Shows
Service Academy Business Mastermind#345: Helping Veterans Thrive Through Wild Bill's Franchise with Michael Quilty, USNA '88Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: https://www.academyfund.com/ ____ Michael Quilty (USNA '88) is a Navy veteran and franchise development leader who's built his career around creating opportunities for others. After years leading growth and strategy across multiple industries, he's now focused on helping fellow veterans transition to entrepreneurship through franchising. At Wild Bill's, he plays a key role in growing the company's franchise footprint, and expanding the presence of their nostalgic craft soda brand across the country. Michael's work focuses on identifying the right partners, particularly military...
2026-01-0832 minService Academy Business Mastermind#327: Unlocking Real Value in Small Business Acquisitions with Dave Lam, USAFA '11Dave Lam is a seasoned investor, veteran, and strategic operator focused on unlocking value in microcap and lower-middle market companies. A former U.S. Air Force contracting officer, he offers deep expertise on execution, strategy, and operational excellence. As a Principal at Phalanx Partners, he helps lead independent sponsorship and advisory efforts for growing companies across multiple sectors. He is also a Managing Principal at Oakwood Legacy Partners, a private holding company investing in alternative assets including real estate, cryptocurrency, and private debt. With a decade of experience managing complex vendor portfolios and leading operational...
2025-06-3043 minService Academy Business Mastermind#305: Making the Cash Register Ring: Hiring Smart People and Scaling Businesses with Mike Bristol, USMA '81Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: https://www.academyfund.com/ Want to join us in Tampa on January 28th? Visit: https://www.10xvets.com/events ____ Mike Bristol is a seasoned innovator with a legacy of excellence in defense, technology, and communications. A West Point graduate, he has held executive roles at organizations like Comtech Command & Control Technologies and Oracle Corporation. As Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Fairwinds Technologies, he built a thriving systems integrator, delivering secure communication solutions for the DoD and emergency management communities. Known for his entrepreneurial vision a...
2025-01-0334 minService Academy Business Mastermind#300: Milestones, Miracles, and Lessons from the Journey of 300 PodcastsToday we're celebrating episode 300 of the SABM Podcast! To mark this incredible milestone, I sat down again with my good friend Ginni Guiton, who interviewed me in February 2020 for episode 100 and in February 2022 for episode 200. At the time of this recording, the SABM Podcast has received almost 200,000 downloads! So many great things have happened since Ginni and I spoke in 2020 and 2022. I'm grateful for this opportunity to thank our listeners as I reflect on the progress we've made and share our goals for the future. In this episode, we discuss: The idea of "letting go" and...
2024-11-2251 minService Academy Business Mastermind#288: How to Finance Your Next Investment Property with Jason Hutton, USMA '95"Let us show you how competitive we can be, how well we service, how well we support your draw and your rehab and construction efforts and let that speak for itself. Words are one thing, but action... I put a lot more stock in that." -Jason Hutton Jason Hutton is the Managing Director of Academy Fund, a gateway for military veteran real estate investors to obtain flexible and competitively-priced capital to support their projects. In turn, these loans generate attractive risk-adjusted returns and ongoing passive income for Academy Fund investors. With nearly 25 years of experience as a...
2024-08-0923 minService Academy Business Mastermind#285: Leveraging AI to Transform Customer Service and Beyond with Kris Sandor, USNA '01"For me, it's been rewarding to be helping the businesses that we help, because these are businesses that instead of spending money on customer support, they're spending that on marketing, they're spending that on developing a new product, which from a macro economic perspective is much better for our economy." -Kris Sandor Kris Sandor is the Co-Founder and CEO of Readyly, a company that automates manual customer support workflows through Generative AI technology. Kris's career includes roles as a Navy nuclear submarine officer, consultant at McKinsey, business development lead at Palantir, and CEO of Citi Bike, which...
2024-07-2230 minService Academy Business Mastermind#283: Funding Real Estate Operators through The Academy Fund and 10X Vets with Bill Militello and Scott Mackes"Almost four years later, two funds, multiple loan participation opportunities…we've lent north of $60 million and have never missed a monthly distribution to investors. From idea to $60 million in under four years. I'm proud of all the support we've provided to our fellow vets who are entrepreneurs out there swinging for it." -Bill Militello, USNA '92 On today's podcast, Bill and Scott express their gratitude to the investors who have supported the Academy Fund and its growth over the past four years and discuss a new project emerging within the community In 2023, a member of 10X...
2024-06-2639 min
Coach to CoachSelf-Assurance: A Coaching Conversation with Scott MackesIn this episode, host Brandon Miller and Scott Mackes dive deep into the world of self-assurance—a rare gem strength that ignites entrepreneurial fire. As a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and an entrepreneurial force behind initiatives like StrengthsMugs, The Academy Fund, and 10X Vets, Scott unpacks his journey from military service to thriving business leadership, illustrating a path paved with resilience and entrepreneurial spirit. He and Brandon explore the nuances of self-assurance, dissecting both the peak performance and potential pitfalls of this strength while emphasizing the theme's natural fit for startup environments where uncertainty reigns. Additional Resources:
2024-05-0119 min
Harder Not Smarter Podcast#005 - Scott Mackes - From Strength Mugs to 10x Vets and BeyondSummary
Scott Mackes, a business savant and founder of Strength Mugs, shares his journey from starting a coffee mug business to creating the Service Academy Business Mastermind Group and the Investor Group within it. He discusses the importance of focusing on strengths and finding a niche market. Scott also highlights the success stories of the Academy Fund, a real estate lending fund that supports military veteran investors.
The conversation explores the power of the military veteran community in entrepreneurship and commercial real estate. It also details the formation of 10X Vets, the importance of peer circles and retreats, advice...
2024-02-261h 09
StrengthsMugs Podcast#5: Unleashing Superpowers at The Bernard Group: A Strengths-Based Journey with Whitney Yopp and Betsy Roisen"Strengths are like superpowers. When we embrace and leverage them, we can achieve great things." - Whitney Yopp"Strengths can be a powerful tool for managers. It helps them understand their team members better and provide personalized coaching." - Betsy RoisenWelcome to another captivating episode of the StrengthsMugs Podcast! Today, join host Scott Mackes as he engages in an insightful conversation with two extraordinary HR experts, Betsy Roisen and Whitney Yopp, hailing from none other than The Bernard Group – a trailblazer in the realm of visual merchandising known for its ingenious execution of intricate co...
2023-08-0432 minStrengthsMugs Podcast#1: Welcome to the StrengthsMugs Podcast!Scott Mackes is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach who is a dedicated advocate for military veterans pursuing entrepreneurship. As the founder of the Service Academy Business Mastermind (SABM) Group, he has built a global community that offers resources, guidance, and networking opportunities for veterans interested in business ventures. Since its launch in 2017, the SABM Group has gained impressive traction with over 150,000 podcast downloads, 600 investor group members, and 100 participants in the 10X Vets program. Recognized as one of Forbes.com's most innovative mastermind groups by Forbes.com, Scott is driven by his passion for bringing people together to win at business...
2023-06-1227 min
10x Your Team with Cam & OtisEp 175 I Wanted to be Challenged with Scott Mackes - SABMOn today's show we have Scott Mackes. He brings his 10x growth framework with a work smarter not harder mindset. Scott is the founder of the Service Academy Business Mastermind (SABM) Group, a worldwide community of military veterans who share resources, information, insight and professional guidance to advance business ideas and opportunities through a trusted network. Get ready to learn the most efficient ways to achieve 10x growth, including finding your genius, applying it to your work, and finding complementary minds.As always this show is brought to you by Tribe and Purpose. You’ve put the work in...
2022-07-0853 min
Pit Stops to Podium: B2B RevOps Podcast10x Growth. Work Smarter, Not Harder // with Scott MackesNothing in this life is worth sacrificing your family or health, and that includes making money. Joining us in episode 49 is Scott Mackes and he brings his 10x growth framework with a work smarter not harder mindset. Scott is the founder of the Service Academy Business Mastermind (SABM) Group, a worldwide community of military veterans who share resources, information, insight and professional guidance to advance business ideas and opportunities through a trusted network. Get ready to learn the most efficient ways to achieve 10x growth, including finding your genius, applying it to your work, and finding complementary minds.
2022-06-0223 minService Academy Business Mastermind#200: Celebrating 200 Episodes of the SABM Podcast"I just want to double down on the idea of letting go…you have no idea how quickly the universe will deliver what you want if you get out of the way. What's the beam of light that you want to stand under? Don't block it! It's important to have goals. Be true to what you actually want to achieve, don't place any filters on it, write it down, and let it go. Work and do your thing, but be open to how that goal might manifest in your life." - Scott Mackes We're celebrating episode 200 of...
2022-02-2547 min
Dog Whistle BrandingGoing To Market with Navy Grad Scott Mackes, Founder & CEO of The Service Academy Business Mastermind & Strength MugsIn today’s episode I am joined by Scott Mackes, Founder of the Strength Mugs and The Service Academy Business Mastermind, a worldwide community of military veterans who share resources, information, insight and professional guidance to advance business ideas and opportunities through a trusted network. Scott is a pioneer in the veteran entrepreneurial community, for combining podcasting, community , and investing, into an E.L.F Business (which stands for easy, lucrative, and fun.) On the show he shares go-to market strategies for both ventures, and also how he's leveraged the SABM podcast to help build out his robust network.
Be su...
2021-11-1055 minService Academy Business Mastermind#161: Discovering Your Superpowers with CliftonStrengths with Jim Collison from GallupJim Collison, an Army veteran, is the CliftonStrengths Community Manager for Gallup. The Clifton Strengths Assessment is an online talent assessment that helps you discover what you naturally do best and has been taken by more than 25 million people. The Assessment helps individuals learn about their own strengths and provides managers with the tools and framework to have their teams work well together. In this episode, we discuss: An overview of CliftonStrengths and how you can use it to find your passion How Jim has used his natural talents to craft his job within Gallup that a...
2021-05-1545 minService Academy Business Mastermind#160: Transforming Your Business with a Startup Accelerator with Todd Waldemar and Evans McMillionToday we welcome Todd Waldemar (USNA '89) back to the podcast (he first joined us on Episode #110). Todd is the founder of ChowCall and recently went through the 757 Accelerate program. He joins us today along with Evans McMillion, 757 Accelerate's Executive Director, to share how the program helped ChowCall grow. 757 Accelerate is a nonprofit startup accelerator program focused on founders and their growth. In this episode, we discuss: ChowCall's exciting growth and their newest offering, grocery delivery from base commissaries 757 Accelerate's focus and how it works with founders to grow their businesses The type of founders 757 Accelerate focuses...
2021-05-0849 minService Academy Business Mastermind#159: From Air Force Officer to Art Dealer with Marques Hardin, USAFA '03Marques Hardin (USAFA '03) is an art buyer and advisor and the cofounder of Artgence, an agency focused on connecting art collectors with artists. Artgence offers personal art shopping services, hosts virtual art galleries and offers premium 3D virtual art fair experiences. In this episode, Marques and I discuss: The career pivot that brought him from the corporate world to the art world How he uses technology to share art with his clients The skills he gained during his time in the Air Force and at the Air Force Academy that helped him build his own bu...
2021-05-0143 minService Academy Business Mastermind#158: Discovering Your Passion through a Personal Challenge with Ed Henkler, USNA '78Ed Henkler (USNA '78) is the Founder of The Blind Guide, a company that helps people who have lost their vision shift their goals from surviving to thriving by offering employment initiatives, assistive technologies, and other resources. In this episode, Ed and I discuss: A career shift in his 50s that led him to pursue his passion to help the blind community The networking mistakes he made early in his career and his belief that networking is about giving back to others How the lessons he learned at the Naval Academy and during his time in the...
2021-04-2336 minService Academy Business Mastermind#157: Starting an Aviation Business with Dave Jesurun, USAFA '96Dave Jesurun (USAFA '96) is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Pilot at High Country Air Service, an aviation services firm. High Country Air Service offers turnkey flight services to its customers including aircraft acquisition, aircraft/fleet management, aircraft ferrying, maintenance, and pilot contracting. In this episode, Dave and I discuss: How his master's thesis at Naval Postgraduate School led him to start High Country Air Service The high level of attention to detail that High Country Air Service offers its customers, inspired by his career as an Air Force pilot The exciting next step he is hoping...
2021-04-1827 minService Academy Business Mastermind#156: How to Win Federal Contracts with Barbara AsheBarbara Ashe is the Director and Founder of the Veteran Institute for Procurement (VIP), a nonprofit focused on training veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses on how to compete, comply and perform in the federal marketplace. VIP offers four different curriculums to connect veteran-owned businesses with the information and resources they need to grow in the federal market at no cost to participants. In this episode, Barbara and I discuss: The tremendous growth companies experience after going through VIP's programs and the community VIP fosters How VIP's mission and focus remains the same since its inception almost 12 years...
2021-04-0740 minService Academy Business Mastermind#155: Helping Veterans Succeed in Politics with Joshua McCarver, USMA '07Joshua McCarver (USMA '07) is the founder of Academy Politics, a nonprofit focused on recruiting, educating, and connecting Service Academy graduates who want to transition into politics. Academy Politics focuses on improving the bipartisan problem-solving nature of government while working to put more veterans into public office at the local, state, and national levels. In this episode, Josh and I discuss: Why it is important to get more veterans into public office How his organization started with a Facebook group in 2018 Academy Politics' training partners and the network that supports Service Academy graduates interested in running for...
2021-03-3035 minService Academy Business Mastermind#154: Real Estate Accelerator Success Story with Michael Cygan, USMA '01Michael Cygan (USMA '01) is a Director at Alix Partners where he helps clients manage their supply chain by focusing on the intersection of consumer products and procurement. He is also a graduate of the Real Estate Accelerator class 2019-1. In this episode, we discuss: Why Michael decided to join the Real Estate Accelerator after a career transition in 2018 How he climbed his way out of credit card debt and put his family on an exciting new path How his extreme discipline combined with accountability and mentoring from the Accelerator team has changed the trajectory of hi...
2021-03-2126 minService Academy Business Mastermind#153: Building Smarter, More Connected Local Communities with Alex Pederson, USAFA '08Alex Pederson (USAFA '08) is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Polco, an online platform that supports community engagement in local government. Alex and his partner built Polco because they found that government officials, specifically those at the local level, have difficulty getting real-time and reliable input from their communities. In this episode, Alex and I discuss: How direct feedback from a city manager led to a pivot in his business A success story with a small town 90-year old constituent that illustrates how Polco gives community members a chance to share their voices Why he thi...
2021-03-1523 minService Academy Business Mastermind#152: Becoming a Personal Stylist with Tracey Moys, USNA '96Tracey Moys (USNA '96) is a Color Consultant with House of Colour in West Cornwall, England. Tracey has a master's degree in meteorology and oceanography but, after becoming a mother and experiencing loss, she shifted careers to focus on helping others discover their best selves. In this episode, Tracey and I discuss: How your image and style can impact your self-confidence and how she pushes her clients to be more authentic How she found her passion as a color consultant The lessons she learned at the Naval Academy and as a Naval Officer that are helping her...
2021-03-0748 minService Academy Business Mastermind#151: Becoming Happier and Healthier at Work with Theresa Larson & Jon Macaskill, USNA '01Dr. Theresa Larson, a USMC veteran, and Jon Macaskill (USNA '01), a retired Navy SEAL, are partners working to bring mindfulness and movement into workplaces with their M2Rx Seminar for Employees. Theresa is the president of Movement Rx whose mission is to empower people with the knowledge and tools to achieve a lifetime of physical freedom, and Jon is a mindfulness teacher. Through their seminar, Theresa and Jon introduce self-care techniques to employees so that they can be healthy and present to do their best work while simultaneously improving their physical and emotional health. In this episo...
2021-02-2850 minService Academy Business Mastermind#150: Getting 100X More Value from Webinars and Podcasts with Justin Nassiri, USNA '02Justin Nassiri (USNA '02) is the host of Beyond the Uniform, the iTunes #1 rated podcast for military veteran career advice, and is the CEO of Captivate, a platform that helps brands connect with their customers through micro content. The Captivate team turns webinars and podcasts into 50-100 pieces of micro content that can be published on any social media channel to drive sales and customer engagement. In this episode, Justin and I discuss: What makes a successful podcast and his best advice for anyone wanting to start a podcast How Captivate uses technology to identify the most...
2021-02-2247 minService Academy Business Mastermind#149: Developing Leaders in the IT Industry with Christian Espinosa, USAFA '93Christian Espinosa (USAFA '93) is the founder of Alpine Security, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Cyber Security business that he recently sold to a publicly-traded company. Christian's latest venture, The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity, is a new book that helps technical-minded individuals become thriving leaders. In this episode, Christian and I discuss: The process of selling a company and what's next for him in business The framework he shares in his book that transforms great technical-minded individuals into great leaders How the discipline and persistence he learned at the US...
2021-02-1248 minService Academy Business Mastermind#148: How to Grow 10X in 2021In today's podcast, I am excited to welcome Bill Militello (USNA '92) back to the show to talk about 10X Vets. The 10X Vets program at SABM is for military veteran entrepreneurs who want to grow their business to a 10X level through new learning, collaboration, and connections. Bill has been part of 10X Vets since its inception in June of 2020 and has helped grow it to over 50 members in the past six months. In this episode, Bill and I discuss: The inside story of what's been happening in the 10X Vets program since we launched last...
2021-02-0342 minService Academy Business Mastermind#147: Harnessing Your Energy to Become a Great Leader with Michael Sipe, USNA '92Michael Sipe (USNA '92) is an independent business consultant and coach with Sipe Consulting. Mike's coaching program is based on energy leadership and he considers himself a Business Vitality Catalyst working with leaders to create a strategy and framework for a responsive and productive workforce. In this episode, Mike and I discuss: What the Energy Leadership Index Assessment is, how it works, and how he uses it as a tool with his clients Why he moved away from working in corporate America and the advice he has for others hoping to start their own business An opp...
2021-01-2549 minService Academy Business Mastermind#146: Developing $100M Public/Private Real Estate Projects with Ray Garfield, USNA '66Ray Garfield (USNA '66) is the Chairman of Garfield Public Private (GPP), a national real estate development firm that focuses on developing essential buildings for public entities. Ray founded GPP in 1997 in Dallas, Texas after an extensive career in commercial real estate, real estate development, and investment banking. Ray's projects include the Durham Performing Arts Center, University of Akron Football Stadium, Westin at the Oregon Convention Center, and many more. In this episode, Ray and I discuss: How GPP thinks creatively about structuring the financing on their projects Why GPP decided to focus on building in th...
2021-01-2255 minService Academy Business Mastermind#145: Becoming a Successful Business Coach with Jerry Pilewski, USNA '97Jerry Pilewski (USNA '97) is a business coach and trainer with FocalPoint Coaching. FocalPoint Coaches work with entrepreneurs, business owners, and executives to help them grow and realize their potential. Jerry believes that small to mid-sized businesses are the engine room of a sustainable society and he joined FocalPoint to be of service to business owners and their surrounding communities. In this episode, Jerry and I discuss: The strength of the FocalPoint coaches' network and it's content library How he has helped other Academy grads start their own Focal Point franchises How the Naval Academy and his tim...
2021-01-1136 minService Academy Business Mastermind#144: Providing HR Services to Business Owners with David Garza, USMA '87David Garza (USMA '87) is the managing director and CEO of Compass Human Capital Advisors, a consulting practice that assists growing businesses scale and optimize their workforce. David started Compass Human Capital Advisors after 25 years as an HR executive and honed his practice after he noticed that small business owners often struggle with hiring and developing their employees' talents. In this episode, David and I discuss: The four things businesses must address to successfully scale their workforce How he helps business owners define and nurture their companies' cultures His best tips for hiring How a "just ste...
2021-01-0240 minService Academy Business Mastermind#143: Helping Home Service Companies Save Time & Money with Charlie Felker, USMA '06Charlie Felker (USMA '06) is the co-founder of Free-2-Grow which provides back-office support to service-based companies, allowing the owners and operators to focus on their customers and growing their businesses. Free-2-Grow offers its customers the services of a full-time office manager at half of what it would cost to hire someone full-time and provides team support with its cross-trained staff. In this episode, Charlie and I discuss: How he built a product and a company around a pain point from his last business The creative ways he finds new clients The skills that he l...
2020-12-1832 minService Academy Business Mastermind#142: This Year's Army Navy Pranks with Mike Nemeth, USMA '04Mike Nemeth (USMA '04) is best known across the Service Academy community for his hilarious pranks that capture the spirit of the Army/Navy rivalry. In addition to his role as the community prankster, he's also a very successful entrepreneur who has built a 7-figure apparel business from the ground up. In this episode, Mike and I discuss: His apparel company that has grown to over 7-figures in sales in the last three years His marketing pivot during COVID that helped him target the clients he loves serving His latest pranks which include the Navy Tears o...
2020-12-1142 minService Academy Business Mastermind#141: Starting an Information Security Business with Christian White, USMA '09Christian White (USMA '09) is the managing director and co-founder of risk3sixty, an information security advisory firm that helps companies build, manage, and certify their information security, privacy, and compliance programs. Christian always knew that he wanted to start a business and, although he had no background in information security, he was able to grow risk3sixty through successful team building and his willingness to learn the business from the ground up. In this episode, we discuss: The five core values that frame every aspect of risk3sixty's business How risk3sixty's success came from...
2020-12-0735 minService Academy Business Mastermind#140: Real Estate Accelerator Success Story with Tom Connally, USNA '83Tom Connally (USNA '83) is the founder of Connally Consulting where he helps leaders and organizations improve their performance and success professionally, personally, spiritually, and physically. He is also a graduate of Real Estate Accelerator class 2019-2. In this episode, we discuss: Why Tom decided to join the Real Estate Accelerator after 5+ years into retirement Tom's path to purchasing five properties in less than a year The tax savings strategy that Tom used to save over $20,000 in taxes Connect with Tom Connally: Tom on LinkedIn Connally Consulting If you found this episode valuable, pl...
2020-11-2946 minService Academy Business Mastermind#139: Creating a Loyalty Rewards Exchange for the Gaming Industry with Jim Mulford, USAFA '70Jim Mulford (USAFA '70) is the President and CEO at acQyr eXchange, the first public exchange to track and manage the digital assets you acquire online so you can redeem them for money. Their initial market will be mobile and online gaming where gamers will be able to monitor, manage, and redeem their gaming rewards on the exchange with a mobile app. In this episode, we discuss: How their product supports the $2.7B gaming industry Their value proposition for gamers and game publishers How they can acquire users from the game publishers to grow their network
2020-11-2238 minService Academy Business Mastermind#138: Introducing the 10X Vets Traffic Circle (Get more leads!)On today's podcast, I am excited to launch the Traffic Circle at 10X Vets. The 10X Vets program at SABM is for military veterans who want to grow their business to a 10X level through new learning, collaboration, and connections. The Traffic Circle is led by Jimmy Weeks, Air Force Veteran and founder of Internet Strategy Labs and Veteran Stats. The Traffic Circle is for 10X Vets members who want to increase website traffic, improve website performance, and generate more leads. In this episode, we discuss: The vision for the Traffic Circle and how it helps mem...
2020-11-1630 min
The Kinetic Man: Christ-Centered | Veteran-Focused | Investor-Minded40. Finding Your Strengths to Build a Business with Scott Mackes"Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers." - 1 Timothy 4:16 Today we talk with our friend Scott Mackes, founder of the Service Academy Business Mastermind Group (SABM Group) about how he used the Gallup Strength's Finder Assesment to figure out how he used his strengths to build a business that aligned with his passion and his life vision. The SABM Group has grown to become an amazing community of military/veteran business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors. Scott tells us how his own...
2020-11-1652 minService Academy Business Mastermind#137: Becoming an Amazon Delivery Service Partner with Shawn Ikpa, USNA '05Shawn Ikpa (USNA '05) is the Founder of Castletop Logistics, an Amazon Delivery Service Provider who has built his delivery team to 95 drivers in the Buffalo, NY market. Shawn was also a member of the very first Real Estate Accelerator class when we launched the program in 2018. In this episode, Shawn shares his experience from the Real Estate Accelerator and how he has recently changed careers and is now a full-time business owner in partnership with Amazon. In this episode, we discuss: How his Amazon delivery business has grown to delivering 200,000 packages per month in less t...
2020-11-0629 minService Academy Business Mastermind#136: Starting the Nation's Only Fencing Company Franchise with Zach Peyton, USMA '04Zach Peyton (USMA '04) is the Co-Founder of Superior Fence & Rail, the nation's only fencing franchise. Superior Fence & Rail currently has 19 locations across the country that fabricate and install fence products. After graduating from West Point and serving as an Army intelligence officer, Zach was searching for his purpose in corporate America and a phone call from a West Point classmate led him to North Florida and his future in the home services industry. In this episode, we discuss: The three pillars of Zach's approach to business success How Zach applied the lessons he learned at West...
2020-11-0140 minService Academy Business Mastermind#135: Financial Freedom in 10 Years or Less with Jimmy Vreeland, USMA '03Jimmy Vreeland (USMA '03) is the principal of Vreeland Capital and the Co-Founder of Cash Flow Tactics. After graduating from West Point where he played football for the Black Knights, Jimmy spent five years serving in the Army through three deployments with his last as a Captain with the Ranger Regiment. He worked in medical sales for eight years following the Army before starting a turnkey real estate company that provides investment opportunities for members of Cash Flow Tactics, a business community that helps individuals achieve financial freedom in 10 years or less regardless of age, income, or experience. ...
2020-10-2340 minService Academy Business Mastermind#134: Becoming a B2B CFO with Jeff Zeunik, USMA '95Jeff Zeunik (USMA '95) is a B2B CFO® Partner who helps the owners of privately-held businesses reach their goals, both personal and business. He provides consulting services on an as-needed long-term basis. This helps privately-held businesses benefit from a CFO, without the fully loaded cost of hiring a full-time employee. In this episode, we discuss: How he helps busy business owners improve their cash-flow The types of clients who benefit most from his services The most important lessons he learned in the Army that have helped him as a business owner Connect with Jeff:...
2020-10-1729 minService Academy Business Mastermind#133: Introducing the Academy Fund!The fund described is open to "accredited investors" only, through an offering made in accordance with Regulation D, Rule 506(c) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. In purchasing securities through a 506(c) offering, we are obligated to verify any participating investor's status as an "accredited investor" in accordance with Rule 501 of Regulation D. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the fund carefully before investing. Today, we are excited to launch the Academy Fund! The Academy Fund is a private real estate fund that invests in military veteran real estate operators. The Ac...
2020-10-1232 minService Academy Business Mastermind#132: Making Commercial Real Estate Leasing Easy with Marissa Limsiaco, USMA '05Today we welcome Marissa Limsiaco (USMA '05) back to the podcast. We first talked in 2018 and she joins us now to share how her entrepreneurial journey has developed. Marissa is the President and Co-founder of Otso, an online platform that guarantees financial security to landlords while eliminating the need for cash from tenants in commercial leases. Otso is an offshoot of Marissa's other commercial real estate endeavor, Tenavox, and the two companies share the same mission – to make commercial real estate leasing easy and to be a source of truth for the industry. In this episode, we discu...
2020-10-0526 minService Academy Business Mastermind#131: Creating an Ecosystem of Military Veteran and Spouse Entrepreneurs with Mark Mhley, USNA '96Mark Mhley started Re4ormed after almost 22 years as a Naval Aviator. Re4ormed is a place for veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs to connect to a community and find high-quality business services bundled at lower prices. In 2019 Mark was selected to participate in The Global Good Fund's veteran fellowship program and credits the leadership coaching and executive mentorship with Re4ormed's growth and expansion. The Global Good Fund believes that investing in leadership is the best way to make an impact on a community and do global good. Through its yearlong fellowship program, The Global Good Fun...
2020-09-2554 minService Academy Business Mastermind#130: From Active Duty to Financial Freedom with Buddy Rushing, USNA '04Buddy Rushing (USNA '04) is the founder of White Feather Investments and the leader of the Real Estate Accelerator, a six-month course for Service Academy graduates and military veterans who want to achieve financial freedom through real estate investing. Since his first appearance on the podcast in 2018, Buddy has built multiple businesses and will be transitioning out of the Marine Corps in a few weeks (after 16 years of service!) to pursue his business endeavors full time. In this episode, Buddy and I discuss: How the Real Estate Accelerator grew from just an idea to a powerhouse c...
2020-09-1852 minService Academy Business Mastermind#129: Introducing 10X Vets!On today's podcast episode, I am excited to announce the launch of our new program called 10X Vets. 10X Vets is a business mastermind group for military veterans who want to grow their businesses to a new level through new learning, collaboration and connections. The program has been underway for a couple of months and we are already up to 40 members. In this episode, we discuss: The 10X Vets Capital Circle that helps real estate investors, fund managers and startups grow their network and net worth The 10X Vets B2B Circle that helps small business o...
2020-09-1441 minService Academy Business Mastermind#128: From Naval Officer to NASCAR Driver with Jesse Iwuji, USNA '10Jesse Iwuji (USNA '10) is an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and a professional NASCAR driver. He is currently the only driver in all of NASCAR at the national levels to serve in the military. Jesse was also a free safety on the Navy football team and is the founder of The Red List Group, a trucking and logistics company based in Southern California. In this episode, Jesse and I discuss: His path to becoming a NASCAR driver His unique goal-setting process that helps him turn a vision into a reality The skills he lea...
2020-09-0455 minService Academy Business Mastermind#127: Creating a Custom Payment Platform with Ryan Smith & Lionel Hines, USNA '94Lionel Hines (USNA '94) is a partner with Payment Lock, an all-in-one solution for both in-store retail transactions and online payments. Their platform is designed for speed and built on military-grade encryption. I am also joined by Ryan Smith, the founder of Payment Lock and a former professional football player. In this episode, we discuss: Their payment processing platform that saves business owners on expensive credit card fees Their favorite client success story How their experience as athletes has helped them as entrepreneurs Connect with Lionel and Ryan: Lionel Hines on LinkedIn Ryan Smith o...
2020-08-2842 minService Academy Business Mastermind#126: High Quality Outsourcing Solutions with Tim Mobley, USMA '93Tim Mobley (USMA '93) is the Founder of Connext Global Solutions, a staffing company that provides companies with talented offshore professionals, work tools, and operating facilities that support their profitable growth. In this episode, Tim and I discuss: The most popular tasks that companies outsource to them Their capability to build out entire teams for their clients How they are different from other outsourcing companies Connect with Tim Mobley: Tim on Linkedin Connext Global Solutions If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a...
2020-08-2135 minService Academy Business Mastermind#125: How to Grow Your Business with Podcasting with Thomas Schwab, USNA '87Thomas Schwab (USNA '87) is the Founder of Interview Valet, a company that helps business owners turn listeners into leads and leads into customers by talking directly to ideal customers with Podcast Interview Marketing. In this age of Social Distancing, the most effective way to market your business is through Podcast Interview Marketing where you're interviewed as the expert guest on podcasts that your potential customers already listen to. You get a long-term return on investment (ROI) that beats blogging, advertising, and social media postings. In this episode, Tom and I discuss: Tom's experience from being...
2020-08-1646 minService Academy Business Mastermind#124: Creating a Mobile App for Landlords with Chris Hsu, USMA '92Chris Hsu (USMA '92) is is the CEO and Co-Founder of Zibo, a digital financial services platform that provides individual landlords banking, insurance, and payment services solutions. Zibo helps landlords save time and hassle by automating monthly rent collection and accepting multiple forms of payment from tenants, including debit card, credit card, and ACH bank transfers. Prior to starting Zibo, Chris was the Chief Operating Officer of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and the CEO of a publicly-traded enterprise software company. In this episode, we discuss: How his app optimizes efficiencies for small independent landlords His best lessons l...
2020-08-0747 minService Academy Business Mastermind#123: How to Evaluate Sponsorship Opportunities with Raymond Bednar, USMA '84Raymond Bednar (USMA '84) is the President and Founder of Hyperion Marketing Returns where he optimizes strategies for investments in marketing channels with an emphasis on return on investment (ROI) and return on business objectives (ROO or ROBO). His sub-specialty within marketing departments is sports sponsorships where he has extensive relationships at the top sponsorship entities in the world including NFL, MLB, NBA, and PGA. In this episode, we discuss: How to negotiate sponsorship opportunities based on business goals How to obtain the most essential sponsorship benefits without paying for unproductive frills Why "skybox tickets" might n...
2020-07-3154 minService Academy Business Mastermind#122: Helping Tech Startups Win Government Contracts with Russell Long, USAFA '12Russell Long (USAFA '12) is the Founder of Long Capture, a team of Military Veterans and Spouses who support small businesses with exciting new technology ideas by helping them find and capture contracts through the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Program and other funding opportunities. In this episode, Russ and I discuss: How he has helped companies win 90M+ in SBIR awards The competitive advantage he offers companies in the SBIR application process His goal to help companies achieve multi-million dollar government contracts Connect with Russell Long: Long Capture Russell on Linkedin If...
2020-07-2447 minService Academy Business Mastermind#121: Avoiding HR Land Mines with Trevor Benitone (USAFA '95) and Joe Ruzicka (USNA '96)Trevor Benitone (USAFA '95) and Joe Ruzicka (USNA '96) are leaders at Adams Keegan, a national and privately held HR services firm based in Memphis, TN. Their services include payroll, HR management, benefits administration, compliance support, and recruiting. James Keegan (USMA graduate) was an early investor in Adams Keegan and currently serves on the Board of Directors. In this episode, we discuss: How their company has grown over the last 33 years and the new geographic markets they have their sites on How they help small and mid-size businesses avoid HR land mines The personalized support they off...
2020-07-1744 minService Academy Business Mastermind#120: Starting a Car Care Subscription Business with Jason Schwab, USMA '05Jason Schwab (USMA '05) is the co-founder of Glove Box, an e-commerce company that curates and distributes premium car care products to automotive enthusiasts across the United States and Canada. They launched in 2018 and have shipped over 20,000 products to date. In this episode, we discuss: Their path from 0 to 20,000+ products sold How they source products and their value proposition to their members The most important skills he learned in the Army that have helped him as an entrepreneur Connect with Jason Schwab: Glove Box Jason on LinkedIn If you found this episode valuable...
2020-07-1235 min
CEO/Founder Scott Mackes On His Business Enterprises SABM & StrengthsMugsScott Mackes is a graduate of the U.S. Navy Academy, he's a strong leader, veteran, and entrepreneur. Scott is CEO/Founder of Service Academy Business Mastermind Group and StrengthMugs.com, this entrepreneur is making a positive impact on the communities he serves. During this interview, Scott discusses his business enterprises, who his ideal clients are, future business offerings and products, and how his enterprises will operate post-COVID-19. Scott also shares his experience as a 2020 Global Good Fund (GGF) Fellow.
Paul Lawrence Vann is thrilled to interview Scott Mackes, This is one show you don't want to miss. Tune in, lis...
2020-07-1000 minService Academy Business Mastermind#119: Starting a Patriotic Apparel Business with Dean Wegner, USMA '93Dean Wegner (USMA '93) is the founder of Authentically American, an iconic American brand that sells products that are truly American Made. His expertise in the apparel industry, coupled with his passion for America, provided all the incentive he needed to create a brand that aims to set the universally accepted standard for premium American made merchandise while delivering a significant impact on US job creation. In this episode, Dean and I discuss: His flagship Sweat Tee that celebrates the Army/Navy rivalry The Authentically American podcast that has featured world-class athletes and business leaders His...
2020-07-0531 minService Academy Business Mastermind#118: Unlocking Human Potential with Jason Van Camp, USMA '01Jason Van Camp (USMA '01) is the Founder of Mission 6 Zero, a leadership assessment and development company created by United States Special Forces Operators (Green Berets, Delta Force, Navy SEALs, CIA, FBI), refined through scientifically proven methods developed by their human performance and sports psychologist PhDs, and reinforced through their cadre of wounded warriors. In this episode, Jason and I discuss: How he scored the New York Jets as his first client His new book Deliberate Discomfort and why he wrote it Best practices for overcoming fear and unlocking your potential Connect with Jason Van...
2020-06-2848 min
Scott Mackes Discusses His Amazing Service Academy MasterMind BusinessJoin Scott Mackes CEO & Founder of Service Academy, MastermInd Group (SABM), and StrengthsMugs.com. Scott leads a supportive community helping military veterans achieve financial freedom through business ownership.
Want to discover how you can be apart of SABM? Scott launched the community in 2017, SABM has received 40,000+ podcast downloads, 1000+ meetup attendees, 300+ investor group members, and 100+ accelerator members. StrengthsMugs.com is an online store officially licensed by Gallup, Inc. to sell products related to the Clifton Strengths assessment which has been taken by more than 20 million people worldwide. Scott is also a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach.
Tune in, listen in and call in with qu...
2020-06-2600 minService Academy Business Mastermind#117: Saving Business Owners Money through Group Purchasing with Larry Gast, USAFA '85Larry Gast (USAFA '85) is the founder of LEG Ventures, a company that supplies capital and services to business and commercial real estate firms. His firm recently created a private group purchasing organization (GPO) with select strategic partner firms for qualifying businesses. His GPO can save businesses $1,000 to $100,000+ annually plus they'll receive better service through their negotiated volume pricing. In this episode, Larry and I discuss: How he got started down the entrepreneurial path after his service in the Air Force How he can help veteran business owners save money through his GPO His short- and l...
2020-06-2127 minService Academy Business Mastermind#116: Getting into a Top-Tier Grad School with Sean Cleveland, USMA '92Sean Cleveland (USMA '92) is a founding partner at nxtU, a company that offers concierge and workshop-level training, support, mentorship, and coaching to help high students and transitioning military members achieve their professional goals and aspirations. Sean's work with nxtU draws upon 28 years of leadership experience and 16 years in different capacities in higher education. He has served as an academic success coach in a PAC-12 intercollegiate athletics department, as an instructor and advisor in an alternative admissions program at a Big-12 university, and as a junior and senior rotating faculty member at West Point, where he also served as...
2020-06-1437 minService Academy Business Mastermind#115: Becoming a Business Owner through Franchising with Joshua Emison, USNA '14Joshua Emison (USNA '14) is the owner of Tracer Consulting, a company that specializes in helping military veterans find the right franchise opportunity. As a Franchise Consultant, Josh assists those in a career transition to decide if franchising is right for them. His free services will teach you what franchising is, help you discover your funding options, and ultimately help you find the right franchise that is the perfect fit for you. In this episode, Josh and I discuss: How he got started as a Franchise Consultant The best ways to finance a franchise and discounts ava...
2020-06-0738 minService Academy Business Mastermind#114: Creating An Ecosystem of High-Tech Jobs with John Graham, USMA '87John Graham (USMA '87) is the CEO at Campfire Capital, an investment banking team that has nearly a century of collective strategic advisory and financial services experience. In today's episode, we discuss their efforts to build out ThayerGate.Ai, a Business Accelerator program located outside the gates of West Point. ThayerGate.Ai provides below-market occupancy costs, workforce training, mentoring programs, easy access to experienced professionals, and a host of other resources for business owners. I am also joined on this episode by John Vermeesch (USMA '90) and Peter Goudet (USMA '91), President of Campfire Capital. In this epi...
2020-05-3143 minService Academy Business Mastermind#113: Launching a Turnkey Real Estate Investment Company with Stuart Grazier, USNA '02Stuart Grazier (USNA '02) is an active-duty Navy pilot who has served 17 years in the military. Over the last 11 years, he has purchased approximately $600,000 in performing mortgage notes, 4 single-family rental properties, an RV park, is a part-owner in an apartment complex and mobile home park syndication, and has recently started a turnkey real estate company with his best friend and USNA roommate where they are providing rehabbed, cash flowing rental properties to their network of military/veteran and patriot investors. Starting in June of 2018, his company Storehouse 3:10 Ventures has acquired and sold approximately 35 turnkey rental properties, averaging 2-3 properties...
2020-05-1550 minService Academy Business Mastermind#112: Launching a Veteran Friendly Franchise with Paul Huszar, USMA '90Paul Huszar (USMA '90) is the President and CEO of VetCor, a restoration company that solves water and mold damage problems and provides other related services to commercial and residential property owners. VetCor is staffed by military veterans and is currently seeking new franchisees as they expand across the U.S. In this episode, Paul and I discuss: His goal to become the #1 private employer of military veterans The steps to take if you want to become a franchisee The markets they are expanding into across the U.S. Connect with Paul Huszar: Paul...
2020-05-0956 minService Academy Business Mastermind#111: Disrupting the Tattoo Industry with High-End Boutiques with Peter Joukov, USNA '05Peter Joukov (USNA '05) is the co-founder of Inq Tattoos, a company that is disrupting the tattoo industry with high-end boutiques that focus on clean design, transparency, and a customer-first philosophy. Their sole focus is to ensure that customers feel welcome, safe, and walk away with an amazing tattoo that they absolutely love. In this episode, Peter and I discuss: Why he decided to open tattoo boutiques and revolutionize the customer experience Franchising opportunities they have available across the country The most important skills he learned at the Naval Academy that have helped him as an e...
2020-05-0242 minService Academy Business Mastermind#110: 'ChowCall' Food Delivery to Military Bases with Todd Waldemar, USNA '89Todd Waldemar (USNA '89) is the founder of ChowCall, a Marine Veteran owned, 3rd party food delivery business, unlike anything you have ever seen. With a tap on your phone, ChowCall delivers food from your favorite restaurants right to your barracks, home, or office. Armed with the latest technology, experienced local delivery professionals, and a commitment for service, ChowCall brings food delivery to a new level. In this episode, Todd and I discuss: His explosive sales growth since launching the company in 2019 His unique competitive advantage (military bases!) that allows him to capture market share from...
2020-04-2539 minService Academy Business Mastermind#109: Striving for Financial Freedom By Age 30 with Anthony Pinto, USNA '14Anthony Pinto (USNA '14) is an active duty submarine officer and owner of Pinto Capital Investments, a Commercial Real Estate Investment company based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Anthony is building his real estate portfolio and plans to achieve financial freedom before he completes his military obligation. In this episode, Anthony and I discuss: His goal to reach financial freedom before he completes his military service obligation Lessons learned from his first real estate investments and how he has scaled up to larger properties His favorite real estate books and courses Connect with Anthony Pinto: A...
2020-04-2041 minService Academy Business Mastermind#108: Starting a Cloud-Based Law Firm with Tim Parlatore, USNA '02Tim Parlatore (USNA '02) is the Founder of Parlatore Law Group, a cloud-based law firm that eliminates all the unnecessary overhead expenses associated with traditional law firms while providing the highest quality legal services. By trimming all the excess expenses and passing those savings on to clients, Parlatore Law Group's attorneys can devote their full efforts to solving problems and working together as a cohesive team without the necessity of working in a physical office. In this episode, Tim and I discuss: The #1 reason why his teammates and clients love the cloud-based business model His firm's c...
2020-04-1340 minService Academy Business Mastermind#107: Creating Cutting-Edge Military Planning Software with Grant Demaree, USMA '13Grant Demaree (USMA '13) is the Co-Founder of Onebrief, a collaborative platform that facilitates rapid executive decision-making for businesses and military planning. Onebrief supports large-scale collaboration on the Joint Planning Process and automates the outputs, such as OPLANs, OPORDs, sync matrices, and maps. Onebrief is being used in exercises in the Army and Air Force, including the Army War College and is backed by AFWERX and by Alchemist Accelerator. In this episode, Grant and I discuss: His company's goals to become the interoperability standard for all joint planning across the US military and our allies How he...
2020-04-0341 minService Academy Business Mastermind#106: Starting a Cyber Security Recruiting Business with Stephen Semmelroth, USMA '11Stephen Semmelroth (USMA '11) is a veteran-focused cybersecurity recruiter where he develops Cyber Vets and finds them jobs. As a cybersecurity recruiter, he matches the nation's best Cyber Veterans (any Federal alumni, clearance holder, or military spouse) with tech jobs across the country. In this episode, Stephen and I discuss: The explosive growth of the cybersecurity industry Current job openings he has available The ups and downs of starting a business and how he has persevered Connect with Stephen Semmelroth: Stephen on LinkedIn StrataCore Website If you found this episode valuable, please share i...
2020-03-2854 minService Academy Business Mastermind#105: Navigating Uncertainty with an Abundance MindsetOn today's podcast I'm joined by Bill Militello (USNA '92) who shares how an "abundance mindset" and a simple shift in thinking can help us navigate successfully through uncertain times. Bill is the CEO of Militello Capital and LocalVest.com. Militello Capital is a team of veteran entrepreneurs who invest capital in joint ventures with a select group of highly successful private equity and real estate operators. LocalVest is an exclusive community for accredited investors to discover, research, and discuss private investments with knowledgeable investment professionals. In this episode, Bill and I discuss: How he...
2020-03-211h 05Service Academy Business Mastermind#104: Earning Passive Income While on Active Duty with Mike Foster, USNA '13Mike Foster (USNA '13) is a real estate investor and entrepreneur who serves as the Director of Education and Podcast Host for Active Duty Passive Income. While active duty, Mike was fortunate enough to have several remarkable mentors that taught him the importance of credit-building, creative financing techniques, and wealth-building strategies. Mike has acquired multiple real estate investments, he owns several businesses, and has the passion and drive to mentor thousands of veterans around the world. In this episode, Mike and I discuss: The ADPI podcast, course, and Facebook group that helps veterans with real estate i...
2020-03-1432 minService Academy Business Mastermind#103: From Navy Quarterback to Successful Entrepreneur and Book Author with Fred Stuvek, USNA '74Fred Stuvek Jr. graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1974 after lettering three years as quarterback for the Midshipmen. After serving as a Naval Officer, he transitioned to the business world where he has held senior leadership positions in private and public companies, both domestically and internationally. Key successes include an international medical imaging start-up that led to a successful IPO and forming a private medical services company, which he subsequently sold. He's the author of the book, It Starts With You which is a complete training manual to develop the operative mindset, habits, and skills for succeeding a...
2020-03-0741 minService Academy Business Mastermind#102: Real Estate Accelerator Success Story with Carly DaCosta, USMA '04Carly DaCosta (USMA '04) and her husband Jered own DaCosta Real Estate Investments, an investment company focused on buying high-quality short-term rentals leveraging Airbnb and apartment complexes through syndication. In 2018, Carly left her full-time job to purchase a $2MM multifamily apartment building in San Francisco. In March 2019, Jered joined Carly on her real estate adventure, and they relocated their family to Jacksonville, FL to build out their real estate portfolio. I am also joined in this episode by Buddy Rushing (USNA '04), Founder of White Feather Investments and the fearless leader of our Real Estate Investing Accelerator....
2020-03-011h 06Service Academy Business Mastermind#101: Creating a Mobile App that Improves Employee Engagement with Rachael Jackson, USMA '03Rachael Jackson is a West Point graduate with a degree in Physics and Nuclear Engineering, former Army Captain and Apache Attack Helicopter pilot. As an Army officer, she saw first-hand the importance of taking care of soldiers and their families. As CEO of TRIBAL, she has seen first-hand the power of story and the necessity for relationships to change hearts and drive action. Her life's work is to connect people to a greater sense of meaning through stories, resources, and relationships. TRIBAL is a relationship and community-building platform that helps leaders connect with, grow and inspire their people.
2020-02-2145 minService Academy Business Mastermind#100: The Story of SABM (Episode 100!)Today is the 100th episode of the SABM podcast. In today's episode I share the story of SABM, where the idea came from and how it has evolved over the past three years. Since launching the community in 2017, we have grown immensely thanks to all the amazing grads who have contributed their time, talent and ideas. In today's episode, I share: How the idea for SABM started with a coffee mug business and the need to be surrounded by like-minded people The story and mindset shift of transitioning from a side-hustle to a full-time business Overcoming f...
2020-02-1637 minService Academy Business Mastermind#99: Growing Sales with Artificial Intelligence with France Hoang, USMA '95France Hoang (USMA '95) has developed a patent-pending artificial intelligence engine to help organizations predict who in a new list of people are most like the original list using hundreds of data points. Their predictive models help nonprofit fundraisers find new donors (boodle.ai), help political candidates raise contributions (adjutant.ai), and help companies find new clients that match the profile of their existing clients (guidon.ai). In this episode, we discuss: How their AI tool can find potential clients from an existing list of prospects How they help companies reduce marketing cost through their predictive m...
2020-02-0931 minService Academy Business Mastermind#98: Co-Working Spaces for Private Practices with Bo Bergstrom, USNA '03Bo Bergstrom (USNA '03) is the CEO of Humanly, a company that offers co-working spaces to help therapists and other private practitioners transition into their own private practice. In addition to flexible office space, they also provide their members with an active and supportive community along with business classes to help them thrive. In this episode, we discuss: His company's goal to grow to 500 locations in the next five years How they are planning to grow using the franchising model His personal story from serving as a Marine that attracted him to this business Connect...
2020-02-0138 minService Academy Business Mastermind#97: Starting a High-End Snack & Beverage Delivery Business with Claude Burns, USNA '06Claude Burns is the Founder of Office Libations, a corporate beverage and snack service delivering to offices in the San Francisco Bay area. They offer craft and local brands of coffee, tea, snacks, beer, wine, and spirits. In 2019, Office Libations was ranked as the #2 fastest growing business in Oakland by the Inc 5000. In this episode, Claude and I discuss: His journey from the Navy into the snack & beverage delivery business How business school helped him formulate his idea His growing team and an open position he has at his company Connect with Claude: Office L...
2020-01-2432 minService Academy Business Mastermind#96: Launching an Innovative Platform for Healthcare Professionals with Brad Artery, USNA '95Brad Artery (USNA '95) is the CEO of MOCingbird, an innovative online platform for healthcare professionals to monitor certification and educational requirements. The platform allows users to track and store MOCs, CMEs and state licenses in a secure vault in order to stay up-to-date and compliant. In the Navy, Brad was a submarine officer, doing tours on two Los Angeles class fast attack submarines. In this episode, Brad and I discuss: His journey from the Navy into the healthcare business The value proposition of his platform to healthcare professionals His lessons learned getting the product to ma...
2020-01-1740 minService Academy Business Mastermind#95: A Robotics Company Disrupting Healthcare with Christopher Prentice, USMA '92Chris Prentice (USMA '92) has over 20 years of medical device experience in both large strategic healthcare companies and in successful startup companies. Most recently he was Vice President of Commercial Integration at Medtronic. Prior to his position at Medtronic, he was CEO of Mazor Robotics, which was acquired by Medtronic in December 2018 for $1.6B. In this episode, Chris and I discuss: His journey from the Army into the medical device industry How he grew a company that sold for $1.6B His new robotics company that is revolutionizing upper extremity rehabilitation Connect with Christopher: Harmonic...
2020-01-0952 minService Academy Business Mastermind#94: Buying a Business with a Search Fund with Charles Mullenger, USMA '10Charles Mullenger (USMA '10) is the owner of Ethos Evacuation Strategies, a leading partner in emergency preparedness and an American-made manufacturer of cost-effective evacuation solutions, including its flagship product, the Med Sled®. Since 2004, Med Sled has been developing products to support disaster preparedness and emergency evacuation to ensure that non-ambulatory individuals are transported safely in an emergency. In this episode, Charles and I discuss: His path into business ownership through a search fund The 3 different types of search funds and the benefits of each His short- and long-term goals for Ethos Evacuation Strategies Connect with C...
2020-01-0532 minService Academy Business Mastermind#93: Launching a Subscription Apparel Business with Kevin Tighe & Ben Allen USNA '07Ben Allen (USNA '07) is the Chief Operations Officer at Beachly, a subscription-based premium apparel company inspired by the coastal lifestyle. I'm also joined by Kevin Tighe, Co-Founder & CEO at Beachly. In this episode, we discuss: Why they chose a subscription model to sell their coastal themed clothing How they attracted their first customers and how they are getting new customers today Valuable lessons learned on hiring and building a business from the ground up Connect with Ben & Kevin: Ben on LinkedIn Kevin on LinkedIn Beachly website If you found this episode valuable, pl...
2019-12-2944 minService Academy Business Mastermind#92: Creating a Charitable Giving Strategy with David Chepauskas, USMA '77David Chepauskas (USMA '77) is a Senior Wealth Planner at Summit Financial, an independent wealth management firm located in Parsippany, New Jersey. David has over 28 years of experience specializing in solving problems and maximizing opportunities for senior Wall Street professionals, business owners, executives, and retirees. In this episode, David and I discuss: How to minimize capital gains tax through charitable giving How a charitable giving strategy creates a sense of purpose during retirement How his firm has helped some of the most financially successful Academy graduates in the U.S. Connect with David: David o...
2019-12-1846 minService Academy Business Mastermind#91: Army/Navy Pranks and Starting a 7-Figure Apparel Business with Mike Nemeth, USMA '04Mike Nemeth (USMA '04) is best known across the Service Academy community for his hilarious pranks that capture the spirit of the Army/Navy rivalry. In addition to his role as the community prankster, he's also a very successful entrepreneur who has built a 7-figure apparel business from the ground up. In this episode, Mike and I discuss: His apparel company that has grown to over 7-figures in sales in the last two years His marketing pivot that helped him target the clients he loves serving His recent prank that included a press release saying the N...
2019-12-1343 minService Academy Business Mastermind#90: Scaling a Wine Company Nationwide with Alex Chehansky, USNA '95Alex Chehansky (USNA '95) is the CFO and Partner at Notorious Wines, a wine company that has achieved national distribution through its great tasting wine and winning team. Their flagship wine, Notorious Pink, is an award-winning rosé made from 100% Grenache. In this episode, Alex and I discuss: How they got their first customers and have grown sales to 50,000+ cases per year Best practices and lessons learned from growing their team Advice for Academy grads working in a start-up environment Connect with Alex: Alex on LinkedIn Notorious Wines If you found this episode valuable, pl...
2019-12-0644 minService Academy Business Mastermind#88: SUP 'n' Surf Retreats for Veterans with Jim Bartelloni, USNA '90Jim "Bart" Bartelloni (USNA '90) is a Naval Academy graduate and former Rugby player. He cut his teeth in the military as a Naval Aviator, flying F-14s and graduating from the US Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). The opportunity to relocate to San Diego brought the chance to learn stand up paddle (SUP) surfing. After attending a SUP 'n' Surf retreat he made the decision to bring this opportunity to veterans with the hope they enjoy the same unique experience as he did. In this episode, Jim and I discuss: How SUP boarding can...
2019-11-2239 minService Academy Business Mastermind#87: From Flying Jets to Becoming an Author and Keynote Speaker with Caroline Johnson, USNA '09Caroline Johnson graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2009 and is a former F/A-18 Super Hornet Weapons System Operator. She was one of the first women to fly a combat mission over Iraq since 2011, and she was the first woman to drop bombs on ISIS. Transitioning to the private sector, Caroline co-authored Jet Girl and has become a professional speaker. She has spoken at international banks, Fortune 100 tech companies, hedge funds, industry events, leading higher education institutions, high schools, retirement communities, and her following is growing. In this episode, Caroline and I discuss:
2019-11-1744 minService Academy Business Mastermind#86: Becoming a Billion Dollar Real Estate Agent with Dan Lesniak, USNA '02Dan Lesniak (USNA '02) is a billion-dollar real estate agent, best-selling author, investor, developer and coach. He began his career in real estate in 2012 after having successful careers both as a Naval submarine officer and defense contractor. His HyperLocal strategy led to one of the fastest starts in real estate with over $22 million in sales in his first year. In this episode, we discuss: How he and his wife Keri grew their team to 65 agents and $400M in annual sales A strategic marketing shift that has attracted hundreds of new leads His new coaching and real e...
2019-11-1053 minService Academy Business Mastermind#85: Creating Disruptive Technology for the Construction Industry with Blake Ratcliff & Scott Kushino, USNA '84Episode link: https://www.sabmgroup.com/intellispex Blake Ratcliff (USNA '84) is the founder of IntelliSpeX, a company that is revolutionizing how the construction industry handles time and workforce management. IntelliSpeX's patent-pending site-performance technology captures Evidence of Performance and other high-value data to increase productivity on the job site. We are also joined on the podcast by Scott Kushino (USNA '84), Head of Corporate Development, and Dion Rudnicki, CEO. In this episode, we discuss: How their mobile app is saving construction managers tons of time and money Initial feedback they have received from their cu...
2019-11-0343 minService Academy Business Mastermind#83: Online Marketing Tips for Leadership Consultants with Tom Coyle, USMA '97Tom Coyle (USMA '97) is the co-founder of Adventures in Leadership and the author of the book, Leadership Lessons from the Battle of Gettysburg. He has written many articles and appeared on many video blogs about leadership. He gets students and clients out of their comfort zone and working together through hands-on experiential leadership exercises. His goal is to pass on lessons from his military service to future generations of leaders. In this episode, Tom and I discuss: How he sold 4,000+ books on Amazon without any promotion His book writing process that enables him to write...
2019-10-1851 minService Academy Business Mastermind#82: Helping Business Owners Save on Taxes with Chandra Adusei, USNA '05Episode link: https://www.sabmgroup.com/chandra-adusei/ Chandra Adusei is the Founder of Veteran Wealth Partners, a financial services company whose mission is to serve Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners by providing innovative and alternative solutions to the traditional model of planning, scaling, and protecting a business. Chandra was a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy and served onboard the USS Bunker Hill and USS John L Hall. In this episode, we discuss: How she utilized captive insurance to help a $5M client save on taxes How she found her niche and h...
2019-10-1132 minService Academy Business Mastermind#81: MORE Real Estate Accelerator Success Stories!Webinar Registration (Oct 12th): https://zoom.us/meeting/register/12e863c3d8d1efb0c5b9141539e44ee6 Set up a call with the team: https://form.jotform.com/91924547858170 The Real Estate Investing Accelerator is a six month course for service academy graduates and their family members who are serious about creating financial freedom for themselves and building a legacy of generational wealth through real estate investing. Since launching the course in 2018 we've had over 75 grads enroll in the course. The results have been amazing and it's always fun to share success stories from the course...
2019-10-0636 minService Academy Business Mastermind#80: Discovering Your Unique Genius with the Enneagram with Chip Neidigh, USNA '93Episode link: https://www.sabmgroup.com/chip-neidigh/ Chip Neidigh (USNA '93) is the Founder of Kairos Consulting, a leadership development company that sparks personal transformation and shifts organizational culture. His career has included consulting, teaching, coaching, and leadership roles in the U.S. Marine Corps and the private sector. Chip combines logic and intuition to help leaders build a better future. In this episode, Chip and I discuss: The Enneagram assessment and how it determines your personality type so you can thrive as a leader His Box Chart framework and how it sparks personal tra...
2019-09-2742 min
The Jackson Hole ConnectionInvesting in Yourself with Scott MackesIn this week’s episode of the Jackson Hole Connection, Stephan visits with Scott Mackes. Scott is a father, husband, entrepreneur, US Naval Academy Graduate, Lion’s Pride Member, fellow podcaster and the creator of both the Service Academy Business Mastermind Group and Strengths Mugs. In this episode, Stephan and Scott talk about finding your niche, podcasting, discovering strengths and investing in yourself. To directly connect with Scott, email Scott@SABMGroup.comTo learn more about the Service Academy Business Mastermind Group, visit SABMGroup.comDiscover your strengths and get your own mu...
2019-08-2943 minService Academy Business Mastermind#70: From Navy Admiral to Starting a Distillery Business with Scott Sanders, USNA '80Episode link: https://www.sabmgroup.com/scott-sanders/ Scott Sanders (USNA '80) is the owner of Tobacco Barn Distillery, a true ground-to-glass distillery bringing the best whiskies, bourbons and rums to the Maryland area. Their signature "Constellation Rum" is fermented, double-distilled, and sealed in four bourbon barrels for an embarkation aboard the U.S.S. Constellation in Baltimore, Maryland. Pretty cool story! In this episode, Scott and I discuss: How they grew the business to sell their products in over 20 liquor stores in the Maryland area and their plan to expand into other states How th...
2019-07-1523 min