They’ve overcome the biggest challenges. They’ve pushed through the hardest times. They’ve slogged it out, and come out on top. Welcome to Little Big Vets, the veteran entrepreneurs podcast. In this series Nick Haley, founder of Little Big Tech, speaks with some of the most inspiring and successful people who've left active service and started the next chapter of their life. Hear how Ben Legg, who served for 10 years as Captain in the Royal Engineers before founding the Portfolio Collective after years at Coca-Cola and Google, found success at the top of the executive ladder. Hear the story behind a distinguished army career cut short by injury, and find inspiration from the drive and determination Nick's guests displayed throughout their careers. Starting your own company is a brave and difficult thing to do. This podcast series will show you how it's done. If you’re a veteran entrepreneur with a good story to tell, we’d love to have you on. If you’re leaving the military and you want to get in touch, email [email protected]. If you run a business and you’re looking for an IT company that’s entrepreneurial and forward-thinking, please get in touch.

We often think as our lives as running in tandem with our careers. We go to school for the first decades of our life, work for the rest and then retire for the last. Some of us stick with the same career, whilst others move from one to the next. Not many of us can say we've had a career as varied or distinguished as our guest on our first episode of Little Big Vets – Ben Legg. Ben spent the 1990's in the British Army, the 00s as a Blue-Chip Corporate Leader, the 2010's as a C-Suite Executive in Tech, and is currently spending the 2020's as the Co-Founder of his own business, The Portfolio Collective. In this episode Ben opens up about his career in the Royal Engineers, the steps he took after he left, and how he forged the incredible career he now has. We'll hear about his meeting with Google's Larry Page, private jets, adventure in your 20s and finding your feet after a distinguished military career. https://littlebigtech.co.uk/little-big-vets/

A career cut short from injury is always a difficult thing to accept. A footballer who retires due to a serious ACL tear, a pilot who sustains an eye injury and must pivot to a management job, or a military officer who finds themselves off active service due to a cruel twist of fate: it's alway tough. It was especially tough for Antony Thompson. In the midst of a distinguished career in the Royal Marines, during regulation training in the Brecon Beacons – he jumped with a weight and ruptured multiple ligaments in his legs. It was a testament to his mental strength that Antony overcame that setback. His desire to succeed and keep his freedom led him to start his own business. Today we'll find out how he did it, and how Lupin, his AI-driven business designed to boost worker performance, has succeeded in the next stage of his life.

In 2006, Sangin, Afghanistan was on of the most dangerous places on earth. It was the epicentre of the British army's ongoing battle with the Taliban. The soliders of C Compay 3 Para – part of the elite Parachute Regiment – were led by Major Paul Blair. They had orders to diminish the Taliban's influence in south Afghanistan and restore power to the Kabul government. It was a mammoth task, the impacts of which are still felt by those involved. Paul, as commander, was hit hard. He spent 20 years of his life in service, so when the time came to take the next steps, it was a difficult time. Since then, he has gone on to found multiple companies, including financial advice service, AFFS, residential property management and letting agency, VAPS - and successful dog toy company, SafeStix. Safestix has sold nearly six million units of its frontline product worldwide. https://littlebigtech.co.uk/little-big-vets/

From commanding and training infantry soldiers during operational tours in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Bosnia to becoming responsible for the day-to-day management, leadership and welfare of Battalions of up to 650 men and women, my guest on today's podcast, Guy Denison-Smith, is no stranger to the qualities it takes to lead. From paving the way at the forefront of the digitisation of officer training across the British Army to advising the UK's representative in the United Nations on foreign policy – few people can say they've had a career as interesting and impressive as Guy. Since those days, Guy has founded his own Croatian wine import company, Blue Ice Wine UK, led an expedition of eight Grenadier veterans (five of whom with life-changing injuries) down the Yukon River in open canoes across several days, and now serves as a Managing Director for a recruitment business, Universal Recruitment and Interim Solutions, which has the aim of helping service leaders and veterans find a second career – something very close to his heart. https://littlebigtech.co.uk/little-big-vets/

Ben Read, spent nearly 11 years moving through the ranks of Craftsman, Lance Corporal, and Corporal to become a Sergeant for REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers), where Ben worked globally on rotary and fixed-wing aircraft for the British Army. As such, he is no stranger to what it takes to succeed in a fast-moving profession which always requires you to be adaptable and keep a clear head. Transitioning out of service and into a B2B tech sales career, Ben used the skills and knowledge he had acquired to found the company Redeployable, as a way of giving back to the military community and helping service leavers find high-serving and rewarding roles like the ones he found within Tech Sales. https://littlebigtech.co.uk/little-big-vets/

From serving 12 years in the Royal Naval Reserve as a Lieutenant to a subsequent 19 years within the UK Government as Deputy Director for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, our guest on this episode, Peter Whawell, is no stranger to serving his country. Today, Nick sits down with Peter and explores how the skills and experience he learnt during his time in service, such as courage, leadership and attentiveness, have influenced him throughout his life and directly guided his career journey. From protecting our nation's interests to protecting against disease using a digital solution for infection prevention and control, we'll cover how Peter has since co-founded his own company, Proxximos, where he holds the position of Chief Executive Officer. https://littlebigtech.co.uk/little-big-vets/