Pamela Fleming built her consulting business after eight years of military service and multiple deployments, turning leadership experience into a mission to help organizations manage change. Through the IVMF’s STRIVE program at Houston City College, Fleming gained the structure and support to sharpen her message, grow her network and bring in clients.
After graduating high school in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, Pamela Fleming opted to seek a path that didn’t include going to college immediately. Instead, she chose to enlist in the U.S. Army where she knew she could receive job training, travel, leadership experience, healthcare, and educational benefits.
Fleming served for eight years on active duty as a unit supply specialist, reaching the rank of Sergeant. She deployed multiple times during her years of service, giving her unique experiences that would shape her future.
Upon her discharge, Fleming used her education benefits to enroll at Louisiana State University where she first earned a bachelor’s degree in information systems and decision sciences. Later she would earn two master’s degrees, one in public administration and the other in human resources and organizational development, from her alma mater as well.
“I’ve learned so much about leadership and hard work. More importantly, I learned about myself, who I am and who I want to be,” Fleming says.
In corporate roles, Fleming said she noticed that success was often measured by deadlines and budgets, not by how the work affected the people doing it. She saw teams hit milestones while dealing with burnout and disengagement.
“That’s where I found my heart,” she said. “That’s when I realized my purpose wasn’t just to manage change, but to humanize it.”
That experience led Fleming to start her own consulting business, Nexus Transformation Partners LLC, focused on leadership and organizational change. Like many new founders, she ran into the practical challenges of starting a business.
“The toughest part for me was figuring out how to find my own clients,” Fleming said.
She found additional training through Startup Training Resources to Inspire Veteran Entrepreneurship, or STRIVE, offered locally through Houston City College. STRIVE is a three-phase entrepreneurship training program operated by Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) and delivered through partner networks in communities across the country.
STRIVE is a local program for veterans, service members and military families who are developing a business idea, with a focus on building competencies needed to create and sustain a venture and to identify and address early challenges.
In a 2020 National Survey of Military-Affiliated Entrepreneurs data brief focused on women veteran entrepreneurs, 39% or participants cited a lack of experience or exposure to other business owners as a top barrier to pursuing or achieving business goals. Another 29% cited a lack of business mentors, and 27% cited a lack of initial capital. The brief also reported that 69% said a lender or creditor had turned down a request for credit or offered less credit than they applied for.
The same brief found that “helping society/supporting community” ranked among the top motivations for women veteran entrepreneurs, cited by 48% of respondents.
For Fleming, the value of STRIVE was in structure and accountability. She said the program helped her clarify her message and build a more deliberate approach to outreach.
“The program made me think deeply about why I do what I do and who I want to be,” Fleming said. “Crafting that identity has been vital to how I run my business.”
Fleming recently attended a national conference and was inducted into the Everyday Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame, recognition she said reflects her commitment to the veteran entrepreneurship community.
She also encourages other veterans considering business ownership to treat the civilian side of entrepreneurship as a new skill set. Military service builds resilience and adaptability, Fleming said, but business success still depends on learning how to communicate value, build relationships and make clear asks.
“Learning how to translate your experience into words and actions is what truly makes you competitive,” she said.
IVMF operates STRIVE as part of a broader entrepreneurship portfolio that supports military-connected founders at multiple stages. Programs include Military Founders Lab, a 10-week virtual program for veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs, and Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship, known as V-WISE, which begins with a four-week online course and culminates in an in-person capstone conference. For established business owners, IVMF also offers Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans Accelerate, a three-phase program focused on growth planning, coaching and execution.