Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Bower.
Hi Ben, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got started on this journey because I have a passion for helping people. I began by founding a non-profit called the Central Aid Agency that is committed to helping people in their time of need. To get more experience for my non-profit I began volunteering with my local search and rescue team. That led to a career in public safety and private security. Over time I realized I also had a passion for teaching and training, so we built a very robust training program within Central Aid Agency that had an emphasis on effectiveness and professionalism. We realized that our training program could actually help generate revenue for our agency, so we actually ended up spinning it off as a separate company called Training Solutions International. As Training Solutions International developed, I was able to turn it into my primary career (along with my role in Central Aid Agency which primarily remains volunteer).
I continue to have a passion and heart for service and love what I do. Both the Central Aid Agency and Training Solutions International exists as complementarians to the other, C.A.A. provides practical real-world experience through its boots-on-the-ground missions; while TSI provides high quality training so that those boots-on-the-ground responders are adequately trained. Through my roles in these organization I have been able to work with and train other professionals from all over the U.S. and even the world. It has been a supreme blessing that this is my job, and I enjoy every day of it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has most definitely not been smooth. Starting a non-profit and a company essentially side by side with minimal capital has been exceptionally difficult. I do not want to go into debt so I have avoided getting any kind of business loan. But on the non-profit side the competitiveness of grants combined with the decline of volunteerism and donations have been a consistent struggle. On the training company side the constantly changing mark environment and the ever increasing cost of everything from basic operating expenses to required certifications, have all resulted in much slower growth and more financial struggles than we had originally hoped for or anticipated.
If I had to summarize the biggest struggle into a single word, it would be money. Unstable funding sources and unstable market environments consistently continue to be our biggest challenges. Without funding you cannot have sustainable growth. We also recently experienced a situation where one of the primary legs of our company was in a market that was becoming saturated. That has required us to pivot and broaden the scope of what we do so we can create some market diversity and more reliable income. That is the main message I want to pass on to anyone thinking of starting a new business or non-profit organization, always be flexible and adaptable, and do not give up when things get tough. Because they will, often.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Training Solutions International –
Training Solutions International is the Pacific Northwest’s premier training provider and a Central Aid Agency Affiliate company. Our mission is to provide high-quality consumer-oriented training and education services, gear, solutions, and enriching experiences to government agencies, emergency responders, businesses, organizations, and the general public. We offer services focusing on:
-Public Safety, Security, and Tactical
-Emergency Management, Preparedness, and Response
-Search and Rescue, Survival, and the Outdoors
-Medical, Safety, and Occupational Skills
-Education, Technology, and History
What sets us apart can really be summarizing as three things: 1. Competence, we require our instructors to be competent and subject matter experts with real world experience. 2. Professionalism, we take what we do very seriously and want to offer a professional product to our customers. 3. Relevance, it is very important that the training and services we offer are relevant, so we are always putting effort into updating our offerings and keeping things fresh.
Central Aid Agency –
The Central Aid Agency Christian Service Army (Central Aid Agency, or C.A.A. for short) is a Christ-centered 501 (c)(3) religious nonprofit and non-governmental service organization (NGO) with five main areas of focus:
-Emergency Management, Response, and Emergency Services
-Public / Private Safety, Security, and Support Services
-Humanitarianism, Stewardship, and Community Service
-Science, Education, and Medical Services
-Ministry, Faith Services, and Outreach
What sets the Central Aid Agency apart is similar to what sets Training Solutions International apart (both organizations are affiliated after all). This includes an emphasis on professionalism and competence, and a third quality we refer to as excellence, we don’t just want to offer the bare-minimum service, we want to offer excellence where there is a noticeable difference between us and other organizations. Especially because we often operate in disasters and other emergency situations, we want those in need to be able to trust and rely on us.
How do you define success?
I define success, at the most basic level, as making the world just a little bit better each and every day. Even if that is something as simple as impacting one person’s life in a positive way, that would be a success in my book.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tsieducation.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/training_solutions_intl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainingSolutionsInternational/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TrainingSolutionsInternational
- Other: https://www.centralaidagency.org/
