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Funny Business
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As the war in Iraq winds down, thousands of U.S. soldiers and Marines are transitioning to a different battlefield—the crumbling civilian job market.
Sgt. Scott Darley went to Iraq, twice, with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. His ran his unit's pattern analysis section. "We analyzed attack patterns to try and predict and prevent enemy actions, and keep people from getting hurt." He left Iraq in October. He's been on "terminal leave" from the Army since December, having saved up more than three years of leave.
So what now? Sgt. Darley is pursuing his dream of owning his own business—a lingerie store. "Make love, not war," he says.
Sgt. Darley knows he's got a big hill to conquer, but this is a guy who is used to big hills. He battled cancer in between two tours of duty. "A few people have told me I'm crazy for starting a business in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression," he says, "but for the most part (family and friends) have been very supportive."
He actually started planning the business during his off-duty hours while in Iraq, using Docstoc.com to get needed documents to incorporate, and obtain bylaws, leasing agreements, and stock certificates. Docstoc is a website where people share and download business documents for free. The company claims it has four million unique visitors a month.
Sgt. Darley has found a retail space in Tallahassee which he is fixing up, and he hopes to open the store, "Passion Positive", in about a month. "It'll have sexy apparel, but I want it to be classy and elegant and respectful, too." Why is a soldier opening a lingerie store, of all things? "I saw a lot of suffering and misery while I was in the service," Sgt. Darley says. "When I got out, I just wanted to help people feel happy and loved instead."
Will his business make it? The soldier remains hopeful. "I've had amazingly bad luck in some ways, like financing has fallen through several times," he says. But he's also had "amazingly good luck" in other ways, like the free office furniture a friend gave him. "There's ups and downs, but anytime a down comes, I just focus on, 'this is just a test of how badly I want it.'" His long-term goal is to expand into several stores and bring in a variety of new products. "I'm not gonna pay myself a huge salary or live in a fancy house. I want to make a difference in the world."
I think he already has.
Here's more of our interview.
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