Today we’d like to introduce you to Edgar Mills.
Hi Edgar, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My son and I conceived the idea of Osprey Shooting Solutions (OSS) in 2010. Because of the high operational tempo of my job, the idea stayed in development for about seven years. In 2017, we became an official LLC in Colorado. Because I was still on active duty in the Army, my son and I worked OSS as a side gig until my retirement in 2020. We made the move to my home state of Georgia in 2020 and essentially started from scratch. We built our small, private range in May of 2021 and have been going strong in Northwest Georgia since then. I believe that small-group-sized courses and the informal, intimate nature of our training methods have allowed us to build a very respectable base of loyal clients.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Entrepreneurship is not easy. I have limited formal education and a woefully poor understanding of the intricacies of managing money and regulations. Everything I have done to this point has been a cycle of trial and error, adjust, and repeat. And I have been remarkably successful by many standards. Fortunately for me, training others is a labor of love. However, love does not pay the bills! The biggest struggle for me has been and continues to be, money, more specifically, capital. My ideas far outpace my ability to make them reality. The reality is that it takes more money than I currently generate to build, what I consider to be the ultimate plan. My woefully poor understanding of money leaves me with minimal contact with those who know how to find investors, grants, etc. Always a work in progress.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My business consists of two separate but complementary platforms. Osprey Shooting Solutions (OSS) is my firearms training and education platform. There, we train all skill levels, from brand-new shooters to seasoned SWAT officers and all in between. We have courses for pistol, rifle, everyday carry, women only, and much more. Private Sessions is one of the more popular formats. We also run matches and a couple of big yearly events, such as the OSS Challenge: Mogadishu Mile. One thing we value is access to all. We are affordable and welcoming to all segments of society. We create a non-intimidating yet focused learning environment. We perform in-depth analysis of individual performance and keep training realistic, relevant, and safe. Our performance-based approach ensures clients maximize potential by doing the best with what they have. Clients get the most out of each round, regardless of experience or skill level.
Our other platform is Southern Ornithological League (SOL). There, we do adventure training designed to facilitate teamwork, leadership, and personal development by creating a learning environment that is both physically and mentally challenging. Through scenario-based courses, we teach technical skills and execute those skills in a specific context. Those courses are rooted in Army Special Forces doctrine and adapted to trials of the modern civilian world. Clients learn new technical skills and learn more about themselves and their capacity for resilience. We help clients, personally and professionally, build their capacity to translate their vision into reality. We also happen to love birds, hence the name and logos for each platform.
How do you think about luck?
Seneca said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” I used to believe I had bad luck, and I used to make bad decisions frequently. Despite spending 25 years in the Army, my maturity as a man was slow to develop. I inwardly blamed others for any misfortune that befell me. However, once I took ownership of my life and all its influences, I understood that luck, like hope, is not a dependable concept. In the military, there’s a saying often heard: “Hope is not a course of action.” Likewise, luck is not a course of action. Whether good or bad things happen, you can likely analyze the situation and identify where you either prepared or failed to prepare for that specific situation. While this may seem rigid, that’s where I stand. Opportunity, on the other hand, is slightly different. You must be alert, but opportunity exists everywhere, whether obvious or hidden. Meeting a key person may seem like luck, but it’s up to you to develop the potential of how you and that key person may mutually benefit.
Pricing:
- OSS Private Sessions start at $100
- OSS Courses range from $50 – $300
- SOL Courses range from $250 – $2200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ospreyshootingsolutions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ospreyshootingsolutions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OspreyShootingSolutions
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/OspreyShooting
- Other: https://2teamguys.com/
Image Credits
OSS
