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Navy Veteran Chelsea Mandello actually came from an Air Force family, of course making her the black sheep of the family. There were two main reasons for her “defection”. First, Navy bases were on the coast and Air Force bases tended to be in the middle of nowhere. Second, she was a photo journalist and got sent to the pretty places to shoot pictures that made the Navy look good. Solid reasons for her choice. Her first station was Navy Public Affairs where she would be deployed on a ship but only for a couple of months, then jump to a new ship. So she got to take photos of all the cool stuff, then leave. She didn't have to spend three years on the same ship. She made the phrase “see the world” come true, seeing 13 different countries and visiting nine different ships. She also got to work with Army, Marine and Air Force personnel and got to photograph their installations. The education was stimulating and fun, even though she had to take the occasional ribbing from the old guard as the newbie on the block. Chelsea's Ball State degree in advertising was as great background for getting into Mass Communications, or MassCom or even shorter, MC in the first place and her pension for doing creative projects certainly helped her produce the engaging films and photoshoots. But all things must end, including Chelsea's military service. Even though she was putting together her package for a second enlistment as a Public Affairs Officer and had tons of endorsements, she was playing around with an idea of a business. She has launched Toopster, her nonprofit company at the same time as putting in her packet, and Troopster was taking off. Troopster delivers unique care packages and messages of encouragement to deployed military, spouses and their families all over the world. The organization just hit their 30,000 mark, a phenomenal feat. Every morning they have a list of letters from military personnel having a tough time with their first deployment and parents concerned about their youngster in service. Spouses who have had a child and their military member is suddenly deployed also write their letters. So there is plenty of demand. However, there is a supply side to a nonprofit as well. Getting sponsors to fill the care packages was a tough task in the beginning. Chelsea had just started her command when she started Troopster, so she knew she had about a three year runway to get it off the ground if she wanted to have a career after transitioning to civilian life. It was rough. Even though she was able to find sponsors, she had no staff. So after a 24- and sometimes 48-hour watch, she would go home exhausted, sleep-deprived and still have to pack care packages. Dedication. Veteran Founder Podcast with your hosts Josh Carter and Cynthia Kao We record the Veteran Founder Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Theme music: Artist: Tipsy Track: Kadonka Album: Buzzz Courtesy of Ipecac Records 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes
After receiving her own “heartbreak in a box,” a Navy sailor founded an innovative service to easily send high quality care packages to deployed troops.
Troopster's Haley Aguilar tells us all about these Richmond (June 17) vs. Coastal (June 24) events to see who'll send more care packages and provide more smiles to our deployed heroes. Find out about Troopster's mission and how these two events exemplify their great work!
In this episode, Joe welcomed Chelsea Mandello to the lounge. Chelsea is a Navy veteran and the Founder and CEO of Troopster, a 501c3 cause-driven organization that helps friends, families and communities send care packages to deployed troops during their deployments. During their discussion, they talked about Chelsea's military experience as a journalist, the value of traveling, leadership perspectives, and much, much more. Chelsea's Book Recommendations: The Go-Giver – John David Mann & Bob Burg: https://amzn.to/3rr1hSu Follow Chelsea here: Website: www.Troopster.org E-Mail: Troopster@troopster.org
About Troopster: Our Mission Troopster is a 501(c)3 cause-driven organization. Founded in 2015 by a U.S. Navy veteran to support the Armed Forces community, deployed service members, military spouses and families with a resource to send/receive personalized and unique care packages. Our Vision The Troopster Vision is to be the household name of military deployment kits […]
This episode is sponsored by Ashleigh Magee Coaching. you’d like to learn more, send Ashleigh an email to admin@AshleighMaGee.comChelsea has received multiple recognition awards to include the Small Business Administration Person of the Year Award, Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, Cova Gives Back Award, Microsoft #EmpowerPossibility Award, Verizon Salute Award and Innovator of the Year.She was planning to join the Navy and had started her officer package in her last year of college. But the recruiter she had been working with retired and didn’t submit her package and no one could find it. So even though she had her degree she decided to go for it and enlist in the Navy with the plans to transfer from enlisted to the Officer once she was in. But she didn’t know how hard that process would be. And by the time she completed her officer package she started Troopster. So it all worked out in the end.She enjoyed boot camp and made good friends and she was really excited about her job as a photojournalist. She learned so much. One of the experiences she shared was going to a campground where half the team had paintball guns and the other half had cameras. They were instructed to “document the war” and then after an hour switched roles. Her first assignment was at Norfork in Virginia and it was “Big Navy’s” journalist portal, where journalists went to tell the Navy’s story. She wasn’t at Norfork for very long within weeks of arriving in Virginia she was headed out on her first deployment to Japan. She was attached to different ships to capture the story of the Navy. She was always coming and going. Gone for a few months, home for a few weeks and then heading back out again. She loved getting to capture the stories of the Navy and shared some of her favorites. But everything wasn’t easy. In 2013 onboard her seventh ship and for some reason she found herself integrated among the rest of the Public Affairs officers on the ship. This wasn’t the way it had been on her previous ships, but she worked around it. But she noticed everyone in the shop was extremely unhappy and she wasn’t sure why. But the leader of the section quickly showed why everyone was so upset. His demeanor and had tirades that made life hard for everyone. She decided to document everything and presented it to her Squadron Officer. He tried to handle the situation, but she got yelled at by the Chief and nothing changed. So she continued to document and then went back to her Squadron Officer and she brought someone with her, but they ended up being too afraid to speak up. He sent her back to the office and didn’t help with the situation. The whole situation tainted her experience in the Navy. No one seemed to care about the sailors on the ship.As all this was going on she received a care package from her mom. When she opened it she found that everything had gone bad and it was like putting salt on an open wound. It was the final straw and she burst into tears. And then a week or so later she was in the library. She knew she had to do something else so she started Troopster. She didn’t want someone else to feel the way she did. And through a lot of hard work and daydreaming, she created Troopster.On Thanksgiving Day in 2015, she launched her business. She had been thinking there was more to do, but her mom encouraged her to launch. She has learned a lot and continues to learn. They have sent more than 7,000 care packages around the world. It is grown so much and she loves her job. Connect with Chelsea:www.troopster.orgLinkedInMentioned in this episode:Girls Guide to the MilitaryEmail: Airmantomom@gmail.comRelated Episode:From the Navy to Entrepreneurship Episode 27From the Navy to the Air Force - Episode 15Surviving Sexual Trauma in the Navy - Episode 26
Hamilton Perkins Collection Bags. In 2014, Hamilton Perkins founded Hamilton Perkins Collection, an independent brand, designing and producing unique and award winning bags and accessories from recycled materials. Hamilton Perkins Collection exists to create timeless limited edition bags made from recycled plastic water bottles, pineapple leaf fiber, and billboard vinyl. The result is that no two bags are ever the same. Our first design, the Earth Bag Premium, was created so that our customers would not only carry a bag that was stylish but carry a bag they could be proud of. We surveyed more than 1,000 consumers to obtain their thoughts and feedback for each component of the Earth Bag Premium, which soon became one of our most popular designs. Perkins was the winner of the Virginia Velocity Tour hosted by the Governor of Virginia, and the recipient of a HUD Community Development Block Grant. The non-profit B Lab honored Hamilton Perkins Collection as a "Best for the World Overall" B Corporation in 2017. Hamilton Perkins Collection has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Money Magazine, and The Washington Post. The brand is currently offered in nearly 100 leading department stores and specialty stores in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
I’m Jeff Tanner, Dean of the Strome College of Business at Old Dominion University and this is a Strome Business Minute. SVT, a robotics programming company, has grown significantly since I first met them as part of 757 Accelerate. 757 Accelerate is a program funded in part by Go Virginia that provides coaching and training to entrepreneurs who have started a company but need to accelerate their growth. The program was developed to keep start-ups here in our area, rather than leave to find help and funding in other cities. SVT just opened a six thousand square foot production facility in Ghent, sharing a building with Troopster, another 757 Accelerate graduate. SVT employs seven people locally and three elsewhere, and plans to double in twenty twenty, which is exactly the type of growth envisioned when 757 Accelerate was created. To learn more, visit odu.edu/business. This has been a Strome Business Minute, presented by the Strome College of Business at Old Dominion University.
Big thanks to Chelsea Mandello, Sailor and Founder of Troopster, to increase the morale of the Armed Forces community – One service member, deployment and care package at a time. Chelsea just pitched in front of 1000 people at the 2019 Virginia Women Veterans Summit and NAILED IT!!! She offers 3 great tips for fellow small businesses pitching in front of investors. If you have a family member, friend or just want to bring a little joy to a service member away from home, check out www.troopster.org #military #entrepreneurs
Chelsea Mandello is the founder and CEO of Troopster Military Care Packages. A veteran, Chelsea served in the U.S. Navy as a Photojournalist for 7 years, where she travelled more than 13 countries. Additionally she travelled across 9 different ships reporting the Navy's story. Consequently, it was during a difficult deployment in 2013 that Chelsea recognized the need for a personalized care package solution that led to the launching of Troopster in 2015. “My job was to tell the navy’s story; it was an awesome job.” – Chelsea Mandello Chelsea Mandello- Hard & Fast Transition During active duty, Chelsea founded Troopster when she was active duty. She was in a remote area where receiving mail and packages was difficult and took a lot of coordination. As a result, the packages were “heartbroken” and items had gone bad and escaped the original intent of the care package. Chelsea researched for 2 years and developed a business plan as to what a care package company should look like. Consequently, Troopster was founded. Chain of Command Mandello got lucky with her chain of command who was very supportive of her effort whole being active duty. She engaged in entrepreneurial classes with Boots to Business that were offered. Chelsea was very open with her command about her endeavors and as a result found that they were very helpful and accepting unlike other chains of command. “I love what I do; It feels like I have the absolute best job in the world; I get to connect mom's, dad’s, spouse’s with their troops to make personalized care packages , add photos and send directly overseas.” – Chelsea Mandello Growing a Business To date, excluding holiday months, Troopsters sells approximately 700 packages throughout the year and even more, the donations sent out are 4 times that amount. Troopsters is ramping up their donations drive and Chelsea currently does not take a salary. In 2019 she is looking to expanding with more staff, developing a board who believes in Troopster's mission and becoming internationally known. To hear more from Chelsea Mandello, download this episode. Don’t forget to leave us a 5-star rating and review if you enjoyed the show. We would love to hear from you! Check out these links for Chelsea Mandello Website Troopsters Blog Facebook Download Joe Crane’s Top 7 Paths to Freedom or get it on your mobile device. Text VETERAN to 38470. Join the Veteran on the Move on Facebook! Check out Veteran on the Move on Facebook to connect with our guests! It’s a great place where you can stay in touch with other veterans who are transitioning to entrepreneurship. Get updates and free gouge on the people, programs and resources to help you in your transition to entrepreneurship. Veteran On the Move podcast has published over 200 episodes. Our listeners have the opportunity to hear in-depth interviews conducted by host Joe Crane . The podcast features people, programs and resources to assist veterans in their transition to entrepreneurship. As a result, Veteran On the Move has over 1,000,000 verified downloads through Stitcher Radio, Sound Cloud, itunes and RSS Feed Syndication making it one of the most popular Military Entrepreneur Shows on the Internet Today.
“You really have to develop stamina. There will be times where you are constantly exhausted and you have to learn to keep going and push those boundaries (just like a muscle) because it really will make you better with any business you have.” Our nation’s veterans have sacrificed so much for us, and a growing number are becoming entrepreneurs, looking to continue the spirit of giving once they leave the service. Today’s guest on the #MakeYourMark podcast, Chelsea Mandello, is a shining example of this, as she has taken an idea borne deep inside a warship, and created a company that is directly lifting the morale of our soldiers globally. “Seek a mentor. Mentors have been through the pitfalls that you’re already going through, they’ve already made the mistakes...the business community of entrepreneurs love to share their experiences and help you. Do this to bypass the heartache.” Chelsea created Troopster four years ago after seeing hundreds of packages meant for her fellow sailors arrive damaged, or so late that the contents had gone bad. She was determined to change that, and is now offering through her website the ability for anyone looking to support the troops a pre-packaged box with personalized messages, photos, and snacks for a fraction of what it would cost someone doing it on their own. “If you don’t know anyone in the military, but you still really want to support the troops, we have 1000s of soldiers who don’t have any friends or family members - they don’t have anyone taking care of them, so we are also that bridge for the community to take care of our troops.” You will hear us talk about some of the challenges to starting and bootstrapping your own company, the tremendous rewards when things start falling your way, and several stories from Chelsea’s time overseas that will shine a light on what happens when the bullets aren’t flying. You will be excited to hear her story, and you will want to pitch in with her efforts, and get the word out about Troopster! I’m always thrilled to feature a member of our nation’s armed services in my podcast, and this is an episode you’ll truly enjoy. Happy listening! Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 0:54 Joining the Military - 4:04 13 Countries / 9 Different Ships - 6:48 Chasing Boars - 9:04 Launching Troopster - 11:19 Troopster’s Mission - 13:00 How Ships Connect on the Open Seas - 16:20 The Big Idea - 19:26 You Can Adopt a Troop Too! - 24:58 The Importance of Stamina in Business - 31:09 Seek a Mentor - 35:53 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 52:45 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away. If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!
Do you have a big idea? Maybe it’s a business, maybe it's a nonprofit, maybe it's a message you need to share with the world. Let's say you have all of that, but you’re not sure how to find the right people to help spread it. Listen to this episode and you’ll hear the story behind Troopster, a for-profit company that has a nonprofit arm. On the business side, Troopster allows friends and families of service members to buy and send personalized care packages online. The charity accepts donations and sends care packages to military service members on deployment. This is an On-Air Coaching call, so you'll hear the story behind Troopster from founder Chelsea Mandello, you'll learn how publicity helped to grow her business and what steps Chelsea can take to get more exposure for her company. What you'll learn in this episode: *The story behind Troopster *The mission Chelsea is trying to share *How Chelsea was able to generate publicity for Troopster and what it did for her business *The steps I share with Chelsea so she can get media coverage outside of her community Links mentioned in this episode: *Troopster.org *How To Use HARO Successfully And Get Featured In The Media *The (free) 5-Day Media Magnet Challenge *My Video Resources page *Sign up for my newsletter and get access to the STANDOUT Facebook community here (and get the 5-Day Media Magnet Challenge) Did you enjoy the show? Please subscribe to the STANDOUT with Cheryl Tan podcast. here.
Do you have a big idea? Maybe it's a business, maybe it's a nonprofit, maybe it's a message you need to share with the world. Let's say you have all of that, but you're not sure how to find the right people to help spread it. Listen to this episode and you'll hear the story behind Troopster, a for-profit company that has a nonprofit arm. On the business side, Troopster allows friends and families of service members to buy and send personalized care packages online. The charity accepts donations and sends care packages to military service members on deployment. This is an On-Air Coaching call, so you'll hear the story behind Troopster from founder Chelsea Mandello, you'll learn how publicity helped to grow her business and what steps Chelsea can take to get more exposure for her company. What you'll learn in this episode: *The story behind Troopster *The mission Chelsea is trying to share *How Chelsea was able to generate publicity for Troopster and what it did for her business *The steps I share with Chelsea so she can get media coverage outside of her community Links mentioned in this episode: *Troopster.org *How To Use HARO Successfully And Get Featured In The Media *The (free) 5-Day Media Magnet Challenge *My Video Resources page *Sign up for my newsletter and get access to the STANDOUT Facebook community here (and get the 5-Day Media Magnet Challenge) Did you enjoy the show? Please subscribe to the STANDOUT with Cheryl Tan podcast. here.
Troopster, what a great idea. Starting a business that is designed for the military's needs in mind. Well, it makes sense when the founder of Troopster, Chelsea is Active Duty military. Her business parter, also military so he understands what people are wanting when deployed. Best part about Troopster? It's all online, and you can order a care package for your loved one, from the comfort of your home. That's amazing! Listen to Spouse Spouts today so you can learn more about this business!
Welcome to episode Forty Five of The Inspired Women Podcast. In today's episode your host Megan Hall interviews Chelsea Mandello founder of Troopster. An Entrepreneur and active-duty service member. Chelsea is currently serving as a Photojournalist for the United States Navy where... Read moreEpisode 45 The Story Behind Troopster With Chelsea Mandello