Veteran and businessman Stephen James likes to say: “there is nothing More entrepreneurial than a soldier trying to get out of a problem..”
The phrase provokes laughter, but it has a serious point. After serving six years in the Intelligence Corps, Stephen built three thriving businesses, living proof of his own observation.
The same ingenuity that once got you through a tight spot now defines your edge in business, whether it’s secure communications at Hermes Digital UK, emergency education with Invicta National Academy or helping schools connect through Social Media for Schools Ltd. Each company displays the same strategic ethos that you honed in the British Army.
“Soldiers are some of the most self-sufficient and disciplined people I have ever met.” continues with conviction. “With a purpose, a direction and a little help, that’s all you need to achieve true success.”
He speaks like a soldier, but with a broader truth. Members of the Army, Air Force and Navy alike leave forces adaptable, ready under pressure, collaborative, resourceful and resilient.
They know the pain of long nights when fatigue bites, but the task is not finished, and they know how to dig deep, side by side, until it is. That hard-earned resilience becomes the backbone of any company they create. Different uniforms, but the same discipline engraved on each one.
Habits forged in service make them formidable in business, a legacy reflected in the 340,000 veteran-founded businesses that shape the UK economy today.
Here’s what we cover:
A soft landing for veterans starting their own businesses
This year, Stephen’s belief in the entrepreneurial nature of veterans inspired him, along with Hermes Digital CEO and fellow veteran Stephen “Morgs” Morgan, to create British Veteran Owned (BVO), a community that connects and supports businesses founded by veterans.
Morgs explains that even with all the skills necessary to become a successful entrepreneur, the transition from uniform to ownership is still complicated. A familiar feeling for entrepreneurs around the world: the difficult firsts that shape the uncertain path ahead.
After seventeen years in the Intelligence Corps, with tough tours in Afghanistan, Iraq and North Africa, he reflects that his most difficult moment did not come in the field, but the day he left.
“Probably the most stressful period of my military career was what’s next?”
What’s next? It’s the kind of question that marks a turning point in any life: the closing of one chapter and the uncomfortable beginning of another.
British Veteran Owned offers a “soft landing” for veterans whose “next” involves starting their own business. Stephen’s principle that ingenuity needs just a little help to flourish anchors his mission today.
“Veterans want to help,” Stephen says simply. “What makes the difference is the purpose: a reason to get up in the morning, to go to work, to do something they love. With that, comes everything else.”
Leaving the military structure can feel like falling off the edge of a cliff. Many veterans instinctively seek the same camaraderie and guidance that once kept them stable. That is where BVO shows its strength, faithful to the duty it has never abandoned.
As Stephen describes it: “We run BVO at a cost to ourselves, it’s truly a labor of love, but if there’s an opportunity to channel trade to a veteran we’ll take it.”
How the success of veterans is multiplied
That labor of love is already paying off. With more than 800 veterans already enrolled in 400 companies, their vision of building a support network that drives service is already proving its power.
“If you see this logo on a company’s website, on a plumber’s truck, or on a carpenter’s toolbox,” Stephen says, “you know that person has had a life before business. You know that person has integrity, courage, and will put service before self. If we need insurance, we’ll look to our own list first. That way, veterans’ success is multiplied.”
Practical support that helps veteran companies grow
Behind this badge of recognition lies practical support: advice on finance, insurance, marketing and growth. Membership is free and is based on the ethos that those who succeed will mentor those just starting out.
An advisory board provides expertise, while workshops address essential aspects that are often overlooked, such as cash flow and procurement. BVO is committed to advancing member services, so veterans are not left without opportunities.
Although they are non-profit, for them it is not charity; It is a system of solidarity that keeps its entire network strong.
There is a deeper lesson in that spirit. Service doesn’t end, and you don’t have to be military to matter.
Service as a business value: lessons that every entrepreneur can use
This is a truth any founder can connect with: the idea that your business is a continuation of what you stand for.
When growth is tied to contribution, when mentoring is a given and others are helped as they rise, resilience multiplies. That’s the code of veterans brought to commerce: service as the backbone, purpose as the driver.
That’s why their companies endure and why their model speaks to any leader who wants their legacy to be measured not only by what they built, but by how many others they carried forward.
Morgs puts it clearly. “Asking for help isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Especially for ex-military people. That’s why community is important. We’ve all been there before. We’ve all lived the same story. We’ve all had those periods of imposter syndrome.”
It is a shared vulnerability, but not a weakness, it is the strength to continue moving forward. Stephen is clear: “Veterans don’t want pity. They want purpose.”
The Veterans Code: Purpose, Mentorship, and Resilience
For them, it’s about breaking down the silent barriers that make starting a business so daunting. Stephen remembers his first steps: “Do I open a bank account first? Do I register at Companies House? Do I hire people? Do I call the taxman?” He laughs at the mistakes he made and insists that they should not be repeated in silence.
BVO exists to make the transition smoother, the promotion higher, and to turn veteran entrepreneurship into a new form of service to society that strengthens the social fabric, not just the bottom line. It is an entrepreneurship model that gives back as much as it grows.
In essence, BVO also redefines the service itself. The story doesn’t stop when the badge is removed: it continues through entrepreneurship. Instead, service becomes about creating jobs, building trust and contributing to society in new ways, and Sage has become part of their team.
Morgs lays out the relentless barrage of administrators who faced Sage with a wince.:
“Spreadsheets, receipts, manual invoices. We’re talking days and days every month. It was just time-consuming.”
Spreadsheets were scattered troops that couldn’t keep up with their growth. Sage solutions could do it, with Accounting, Payroll, HR and Copilot all marching in formation.
“Sage Copilot is literally like having a business management partner at your fingertips,” Stephen shares with the firmness of someone who knows the value of backup. “It reminds me that there are things I don’t know, it gives me ideas, it creates links that I might have missed. It’s brilliant.”
Saving time and money
For Morgs, the difference is clear as a bugle call: “Sage has saved us four to five days every month. It has been absolutely instrumental in streamlining our processes.”
Those days gained aren’t just free hours: they’re resources redistributed toward growth, connection, and purpose. Technology here does not replace the human being in charge; but it frees them up to lead the charge, while freeing up finances for the directive they are driving.
As Morgs points out, “Sage HR alone saves BVO between £15,000 and £18,000 a year”, tangible money for any business, which they channel into supporting members with advertising, sponsorships and other practical help.
How stewardship builds trust with donors
Transparency matters too. “People who donate often want to know where it’s going. With Sage Accounting, one click shows exactly when it was donated, where it was spent, and how it was allocated, all in a format anyone can understand.”
That ease of use is critical for founders without technical experience. “I have no computer skills at all,” Morgs admits. “But Sage is intuitive. You log in and everything is where you expect it to be.”
It’s just as easy for external accountants: “The flexibility of allowing an accountant to directly access our system using their own login portal is really important to us,” stresses Stephen.
Rate how the software teaches as you go. “What Sage does is implement a process, with help always available. If I want to know what something means, I can click and find the answer. Or I go to the Sage community, where someone else has had the same problem and shared a solution. That kind of community learning is really helpful.”
For Morgs, it’s a reminder that whether it’s veterans helping other veterans through BVO or peers sharing advice through Sage, progress happens in the community.
In Stephen’s empowered words: “All we veterans want is a fair chance, a clear purpose and the chance to succeed. That’s what British Veteran Owned offers, with the help of Sage.”
Convinced of the benefits, BVO is now offering every member six months of free Sage software.
It’s a practical extension of their philosophy: proof that service continues through tools and support that make the road less lonely, the company more stable, and the campaign sustainable.
Wise co-pilot. Your dedicated AI-powered productivity assistant
Enter a new era of business with Sage Copilot, built on over 40 years of experience supporting British businesses like yours. Work faster with real information, fewer errors and less administration.
Explore wise copilot
#Veterans #Business #Military #Entrepreneurs #Achieve #PostService #Success
