteransgrowingamerica
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/veterans-growing-america/america/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/veteransgrowing