Today we’d like to introduce you to Warren Smith and Joey Edwards. Them and their team share their story with us below:
The American Initiative was founded in January 2019 by Joey Edwards
Warren Smith (Vice President) was brought in in 2020 as well
Warren and Joey have worked side-by-side ever since to run the company. The American Initiative consists of a full team, however.
– Bridget Quinn (Outreach Coordinator)
– Jenny Silard (Marketing Officer)
– Megan Cromley (Social Media Manager)
– Dr. Jordi Smith (Event Coordinator)
– Lawrence Gardner (Market Research Director)
Warren Bio:
31 years old
Bachelor’s Degree – Organizational Leadership
8 years in Naval Special Warfare
Special Warfare Combatant Crewman
100 Ton Far Costal Caption
Entrepreneur
Born In Toledo Ohio
“I was born in Toledo, Ohio, and moved to San Diego, CA to join the United States Navy in 2014. I now have 8 years in Naval Special Warfare as a Special Warfare Combatant Crewman and am now a 100 Ton Far Coastal Caption. Through my time in Naval Special Warfare, I have seen countless people with injuries sustained on the job that alter their lives forever. This experience has inspired me to help those in need through The American Initiative nonprofit organization. Aside from my time in the Navy and as Vice President of our Nonprofit, I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and became invested in entrepreneurship.”
Joey Edwards Bio:
34
Master’s in Organizational Psychology & currently a Doctoral student in the same degree.
10 years in Special Forces as a Special Warfare Combat Crewman
200 masters of yachts
Entrepreneur
Born In Oakland, Ca
I started the American Initiative in 2019 as a means to provide additional rehabilitative help to the men and women in my community. Warren and I have the privilege of working with some of the finest men and women in the country. These individual train every week so that they can be ready should the time come to stand against our nation’s enemies. Our occupation his inherently dangerous and we’ve all accepted that risk, and we love our job. Unfortunately, the human body can only take so much punishment before it starts to deteriorate. The American Initiative was a business that I put a lot of thought into to figure out a way to unite the citizens of our nation to come together to support the men and woman who help to keep our society functional, and safe.
That being said, in addition to special forces, I felt it was also appropriate to add Firefighters, and Police officer to our mission statement. We hope that the equipment we provide can aid the men and women of these occupation in career longevity, mental health, and quality of life. Since we launched, we’ve gotten nothing but love and support for San Diego businesses and citizens. We’ve also formed a good relationship with the local Firefighter Association, led by president Brandon Ihde, and we hope to build a similar relationship with SDPD. To this day, we’ve provided 44 massage guns and 30 foam roller kits to special forces members and firefighters across in San Diego and New York.
We were also able host a San Diego Padres game night for some of the local firefighter, with the help of the Padres Non-profit and military relationship coordinator. Finally, with the help of our biggest sponsor (Pacific Catch Restaurant, La Jolla) we currently working on getting equipment for police officer through our police initiative and gearing up for our end-of-the-year fundraiser (Hula for Heroes; Christmas Luau December 9th and the Brick in Liberty Station). Tickets are on sale now; for more information visit us at
https://theamericaninitiative.com/events/
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Warren –
The road for me has not been smooth by any means but I also would not categorize it as hard post coming to San Diego.
the biggest struggle I’ve delt with has been time away from home and distance from my family which is something I’ve always worked towards mitigating by keeping in constant contact with as much family as possible and making sure I travel home not only to see family but to ground myself and remember where I came from.
Joey –
The road has been smooth in the since that Warren and I both have a combined total of 18 years of strategic planning and execution, to say the least. Our training has translated well into the business world. We think very carefully and in depth before we pull the trigger on a given topic. We have also been fortunate to have great mentorship through the San Diego SCORE office, and Pacific Catch. Most importantly, our team is 100 percent responsible for our success. They have worked so hard to ensure that our organization is functional, and a business that we can all be proud of. Every member of our team is truly great, and I am proud to have them on the team…
We’ve been impressed with The American Initiative, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Warren-
While there is significant support available to veterans, the men and women who manage daily chronic pain, and the stress associated with their injuries while serving our nation may not always receive the same level of support and services.
Unfortunately, they cannot always access the services and care they need due to organizational budgets, mediocre equipment, or an inefficient support system.
We believe that these men and women should not have to wait to become disabled veterans with a lifetime of health issues to get the help they need. The time is now; our service members need the proper equipment for rehabilitation, pain management, and support.
Joey-
Currently, The American Initiative is the only organization that provides rehabilitative assistance to the SOF, Firefighter, and Police officers. Our organization is headed by active-duty special forces members who know what these careers do to body, and the struggles that we go through as operators/ service members. The American Initiative has a bright future, and we are looking to partner with the VA and CalMed for future operation. Organizational Psychology is my field of expertise. That being said, I specialize in organizational development and implementing scientific methodology, and theory into the business to influence positive outcomes. Warren is an expert in tactical leadership, and project management.
Warren and I have gone through an intense vetting process as SOF operators, and we have brought our training and knowledge to the business world. The significance of our training speaks for itself when consider our success as an organization. Our team, leadership, planning, critical thinking, and success is all a product of our training, and our desire to help improve our society. As a brand, and the founder of that brand, I’m most proud of the impact we’ve been able to make on the men and women who we set out to help. Our purpose has truly been a source of pride and happiness.
To those who read this message, pursue a purpose that is truly meaningful to you. From a humanistic viewpoint, we all co-exist in a shared environment as human beings. Take care of your families and take care of yourself. If able, take the initiative to help those in need. If our cause is something that you can stand behind, we would appreciate your support.
Tickets are on sale now for the Hula for Heroes Christmas event. 21+; bar, food, Hula dances, music, and local service members. Come out, it’s going to be a good time! For more information, visit theamericaninitiative.com.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Warren –
Take it slow. you set your own timelines, deadlines, dues dates. In all my business endeavors the number one reason I’ve seen leading to failure has been doing too much too fast.
Joey-
-Figure out what you want to do and where you want to go.
-Learn as much as you can about the field you want to enter into.
-Listen to audio books about business, and basic economics (Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell, and Start your own corporation by Garrett Sutton).
–Find a partner who is like-minded and has similar goals to keep you accountable.
-Don’t over concern yourself with perfection; Make it better as you go. The best way to start is to start (Advice from longtime friend; Prince Nwadike).
-You have to put yourself in front of business-people; Make a conscious effort to improve your social circle.
-Act on good advice immediately. Don’t sit on your notes; when you learn something new, immediately do it. Incremental progress over a long period of time will take you a long way.
-Cleanse your social media accounts so that you have a continuous flow of business information and motivation.
-Don’t tell people what your plans are unless it is a person who has done what you want to do.
-Only take advice from people who have been where you want to go. Otherwise, you’ll just be asking the blind for direction.
-Apply for business grants.
-Prepare yourself to research, forever; but it shouldn’t feel like work.
-If you want more information, you can reach me at info@edwardsholding.com (Small business consulting).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theamericaninitiative.com
- Instagram: @American.Initiative
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/American.Initiative
