Mike Curry : veterans turned successful entrepreneurs
After a decade in the armed forces, including tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, Mike Curry broke his leg, forcing him to take a break from his career. While he was recovering, he patented UniKurve, a compact mini multi-gym that can be carried over the shoulder. The idea was inspired by his experience of exercising in the desert, using outdated equipment, which encouraged him to be resourceful in his workouts.
As Curry found, entrepreneurship is a viable option for veterans, offering the opportunity to apply the skills developed in the army – resilience, ambition and leadership.
Curry says he was told to pack in his idea and stop dreaming, but didn’t. “Persistence, thick skin, 100% support from my family, that is how UniKurve is here today.”
Curry describes serving in the army as a mixture of “boring, exciting, challenging, hot dusty, cold, dry”, yet says starting a business is tougher. “You’re not guaranteed a wage every month, and you can’t plan for the future like the army. I’m still answering emails at 11pm on a Saturday.”
X-Forces is an organisation that works with charity Help for Heroes. Its main aim is to help ex-servicemen move into business ownership. X-Forces gets 20 new registrations per day – testament to the military community’s desire for self-employment and entrepreneurship.
It’s not just UK army veterans who are starting their own businesses; US veterans own 9% of all stateside firms, and are 45% more likely to start up than a non-veteran.
Ren Kapur, X-Forces CEO, says: “The barriers [to starting a business] may be even more serious amongst the wounded, injured and sick, yet the spirit and tenacity to succeed is perhaps even greater.”
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