Business
Episode 4: Phil Duong, Founder of Maco and The Wingman Foundation Phil is a USMC veteran who flew Ospreys on active duty and continues to serve in the reserves. He is the founder of Maco - a gifting and care package platform for servicemembers. He is also the founder of The Wingman Foundation, which is the first and only gold-star non-profit in the Naval Aviation community LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE IF YOU: Need the inspiration/push to move from idea to execution Need to be reminded why veterans make fantastic entrepreneurs Are fundraising or getting ready to fundraise Have a tendency to be too hard on yourself when your business doesn’t meet the external definition of “success” KEY TAKEAWAYS: Raising a friends & family round is really tough; they’re you’re biggest supporters but you feel a huge sense of responsibility when they invest in your idea You have to be able to separate your professional success (or failure) from your personal identity and worth as a person; they aren’t one and the same It takes moral courage to launch a business and say “I’m going to be the one to solve this problem”; the military gave you that - use it! A circle of trusted advisors who are willing to give you honest feedback is critical. And so is the willingness and ability to listen to what they say, even if you disagree! Entrepreneurship is cumulative - its comprised of countless successes and failures, which all add to your knowledge and preparedness Visit www.veteranownedcollective.com/podcast for complete show notes, to include a list of resources mentioned during our talk.