I had this idea to sell a book in multiple parts and build a whole experience around each part. I hadn’t seen anything quite like it, and at $55 a month, I was asking people to make a pretty significant commitment. I liked the idea, but I had no idea whether enough people would actually want it. Before I created anything, I ran some ads on Meta offering preorders to see if I could sell it. I ended up selling around 175 preorders in a month and a half. That gave me enough confidence to go all in and start building. For me, preorders were an early test of product-market fit: would someone spend money on this experience at the price I needed to charge? Getting those first orders helped me make that decision.

For a long time, I didn’t stop to think about how much that mattered. When I left the military, I went to work for a company run by veterans that served veterans. From there, I started businesses with other veterans and built companies that served our community. I’d been connected to the veteran community from the beginning. Years later, when I started hosting local veteran meetups through The Civvie, I kept hearing, “I wish I’d known about this sooner.” Those conversations made me look differently at my own story. The relationships I’d benefited from were available to other veterans, too. But first, they needed to know that community existed and how to connect with it. That’s what led me to write The Connected Veteran™: How to Build a Lifetime of Relationships, Opportunity, and Purpose After Military Service. It comes out on Veterans Day, November 11. But I wanted to share the first chapter with this community now. Read Chapter 1 for free: https://connectedveteran.com It’s called “You’re One Connection Away,” and I believe it’s the most important chapter because awareness comes first. When you recognize the people behind the turning points in your life, you start to see the relationships you build today differently. As veteran business owners, we spend a lot of time looking for the next customer, contract, or opportunity. But some of the most meaningful connections start with a conversation where neither person knows what it might lead to. In the book, I share my journey, the lessons I learned along the way, and the SERVE Framework to help veterans discover their community, get involved, and build lasting relationships. That’s something this Veteran Business Community brings to life. Every introduction, shared lesson, and offer to help can become part of another veteran’s story. I’d love for you to read the chapter and tell me: Who’s a veteran whose introduction or encouragement changed your path? Stay Connected 🤝 Hal

Monday at 10 AM EST we’re hosting a LIVE Q&A on federal government sales with Rick Howard, Lt Col (Ret), CEO of GovClose. If you’ve been thinking about government contracting but aren’t sure where to start, this is your chance to ask questions directly. - What does the government buy? - How do you figure out where your business fits? - Which agencies should you target? - How do you find real opportunities? - Do certifications actually matter? - How do you start building a federal sales pipeline? And what should you be doing now to position your business for 2027? Bring your questions and let’s talk federal sales. Whether you’re brand new to government contracting or you’ve already started trying to navigate the market, join us LIVE. Watch and ask your questions here: Join us on LinkedIn Join us on YouTube If you can’t make it live, drop your question in the comments and we’ll try to answer it during the Q&A.

We covered a lot during our Government Contracting LIVE Q&A earlier this morning with Rick Howard, Lt Col (Ret), and CEO, GovClose. If you couldn't join us live, we recorded the entire conversation for you. Watch the replay here: [WATCH THE Q&A REPLAY] If you've been considering federal contracting but still aren't sure where you fit or what your next move should be, take some time and watch it. There's a good chance we answered one of the questions you've been asking yourself. And if joining our Federal FastStart feels like the right place for you to start, you can join the first cohort here: [JOIN FEDERAL FASTSTART] We start October 12. Enrollment closes September 30 at midnight. This is the only Federal FastStart cohort we're running this year, and we're building everything side-by-side over four weeks. If you've been waiting for the right place to start, this is it.

You need the right ones. This is how I approach LinkedIn. We're hosting The Civvie Connect in-person event next week for veterans in a specific area of Houston, so I ran a tight radius search around the event location and identified veterans who live or work nearby. 106 people. Then I reached out and invited them to join us. So far: → 55 accepted my connection request. 51.9% → 58 received a direct message → 35 replied. 60.3% Why? Because the outreach was relevant. I'm not trying to connect with everyone. I'm trying to connect with the right people for the right reason. In this case, I'm reaching out to veterans in their own community and inviting them to meet other veterans in their own backyard. That's how I've always approached LinkedIn. Meaningful connections. Thoughtful outreach. A reason to start the conversation. LinkedIn is a "social" network. I think sometimes we forget about the "social" part. For me, it's not about collecting connections. It's about creating them. And with The Civvie, we're taking those connections from online to real-life events where relationships can actually grow. One connection at a time.