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Why Listen:

This is one of the more energizing conversations I've had on the show. In addition to serving in the Air Force, working in the State Department, serving in the CIA, and now running two different companies - one of them designed to fight human trafficking - Nic is needless to say, an amazing human being. As a founder of two companies, his biggest advice to entrepreneurs is to not start a company. We talk about how success is opportunity meeting preparation, and how oftentimes we focus on motivation when we should be focused on preparedness and the reasons why we are doing things. We talk a lot about mission and some of the best tactical advice I've heard from a guest about how to specifically and tactically uncover your next mission. We talk about the choices that we make every single day and how we have limited opportunities and being precise in what we say yes to, and better and more important, what we say no to. We talk about not just having compassion and empathy lead the tears, but having that lead to motivation. We talk about so much on this show. And I think it's one of the few episodes I would say is worthy of three or four listens. 

About Nic:

Nic McKinley is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of VERAFĪ, a private intelligence and due diligence firm specializing in collecting, analyzing, and presenting intelligence so you can make confident decisions about key hires and investments. He is also the Founder and CEO of DeliverFund, a nonprofit private intelligence firm that disrupts human trafficking markets by providing intelligence and delivering specialized analytics about human trafficking activities to law enforcement authorities. He is a 10-year veteran of the US Air Force, where he served as both pararescuemen and as a pararescue instructor and a pararescue team leader. He has also worked for both the US Department of State as well as the Central Intelligence Agency.

Selected Resources: 

• Nic’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-mckinley/ 

• DeliverFund: https://www.deliverfund.org/ 

• VERAFĪ: https://verafi.ai/ 

• BTU #333 - Jocko Willink and Leif Babin episode: https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-333-jocko-willink-and-leif-babin?rq=333 

• Michael Jacke’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-a79327/ 

• Books:

  • Jocko Willink’s books - https://www.amazon.com/Jocko-Willink/e/B00ZY7MWW8/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1 

  • Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller - https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Donald-Miller-audiobook/dp/B072J8WRND/ref=sr_1_2?crid=ZVNEHO9VCWLJ&dchild=1&keywords=donald+miller&qid=1627670413&s=audible&sprefix=Donald+Miller%2Cdigital-text%2C286&sr=1-2

Time Stamps:

• Nic’s background [2:06]

• How Nic juggles being in charge of and involved with multiple organizations [5:00]

• Nic’s advice for civilians and veterans [8:58]

• Luck is when preparation meets opportunity [12:40]

• Find your mission [18:36]

• Staying fresh and buoyant when dealing with something draining [23:57]

• The difference between motivation and discipline [30:05]

• Nic’s resources [35:07]