From the Battlefield to the Boardroom: Dawn Halfaker Speaks at the INC 500 Military Entrepreneurs’ Conference

Washington, DC—In these prolonged times of economic gloom, many wander in the fog of the current fiscal malaise, few have navigated the path to success, and even fewer shine as beacons of prosperity bright enough to illuminate the path for others to follow. Dawn Halfaker recently came together with the participants of the INC 500/5000 Joining Forces Military Mentoring Fair and rallied the military veterans there with the inspiring tale of her rise to success even while she bears the wounds of traumatic injuries suffered in combat. She urged them, too, to leverage the highly sought after values and characteristics they learned and developed while serving their nation in a time of persistent conflict.          

Looking to pay forward the valuable mentorship that seasoned entrepreneurs provided her during her company’s formative years, Dawn hoped to empower the participating veterans by sharing some of her hard lessons learned. She suggested that veterans interested in entrepreneurship develop a well thought out business model, utilize social media, devise effective revenue creating projects, recruit top talent, and build meaningful professional networks. "Definitely look to the military community for your first relationships," she said. "We're built for support.”

Six years ago, Dawn forged her own path of service by founding Halfaker and Associates following her medical separation from the military. She had a strong desire to continue to serve and believed she could help provide meaningful work for fellow veterans separating from the military. Having learned important life lessons from her inspiring comrades at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Dawn found that, “Much like recovering from our combat injuries, being successful in business took time, courage and determination.”

Dawn, a strong supporter of veterans and their families, believes that Veterans have much to offer as entrepreneurs because their military tenure armed them with an array of critical business skills: doing more with less; turning adversity into opportunity; and letting nothing stop them or stand in their way. “Business is a just another form of combat. The uniforms are just a bit different,” noted Dawn. Today, over 50% of Dawn’s workforce has worn both camouflage and corporate gray.

Her Veteran heavy workforce thrives with meaningful work provided through the company’s culture of service. Over the last few years, Halfaker’s revenue has grown exponentially and her business shows no signs of slowing down.

Want to learn more about the Inc. 500 / 5000 Military Entrepreneurs’ Program? Please visit: http://bit.ly/wfZrcL

Wish you could have watched Dawn’s Inc. 500 / 5000 Speech live?  Please visit: http://bit.ly/pBPQFw