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Why Listen:

Normally on the show, I have a military veteran as my guest. We talk about what they do, how they got there, and advice to others seeking to do the same. Today I am doing that, but with three guests, two Army West Point grads and one Naval Academy fellow Submariner who joined forces to found Imperium Capital. There's a lot that I love about this interview. It is a blend of talking about financial planning and tips that anyone listening can apply to their career to get themselves more financial freedom and stability, as well as a lot about entrepreneurship and building up the skill sets.

Here are a couple of things that stood out to me. First of all, I love the story of how they met and decided to start this company. And you're going to get three different perspectives on what drew these people to the finance industry and also to entrepreneurship. They are three different versions with some overlap, which was cool to see. What I love, as well, is that they each had clarity around what they were wanting in their career, and that plays a role in financial planning. They talked about the clarity you need when it comes to finances, but you can also see that clarity applied in each of their career journeys. One thing that I learned in this interview was how you can take risks in your career outside of the military in a way that you might not be able to in the military, and how it's a way to get insights around what you like and dislike, and how it gives you room to explore. We talk about the advantages of working within a big company and learning a trade skill set before going on to entrepreneurship. We talked about interviewing companies rather than being interviewed by them. We talk a lot about finances, and just a lot of things that are top of mind for me, as I grow my family and I know you will benefit from that as well.  

About Imperium Capital’s team:

Christopher Rojewski started out at West Point in 2011. He served in the Army for eight years and then he spent two and a half years between New York Life Insurance and Northwestern Mutual. Then he co-founded a company called Imperium Capital, which we're going to talk about today. 

Brandon Stevenson was at West Point in 2007, ten years in the Army, and then four years at Northwestern Mutual.

Nicholas Birger was at the Naval Academy, the oddball of the group. He went to Harvard Kennedy School, close to nine years on submarines, and then at Northwestern Mutual.

Selected Resources: 

• Imperium Capital: https://www.raymondjames.com/imperiumcapital/ 

• Christopher Rojewski’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisrojewski/ 

• Brandon Stevenson’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonstevenson/ 

• Nicholas Birger’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbirger/ 

• The COMMIT Foundation:https://www.commitfoundation.org/ 

• BTU #154 - The COMMIT Foundation (Anne Meree Craig): https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-154-commit-foundation-anne-meree-craig 

• Bunker Labs: https://bunkerlabs.org/ 

• BTU #139 - Founding Bunker Labs (Todd Connor): https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-139-founding-bunker-labs-todd-connor 

Time Stamps:

• Imperium Capital [2:59]

• From the military to the finance industry [6:27]

• Tips on entrepreneurship [9:13]

• How Chris decided to be an entrepreneur [10:35]

• Brandon’s journey from West Point to entrepreneurship [11:46]

• Nick’s transition from Naval Academy to entrepreneurship [15:51]

• How Chris, Brandon and Nick founded Imperium Capital [20:37]

• Don't be afraid if you're thinking about taking the leap [29:25]

• Explore self insuring for pension [31:10]

• Get others advice and perspective [34:32]

• The financial industries and the opportunities available to transitioning service members [38:34]

• Finding the right partner [41:50]

• Interview them, don't let them interview you [46:28]