For Matt Tarlton, a retired U.S. Navy Senior Chief with 23 years in military law enforcement and K9 handling, the path to entrepreneurship started with dessert.

Preparing for retirement in 2023, Tarlton attended a local nonprofit workshop for Veterans. There, he saw a video featuring TV host Steve Harvey. Harvey described how Marie Callendar’s international fame started with a single pie from her home kitchen, demonstrating that success can start in the smallest action.

At the time, Tarlton was making good money but burning out in his role as a dog trainer for a local company. The Harvey video inspired him to create his own unique training business, NoQuarterK9LLC, where he would teach dog owners to be their own trainers. There was just one big unknown: How could Tarlton best reach the people who needed this service? Tarlton, who was already familiar with ACP’s no-cost mentorship program as a service rep for career services company RecruitMilitary, decided he could use a Mentor of his own. He linked up with Stephen Pollan, CEO and founder of two successful staffing companies, Pelocity and Assessment Technologies Group. They immediately created an agenda for the year and began refining Tarlton’s approach to business ownership.

Pollan was immediately impressed by Tarlton’s dedication and his openness to new approaches. “With Matt, it was special from the very beginning,” says Pollan, who has over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur. The pair married Pollan’s proven strategies for growth with Tarlton’s vision and passion for K9 training, laying out a multi year plan to help Tarlton build a loyal client base.

Pollan and Tarlton drilled down into the minutiae that can make or break a business. They created marketing strategies and materials, analyzed web traffic to better understand and target demographics, and identified ways Tarlton could build name recognition in his community. Their methodical approach allowed them to measure success along the way and tailor their monthly discussions accordingly.

“I couldn’t ask for a better Mentor,” says Tarlton, who is now looking to expand his profile and start a nonprofit that will train service dogs for combat-disabled Veterans. “Stephen was instrumental in helping me brainstorm, find creative ways to attract customers, and stay focused on my short term goals.”

“It’s a great honor for me to support veterans in their journey to success,” says Pollan, a three-time ACP Mentor who looks forward to continuing his work with Veterans and Military Spouses. If you are a post-9/11 Veteran or active duty Military Spouse, sign up to connect with ACP Ventures and begin your mentorship journey. You can also join us at the ACP Village today to find entrepreneurship resources and connect with our small business community!

This Small Business Spotlight was written by Hailey Brindamour, a Senior Operations Associate here at ACP. A Military Spouse herself, Hailey joined us in the summer of 2022 and has supported countless mentorships like Matt and Stephen’s. In her role, she plays a vital part in ensuring incredible experiences like this are possible for our community.