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 #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#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

BTU #31 - Andreas Jones - Starting your own business and making your dream a reality

“What a lot of people do in networking is they go in with the mindset of “what can I get from it.” The important switch i made was, “what can I give to this relationship that I’m looking to start.” Stop trying to figure out what’s in it for you. Give and it’s the law of nature - if you plant seeds of good and positive vibrations all the time, it’s going to come back to you." – Andreas Jones

Andreas Jones is the CEO and Principal Business Strategist and Leadership Consultant at Combat Business Coaching. Andreas served in the US Army for over 8 years, where he was as a Logistics & Supply Chain Manager. In his civilian career he has worked as: a contributing writer to Forbes and The Huffington Post; a Project Manager work at The Home Depot; and a Vice President of Procurement and Strategy at the Financial Services Company, the Sun Trust. .

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

• From the Army to starting his own business - what Andreas learned along the way
• Advice on how to find a co-founder or initial team
• Advice on how to learn and grow through networking
• What day-to-day life looked like while starting a company
• Advice Andreas would give to other veterans considering starting their own business
• 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

• Andreas' interview on EO Fire: 1433: Build a meaningful business that has more profit, fans, and freedom with Andreas Jones
• Andreas' company, Combat Business Coaching
• A great way to meet others and network is with MeetUp.com
• Book Recommendations
  • The Compound Effect- taking 1-2 steps weeekly to get you to your goal
  • Andreas' book - Distinguished Men: Grow in influence, Success and Significance

Show Notes

• 1:11 - Andreas’ background
• 3:40 - How Andreas decided to leave the Army
• 4:25 - How Andreas approached is initial job search and what he learned along the way
• 7:01 - What Andreas does for a living, and what his life looks like on a day-to-day business
• 12:40 - From the Army to starting his own business - what Andreas learned along the way
• 15:10 - Advice on how to find a co-founder or initial team
• 16:10 - Advice on how to learn and grow through networking
• 24:24 - Other advice to help you start your own company
• 25:10 - What day-to-day life looked like while starting a company
• 28:24 - When Andreas started his own company, how he felt ahead of his civilian counterparts and where he felt behind
• 30:23 - Advice Andreas would give to other veterans considering starting their own business
• 31:05 - What Andreas has liked most and least about starting his own company
• 32:15 - Other resources Andreas would recommend to listeners
• 34:05 - The most surprising aspect of Andreas’ transition from the Army to civilian life
• 36:40 - Final words of wisdom for veteans

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 17: Maggi & Johannes - Career Off-roading

This episode is a break from my normal format - rather than interview a veteran about their civilian career, I interview TWO veterans about their advice based on their work in helping other veterans. This episode is FULL of helpful hints, resources, and recommendations that would benefit any veteran.

In this interview I meet with Johannes Schonberg and Maggi Melina. Johannes enlisted in the navy as a Nuclear Machinist Mate, before attending the Naval Academy with a degree in English. He served as a Surface Warfare Officer in San Diego for five years before transitioning to civilian life. He has done work in Politics and as a consultant, helping companies like T-Mobile and Facebook hire veterans. Maggi Air Force ground radar systems journeyman, deploying to Kuwait. After her transition, she completed her bachelors degree, went to law school, and worked as a lawyer for seven years. After practicing law, she worked in politics, as an electrician, and then as a founder of a startup.

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

• Practical tips and tools to use as a veteran to help in your networking
• Coding academies and other efficient resources to help educate you for a specific job
• What companies like Facebook and T-Mobile look for in veterans
• 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.”

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• Operation Code- mentor people to learn new tech skill set
• LinkedIn Premium Account
• Education sources to consider: EdX, Coursera (Promotion for Veterans), Salesforce for Veterans (VetForce), udemy, Khan Academy,  Udacity, Continuing education at community college
• Events to consider - Startup Weekend; Seattle Tech list serv, MeetUp.com, Lean Startup, Veterans on Wall Street, Military Conferences, Academy Conferences
• Code Schools to consider: Code Fellows, Operation Code (list of code schools that take the GI Bill)
• Glass Door - there's a lot of salary info here. I recommend you use them to see the earning potential of graduates from a program; before you invest money in an education, know the concrete numbers you can expect to make on the other side
• American Corporate Partners - connects military personnel with a senior level civilian to be your mentor
• Deliotte Core Leadership Program - helps veterans build an elevator pitch and build their personal brand
• Vet Tech Trek - go from tech companies around SF and NY and finance
• The Commit Foundation - creates tailored transition solutions for top Veteran talent and are reaching Veterans across the nation through our small touch, high impact workshops and 1-on-1 transition assistance programs.
• Upwork - freelance site; could use to build skills
  • Top skills for 2015 - what skills are most valuable that year
• To consider while on Active Duty - The Defense Innovation Initiative; the Navy Innovation Advisory; Hacking for Defense (H4D), Defense Entrepreneurs Forum,
• http://seattletechstartups.com/
• To Contact Maggi - OperationCode.Org's Slack Channel (Direct Message @Maggi)
• Johannes' work at Bunker Labs - free resource, overview of what entrepreneurship looks like, as well as the Athena Project

Show Notes

• 1:30 Intro and background info Johannes and Maggi
• 7:12 What people on active duty may not understand about civilian life.
• 12:30 What is “networking” and advice for veterans about how to get started
• 17:10 Education - taking a proactive and efficient approach to education, and specific resources to consider
• 21:00 How a veteran might approach “networking” in a way that is more authentic and natural to them
• 23:26 A few other resources to consider for education
• 25:20 Common mistakes that veterans make in their transition to civilian life
• 29:50 An overview of Code Schools and Coding Academies
• 34:58 What veterans should know about applying to companies like Facebook and T-Mobile
• 43:40 Other advice and words of wisdom for veterans