National Veterans Small Business Week spotlights service personnel navigating the world of business
MILLSBORO, Del.- “I kept calling all these companies. I wasn’t getting the answers I needed. I just said you know what, I can do this myself,” Gale said.
Tyrone Gale is a U.S. Army veteran and a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur, which makes it no surprise he owns Sussex Septic Services.
It’s a business that provides a full range of septic needs from installations to inspections. “I didn’t know whether I was going to make a lifetime out of the military or what, but they put so much in me. I couldn’t wait to come home and be the entrepreneur I am now,” Gale said.
Thursday, Delaware Small Business Association officials and U.S. Senator Tom Carper paid Gale a visit as this week makes National Veteran-Owned Small Business Week.
It’s a week that holds a special place in Senator Carper’s heart as a former veteran himself. “There’s an old saying that says you either think you can or think you can’t. You’re right. For a person in the military who thinks they can do it we’ll make sure they do,” Carper said.
Gale credits much of the success of his business to the many free services the SBA offers. “We have a variety of technical assistance programs that are free. We have the boots to business program where we will typically go right on the Dover Air Force base and do entrepreneurial training with recruits there or those departing service,” Delaware SBA District Director Michelle Harris.
“In addition to that we also have a veteran owned small business certification program which also brings small businesses into federal contracting.”
Labor shortages, financial hiccups, and the COVID-19 pandemic were just some of obstacles Gale endured since starting the business back in 2018.
He says his saving grace was the lessons he learned while in service. “The words ‘I can’t’ kind of disappear in the military. There’s no I can’t,” Gale said.
Mr. Gales business partner is actually his son-in-law, country superstar Jimmie Allen.
