Helping Veterans Start Businesses In Wisconsin, Group Works To Raise Minimum Wage In Wisconsin, Does Stretching Help Athletes?

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• Nonprofit Camp Trains Veterans In Creating Their Own Startups

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  An effort to connect U.S. veterans with mentors and training to help get their technological entrepreneurial projects off the ground will make its first visit to Wisconsin this week.

  “Patriot Boot Camp,” part of a nonprofit effort run by the company TechStars, will come to Madison on Friday. Camp founder Taylor McLemore said that its goal is to help veterans and to harness their potential for the wider economy.

  “Our men and women who have served both as veterans and their spouses have given a lot,” he said. “We want to help them continue to be people who give a lot to our country, as they build the companies that will continue economic growth as this country moves forward.”

  While the camps have been offered in cities on the coasts, the Madison event is the nonprofit’s first foray into the Midwest. McLemore said the group has been looking to branch out, and that two Madison alumni of past Patriot Boot Camps made the case that Wisconsin would be a good starting point.

  At the three-day camp, veterans and their family members will work with mentors from the worlds of business, law and finance, and get training in the basics of building a business and creating a vision for it. They will also get connected with other veterans in the business world, which McLemore said can provide vital inspiration and support.

  “For veteran entrepreneurs to know that there are other veteran entrepreneurs might sound like a simple idea, but every time we’ve done this, it’s actually very powerful,” he said. “Being able to connect to people with that common background gives you a set of resources and an infrastructure to go through that roller coaster in a much better fashion.”

  McLemore said the experience veterans have had in the military can give them the skill set they need to succeed in business.

  “They are dynamic problem solvers, which I think is one of the most important things for being an entrepreneur,” he said. “They are trained to analyze situations, understand how to see the different component parts of delivering a solution in a dynamic environment — and doing that, most importantly, with limited resources.”

  McLemore added that veterans are also well-equipped to handle the challenges of the world of business: “Their bar for what is challenging, what is stressful, is very different.”

  With nationwide concern over unemployment among veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, McLemore said veteran entrepreneurs can be part of the solution. He points toward studies, and evidence from participants in Patriots Boot Camp, that veterans are more likely to hire other veterans.

• 'Patriot Boot Camp' Aims To Help Veterans Start Businesses In Wisconsin

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  Founder of TechStars Patriot Boot Camp talks about ways the organization is helping veterans start businesses in Wisconsin. He says the community is particularly well suited for the challenges of starting a business.

  Those interested can apply here.

• Wisconsin Group Uses Old Law To Try To Raise Minimum Wage

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  A Wisconsin group is using an obscure, 101-year-old law to try to force the governor to raise the minimum wage in Wisconsin. The head of the group discusses how they plan to use the law and how the administration has responded so far.

• Does Stretching Actually Help Athletes?

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  Today, we take in new reserach that calls the benefits of stretching before exercising into question.