Following his service in the U.S. Airforce (USAF), Shawn Cooper, CEO of Cooper Financial Group (CFG), turned his attention to pursuing an advanced education, eventually beginning a new career in cost reduction for other veteran-owned businesses.

Having ended his career as a heavy equipment operator for the USAF in 2005, Cooper set his focus on earning his master’s and doctoral degrees in healthcare administration. Working in healthcare administration for twelve years, Cooper found that he most enjoyed cost analysis and reduction and created CFG in 2022.

“I want to focus specifically on finding money for small to midsize companies,” Cooper said, explaining his goal in founding CFG.

Cooper noted that in his experience, veteran-owned businesses have the same challenges and rates of success as other small and midsize businesses, but chooses to work specifically with veterans because he feels a strong connection to other veterans and businesses like his.

“The service provided a lot of opportunity for me, allowed me to get my master’s, and you know, go through and get my education, and so I’m trying to give back specifically to veteran-owned companies,” Cooper said.

CFG’s more than 25 clients are exclusively veteran-owned businesses with a wide range of cost reduction goals like implementing automation, lowering merchant fees, and managing shipping expenses. Though half of his current clients are in healthcare, he also works with warehouse, automotive, and logistics centered businesses and has an interest in expanding into more industries across the country.

Cooper said that a focus on reducing cost is becoming increasingly important to small and midsize businesses, which aren’t always able to handle the burden themselves.

“The price of everything really has gone up. It’s just that much more important to be able to focus on cost, and we’re essentially there to do that on behalf of the company because it really does take a lot of resources and time to be able to do that.”

Cooper closed by advising other veterans interested in small business to be patient with their progress.

“Naturally you want a business to just start roaring the next day, but it takes time. So you have to be patient. You gotta think that through and, and you really, for me it’s just doing what, what you love and what you’re passionate about. And really it all, it’ll all pan out and work itself out in the end because of that.”

For more information, please visit cfg.solutions.