Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans

Entrepreneurial journeys are as varied as the entrepreneurs themselves. Nicole Peele’s entrepreneurial path began in her 40s following a 21-year career in the military, bringing her from the East Coast to the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship.

Born and raised in Mount Olive, N.C., Nicole experienced what’s considered a rite of passage for those growing up in the area—working at the Mt. Olive Pickle Company each summer while in high school. For a young adult growing up in this small town, there were three primary paths to choose following high school—staying in the area to work for the pickle company, moving off to attend college, or joining the military.

At 18 years old, Nicole joined the U.S. Army. “I’d never been out of North Carolina, and they sent me straight to Germany.” Over the next 12 years, she would go on to serve in various other roles within the North Carolina National Guard (NCNG), the United States National Guard headquarters, and the Army.

In 2009, Nicole began to learn about holistic health and wellness while recuperating from a fall and subsequent surgeries, leading to the idea to start her own wellness program. Just prior to her medical retirement in 2013, she launched her wellness program with a target market of other females transitioning out of the military who were seeking a way to prioritize their health absent the structure and rigor found while in the service. It was this business—her first business—that Nicole would bring to the McFerrin Center’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) program in 2018 to hone her entrepreneurial skills, focus her efforts, and work to develop a thriving business.

TURNING VETERANS’ BUSINESS DREAMS INTO REALITY

Nicole first heard of EBV while at Combined Arms, a non-profit that connects transitioning veterans with specified services and resources. By leveraging the skills and knowledge gained through their military service, EBV brings veterans together with mentors, educators, professionals, and other “vetrepreneurs” to provide courses to teach the language of business, entrepreneurship, and the steps and skills necessary to create and sustain a small business. 

Texas A&M’s Mays Business School initially hosted and sponsored the EBV program, raising private donor funds to support the program and its participants each year. In 2017, the Reynolds and Reynolds Corporation established a $2 million endowment with the center, solidifying EBV as a staple of the Aggie Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, guaranteeing that veterans could continue to participate in this life-changing experience—free of charge—indefinitely.

Since its inception at Texas A&M in 2008, the Aggie EBV program has grown from just one cohort each year to two per year and has served nearly 300 veterans in total, with approximately 25 participating in each cohort. From all EBV programs across the U.S., 79% of graduates have started or continued to grow their own business, and 92% of those are still in business today.

Executive Director Blake Petty ’98 joined the center in 2014 and later oversaw its transition to the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship, following a $10 million gift from the Artie ‘65 and Dorothy McFerrin Foundation. “We are so incredibly proud of our EBV program, what it’s grown to become, and the veterans who have shown up, been vulnerable, worked hard, and really been able to grow their businesses in a way that they can be proud of,” he said. 

THE JOURNEY TO COLLEGE STATION

Although Nicole is now a strong advocate for the EBV program and works to encourage and recruit other veterans to participate, she herself was initially hesitant to apply. The program requires four weeks of online coursework leading up to a one-week residency held on campus in College Station. With two daughters still at home, Nicole did not think she could make it work. It wasn’t until her oldest daughter, Zalekia, who lived in Atlanta, called her with an offer to take time from work, fly to Texas, and stay with her younger sisters. Nicole submitted her application and began her EBV journey in 2018.

During the drive for the residency, Nicole began to second-guess her place in the program. “Here I was, with pink and blue locs, going to Texas A&M, and I thought there was no way I was going to fit in, find my place, be accepted. No way I was going to fit in ‘that box,’” she recalled. But it didn’t take long, and Nicole was proven wrong.

“I got there, and it was just amazing, mind-blowing. Every day ended up being better than the day before with more information and more support,” she said.

As she continued to recount the experiences she gained and connections she made that week, she lit up with another memory. “At one point, Blake [Petty] pulled me aside into a separate room with a phone, and I was told I had a call coming in,” she explained, her expression displaying her feelings of confusion at the time. That phone call was from Dr. Nancy Dickey, director of the American Medical Association from 1997 to 1998, who held various roles within Texas A&M Health at the time. 

“I was talking with the first female director of the American Medical Association! I was floored. I was done,” she said through a smile. Nicole had previously been thinking of her health and wellness business in much smaller, simpler terms, but already EBV was forcing her to think bigger. The conversation continued with Dr. Dickey talking her through the medical considerations of the industry into which her business was venturing.

A WALL TO CLIMB OVER

While going through “outprocessing” leading up to retirement, many service members are taught, especially in the D.C. area, to focus on strengthening their resumes and striving for a civilian job within the government following retirement. Nicole watched others become overwhelmed and frustrated with job prospects in the civilian world. It wasn’t until she connected with EBV that she saw a path for veterans to get connected to resources and capitalize on the skills, many of which they learned in the service, to then launch and run a business on their own.

“It was so overwhelming because [at EBV], nobody was telling me to work on my resume to just find a job. Instead, they were telling me, ‘Let’s take what you’ve done and learned, and let’s make a business out of it.’ It was all so much to process, and I’m thankful every day for it.”

FROM A CURIOSITY TO A PASSION

Although Nicole came to EBV with her health and wellness business, it wasn’t long before she pivoted to something new. “My mom had really bad eczema on her hands and had tried so many different creams and lotions, including steroids, trying to find something that offered relief,” she explained. “I had seen an interest in and a shift toward natural products, and I thought, ‘I can make a body butter. I can do that.’” And from there, JP Luxe—named for her mother, Jean Peele, whom she lost to breast cancer in 2002—was born.

“And I started doing that. I learned how to do that. I got a Ph.D. from YouTube University.” Following more learning, testing, and user discovery, JP Luxe grew into a small-batch, all-natural personal care line featuring soaps, creams, lotions, body washes, beard cleansers, and more.

THAT WORLD-FAMOUS AGGIE NETWORK

Through the McFerrin and Aggie networks, Nicole has continued to find her way along her entrepreneurial journey. As an EBV graduate, Nicole is included in all future communications from the McFerrin Center geared toward Former Students, including an invitation in the fall of 2021 to participate in a new program, McFerrin On Tour, which aimed to connect Aggie entrepreneurs across the state.

While networking, she struck up a conversation with Keith Holley ’03, a partner at Method Architecture, the three-time Aggie 100™ honoree that designed the venue in which the event was being held—Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company. Keith suggested Nicole explore making soaps using their beer. She’s since met with brewery staff, educated herself about beer and its ingredients, and has gone on to not only work with Buffalo Bayou, but has also collaborated with two other Houston-based breweries, 8^th Wonder Brewery and Distillery and Eureka Heights Brewing Company, to make products featuring their brews.

Rob Van Til ‘91, founder and managing partner of two-time Aggie 100™ honoree River Aggregates, has continued to foster a relationship born from a five-minute icebreaker that same evening. Soon after EBV, Nicole realized her business was growing and she needed more space, so she reached out to Rob for advice about finding a bigger space. “He immediately told me, ‘No, Nicole, that’s not your next step. You’ve got to learn how to scale.’” 

“All I knew was that I was busting at the seams in my current space,” she said, “But Rob connected me with other mentors and showed me that in business, it’s all about how to scale, so that I can grow in a way that’s sustainable.”

Nicole couldn’t quite get the next line out without being overcome with emotions. “I don’t know in what other world or other opportunity I would have ever been able to cross paths with someone like Rob,” she said through tears. “We run in different circles, including different business circles. In what world does a university I didn’t graduate from give me access to all of these things? The connections I’ve made through A&M, McFerrin and EBV, and the experiences that I’ve gained to help me grow my business … it has all been a blessing. It really has.”

Nicole is continuing to set new goals for her business and lean on the Aggie entrepreneurial network, of which she is undoubtedly a vital player, to meet and surpass them.

To learn more about EBV, including how to apply or sponsor a veteran participant, visit ebv.tamu.edu.