Beyond “Thank You”: How Veteran-Owned Businesses Win Contracts and Create Jobs w/ Rebecca Gardner.

Supporting Veterans Means More Than Saying Thank YouIn this episode of TalkStory Media, host Kuya’kai William Peetoom sits down with Rebecca Aguileta Gardner, CEO and co-founder of the Veterans in Business Network, to explore how veteran-owned businesses can secure contracts, build strategic relationships, and create lasting economic impact.Rebecca shares how her family’s San Diego printing business used service-disabled veteran business certification to win contracts with major corporations, including CVS Pharmacy, MetLife, SDG&E, and Southern California Edison. That real-world experience helped inspire the creation of the Veterans in Business Network—an organization built to connect veteran entrepreneurs with corporations, government agencies, procurement professionals, and business opportunities.Rebecca explains why the VIB Network offers veterans free access to its national business directory and how corporate partners help remove financial barriers for small business owners. With thousands of veteran-owned companies represented, the directory helps buyers locate qualified veteran and service-disabled veteran businesses for projects large and small.The conversation also explores:• How contract wins create jobs, strengthen families, and stimulate local economies• Why businesses must continually evolve rather than remain trapped in the status quo• How Lean Six Sigma helped Rebecca improve organizational systems and efficiency• How the VIB Network transformed its national conference during the pandemic• The importance of strategic planning, emotional intelligence, and empowered teams• How corporations and consumers can meaningfully support veteran entrepreneursRebecca’s message is direct: thanking veterans for their service matters—but giving veteran-owned businesses a genuine opportunity to compete, bid, and win can change lives.Learn more, explore the directory, or create a veteran business profile at VIBNetwork.org.Featured Guest: Rebecca Aguileta GardnerCEO and Co-Founder, Veterans in Business NetworkHost: Kuya’kai William PeetoomTalkStory Media#VeteransInBusiness #VeteranOwnedBusiness #VIBNetwork #SupplierDiversity #GovernmentContracting #SmallBusiness #VeteranEntrepreneurs #BusinessNetworking #Procurement #TalkStoryMediaWilliam Peetoom, Commissioner - Executive Producer & Host: Business Dev. Advocate - A Modern-Day Urban Robinhood | Blue Zone Living Benefits Insurance - Broker/Agent, Licensed Life & Health Insurance Professional | CA License #4347307For Interviews & Advertising | Follow TalkStory on LinkedInTalkStory Media Presents our Business Edition Podcast is an intimate interview setting with leaders of our shared global business communities, offering best practices and hacks to achieve success. Inspire, Empower & Impact is our mission with a Vision to uptick the world we contribute to. Together, share and simplify the latest research and best practices from award-winning business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals to educate and empower you on how to make money, save money, and compound the interest of earned revenue to thrive happier, healthier, and improve your business practices for greater efficient impact. The end result is that you understand alternative pathways to roads less traveled to success that the daring duo share on the show. Together with ignite San Diego, sparked by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), we resolve the challenges and obstacles of growing a successful business to be victorious in a new era of inno...