Are there any stipulations that I should be weary of due to being a Business Owner while in the National Guard?

2020-04-03T19:00:21-04:00

Hello everyone first time poster here, I just recently started a Gun Store business and am wondering if there is any stipulations that I should be weary of being a Business Owner in the National Guard as to avoid doing anything that could adversely effect my civilian life and/or my military life?

Any and all answers is appreciated

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 3 at 2020 7:11 PM

2020-04-03T19:11:31-04:00

Your best course of action would be to talk to your chain of command.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Apr 3 at 2020 9:20 PM

2020-04-03T21:20:38-04:00

Being a Sole Proprietor or Owed Operator of a Business is hard on Guardsmen. All the legal protections are gone, since you are the Company. I would be Leary of it, as you are it. Same as farmers that are in the Guard.

As far as stipulations, youll need the FFL and all the appropriate licensure. Your record keeping as a gun dealer will be very stringent. If you screw up and the government prosecutes, it will impact your Guard contract. You could be separated and or lose your security clearance. Also indebtedness can impact security clearances and personal reliability programs if so enrolled. Is it possible? Sure. Don't screw up. Good luck in your business.

Talk to your chain of command, but I can't think of a reason why you can't. If the Ft Bragg IG says a joe can swing on a brass pole for moonlighting , I don't see why you can't do this.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 3 at 2020 9:51 PM

2020-04-03T21:51:06-04:00

Is this small business your sole source of income and do you have a plan for this business survive you being gone for a year for deployment?
That's the first question you need to answer for yourself.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Apr 3 at 2020 10:54 PM

2020-04-03T22:54:27-04:00

You need to be cognizant of what happens to your business if you are called up.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2020 5:36 AM

2020-04-04T05:36:57-04:00

Based on your reply to SGM Jeff McCloud, it sounds like this is a side business and you seem to have a plan for activation. In the event of an activation and your business continuing to conduct business while you are on active duty you would need to disclose this to your chain of command and possibly document it on an OGE 450 in the event you were in a position to deal with private companies on behalf of the Army. If your business sold or supplied items to the government while you were on orders, you would disclose that and need to recuse yourself of any involvement with those contracts on behalf of the government. None of these things are a big deal, just compliance issues to insure there is never a conflict of interest.
Good Luck

Response by 1SG Brian Adams made Apr 4 at 2020 10:51 AM

2020-04-04T10:51:31-04:00

No, why would you ask? Are you concerned financially, morally? I feel just because you are a reservist, you still have all the rights owning your own business. Even if you are selling firearms.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 15 at 2021 3:00 PM

2021-02-15T15:00:07-05:00

So I started out in the USAR, got out to start my own Sol Prop, and recently came back into the USAR as an entrepreneur. At the end of the day, there's really 2-3 big things the Army really cares about (whether anyone in your unit has already expressed these concerns to you or not) from what I've learned, and most of the RP community has already touched up on them.

The first is that you have to understand that by you being a business owner, you're not exempt from being a law-abiding citizen, and you still have to do your best to avoid yourself getting into any kind of legal turmoil/trouble. And since you're opening yourself up to more legal exposure just by owning a business, you have to take that extra effort in making sure that you're doing everything correctly. At the end of the day, if you're running a legitimate business with all of the legal requirements checked off (make sure you do your due diligence and really know business law/requirements/regs in areas that relate to you) and you can always stay current with any legal changes, then the Army will be happy on this front.

Second, is that the NG still expects you to fulfill your commitment with them above anything/anyone else. When it comes times to drill/activations/deployments, they don't want to hear excuses that you have a business to run. So, so long as you're able to be a yes-man when it comes to attendance requirements, and having your mind focused on the mission instead of the business (which it sounds like you already have a plan for), your unit shouldn't have a problem with you running a business on the outside.

Third, something that was touched on but I would like to dive deeper into is the finances. I don't know if it applies to everyone, but if you're like me with a security clearance, it would be very important that you avoid damaging your credit score, as that could affect your status in the military. So if you haven't done so already, I would look into reorganization your business' structure into an LLC or something where your company's finances are able to stay separated from your personal assets. If anything happens regarding your business like having to go into debt to survive through a pandemic, or take out a loan for expansion, such liabilities won't put your military career on the line from a creditworthiness standpoint.

Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any questions or need help with anything. And good luck!