Eric Frazier enlisted after graduating from high school in 2003 and served in the Army for 19 years, including two tours in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan. He plans to retire in 2023 and pursue a lifelong dream of building and operating an ice rink in central New Jersey.
Matt Miller served in the Army for 20 years and was stationed in various locations, including three overseas deployments. He accepted medical retirement in 2023. Upon returning to civilian life, he still had a dream of turning his love of watches into a full-time business. To achieve that dream, he founded OTM (On the Move) Watches, a New Jersey-based small business owned and operated by disabled veterans.
Ronald Cook.
Frazier and Miller’s business dreams recently coalesced at Rider University, specifically the school’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.
The center was founded by its current executive director, Ronald Cook, who has been with Rider University since 1993.
“I’ve been here a long time,” Cook said, “and I tell my students today that some of their parents taught me.”
Cook founded the Entrepreneurship Research Center in 2006. In 2014, he created the Veterans Entrepreneurship Development Program, another initiative focused on veterans, their spouses and dependents, and secured funding from the New Jersey Bankers Association Charitable Foundation.
“We began working with the New Jersey Bankers Association in 2015 and they have been extremely supportive of this mission,” Cook said, also thanking Rider University for its contributions, “which have generously donated classroom and other resources we need, including their university database.”
Eric Frazier.
Cook has put together a VET program, a six-week course, that he offers free of charge to veterans each summer. Classes are limited to 20 participants.
Cook said participants will come into the program at different stages in their entrepreneurial journey.
“They all have a business concept and are interested in exploring the possibilities,” he said. “Our goal is to help veterans evaluate the feasibility of their concept. I understand their business ideas and provide individualized attention and feedback.”
“I’m not so much concerned with whether their business idea has reasonable potential. I try to show them a process that will help them make a good decision.”
Mr Frazier joined the VET program in 2024 and Mr Miller joined the VET program in 2023. Both have agreed to talk about their experiences in the program.
Transitioning to civilian life
Matt Miller with an OTM watch.
Eric Fraser: After I got out of the Army, I started working at Princeton University and found my groove while working with the university’s Reserve Officer Training Program. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and I was forced to leave that job. After that, I worked for a logistics company, but I wanted to start my own business so I could have a sense of ownership. When I saw an opening in the VET program, I applied. When I got in, I remember thinking, “This could be everything for me!”
Matt Miller: I retired due to health reasons in 2023 after 20 years of service. I started OTM Watches and enrolled in the VET program to gain insight into starting and running a successful business. I wanted to utilize the skills and discipline I learned in the military and gain the knowledge I needed to survive in the business world.
About their dreams
EF: I remember how much fun I had at the skating rink as a kid. Currently, there are no skating rinks in Central New Jersey. This is the business I want to open and deep down, I know this is what will make me happy. I have so many good memories and I want to create those same memories for others. I want to give them that same joy.
MM: I want to have my own business. I have always been interested in watches and felt that the watches I could produce would add great value to the market.
About your experience in the VET program
EF: The class sizes were small. I absorbed everything I could. I learned a lot from Dr. Cook and left the class with an entrepreneurial mindset. The program gave me so much information, from the fundamentals I needed to get started to market research to what it takes to sustain a successful business.
MM: When I presented my idea for a watch business, the response was quite positive. Some people thought it would be difficult because there are so many watches on the market. I knew it would be difficult. Things are moving in the right direction, but this is a business and I understand that. One thing I learned in the military is to adapt to situations.
Differences between the military and civilian worlds
EF: Military training makes you a monolith, and you have to be precise in your work. In the military, there is a chain of command and procedures. In the civilian world, relationships are more important. In the civilian world, there is usually nothing life-or-death. That’s why the transition to civilian life is especially difficult. It’s not easy to lead a normal life in civilian life.
MM: In the military, you put in the hours and do what it takes to get the job done. The military is very organized and there are rules. Business isn’t so black and white. I think there are a lot of veterans out there who have a hard time being disorganized. They have to find a new rhythm in life.
Advice for veterans starting their own businesses
EF: Stay calm and listen. Stay quiet and humble. You can learn from anyone if you listen. No matter how hard it seems, or in my case, sometimes it seems hopeless, you have to keep trying. I believe that anything you want to do is worth it. This program has a special power to make you believe that if you can imagine it, you can do it.
MM: If I were to transition now, I would take this class again. I hope Ryder offers a second class that focuses more on business building. That would be a great class for me.
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Frazier is currently writing a business proposal to submit for funding with the hope of starting construction on the rink within a year.
Miller will launch the first OTM watch in 2023, which he describes as an “everyday watch with a unique angular design and hands.” His business is currently online. Miller said OTM Watches will soon be adding women’s and unisex watches to its product line.
“Military personnel are used to working hard and getting the job done,” Cook said. “The challenge for them now is that they have to operate outside of the highly disciplined military structure they’re used to. They have to decide for themselves what to do. I tell them the business environment is messy and complex, and information is never perfect, so be careful not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
