7 Qualities the Army Instilled in Me That Helped Me Launch a Business

In December 2013, the U.S. Army launched the “Defy Expectations” recruitment campaign, in which, according to the campaign’s press release, “the U.S. Army takes the audience's expectations about what the Army experience is like and turns it on its head in a surprising but realistic way.”

One video in particular focused on a drill sergeant asking each recruit “What are you doing here?” The first two recruits respond predictably: “To be a soldier, drill sergeant.” It’s the last recruit that flips the audience’s expectations, answering, “Training to be a graphic artist, drill sergeant.” The sergeant is impressed, exclaiming, “Outstanding! Now that’s a man with a plan!”

The sentiment behind this series of ads is fairly clear -- as the director of marketing at the Army Marketing and Research Group James Ortiz succinctly states, the ads allow one to “really consider the Army for what it is -- a unique life-changing career and education opportunity and an incredible foundation for success today and tomorrow."

Master These 4 Simple Pitching Concepts to Capture a Room's Attention

Being able to express your business idea in a clear, concise and coherent way is how entrepreneurs attract investment, new partners and talent. Pitching a new business to an audience, however, especially a large room full of potential partners, can be incredibly intimidating. Moreover, trying to fit everything you know and want to say about your idea in a short pitch, without sounding like a southern cattle auctioneer, is always a challenge.

It all comes down to delivery.

The Truth Behind 12 Common Startup Funding Myths

The recipe for business success requires a dose of ambition and dedication, and a healthy portion of perseverance, but make no mistake about it, money is the ingredient that will ultimately make it sustainable.

Funding a startup business, however, is a tricky proposition. It is even trickier with young and inexperienced entrepreneurs who mistakenly believe they can outthink a sophisticated business environment or that their business is "different" than other businesses.

So before you set out to develop a pitch and raise money for your new business idea, understand the truth behind a few of these popular funding myths.