BTU #69 - Alex Martin: Marine to Global Entrepreneur at AC Global Risk

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“At this point, I don't think I really could have a boundary [between professional and personal life]. It's not about a forty-hour work week, and being able to accomplish everything in forty hours; I get that. It's about constantly thinking about the product, thinking about the customers we have and the customers we want, where we're going to go and what the next steps are. I just can't turn it off: I dream about it, I think about it every minute, and there is no separation. Maybe that's unhealthy and a bad thing, but at this point if no one is as fanatically excited and obsessed with the product we're trying to create than the founders then I don't think it can work at this stage." – Alex Martin

Alex Martin is the CEO & Co-Founder of AC Global Risk, a company that creates solutions to transform how companies & governments vet, screen and assess internal and external human-based risk. Alex started out at the Naval Academy and served in the Marine Corps for seven years as a Infantry & Ground Reconnaissance Officer. After his transition from the Marines he founded Skye Maritime - maritime security services to commercial shipping - as well as the Kenya Team Leader for the non-profit, Nuru International. Alex is currently a Major in the Marine Corps Reserves.

The top three reasons to listen to this episode are:

1. Service - Alex has continued to serve in the Marine Corps Reserves, he worked in Kenya with the organization Nuru helping local farmers grow their income, and his own company - AC Global Risk - has a service element as well. He’s a great role model for keeping service an active component in his life, and talks about how to serve as a for-profit venture
2. Startups - Alex started his first company straight of the Marine Corps and it failed. He learned from it, and is on his second company, AC Global Risk. He is very honest and balanced in this interview about failure, about mistakes, and how these are essential for entrepreneurs
3. Stanford Ignite - Alex goes in depth on the Stanford Ignite program as well as many other really valuable resources for those of you interested in startups

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Selected Links

• A great article on Alex and his company: http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/job-hunting/from-marines-to-entrepreneur-alex-martin.html
  • • Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World
    • The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
    • Get Backed: Craft Your Story, Build the Perfect Pitch Deck, and Launch the Venture of Your Dreams - more on technical side, the top 15-20 pitch decks. Can take this and pick and choose what you like and choose your ownBook Recommendations
    • The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law, 4th Edition - save $1000's on legal
• Related Podcasts
  • Great EO Fire podcast episode that talks about the power of obsession in startups. I reference this in the interview and think it’s really relevant to entrepreneurship. Be Obsessed or Be Average, it’s that simple says Grant Cardone 
  • Don Faul interview - referenced as a huge resource of support

Show Notes

• 2:08 - Alex's background
• 2:50 - Alex's decision to transition from the Marine Corps to a civilian career
• 3:39 - Alex's experience being part of the Reserves and how it has impacted his civilian career
• 5:32 - Alex's experience as part of the Stanford Ignite program and how this impacted his entrepreneurial experience
• 7:49 - An overview of Stanford Ignite as a program for veterans
• 10:22 - Alex's experience at Nuru International
• 15:15 - The genesis of Alex's second company, AC Global Risk
• 17:40- An overview of AC Global Risk
• 19:21  - What Alex's day-to-day life looks like as the CEO of AC Global Risk
• 21:11 - Alex's lifestyle as an entrepreneur married to another entrepreneur
• 24:27 - How long it took Alex to be able to pay himself as salary while he was starting his own company
• 28:43 - Alex's biggest mistake in starting his own company and what he learned from it
• 33:03 - Alex's team size at AC Global Risk and what his team looks like
• 34:22 - Advice for any veteran thinking of starting their own company
• 35:36 - Resources Alex would recommend to any veteran thinking of starting their own company
• 37:53 - Advice for veterans seeking to raising capital for their own company, and the fundraising experience
• 43:40 - Habits that Alex had to break when he left the military in order to be successful in his civilian career
• 45:55 - Other mistakes that Alex made since departing the military and what he learned from them
• 48:47 - Final words of wisdom for veterans of the Armed Forces

BTU #32: Brooke Jones-Chinetti: Cold emails, JPMorgan, and Startup CEO

“Really its a full time job to get a full-time job. Sometimes with veterans, we're bringing these unfathomable managerial skills to these organizations that we transition to. But we forget that stuff shouldn't just be handed to us... I'm the queen of the cold email now, and I wish that I would have had that confidence as I transitioned to try to find veterans at companies that I was interested in, and to hear what their transition was like." – Brooke Jones-Chinetti

Brooke Jones-Chinetti lives in New York, where she most recently served as the CEO of VetTechTrek - a startup that facilitates high-impact trips to leading tech companies for veterans and their spouses. She started out at West Point, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Portuguese and Environmental Engineering. She served in the US Army for over 6 years, during which she deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and to Kuwait as part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Spartan Shield. She also served as Senior Director of Human Resources and served as the executive officer for the Army's Chief of Signal, a 2-star general position. After her transition from the Army, she spent a year in the Financial Services industry with JPMorgan Chase & Co. as part of their rotational Executive Development Program. She is currently studying at Columbia Business School.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• Step-by-step advice on how to write cold emails to figure out what you want to do and get your foot in the door for a job
• An over of the JP Morgan Chase rotational Executive Development Program
• Brooke’s experience as CEO of an early stage startup at VetTechTrek
• How leadership as CEO of a startup differed from leadership in the military
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Show Notes

• 1:56 - Brooke’s background
• 3:04 - How Brooke and her husband both decided to leave the Army
• 6:15 - Evaluating the Reserves
• 10:40 - The most surprising aspect of Brooke’s transition from the Army to civilian life
• 13:15 - How to use cold emails to find other veterans, learn from their experience, and make connections
• 16:25- Brooke’s first job search and what she learned along the way
• 21:36 - Advice on how to manage the timing of your transition from active duty
• 27:20 - Advice for how to better understand yourself and what you’ll enjoy in a career
• 32:15 - An over of the JP Morgan Chase rotational Executive Development Program
• 34:50 - Brooke’s day-to-day life while at JP Morgan Chase
• 38:15 - Brooke’s decision to transition from JP Morgan Chase to Columbia Business School, and wy she chose an Executive Education program
• 43:02 - Brooke’s experience as CEO of an early stage startup at VetTechTrek
• 47:10 - How leadership as CEO of a startup differed from leadership in the military
• 49:01 - How Brooke felt ahead of her civilian counterparts, and where she had to work to catch up
• 51:33 - Final words of wisdom1:24 - Travis' background

BTU 26: RaeAnne Pae - Army to Facebook and Business Development

“I had been given good advice that it didn't matter the first job I did as long as I was learning from it and seeking out opportunities in the first job to be able to figure out what I wanted to do next. And so I went into it with the mindset that I would pick  everyone's brains who I worked with even if not on my team and build these relationships so i could figure out what the next step was." – RaeAnne Pae

RaeAnne Pae is a Client Solution Manager at Facebook, where she helps Financial Technology marketers grow their audience and business through Facebook. RaeAnne started out at doing ROTC at Morehead State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology. After that she served for over 7 years in the Army as an Intelligence Officer, where she was awarded the Bronze Star - the military’s fourth-highest individual military award - not once but twice: first for Combat operations in Iraq while assigned to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division; second for combat operations in southern Afghanistan with assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. When RaeAnne transitioned to a civilian career she started out at the NYSE as an Event Marketing Specialist. She then worked as a Sales & Business Development member first at Tradecraft and then at Addy before joining Facebook.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• Tradecraft and how to get an MBA equivalent experience in 3 months
• How RaeAnne's transition straight to industry compared with her husband's transition to business school
• Advice for those applying to Facebook and common veteran paths
• Two concrete examples of explaining in a veteran background to a Facebook interviewer
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• Another interview I did between a husband and wife veteran combo where one went to business school and the other directly to industry are my interviews with Jimmy & Shaunnah interview
• Tradecraft - 12 week tech immersion program. Tracts include Sales & BD, User Experience, and Growth
• Another interview that references Coding Academies and other efficient education sources is my interview with Johannes & Maggi on Career Offroading
• Other programs similar to Tradcraft - GrowthX / Growth Academy

Show Notes

• 1:31 - RaeAnne's background
• 4:58 - How RaeAnne approached her decision to leave the Army
• 8:26 - How RaeAnne and her husband approached the Reserves
• 10:23 - The most surpsing aspects of RaeAnne's transition to civilian life
• 13:45 - How RaeAnne approached her initial job search
• 25:38 - An overview of Tradecraft
• 35:00 - RaeAnne's second job search and how she improved - great advice to all veterans
• 44:40 - Advice for those applying to Facebook and common veteran paths
• 47:00 - RaeAnne explains why her background is applicable at Facebook - this is a great example of how veterans could explain their story in an interview
• 49:33 - RaeAnne explains how her background relates to sales and relationship building
• 51:45 - How RaeAnne's journey directly to industry compared with her husband's choice to go to business school

BTU #21: Ian Folau - Tactical advice for starting a company (even while on Active Duty)

“I was able to throw together some website and it was bringing in enough leads that we were able to fill everybody's houses and it just really took off for me. And it was my first venture, and ever since then I was hooked. The idea that I can make more money than my paycheck was exciting for me - the fact that I can provide something that someone will pay even a dollar for motivated me beyond what I could imagine." – Ian Folau

Ian Folau is the Co-Founder & CEO of the New York based startup, GitLinks. However, this wasn't Ian's first startup. Ian started founding companies while still on active duty in the Army, where he started his first of multiple startups. Ian studied Systems Engineering at West Point after which he served in the Army in multiple capacities before returning to West Point as an instructor. After departing the Army, he attended Cornell Tech to obtain his MBA, and during which he co-founded his most recent company.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• Steps you can take right now to start your first company (even if you're on Active Duty)
• Resources you can use to start learning and growing as an entrepreneur
• Entrepreneurial mistakes that Ian made and what he learned from them, and the importance of failing fast
• Advice on how to tease out who might be a better Co-Founder
• What Ian's day-to-day life looked like when he first founded GitLinks
• How leadership as an entrepreneur differs from military leadership
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• Related Interviews: BTU #13 - Taylor Justice: Army to Raising $6M in Funding
• Book Recommendations:
  • Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
  • Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth
  • The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
• Podcast Recommendations:
  • Entrepreneur On Fire
  • Smart Passive Income
  • The Tim Ferriss Show
• Tech MBA Programs referenced:
  • Cornell Tech
  • University of Washington Technology Management MBA
  • UT Austin

Show Notes

• 1:39 - Ian’s background
• 2:40 - Ian's decision to leave the Army
• 6:26 - Deciding to not pursue the Reserves
• 7:20 - The most surprising aspect of Ian's transition to civilian life
• ** 9:39 - Ian does a fantastic job of explaining his background in a way that is relevant to the listener. This comes up time and time again in interviews as a really crucial skill
• 12:45 - Advice on how to better explain a veterans history to a civilian
• 15:10 - Ian's experience starting companies while in the Army and how he got started
• 21:30 - Resources to consider to help in your own entrepreneurial journey
• 28:11 - Entrepreneurial mistakes that Ian made and what he learned from them, and the importance of failing fast
• 33:10 - Advice on how to tease out who might be a better Co-Founder
• 38:52 - Cornell Tech, and how it supports entrepreneurs
• 40:52 - Advice on applying to Cornell Tech, and other programs to consider
• 43:10 - An overview on Ian's current company, GitLinks
• 46:15 - What Ian's day-to-day life looked like when he first founded GitLinks
• 48:56 - How leadership as an entrepreneur differs from military leadership
• 51:19 - Actions you can take right now to start an entrepreneurial journey (even while on Active Duty)
• 53:19 - Final words of wisdom

BTU #18: Tom Wolfe - Everything you need to know to plan your transition

"Open your eyes, be receptive, try to learn about what's unknown to you, in addition to what you're already aware of."– Tom Wolfe

Tom Wolfe is a career coach, author, and columnist. He is the author of OUT OF UNIFORM -- Your Guide to a Successful Military-to-Civilian Transition, as well as a columnist of 11 years for CivilianJobs.com. Tom has over 29 years of experience in the Career Development industry. Tom is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, and served as a Surface Warfare Officer and Admiral’s Aide.

In this interview we discuss:

• Stereotypes about veterans - how to use stories in interviews to reinforce the positive ones, and preemptively combat the negative ones
• Common mistakes veterans make - like being too humble or understated in an interview
• Job hunting techniques (like using informational interviews to see if you’d like a career and potentially get your foot in the door of an organization)
• Using Filters for your job search so you can avoid boiling the ocean when looking for your ideal job
• Using a career coach as a personal trainer for your career
• Tactical exercises you can use to improve your self knowledge as part of a job search
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• Tom's book: Our of Uniform
• Contact Tom at: http://www.tomwolfe-careercoach.com/index.html
• Tom's book's website: http://www.out-of-uniform.com
• Canines for Service: http://www.caninesforservice.org/

Show Notes

• [3:10] - Tom’s background in writing and career coaching
• [4:10] - The most common mistakes Tom sees veterans make in their career transition
• [13:27] - Stereotypes - how to reinforce the positives and preempt the negatives
• [24:26] Reasons why veterans get rejected in interviews
• [27:00] - A surefire way to succeed in an interview
• [28:33] - How to gather information about what you want to do as efficiently as possible
• [33:18] - Using Informational Interviews to figure out what you want to do… and potentially get your foot in the door
• [36:12] - How to use filters to simplify your job search
• [43:20] - 1/2 of veterans end up working for a company they weren’t aware of at the start of their search..how to broaden your search to be aware of broader opportunities
• [47:50] - A personal trainer for your career - Career Coaching
• [57:03] - Using mistakes to learn in you job search
• [58:32] - Where you can learn more about Tom’s work