Going beyond the box

When Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Mike Nelson left the Canadian Armed Forces, he left with the drive to have an impact on the military from the private sector instead of from within the service.

"I was working on this really great project, and I was taking a little initiative that was outside my day-to-day responsibilities. My supervisor told me to get back in my box and stay in my box. It just rubbed me the wrong way."

Nelson could see an opportunity to provide the decision-makers during operations with a bigger picture to make more informed choices. He saw that the systems used to gather intelligence weren't talking to each other, so he wanted to bridge that gap.

But to do that, Nelson knew he'd have to come at the problem from outside the military.

"I felt I could have a bigger impact from outside the military, working from the angle of industry, trying to drive change from the outside rather than working inside."

A new (ad)venture

Taking the leap, Nelson decided to put his focus into entrepreneurship. In April 2023, he founded his company, TACTIQL. Its goal is to help different intelligence systems work together, so decision-makers get the right information to make fast, effective choices on the battlefield. Making sure the best decisions are being made helps keep members of the Canadian Armed Forces and our allies safe.

Nelson says the private sector is a fast-paced and ambiguous place, "You need people on your team who are good at managing ambiguity," he says, "I found that Veterans are fantastic at bringing that ability to the table and help level-set the other members of the team."

It was tough switching from the familiarity of having a boss to being his own boss. Entrepreneurship is a lonely space compared to the military with its built-in community.

It was also a challenge to manage the uncertainty that comes with running your own business.

Transferable skills

Luckily, Nelson had skills he learned during his service to help. While working as an intelligence analyst, he was deployed to Libya and Niger, where his assignments were changed constantly to fit the needs of the missions.

In addition to adaptability, Nelson says the Canadian Armed Forces taught him perseverance and resilience. "You do what you have to do to get the job done," he explains.

His deployments with the Canadian Armed Forces also taught him how to work as a team and develop the leadership skills that he applies to his business. During those missions, he was an officer without any operational experience leading a team of non-commissioned members who had already seen multiple tours. "I was very intimidated by the people I was deploying alongside, especially the Canadian Special Operations Regiment. Luckily, they're just the best of the best, awesome human beings, and they took me under their wing and taught me everything I needed to know. Ultimately, it was a fantastic learning opportunity."

Using these skills, he built up his team at TACTIQL from a few engineering interns to ten members: six technical engineers and four (fellow Veteran) operations staff.

Why hire Veterans?

When asked about hiring fellow Veterans, Nelson says, "Veterans care a lot. They want to see that their work is creating value."

Remembering to include himself, he continues, "We joined the military to have an impact and that carries over into the private sector where we want to continue to see us having an impact with whatever the mission might be."

In addition to devotion and motivation, Veterans are also reliable and are used to adapting plans when needed.

Crossover

Nelson still experiences similarities between his work with the Canadian Armed Forces and at TACTIQL. "In a healthy way, work is my passion. Every day I wore the uniform I invested all of myself into that. I invest that same passion into TACTIQL, every single day, no matter how I feel. It takes that energy to make an entrepreneurial venture work."

When comparing the two, Nelson concludes, "The closest similarity between serving with the Canadian Armed Forces and being an entrepreneur is that at the end of the day, you know you've got a job to do. So you do what you have to do to get the job done."

And in both roles, Nelson works to keep those serving and those allied with Canada as safe as possible.

With courage, integrity and loyalty, Michael Nelson is leaving his mark. He is a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran. Discover more stories.