Creating the Perfect Business for Vets

U.S. soldiers spend a good portion of their lives serving their country, but once they leave the military, they are left looking for suitable civilian employment. Veterans are qualified, committed job candidates with transferable skills proven in real-life situations, but it is not always easy for them to establish new careers.

Michael Gravette, owner, and CEO of Safety Technology, has the perfect solution for the veteran population: Build your own business selling personal-safety devices and become your own boss.

Gravette has been in the personal-protection business for 35 years, longer than anyone else in the field. Safety Technology serves as the largest drop-ship wholesaler of self-defense products, hidden cameras, and spy and surveillance gear in the country. He first became interested in personal protection when he wanted to buy a stunning guy for his wife, who was a flight attendant. “I started my business in our home with one product — stun guns. My wife, Nancy, was our shipping department. I can still remember her going out to get boxes out of dumpsters because we could not afford to buy shipping boxes.” This one purchase led to him not only becoming the number one wholesaler of personal protection devices in the U.S. but also of him becoming an expert in non-lethal devices. 

With the belief of everyone having the right to self-defense, Gravette provides a full section of non-lethal self-defense devices, hidden cameras, survival gear, and surveillance systems through the Network of Authorized Dealers. He says, “You can make money with products that are in huge demand without making a huge investment,” which is especially valuable for soldiers leaving the military without a job in sight.

Veterans looking for financial security or even a full-time venture would benefit greatly from becoming an authorized dealer. Not only are these products in their wheelhouse of knowledge, but being an authorized dealer also adds flexibility to their schedule. Gravette helps these dealers build a website as well as helping them get off to a fast, profitable start with different packages. With these tools and coaching by phone every month, Gravette is able to have the dealers ready to be selling online in five days. This business is also beneficial for disabled vets because they can do everything from home. 

Jesse Sanders, a veteran, and dealer for Safety Technology, says,  “Being a veteran is the true embodiment of sacrifice. It is a sacrifice of time with your family, missed birthdays with your children, spending holidays in remote and austere locations, possibly being shunned in the very communities you live, and suffering the mental and physical pains that come with that sacrifice, but still being willing to do it all over again.” Working for Safety Technology allows for veterans to work from home, allowing them to spend more time with their families, but more importantly, scheduling their lives as they see fit rather than worrying about conforming to corporate culture.

Gravette himself served in the Air Force during Vietnam. In 1969, at Tan Son Nhut Air Force Base in Saigon, he had a Super Sensitive Information Restricted security clearance and was responsible for reviewing film taken by reconnaissance planes. “I served my country well, and came home to a country divided — definitely not to a hero’s welcome,” he says. “Little did I know that I’d be in the spy business someday!”