North Carolina veteran embraces entrepreneurship

Even as a child, Mo Johnson always had what he described as an “entrepreneurial bug.” During his more than 20 years of service in the U.S. Army, he operated sports blogs as a hobby. Once he retired, he started online advertising on his websites in the hope that he could earn enough to make a living. But as online algorithms changed marketing, Mo pivoted to selling Fathead wall stickers online until eBay contacted him and told him there was a need for more sellers of memorabilia display cases.

To fill this gap, Mo eventually founded Better Display Cases in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. While accessing capital and labor shortages are challenging for his business, Mo’s time in the Army contributed to his success as an entrepreneur. He said: “In the military, you have to be goal oriented and a problem solver. You learn to relate to lots of different kinds of people and how to become a leader.”

This blog is adapted from Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer’s conversation with small business owner Mo Johnson in the video series Inside Small Business Policy.