Kevin Barber: "I was a commodities trader for fifteen years and realized as I was ending my career that there were no VOSBs in the energy space. So, that was my original goal—to chase wholesale energy deals with my veteran status. I accomplished that by getting one of the first VA contracts in Texas as a licensed retail electrician provider. I realized that with the Power to Give Back, we could reach a lot more people on the retail side. So, we built our outreach through the retail side.
It was really a desire to give back to my tribe. I read an article that quoted a young officer stationed in Afghanistan when I was starting our retail side; it said, and I’m
paraphrasing, ‘We do a wonderful job of developing service members into the greatest fighting force in the world, but we do a horrendous job of assimilating them back into society when their service is done.’ I realized that I could maybe help in that process and impact our fellow Veterans. With our brand and mission, Veteran Energy provides Veterans with a purpose that, while not as great as their mission in uniform, includes camaraderie."
Amy Rossi: “What advice do you have for would-be Veteran entrepreneurs?”
Kevin Barber: “First and foremost, do your homework, your due diligence. When starting a business or trying to secure a new position, you have to
know the value you bring, your edge in the marketplace. You have to be able to understand the needs of your audience and how your story fits those needs.
Next, you have to be perseverant. You have to build your book of business—it’s persistence and it’s grinding. The same qualities that make one a good service member—operating in stressful situations, attention to detail, and so on—can make one a great business owner, but there are going to be very long days and nights. There’s little down time when you own a business and even less when you are trying to get one off the ground. It takes a special personality to commit to building a business, especially in sales.
Finally, you have to tap into the current sea of goodwill and use resources available to you. When I was starting Veteran Energy, I ingratiated myself in the local community, and I tapped into resources available through the University of Houston. I identified a mentor, retired Air Force Officer Bob Warren, and always asked for assistance when I needed it.” (continued on next page)