Motivating Women Vets to Start BusinessesWest Point grad Meghan Florkowski runs an affordable program that trains female veterans for entrepreneurial life.

Entrepreneurship often requires a creative approach, breaking new ground and coloring outside the lines. For this reason military veterans, accustomed to a strict chain of command and clear-cut rules and regulations, can find it difficult to make the transition to independent business ownership.

For women, it can be even harder--and their service numbers are significant. Women represent about 15 percent of today's active-duty military, 20 percent of reservists, 16 percent of the National Guard and 20 percent of new recruits, according to Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF).

For West Point grad Meghan Florkowski, reinventing herself after leaving the military took many twists and turns. Today, as program manager of IVMF's Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE), Florkowski is determined to help motivated women vets and military spouses navigate the transition to the civilian work force by starting businesses. We sat down with her to get the drill.