SALISBURY, Md., November 17, 2020 – Project Opportunity^SM, an entrepreneurship training program for active duty military, reserve personnel, and veterans who reside or are stationed in Maryland, announced today that it has formed an Educational Partnership with Pitch Creator to provide the Pitch Creator Foundation Course to program graduates to assist them in preparing for the Project Opportunity^SM Annual Business Pitch Competition

“This partnership with Pitch Creator will allow our graduates the opportunity to enroll in and complete the Pitch Creator Foundation Course which will help them learn how to communicate with investors and raise capital,” said Army Master Sergeant (Retired) and Founder of Project Opportunity^SM Joe Giordano.

“Project Opportunity^SM graduates who wish to compete in the Project Opportunity^SM Business Pitch Competition will be able to utilize the Pitch Creator Foundation Course in conjunction with three (3) hours of individual coaching/mentoring by our facilitators and selected subject matter experts to develop their business deck and pitch “Giordano stated.

“We believe business pitch competitions are an opportunity for experiential learning that is important for entrepreneurs and are honored to be part of the amazing work that Project Opportunity^SM is doing with active-duty military and reserve personnel, and veterans, throughout Maryland,” said Jason Tagler, Founder of Pitch Creator.

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About Project Opportunity

Established 2010, Project Opportunity^SM has graduated more than 300 military personnel, veterans, and military spouses  from classes held throughout Maryland.

Project Opportunity^SM is a free entrepreneurship training program for active duty military and reserve personnel and veterans who want to start their own businesses or expand a current small business. The ten-week (30 hour) intensive course is designed to prepare veterans to research and complete a business plan. Founded on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 2010, Project Opportunity^SM has since expanded to Annapolis, Baltimore, Columbia, Glen Burnie, Prince George’s County, Southern Maryland, and Harford County.  Contributions from county economic development authorities, local banks, fraternal organizations and private foundations help ensure that the classes are free to veteran participants. To learn more, visit www.project-opportunity.com.

About Pitch Creator

Pitch Creator’s mission is to help create jobs in geographic areas that need them the most by teaching entrepreneurs how to communicate with investors and raise growth capital for their businesses. We do that through our “education platform,” which is a combination of our website, free resources, online courses, presentations, workshops, and related services.

Pitch Creator is a social impact organization and our financial goal is to be cashflow break even (zero profit) each year. Please see our About page to learn more.

You can find the original newsletter at: https://techportsomd.org/newsletter-display/ – September 2020

With the unemployment rate among veterans in Maryland hovering between 14 and 18 percent in 2010, Joe Giordano decided to do something about it. He understands how tough the transition from military life to civilian life can be. Sometimes traditional employment just isn’t the right fit after leaving the service.

A retired master sergeant with 20 years in the U.S. Army and 17 years as owner of Consulting, Training and Development Services, Giordano wanted to tackle the challenges of unemployment among veterans and introduce them to the possibility of starting their own veteran-owned small business, like he did. He founded Project Opportunity^SM, a free entrepreneurship training program designed solely for veterans, active duty or reserve personnel who want to start or expand their own business.

Since then, some 270 veterans have completed and graduated from the 30-hour training course. He knows of at least 88 who have registered their business with the Maryland Department of Business and Taxation. From those Project Opportunity^SM graduates, at least 225 jobs have been created. Giordano sends a survey every year to graduates of his course, but he doesn’t always hear back, making exact tracking difficult.

“I haven’t run across any graduates that aren’t running their own business or employed,” Giordano says.

Giordano, a Salisbury, Maryland resident, began offering the course on the Eastern Shore. It has expanded to Southern Maryland, Baltimore City, Howard County, Prince George’s County, Anne
Arundel County and next spring will also be offered in Harford County. The class meets for three hours, one night each week for 10 weeks. A session is currently being held at TechPort.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to get more entrepreneurs working in our Southern Maryland counties,” says Tommy Luginbill, director of TechPort. “It’s incredible the talent that Giordano brings to teach participants all they need to know to get their business off the ground and running.”

Project Opportunity^SM uses a nationally recognized entrepreneurship curriculum called NXLeveL and Giordano supplements with subject matter experts presenting weekly. They cover market research and analysis, credit for small businesses, legal aspects of business entities, basic aspects of salesmanship, commercial insurance and web design. Additionally, he brings in someone to introduce local resources and a small business administrator.

“We teach our participants how to research, write and develop a comprehensive business plan,” Giordano says. “At the end of the course, we offer review sessions with experts in marketing and financial fields. They review their business plans and offer 15-20 minutes of feedback.”

The course concludes with a three- to five-minute PowerPoint business pitch and an opportunity to share what they’ve learned in the course.

“After graduation, we continue to offer free business counseling and coaching,” Giordano says. The class size usually ranges from about six to 14 people. With social distancing in place due to the pandemic, they are currently a bit smaller. Four classes are underway this fall on the Eastern Shore, in Southern Maryland, Prince George’s County and Baltimore City, with some classes and speakers participating virtually.

With the economic troubles created by the novel coronavirus, Giordano sees this as a great time for veterans to try Project Opportunity.

“There may be veterans who want to start a business or who are struggling and want to expand to recover from COVID-19. Some may already have a business plan and they need to update or revise it,” Giordano says

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About Project Opportunity

Established 2010, Project Opportunity^SM has graduated more than 250 military personnel and veterans from classes held throughout Maryland. Project Opportunity^SM is a free entrepreneurship training program for active duty military and reserve personnel and veterans who want to start their own businesses or expand a current small business. The ten-week (30 hour) intensive course is designed to prepare veterans to research and complete a business plan. Founded on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 2010, Project Opportunity^SM has since expanded to Annapolis, Baltimore, Columbia, Glen Burnie, Prince George’s County and Southern Maryland. Contributions from county economic development authorities, local banks, fraternal organizations and private foundations help ensure that the classes are free to veteran participants.

Project Opportunity^SM was awarded a grant in the amount of $10,000.00 from the Kahlert Foundation to provide classes during 2019.

Project Opportunity^SM is a free entrepreneurship training program which has been designed solely for veterans, active duty, and reserve personnel who want to start a small business. The prerequisite for those who wish to be considered to participate is they must have a solid idea of what business venture they want to start because the course is designed to develop and complete a comprehensive business plan instead of exploring the possibility of entrepreneurship. The program is a 10 week (30 hour) intensive cohort style course designed to prepare participants to research and complete a business plan.

The program also accepts veterans who have a small business and are looking to expand. The prerequisite for these candidates is they must demonstrate the need to expand their marketing efforts or the need to review and revise their financial plan.

Project Opportunity^SM was awarded the Veteran Small Business Champion Award by the SBA Baltimore District Office in 2014. It provides veterans an alternative to traditional employment and offers them a chance to hone and utilize the skills and training they received while on active duty. Entrepreneurship is an excellent path for many veterans to choose and we are looking to expand our course offerings in the State of Maryland. Project Opportunity^SM currently has a total of 253 veterans on the interest list for future classes, many in regions where we have not yet been able to establish Project Opportunity^SM due to funding constraints. The generosity of the Kahlert Foundation allows us to conduct our first class in Prince George’s County where there are 82 veterans on the interest list.

Project Opportunity^SM has had a total of 46 businesses registered with the Maryland Department of Business and Taxation creating a total of 171 jobs.

Mark R. Smith, a Senior Writer for The Business Monthly published this article for the December 2019 issue of The Business Monthly, www.bizmonthly.com.

What’s Next for Vets? For some, it’s business ownership – PDF Version, and the online article can be found here.

Reprinted with permission.

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Robert Worthington, an Air Force veteran, worked as an air traffic controller with the military and as a civilian. He wanted to make a career switch.

Thinking about what he loved – teaching kids the basics of basketball – was the easy part. Figuring out how to turn that passion into a successful business was a daunting task.

Worthington is one of many veterans who want to work for themselves once they retire but many are unclear how to make a dream become reality. With help from a statewide program called Project Opportunity^SM, Worthington founded the Columbia based Hoops Drills For Skills Basketball (HCFS) Camp.

He knows he couldn’t have arrived at his current happy station in life simply on sweat equity running the youth basketball program that also includes camps and travel teams.

‘A Roadmap’

As someone “who is passionate about what I do, I still had no way to know what I had to do to make my business a success,” Worthington said. “Project Opportunity^SM provided a roadmap about how to turn that passion into a business. It also gave me an opportunity to network with many professionals,” including a videographer who shot and edited videos used in tournaments and created three promo videos.

Project Opportunity^SM “is a fantastic way to go,” Worthington said of Joe Giordano’s program.

Giordano founded Project Opportunity^SM in 2010. The retired master sergeant gradually built the nonprofit and now offers classes all around Maryland.

“We see an increase in interest from veterans in becoming entrepreneurs every year,” he said. “In recent years, we’ve seen some of these small, veteran-run businesses hit the wall, so we help those owners redirect with a 30-hour course where we teach how to research, write and finalize a comprehensive business plan.”

And the retired vets can’t beat the price.

“It’s free of charge,” Giordano said, noting that some organizations make donations and offer grants as do private foundations and corporate sponsors like BB&T and PNC Bank, which also provide subject matter experts in the areas of commercial lending and cash flow analysis.

“The economy is great and the number of small businesses is growing so we expect to see individuals who have great ideas make them come to life,” he said, pointing to Project Opportunity’s extensive network that include state agencies, economic development entities and fraternal organizations.

Project Opportunity^SM uses the Next Level training program, which draws on theories from psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, sociology and organizational development to create transformation in individuals and teams and presents subject matter experts such as certified public accountants, lawyers and marketing professionals. Some are ex-military, but all have an active interest in military service through families and friends.

Time for Redirection

Chuck Davis, a U.S. Navy vet and 2014 Project Opportunity^SM grad, found himself at a career crossroads several years ago after retiring from UPS and wanted a more flexible schedule. He was a physical therapist and and is currently owner of Kiss My Glass in Annapolis, found out about Project Opportunity^SM via an article after he’d founded his company.

“I was feeling good about the business, had researched it enough, had a great concept and a foundation for my business model, but I lacked a plan of growth,” said Davis. “So, I knew how to start it but not how to build it and I knew I needed that roadmap.”

As it turned out, Project Opportunity^SM “was everything I thought it would be. That it was designed for vets made it even more interesting. My biggest takeaway was that every speaker wanted to be there and was thankful for our service.”

Project Opportunity^SM is just one option in the region where vet entrepreneurs can get a kickstart for their businesses. The state of Maryland runs the Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise Program.

By law, that program calls for more than 50 agencies to direct at least one percent of expenditures to small businesses that are at least 51 percent owned and/or controlled by a veteran. The program is about six years old and in fiscal 2018, state agencies and programs “accounted for two percent” of the spend, said the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs spokesperson Alison Tavik.

“The program offers subcontracting procurement opportunities for the state,” said Tavik, noting that 2019 is the state’s Year of the Veteran.

To expand the program, legislation would be needed to increase the required 1 percent. “So today, we’re making veterans aware of the opportunity at hand and building our base of vendors. Our office never met the goal in six years before fiscal 2018. It was a great achievement in that relatively short length of time.”

Opening Doors

In Howard County, Lisa Terry, manager of the Office of Veterans and Military Families, said the number of vet-owned businesses “is increasing, especially given the number of the defense contractors and sub-contractors in the area.”

Howard County offers the Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise program and Terry said one percent of total procurement funding is set aside for vet-certified businesses by the Veteran’s Administration.

Like Giordano, she feels that veterans “are more likely to enter the workplace as entrepreneurs because they have a bigger cause in mind, leadership skills and are dependable.”

She said, “Entrepreneurship also provides a chance for service-disabled vets to pursue meaningful careers,” adding that support will increase from the MCE as well as the Small Business Administration, economic development authorities and incubators that support entrepreneurs.

Coming Soon

Coming up on the Project Opportunity^SM agenda next spring is a class in Howard County that will be held in Columbia Gateway Business Park at the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship (MCE), which is providing training.

Larry Twele, CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, said the county is home “to nearly 16,000 veteran residents who bring unique skills, experience and leadership to
our entrepreneurial landscape. We assist many veteran-owned companies to support their venture success in our business incubator and even more through our Catalyst Loan Fund. Supporting Project Opportunity^SM through the Innovation Center.”