Entrepreneurs are no stranger to challenges. From time management and cash-flow management to branding and teambuilding, business owners and leaders know all too well that the only way through hard circumstances is to address them head-on.

Leaders who served in the military are especially well equipped to navigate through difficulties. 

When Air National Guard reservist Samantha Snabes co-founded re:3D in 2013, she was eager to make 3D printing more globally accessible. But a multiyear stretch of supply chain disruptions—including three Category 5 hurricanes in 2017 and a 2021 hurricane that crippled one of re:3D’s key manufacturers—tested her team in unexpected ways.

That led her to Googling “veteran communities looking for communities” late one night. “I was desperate to find a like-minded community of business leaders who could help with problem-solving,” Snapes said.

U.S. Army veteran Dean Wegner felt similarly motivated after starting his company in 2017. “I didn’t think I had it in me to start a business from scratch,” said Wegner, founder and CEO of Authentically American. “It has been by far the most challenging thing I’ve done.”

When writing his business plan, which Wegner needed to raise capital, he turned to three friends—all CFOs—who had the financial expertise he was lacking. 

Strength in numbers

To persevere in the business world, veteran leaders often find it helpful to lean on each other.

That’s why Snabes and Wegner applied to and joined CEOcircle, a year-long peer accountability group run by Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families. The initiative, sponsored by JPMorganChase, provides veteran and military-spouse entrepreneurs the opportunity to advance their businesses through mentorship and education.

Alex McKindra, Co-Head of Veteran Initiatives at JPMorganChase Commercial Banking and a U.S. Air Force veteran, said that supporting CEOcircle is personal for him and his team.

“I’m very proud of J.P. Morgan’s commitment to the military veteran community. Through programs like CEOCircle, the firm helps veteran-owned companies accelerate their growth through mentorship and education on topics such as access to capital,” added Alex. “Our collective efforts are tipping the scales in favor of veterans who choose entrepreneurship and encouraging more veterans to follow behind them.”

“These are going to be my brothers and sisters in arms,” Wegner said of his fellow cohort members.

Several current and former members have said that CEOcircle provides a supportive community they couldn’t find elsewhere. “I understand what they need, and they understand what I need,” Wegner added. “I’ve always found that when you put the needs of others above your own, it’s amazing how it comes back full circle.”