Transferring military skills to startup life
Entrepreneurship can be a great career path for military veterans.
Corey Umstott - Service Entrepreneur
Corey Umstott (‘20) transferred to FGCU with a loose idea of wanting to eventually open his own auto repair shop. The day he walked into his Intro to Entrepreneurship class taught by Paul Evans he realized that dream was closer to reality than he originally thought. In the class, students learn to identify their means and take advantage of the resources they are provided as an FGCU student. They also learn how to test their ideas for a new business in a way that encourages speaking directly to potential customers. Corey took this advice to the parking lots and started interacting with people to form his business model.
With the help of the School’s faculty, staff, and mentors, Corey developed his business model and pitch. He participated in the Runway Program and was able to receive multiple rounds of seed funding. He went on to launch a profitable auto repair business less than 6 months after beginning the Entrepreneurship program. Not surprisingly, as a military veteran, Corey takes a ‘just do it’ attitude to his work and it shows. He continues to grow his business and his brand.
Veterans PROGRAMEntrepreneurship Major
