Inspiring veterans who founded their own businesses

There’s no denying the determination and fortitude of a veteran. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, veterans own almost 2 million businesses that employ more than 5 million Americans. Additionally, the number of veteran-owned businesses doubled in 2021, up to 10.7 percent from 5.4 percent in 2019.

The following three vets-turned-entrepreneurs share how they took a leap to start their own companies and give advice to help other aspiring business owners.

LAVENDER FARM

If you head to K & S Farm in Byrdstown, Tenn., you will likely be greeted first by a miniature horse named Kolby. He free-ranges the property along with Winston, a pot-bellied pig. You’ll also come across Clydesdale horses, chickens, goats and a Jersey steer, who has become the star of the show, thanks to his cow-cuddling sessions.

It’s a little slice of heaven if you ask owners Karl and Sue Lado, who decided to start a farm after retiring from the military. Karl Lado spent 26 years as a naval submarine repair officer and Sue Lado was a combat casualty assistance nurse the last 13 years of her nursing career.

With no prior farming experience, they moved forward with a can-do attitude. After speaking with their local agriculture agent, the Lados took a certificate program through the University of Tennessee called New Farmer Academy, a seven-month course designed for people interested in becoming agricultural entrepreneurs. They also checked in with Homegrown By Heroes, the official farmer-branding program in the U.S., which allows veterans to sell products officially labeled as veteran-owned and produced.

“This program covered a variety of topics from liability to farm equipment, bookkeeping and going to farms to meet folks just like us who were new to farming and have had success,” Karl Lado says.

As a former nurse, Sue Lado was very interested in finding holistic natural means to help veterans and caregivers. “She was intrigued and researched the properties of lavender. Growing a couple of plants (and) experimenting with various products, she found the outcomes overwhelmingly positive,” Karl Lado says.

Fast-forward to today and the Lados now have a farm shop where they sell cut flowers, loofahs and lavender products; a greenhouse made out of repurposed windows, barn wood and barn metal; and they even learned the ins and outs of beekeeping through a North Carolina-based organization called Veterans Healing Farm and now have a four-hive apiary.

INNOVATIVE UNDERWEAR

Robert Patton, who launched his own business after retiring from the military in 2011, says military folks often make great entrepreneurs. “You already have the skills — adaptability, resilience and leadership,” he says. “Business, like the military, is about overcoming obstacles and staying focused on the mission.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, veterans are 45 percent more likely to be self-employed than non-veterans.For Patton, the aha moment came during a deployment to Iraq where he was serving a U.S. Army Sergeant. “It was extremely hot, and I have sensitive skin, so it was really uncomfortable down there,” he recalls. “I went to the tailors on base, asked them to sew in a pouch to my underwear, and they actually laughed.”

They made him a very crude prototype. “It was honestly refreshing, and the encouragement from my friends on tour with me made me feel like it was something that would benefit more than just me,” Patton says. “It was an invention made out of necessity.”

After creating several more rough prototypes and making tweaks, he had a working model that he started giving out to his friends for free. That’s when Patton’s company SHEATH was born and is now based in Woodland Park, Colo. The underwear, made exclusively for men, is unique because it’s made of sweat-wicking fabric and has an isolated pouch that helps prevent chafing and irritation.

Today, the company also has a women’s line, and was recognized in 2022 by Inc. 5000 as among the fastest-growing veteran-owned businesses in the nation and was named the official underwear of the UFC in 2024. Overseas, SHEATH donates underwear to veterans while offering discounts to members of the military. Also, a portion of the proceeds go toward men’s mental health awareness projects such as Into the Dark Blue and the Movember Foundation.

Patton says the entrepreneurial spirit comes from both of his grandfathers — one was a real estate agent, and the other was a cattle rancher who bought and sold cattle.

After leaving the military, Patton used the G.I. Bill to go to college and graduated with an MBA. “(In) every single project, I made sure to use SHEATH as the subject and learn as much as I could,” he says. “I was extremely lucky to take advantage of those resources they gave me and make the most out of them.”

“My whole childhood, I had plenty of faith in the American dream because I watched (my grandfathers) do it,” Patton says.

He shares that having his business gives him a major sense of purpose every day, and his advice to others is to just start. “Find a mentor, do your research, and most importantly, take action.”

HOLISTIC HEALTH PRACTICE

For Alana Abernathy, her entrepreneurial journey began after being diagnosed with Stage IV endometriosis and medically retiring from the Navy after 17 years of service.

“I knew I wanted to help other women learn about their bodies so they could make informed daily decisions that would support their bodies and their long-term wellness,” she says. “My inspiration began with my own healing and health journey and my discovery that there was so much I didn’t know about my body as a woman.”

After having a fast-paced, high-stress Navy career, she knew she needed to slow things down. In November 2022, she attended a holistic health practitioner program, and in April 2024, she launched Evergreen Women’s Holistic Care in San Diego.

“When I explored holistic practices (and) modalities, I experienced amazing benefits and healing,” Abernathy says. “With a beautiful community of holistic health practitioners, I healed after my surgery in 2021 and transformed my health through their support, my learning and my commitment to making different, strategic choices in life.”

For the first time, she started asking herself what she wanted to do and how she wanted to feel every day, which guided her to her passions. She discovered that she wanted to write, to educate and to help people.

“I saw a deep need for women’s health education, especially within the military,” Abernathy says. “I had a doctor once explain to me why they were closing down the OB/GYN department at one of the Naval hospitals, and to this day, it makes me angry and sad. He said the Navy doesn’t consider its mission essential. So, they were going to start referring women to out-in-town offices instead of handling the care of their servicewomen. That shows you where they place women’s health care.”

Abernathy says the Veteran Readiness and Employment Program has been extremely helpful as she made the major career shift and needed to attend school for the proper certifications to practice holistic care. 

She now uses integrative massage, breathwork, sound healing, aromatherapy, guided meditation, stretching and mobility to help people heal. She also offers Safe Space Saturdays as a way to give back to active duty and veteran servicewomen.

“I know how the rigors of service can wear on your mind and body,” Abernathy says. “And I know how hard it can be to choose to slow down, to take a moment for yourself and to care for yourself intentionally. So, I hold one complimentary 60-minute session each Saturday to welcome an active duty or veteran woman in to encourage them to be still in a safe space to receive compassionate care.”