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

Our Sponsor

Audible is offering one FREE audio book to Beyond the Uniform listeners. You can claim this offer here, and see a list of books recommended by my guests at BeyondTheUniform.io/books

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 #76 - Liz McLean: Air Force to Recruiter and Senior Director at Military.com

“Veterans rush into their first job. They worry so much about the changes that they don't pause and really think about what the next step is. Now, not everyone has the luxury of preparing for six months. Sometimes they are medically discharged or there are other extraneous circumstances that make their transition come upon them much quicker. But there are so many times that I see veterans rush into a role without looking at the broad picture first."– Liz McLean

Liz McLean is the Senior Program Director of Veteran Employment at Military.com, as well as the Owner & President of Liz McLean Veteran Solutions. She started out at the Air Force Academy where she served for five years as a Logistics Readiness Officer. Since 2010 she has worked as a recruiter for civilians and veterans, with multiple companies including positions at Booz Allen Hamilton and Hewlett-Packard where she worked to refine veteran programs. Liz holds a bachelors in behavioral science and a Masters of Science in Industrial Organizational Psychology, where she focused on the people versus the product for program efficiency. Her passions are fueled by ultra-running and up to the ironman distance triathlon

The top three reasons to listen to today's are:

• #1 Transition Advice - Liz has worked as a recruiter for top companies including Booz Allen Hamilton and Hewlett-Packard. Each of us only make a transition from the military once, but Liz has worked with hundreds of veterans in their transition. Her advice on this is really worthwhile.
• #2 Recruiting - a career path that not a lot of veterans consider is being a recruiter. Liz talks about what it's like, and how you can succeed in this career path.
• #3 Starting a company - Liz chose to start her own recruiting company rather than join an established company. She's got some great advice for vets thinking of starting their own organization.

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

Selected Links

• Military.com
  • Lots of articles on how to know what you like
  • Skills Translators - help you break down the areas you might go into based on your prior military field
• Liz's company is Liz McLean Veteran Solutions
• Book
  • Moving the Needle: Get Clear, Get Free, and Get Going in Your Career, Business, and Life! - How to network properly; does a good job of breaking down the networking skill sets
  • Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t

Show Notes

• 1:43 - Liz's background in the Air Force until today
• 2:30 - Liz's decision to leave the Air Force and how she approached this decision
• 3:50 - What Liz learned in her first job search outside of the Air Force
• 8:03 - How Liz thought about agreeing to 100% commission based salary, and why she wouldn't recommend that veterans consider a commission based salary for their first job
• 12:07 - Liz's current role at Military.com and what her day-to-day life looks like
• 14:58 - With so much experience recruiting, a few common mistakes that Liz sees veterans making in their first job search outside of the military
• 18:30 - Resources that Liz would recommend to veterans to help in their civilian career
• 20:48 - Liz's advice for veterans interested in starting their career as a recruiter, and an overview of the career of a recruiter
• 24:26 - The most challenging part of Liz's job
• 26:06 - How Liz started her own company, and why this was an important career decision for her as a recruiter
• 28:08 - The Pros & Cons of starting your own company as a recruiter, vs. joining an established company as a recruiter
• 31:33 - Liz's advice to any veteran interested in starting their own company
• 33:00 - One of the biggest mistakes Liz made since leaving the Air Force and what she learned from it
• 34:54 - What habits Liz tried to maintain from the Air Force, and habits she needed to break to be successful in her civilian career
• 39:15 - What surprised Liz the most about her transition from the Air Force to civilian life
• 41:24 - Liz's final words of wisdom

BTU #46 - Mandy Psiaki: Army to Chick-fil-a Corporate

“In the military we like to talk about, 'we accomplish more before 9am than the rest of the world.' If you take that thought into the civilian world, it's going to hurt you. There are really smart people out there and there is so much to be learned as you make the transition. Everyone has chosen to do something different - whether you're in the military or working for Chick-fil-a, or somewhere else. They're adding a lot of value where they are. So just keep in mind that - 'I can add value too in a unique way and I have a unique skill set to bring, but there are also a lot of people around me who are really smart and adding a lot of value too." – Mandy Psiaki

Mandy Psiaki is a Senior Team Lead at Chick-fil-A Corporate. She started out at West Point, and served in the Army for five years as a Finance Officer. She received her MBA from Colorado State University while still on Active Duty. She started her civilian career at Proctor & Gamble, where she worked for three months as an Associate Manager, Consumer and Market Knowledge. Before she transitioned to Chick-fil-A, where she has worked for nearly five years: starting as a Franchisee Selection Consultant, a Senior Franchisee Selection Consultant, and now her current role as Senior Team Lead, Specialized Training.

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

• An overview of Mandy's work at Chick-fil-a
• What it was like getting an MBA while on Active Duty
• How Mandy transitioned to Proctor & Gamble
• How Mandy started working at Chick-fil-a and an overview of her first role as Franchisee Selection Consultant
• How the separation between Mandy and her husband in the corporate world differed from their separation while on Active Duty
• 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

• 2:07 - Mandy's background
• 2:51 - An overview of Mandy's work at Chick-fil-a
• 4:15 - What her job looks like on a day-to-day basis
• 7:05 - The lifestyle component of her work
• 8:08 - The most challenging aspect of Mandy's work
• 9:25 - Mandy's decision to leave the Army
• 10:53 - How she thought about the Reserves
• 11:42 - What it was like getting an MBA while on Active Duty
• 14:46 - How Mandy transitioned to Proctor & Gamble
• 20:01 - How Mandy started working at Chick-fil-a and an overview of her first role as Franchisee Selection Consultant
• 22:20 - How the separation between Mandy and her husband in the corporate world differed from their separation while on Active Duty
• 25:53 - How Mandy's next role at Chick-fil-a compared to her first role
• 26:59 - Indications that you may like a job like Mandy's... and indications you may not enjoy it
• 29:07 - Common career paths for someone in Mandy's shoes
• 30:30 - How leadership outside of the military has differed from leadership in the military
• 32:12 - Positive habits Mandy has tried to maintain from the military... and bad habits she had to break
• 33:44 - The most surprising aspect of Mandy's transition to the civilian world
• 35:08 - How Mandy felt ahead of her civilian counterparts, and where she felt behind
• 39:40 - Final words of wisdom

BTU #44 - Sam Bond: Bain, Coca-Cola, and General Manager at Lyft

“When I left Bain I reached out to a variety of folks… to explore what was out there. I kept in touch with those folks, and made a point to regularly get back in touch with people and see what they’re up to. It was after a meeting like that - we grabbed coffee and didn’t think much of it at the time, but he called me a few weeks later to let me know that Lyft was starting up in Atlanta. It was basically a lightening bolt that made me aware. It appeared and it appeared because I made contacts and maintained them." – Sam Bond

Sam Bond is a General Manager at Lyft - a company most listeners have probably used for their app which makes it simple for you to find a ride whenever you need one. Although only four years old, Lyft has raised $2B in funding, and has nearly 6k employees listed on LinkedIn. Sam started out at Princeton University and then served as an officer in the Marine Corps for 4 years. After his service, he attended the University of Virginia - Darden Graduate School of Business. He worked in consulting at Bain & Company as a Consultant and then Case Team Leader. He also worked at the Coca-Cola Company - first as a Director Supply Chain Strategy and then as a Group Director of Strategy and Portfolio Management.

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

• An overview of the General Manager position at Lyft
• Indications that a veteran may enjoy the role of General Manager, and indications that it might not be a good fit for them
• What it's like to work at an explosively growing startup (and the pros and cons of joining a company on an exponential growth path)
• An overview of entry level positions at Coca-Cola for a newly transitioned veteran
• How Sam looks back on his journey to a role of General Manager
• 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…

Links

• The ride sharing service, Lyft

Show Notes

• 2:23 - Sam's background
• 3:27 - An overview of the General Manager position at Lyft
• 7:27 - Sam's day-to-day life at Lyft
• 11:58 - Indications that a veteran may enjoy the role of General Manager, and indications that it might not be a good fit for them
• 15:00 - What it's like to work at an explosively growing startup (and the pros and cons of joining a company on an exponential growth path)
• 19:20 - Sam's decision to leave the Marine Corps
• 22:05 - Sam's view on an MBA and how essential it is to a veteran aspiring to a General Manager role
• 24:04 - How Sam decided to enter Management Consulting at Bain & Company
• 26:25 - Some of the skills that Sam learned at Bain that have helped him in his role as General Manager
• 29:45 - How Sam's lifestyle changed between a Consultant to a Case Team Leader
• 31:50 - After three years, how Sam transitioned from Bain & Company to Coca-Cola
• 34:50 - An overview of Sam's roles at Coca-Cola
• 38:20 - An overview of entry level positions at Coca-Cola for a newly transitioned veteran
• 41:10 - How Sam transitioned from Coca-Cola to Lyft
• 47:32 - How Sam looks back on his journey to a role of General Manager
• 50:00 - How leadership outside of the military differs from leadership within the military
• 52:20 - Final words of wisdom from Sam

BTU #42 - Shaoli Breaux: Navy to maternity leave to GE's Junior Officer Leadership Program

“It's more change than you ever think it will be, because in the corporate world plans change all the time. Everything changes even more so than in the military. Don't expect a table nine to five job where you're just going to sit in the office all day. That's what you imagine when you're in the military - 'Oh, I wish I had more stability and wasn't changing around so much.' But it's just like that if not more in the corporate world." – Shaoli Breaux

Shaoli Breaux is part of the Junior Officer Leadership Program at GE Oil & Gas in Houston, Texas. She started out at the Naval Academy, and served as a Surface Warfare Officer for for 5.5 years. After she left the Navy, she stayed at home to take care of her young children for two years. Then, she transitioned directly to General Electric.

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

• An overview of the Junior Officer Leadership Program at General Electric
• What the GE Junior Officer Leadership Program looks like on a day-to-day basis
• What it was like to re-enter the workforce after two years of maternity leave
• What Shaoli's experience has been like in the Reserves while at General Electric
• 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…

Links

• GE's Junior Officer Leadership Program: https://www.ge.com/careers/culture/us-veterans/junior-officer-leadership-program

Show Notes

• 1:35 - Shaoli's background
• 2:20 - An overview of the Junior Officer Leadership Program at General Electric
• 3:34 - Examples of the types of rotations available at a program like the GE JOLP
• 5:02 - What happens at the end of the two year rotational program
• 5:55 - An overview of the application process and advice for veterans considering applying
• 7:20 - What the GE Junior Officer Leadership Program looks like on a day-to-day basis
• 9:00 - The most challenging aspect of the GE Junior Officer Leadership Program
• 11:43 - Indications you may be well suited for the JOLP and indications that you may not like it
• 13:20 - What Shaoli wished she had known when she first started the GE Junior Officer Leadership Program
• 15:22 - Shaoli's decision to leave the military and how she approached this decision
• 16:30 - What it was like to re-enter the workforce after two years of maternity leave
• 17:55 - What Shaoli's experience has been like in the Reserves while at General Electric
• 19:20 - In what ways Shaoli felt ahead and behind her civilian counterparts
• 21:30 - Good habits that Shaoli learned in the military that she's tried to maintain, and habits she's had to break
• 23:20 - The most surprising aspects of Shaoli's transition to civilian life
• 26:07 - Advice on how to best prepare for one's transition from active duty
• 28:06 - Shaoli's final words of wisdom

BTU#38: Chris Shaw - Army to Startup Founder and Bunker Labs

“The autonomy is incredible. I think back to my time in the military and the best times I had was when I was flying around the mountains of Afghanistan, and we had a lot of flexibility in the mission we were running. When I think about being an entrepreneur, it's very similar to that in a lot of ways. I love that I can set my own hours and create my own success. That is really exciting and gets my adrelanine going. The bad part is that you don't have a paycheck. If you make a sale and get cash you can take a small salary from there, but there's a lot of unpredictability there. Going into this I didn't expect that aspect of this to wear on me emotionally as much as it does. But it does, and it's real - you just need to understand that that's part of the deal." – Chris Shaw

Chris Shaw is the Founder of CORE Leader, the Director of the NY Office of Bunker Labs at the NYU Tandon Engineering School. He graduated from NYU Stern School of Business in May 2016. He started out at Cornell University, where he earned his BA in history, after which he served in the US Army as an Aviation Officer for 8 years flying the Kiowa Warrior armed reconnaissance helicopter. He deployed twice to combat in Afghanistan, most recently as the head of his squadron’s intelligence department in the 82nd Airborne Division.

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

• How Chris decided to go to business school rather than industry after the military
• An overview of Bunker Labs, and why every aspiring entrepreneur should consider applying
• Advice on finding a co-founder... and how to make sure you get it right. Chris talks about the biggest mistake he made when starting his company
• The experiences that best help Chris prepare for his life as an entrepreneur
• 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

• NYU Stern School of Business
• Chris' second company - CORE Leader
• Bunker Labs - their entrepreneurial program is EPIC
• Leaders Reaction Course
• Tough Mudder - a visit here was one of the catalysts for Chris starting his company, CORE Leader

Show Notes

• 1:50 - Chris' background
• 2:30 - How Chris decided to leave the Army
• 3:12 - How Chris thought about joining the Reserves and why he chose not to
• 3:48 - The most surprising aspect of Chris' transition to civilian life
• 5:20 - A few bad habits Chris had to break when he left the military
• 6:30 - How Chris decided to go to business school rather than industry after the military
• 9:28 - Chris' experience at Stern School of Business and his advice on how to apply and why to go
• 11:10 - An overview of Bunker Labs, and why every aspiring entrepreneur should consider applying
• 15:20 - What Chris' day-to-day life looks like as a Director at Bunker Labs
• 17:40 - An overview of Chris' second company - CORE Leader
• 20:13 - Advice on finding a co-founder... and how to make sure you get it right. Chris talks about the biggest mistake he made when starting his company
• 24:17 - The experiences that best help Chris prepare for his life as an entrepreneur
• 25:38 - What Chris' day-to-day life looks like as an entrepreneur
• 27:44 - What Chris like most and least about his life as an entrepreneur
• 29:30 - Chris' advice for other veterans considering entrepreneurship
• 32:45 - How Chris felt ahead and behind his civilian counterparts
• 36:37 - Final words of wisdom from Chris for all veterans

BTU #37 - David Cho: Starting a Cosmetics eCommerce company while in the Army

“I'm in the beauty industry. I'm this ex-combat arms officer who knows way too much about cosmetics now. I think it's really funny. For me, timing really worked out. When we started Soko Glam, I was an Executive Aide to a General Officer. Although my time was really sporadic, for the most part I was in garrison. So I had a lot of time to research and take night classes, research certain things and go out and network. That would be my piece of advice - when you're still in really take the time to meet people and  figure out what you want to do. Do as much reading as possible but you gotta go out there and meet people." – David Cho

David Cho is the Co-Founder and CEO of Soko Glam - an eCommerce beauty shop and lifestyle brand with the best selection of Korean Beauty products and content. Dave started out at West Point, and served as a Combat Arms Officer for over 8 years. After his transition from the Army, David attended Columbia Business School, during which he worked at Facebook as a Global Accounts Intern. In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• How Dave started an e-commerce beauty company while on active duty in the Army
• What it's like to have your wife as your co-founder
• Resources Dave would recommend to any aspiring veteran entrepreneur
• WhatWhat Dave wished he had known when he first started his company, Soko Glam
• 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…

Links

• Dave's company, Soko Glam: https://sokoglam.com
• Book Recommendations:
  • Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't
  • Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
  • The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
• Website Recommendations:
  • Fred Wilson Blog
  • TechCrunch
  • Google News (personalized to your interests)
• American Corporate Partners - connects veterans with mentors in the civilian workforce
• Google Veterans Summit

Show Notes

• 2:19 - Dave's background
• 2:53 - An overview of Dave's company, Soko Glam
• 4:48 - Finding a co-founder, and what it's like to be married to them
• 11:11 - What Dave's like as a Co-Founder & CEO looks like on a day-to-day basis
• 13:16 - What Dave's lifestyle looks like as an entrepreneur
• 16:33 - What it was like to start Soko Glam while on active duty in the Army
• 19:19 - Resources Dave would recommend when you're preparing to start your company
• 23:30 - Whether or not to consider business school when starting your own company
• 29:07 - How Dave's wife, Charlotte, continued to work on Soko Glam while Dave was at business school
• 29:37 - What Dave wished he had known when he first started his company, Soko Glam
• 32:32 - Some of the best advice Dave received when making the transition from the Army
• 38:15 - Some consistent misconceptions that Dave sees veterans make when he is mentoring veterans going through the transition to civilian life
• 41:30 - How to better know if you'd like a large company or start your own company
• 43:20 - The bad habits that Dave needed to break when he left the military
• 46:30 - The biggest surprises Dave experienced in his transition to civilian life
• 49:20 - Dave's final words of wisdom