Branch Served:
- Marines (6 1/2 years)
About Ed Schwind
Ed Schwind is a husband and father of six who has been a business owner since 2013.
Q: What was deployment like?
A: My only overseas service was for a joint NATO exercise in Greece where the entire 2nd Marine Division set up operations in a large-scale deployment. Our mission in the band was a combination of public affairs and internal security. By day, we played concerts in the surrounding community, and by night, we walked our posts inside the camp with weapons and live rounds.
Q: What was your first job after service and what was that experience like?
A: After completion of my second contract, I came to NDSU to study electrical engineering. The transition was interesting. Starting as a freshman at age 25 certainly set me apart from others in my classes.
Q: Did you have any struggles after returning to civilian life?
A: My biggest challenge in adjusting to civilian life was to change my expectations of others who didn’t have the training or discipline that I had. I also had to calm down and not be so aggressive in my speech and mannerisms. People thought I was threatening even when I thought I was toning it down.
Q: Can you tell me about your company?
A: Signum, LLC is an engineering services, Internet of Things, and electronics manufacturing company. We specialize in designing connected devices, and providing cellular data connectivity and cloud services to solve our customers’ problems. We also manufacture the devices we design in our ISO-certified manufacturing facility.
Q: Did you plan to start your company before enlisting in the service?
A: Being a business owner wasn’t on my radar until well after my military service, completion of college, and working in the industry for a few years.
Q: What does a normal day on the job look like for you?
A: My day-to-day activities include making decisions about which people are best suited to working on our projects, meeting with customers to ensure their needs are understood, deciding which customers to pursue, tracking our budget, sending invoices, and just about anything else that needs to be done.
Q: How did your family react when you told them you were pursuing service?
A: When I first brought up the idea of joining the military, my parents wanted me to at least check into college to see if there were scholarships available. But my mind was made up and they ultimately supported me and were proud of my service.
Q: What do you remember about your first day of business?
A: I still recall the feeling when my LLC Certificate of Formation came in the mail. It was a thrill, but also humbling. Anyone can write a check for $135 and get a piece of paper in the mail. But the challenge was in front of me to make something out of it. The possibilities were endless and the future was wide open, with no barriers, but no guarantees.
Q: Has your service experience changed your business mindset?
A: My time in the military taught me personal discipline and how to be a servant leader. If we succeed, the troops deserve the credit. If we fail, there is nowhere to look except for in the mirror. When a team is wellled, the leader disappears into the background.
Q: Have you found any resources or support networks that have been instrumental in your entrepreneurial journey as a veteran?
A: Emerging Prairie and the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation provide invaluable resources and networking opportunities.
Q: What was the hardest challenge in opening your business?
A: Finding the first customer or contract is always the most difficult first step. I was fortunate that my first customer was pursuing me individually and standing up a company to support them was the obvious choice.
Q: What does being a veteran symbolize to you?
A:To me, being a Veteran shows my willingness to serve others and to give of myself. But the things I learned and my growth as a person far outweighed any sacrifice that I made.
Q: Who are your biggest mentors?
A: Master Gunnery Sergeant Mathew Boatright and Gunnery Sergeant Christopher McNally
Q: What advice do you have for other businesses out there?
A: Check your motivations for being in business. If the welfare of your people isn’t at the top of the list, followed closely by the good of your customers, you need to re-prioritize. In fact, any other goal is impossible to achieve without taking care of the people who do the work and the people who pay the bills.
Q; What advice do you have for other considering enlisting?
A: The United States Armed Forces teach lessons that can’t be learned anywhere else. Members of the uniformed services experience a high level of personal growth and responsibility which can be transferred into daily life and into any industry.
Q: Do you have any book recommendations?
A: I recommend “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink.
Support Signum
signumiot.com
701-730-3806
112 N University Dr, Fargo
