When Marisela Saldana got out of the Marine Corps, she needed a new purpose in life.
"I was just trying to see where my place was," said Saldana. "Where I fit back in."
Now, she believes she's found it -- with help from "Honor, Courage, Commitment", a Farmers Branch-based business incubator that works specifically with veterans to give them the know how and tools to launch their own companies.
Saldana now owns her own cleaning service, Saldana Cleaning Services LLC, which she jokes felt strangely familiar having spent four years as a Marine.
"[Marines] are always cleaning something," laughed Saldana. "We're always told go clean that, go mop that."
Since starting up in 2011, HCC has helped veterans launch 31 successful businesses and six non-profits, which have now generated more than $16 million in revenue.
"It's validation that the word is getting out and that people are learning about what we're doing -- seeing the value in what we're doing," said Cliff Sosamon, Executive Director of HCC.
Army veteran Arron Barnes hopes his business can be the next success story.
"This is fire right here," said Barnes.
Barnes worked a number of jobs once he got out of the military. Then one day, someone tried some of the almond butter spread he'd make for himself and asked him where they could buy it. That was his light bulb moment.
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"And it was just me coming to terms with hey -- I wanna work for myself," said Barnes.
He now sells the spread, which he calls "Life Butta"
And to help his business take off, he came to North Texas from Vancouver, Washington just so he could work with HCC.
"And so I'm here and everything is rolling," said Barnes.
Now he and Saldana say they're as confident as they ever felt about their futures.
"It's our way of life," said Saldana.
