By: Kyle White
Today marks another change in my life. Today is my first official day as an entrepreneur.
Even just typing that seems surreal. It was always just an idea in my head. Should I do this? Can I do this? How will I support my family while I grow my business? With all of that in mind, I took the past two years to network, plan and prepare for this exact moment. Even with my preparation, I can echo what many already know: this is still a scary process. Many of you in my LinkedIn network have provided inspiration, advice and motivation to aid in this transition. We have worked at the same companies, spoke at the same events, and shared life experiences while in the military.
The military is what brought me to this point in time, specifically my time wearing the uniform and what happens when the uniform comes off. The experiences I have had over the past 8 years since leaving active duty have brought me closer to the veteran population in this country and shed light on all of the great work America has done in support of our nations service-members and veterans as well as the work that still needs to be done. This will be a driving force behind what we do at Eleven09.
Eleven09 is not a number. It’s a date. It’s a date that is particularly important to me and those that I served with. It represents November 9th, 2007 in which the paratroopers of 1st platoon, Chosen Company, 2-503rd173rd ABCT were ambushed conducting operations in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. At the end of the day, 6 heroes made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our country and our way of life. I will never forget their names or the sacrifices they made while fighting by my side. In retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have made it off the cliff side that day. I have been given a second chance and I plan to make the most of it by continually giving back to the active duty and veteran community while moving toward positive outcomes and lasting change.
Here at Eleven09 we want to remember the events and life experiences that shaped who we are and where we came from. It all started on 11/09 and that is why we chose that name. The stars in our logo represent the 6 heroes and will be an anchor to keep us true to our values. We aim to have a majority of our workforce composed of veterans and their spouses. We know we would not be where we are without our community and we plan to continue to be a valuable supporter now and in the future.
Eleven09 has initially focused on three categories: people, policy, and technology. Through our experience, we realize that any quality outcome requires the people to make it happen, the policies to shape the scope, and the technology to make it effective. While this is a brief explanation of our capabilities, it emphasizes two important points in our operations: we are multi-faceted and we are efficient.
My business partner, Lewis Runnion and I look forward to expanding our business and continuing to move the bar for America’s service-members and veterans. Personally, I look forward to providing updates on our story with our community. If you would like more information on Eleven09 please reach out through our contact page!
Excited for the future and what it may hold!
SKY SOLDIERS!
Kyle
