Donnell Johns - Founder of Veterans Growing America

Speaker 1: 0:30

My full name is Donnell Edward John Sr. The name of my business is Veterans Growing America, and what we do is we spotlight veterans, military spouses and dependents. We help them showcase and grow their business through our pop-up store. We call it a marketplace in Stonebridge, virginia. It's the Stonebridge Shopping Center in Potomac Town Center.

Speaker 2: 0:52

Okay, and tell me a little bit more about these pop-up stores.

Speaker 1: 0:57

Sure, so it initially didn't start out as a pop-up store. What it started out as was a pop-up event or a veteran business expo, and the intent behind it is to showcase veteran and military spouses. During my service, I found that military spouses had to move every three years. Veterans had to move every three years and that caused consternation, you know, in the family when it comes to how do they make money right?

Speaker 1: 1:31

They had to find a new job, they had to go someplace else, figure things out, and the only thing that really travels with you is a business, and so if a veteran or military spouse starts a business, that business can go with them wherever they go. And so when I retired from the military, I started my own business, and I found that there were organizations out there that taught you how to start a business. However, they never really connected you with customers, and so the hardest part of starting a business is finding customers. A business plan is great, a pitch, competition and being able to pitch your business is great, but how do you get in front of a customer? And so we created the Veteran Business Marketplace, the Veteran Business Pop-Up, to get veterans and military spouses in front of customers, because that's what's most important when it comes to business. We started out at a coffee shop called Gerani Coffeehouse in Manassas, virginia, where we did our first pop-up. It was amazing. We had 17 veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs that were a part of that event.

Speaker 1: 2:34

It was during Christmas time and something amazing happened. America came and showed up to this event. Almost 900 people came out and supported during Christmas. We thought that it was going to be. It was amazing and we decided to take that show on the road and we went all throughout the United States, at least on the eastern side. We went to Fort Belvoir was our next location. We went to Fort Bragg, which is now named something else. We went to North Carolina, south Carolina and Florida.

Speaker 2: 3:12

Wow, so you really expanded.

Speaker 1: 3:27

Yes, we really expanded. We you really expanded actually rented the street out to another organization, and so they wouldn't allow us to do it, and so they told me to come back when I had more people. And I came back I think it was like two and a half, three years later, showing them the community that I built, and asked them could I rent the street again? And they told me no. And I was like, well, what else can you do for us? And the lady thought for a while and she said you know what, come with me. And I was like, well, what else can you do for us? And the lady thought for a while and she said you know what, come with me. And she opened up the doors to our current space right now, which is a store right next to DSW and the Apple store in Stonebridge, where we have a physical space where veterans and military spouses can share their products with the world.

Speaker 2: 4:14

It sounds like a great location.

Speaker 1: 4:16

It is. It's an amazing location.

Speaker 2: 4:18

So tell me a little bit about how they are sharing their products. Are they coming in with a display, and is this products that they are themselves in business for?

Speaker 1: 4:30

Yes. So the first thing that we have them do is, you know they come in with their table and they sell their products, you know, at a table, just like any pop up event. Ok, and when we build that relationship with them and we find out that they have a customer or a following, we make them full time retail vendors and so their stuff can be in our store seven days a week and America can come shop with our veteran and military spouses. But we also do our pop up every weekend and we open it up to veterans, military spouses, independents, because we believe the entire family serves and they're able to set up a table, sell their products. This is actually my son has a business in there and he sells spiritual street wear and crystals, and this is one of the crystals that I bought from him and I wear all the time?

Speaker 2: 5:21

Yeah, does the crystal have a special meaning to it, that particular one?

Speaker 1: 5:25

This one does so. This has. This is I can't think of the name of it. I think it's green or tea. I can't think of the name of it. It'll come to me, but it does have a special meaning. It's for prosperity. It's for I can't think, I can't remember.

Speaker 2: 5:47

That's okay, it will come to you and your son makes those.

Speaker 1: 5:51

Yeah, so he makes. He doesn't make the crystal, but he sells the crystal and then the stuff that goes with it.

Speaker 2: 5:57

yeah, oh, that's awesome, but he does make the bracelets. Yeah, and is there significant meaning behind the bracelet you have on?

Speaker 1: 6:05

Absolutely so. This is basically the same thing positivity. I love to have positive energy around me. I think positivity is something that radiates to other people. When I served in the military, I always I always figured out that the leader's attitude was infectious, and so I wanted to make sure that I had a positive attitude so it could infect the people that I'm around.

Speaker 2: 6:31

Absolutely. What part of the military were you in and how long did you serve for?

Speaker 1: 6:36

So I was in the United States Army. I served for 26 years. I was the first Army National Guard G1 Sergeant Major. What that means is I was the human resource Sergeant Major for the entire Army National Guard.

Speaker 2: 6:49

Wow Well, thank you for your service.

Speaker 1: 6:51

Thank you.

Speaker 2: 6:52

It sounds like you're finding a way to give back to the community.

Speaker 1: 6:55

Absolutely, and that's what Veterans, growing America is all about is building community through entrepreneurship. We believe that entrepreneurship is a way that people can display their purpose, their passion, and then become prosperous at the same time, and it also is healing. When people find something that they love to do, art can be something that's healing and therapeutic and, at the same time, when someone purchases that art from them, they are seen and so it can open so many doors in so many different ways. There's a young lady that sells these things called I can't think of the name of them right now. There's a young lady that sells Is it pottery?

Speaker 1: 7:47

No, it's not pottery, it's called a. It's like a tank. Okay, but it's for plants that go in the tank and it grows within the terrarium, oh, okay.

Speaker 2: 8:00

Yeah, like a self-contained greenhouse. Yes.

Speaker 1: 8:05

Yes. So she makes terrariums and she was just doing, you know, making terrariums for therapy and she had a whole garage full of terrariums and I'm like what are you doing with these things? They're absolutely beautiful. Why don't you sell them here? You sell them here, and she was like I never thought about it. She was like I was just making them, you know, because they made me feel better and I was like you know, you can sell those things here. And she does pretty well. In fact, we have one in our store right now that we keep and it really is a self-contained greenhouse which is beautiful. We have artists in there. We have my wife also has a business in there Tonda Luxury Lifestyle. We love to travel, and so travel is a business, and that's one thing that you could offer to customers and, at the same time, deal with her passion, something that she loves to do.

Speaker 2: 9:00

Yeah, what do you find most rewarding about what you're doing?

Speaker 1: 9:06

There's a lot of things that I find rewarding about what I'm doing. Number one is there's not a lot of positive stories about the veteran community and I'm able to tell positive stories about our community in a way that anyone can really absorb. You know, we always talk about or you always hear about PTSD, suicide and homelessness when it comes to our community, but we're more than that right. Those are human conditions, they're not veteran conditions. And when I'm able to tell stories positive stories about what they're doing and how they're creating not only value for themselves but value for the community. You know, by them selling their products or services also provides a value to the community. When someone purchases their products, that means that that person finds value in what that person is selling, and so we both get something in return, and I find that very gratifying.

Speaker 1: 10:04

Also, I love building community. That's the one thing that I love the most and that's the one thing that we miss the most as veterans. When we leave the military, we leave this big giant organization that is really a self-contained organization where they help us with everything, and then we come out and we're out here by ourselves and we're trying to figure it out and the rest of the world doesn't support each other the way that we support each other when we serve. And so I said you know what I'm going to build that community for veterans where they have a play space and an opportunity to showcase and grow who they are and the things that they love to do. Those are the things that I find gratifying. I also find gratifying just doing something with my family Right, and so the family that I grew up with. I joined the military at age 18 and I left San Francisco and I joined the army, and so from 18 to 44, I was in the army.

Speaker 2: 11:04

That's my family yeah, that's what you know and my wife and my son are also.

Speaker 1: 11:07

That's my family, yeah, you know, and my, my wife and my son are also a part of my family, and so I'm able to bring those things together, those people together, in a way that they've never been brought together again after service. And so we call it a positive space. We don't allow any negativity in there and we just want to, you know, a place where people can grow In business. You know you're constantly trying to figure out ways that you can grow.

Speaker 2: 11:34

To grow and to change. We were just talking about that here.

Speaker 1: 11:37

Yes.

Speaker 2: 11:37

Moving forward. Yes, what do you do to get the veterans in?

Speaker 1: 11:44

So what we do is really so. I was a recruiter in the military, okay, and the one thing that I found that was most successful is telling stories, and the way that we find our veteran community is by telling stories of the current people that we have within our community, and so the flyers that we make have the faces of our veterans on there to showcase who they are. It also attracts other veterans that they know. Because we're a small community, we know each other.

Speaker 2: 12:17

Right.

Speaker 1: 12:17

And that also find. They also bring other people in. Most of the stuff that we have is organic. Most of our customers, most of our vendors, most of everybody that's a part of our community is organically found, and I think it's because we're doing, you know, some, some great things.

Speaker 2: 12:37

What are you guys doing as far as marketing to get America to come and shop?

Speaker 1: 12:41

So that's pretty cool as well. So we partner with several different organizations. We partner with a local newspaper and that local newspaper helps us tell our story as well as market what we're doing. We try to get on TV as much as possible. There's a television station that every time I reach out to them they find a way that we can bring our members in and showcase their stories. I go live on Facebook, instagram, linkedin and try to tell our story as much as possible. We post almost every day and text email. We try to figure out what avenues are out there to get our story out there.

Speaker 2: 13:30

Wonderful. Is there any last little parting words that you would like to add, a message that you would like to leave us with and our listeners with, today?

Speaker 1: 13:41

Yeah, absolutely so. Veterans, growing America. Our motto is you're in business for yourself, but not by yourself, and we just want America to see us as leaders, as heroes, as entrepreneurs and as human beings. And it's just a. It's an honor to be the face of our organization and to be able to tell stories like they've never been told before, and to also help people's dreams come true. There is nothing like dreams come true. There is nothing like coming up with an idea and seeing that idea grow into something bigger than what you ever thought it was, and it's an honor to be able to help tell those stories.

Speaker 2: 14:24

That's amazing. Well, thank you for sharing your story with us today. Thank you for coming.