8-12 Years of Service

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

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“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…

iTurnes Beyond the UniformStitcher Beyond the Uniform

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

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
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BTU #45 - John Fenwick: Launching a Satellite Startup and Selling to Google for $500M

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BTU #45 - John Fenwick: Launching a Satellite Startup and Selling to Google for $500M

John Fenwick is Head of Spacecraft Operations at Google. He started out at the Air Force Academy, after which he served for 8 years in the Air Force as a Physicist & Space Acquisitions Officer. He holds a Masters in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from MIT and an MBA from Stanford Business School. After business school, John co-founded Skybox Imaging and served as their Vice President of Flight Programs. Skybox provides commercial, high-resolution satellite imagery and high-definition video and analytics services. Skybox raised over $91M in funding prior to being acquired by Google for $500M, as reported by the WSJ. Skybox is now known as Terra Bella within Google.

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

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“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…

iTurnes Beyond the UniformStitcher Beyond the Uniform

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

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

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“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…

iTurnes Beyond the UniformStitcher Beyond the Uniform

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

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
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BTU #29 - Eric Hulbert: Navy Aviation to BofA to the Boston Consulting Group

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BTU #29 - Eric Hulbert: Navy Aviation to BofA to the Boston Consulting Group

Eric Hulbert is a Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in their Atlanta Office. He started out at the Naval Academy, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in History. After that he served for over 11 years as a pilot, Wing Asst Training Officer, Maritime Watch Officer, and ROTC instructor. After his transition from the military, Eric worked in the Finance Industry at Bank of America - as a Vice Principal of Strategy Analyst. Eric holds an MBA and a Masters of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering from the University of Florida

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BTU #28: Graham Plaster - Navy to Public Policy & Startups

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“I think that failure is such a scary word to anyone in a large organization, because generally in a large organization - like the military or government - they train you to not discuss failure openly. But in grappling with what you want to do next in life and coming to gips with who you are you need to develop a lot more candor. And you need to develop resiliency. It helped me to really reflect on how much sacrifice will I be willing to make in order to achieve what I want to achieve; and how will i talk about my failures to other people so I can help them." – Graham Plaster

Graham Plaster a Senior Adviser at the Defense Language and National Security Education Office. He started out at the Naval Academy, where he received his Bachelors degree in English. After that, he served in the Navy for 11 years as: a Surface Warfare Officer, the Assistant Dean of Students at the Naval War College, a United Nations Liaison Officer, a Foreign Area Officer, and a Navy Staff Officer for the OPNAV Staff. Since his transition to his civilian career he has worked as a consultant, author, editor, founder and advisor in a variety of capacities in the Washington D.C. area

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

  • How to embrace failure as a way to learn about yourself
  • How to find a community where you can add value and potentially start a business
  • The advantages of juggling multiple projects and how you can more effectively do this
  • How to use LinkedIn as a powerful tool for networking and advancing your career
  • And much, much more…

iTurnes Beyond the UniformStitcher Beyond the Uniform

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

Show Notes

  • 1:38 - Graham's Background
  • 3:21 - How Graham approached the decision to leave the Navy
  • 5:02 - How Graham considered the Reserves and remained involved
  • 6:44 - An overview of American Corporate Partners - a FREE resource every veteran should consider
  • 9:50 - The most surprising aspect of Graham's transition to civilian life
  • 11:21 - Graham's advice on how to approach a job search
  • 13:22  - Some practical tips and tools to help with increasing your self-knowledge
  • 18:10 - Advice for using LinkedIn effectively for networking
  • 25:27 - How Graham started TheIntelligenceCommunity.com
  • 31:30 - What Graham's startup looks like on a day-to-day basis and what it's like juggling this with a fulltime job
  • 38:30 - Advice for veterans considering starting their own company
  • 40:10 - Advice for those seeking to juggle multiple jobs and side projects at the same time
  • 46:80 - What it's like working at the Defense Language and National Security Education Office
  • 49:40 - Final words of advice
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BTU #23: John Pontrello - Aviation to HBS and the Oil & Energy Industry

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“A lot of stress goes into the transition and thinking about what's next. Trust in the system that being a high performer and having a positive attitude and getting things done is going to work out. You're going to hit a lot stumbling blocks along the way and face a lot of uncertainty, but if you maintain that positive attitude you're going to be fine." – John Pontrello

John Pontrello graduated from the Naval Academy and served for 9 years as a Naval Aviator in various helicopter squadrons. After getting out of the Navy, he attended Harvard Business School. After receiving his MBA from Harvard, he entered the Oil & Gas industry as part of Cameron - a publicly traded company that is now part of Schlumberger. John started as a Corporate Development Manager and then progressed to a Plant Manager. John then returned to Harvard, where he is currently earning his Master of Public Administration at the Kennedy School of Government.

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

  • Choosing to go straight to Business School at Harvard Business School rather than to industry
  • Advice on using the GI Bill
  • How John decided to enter the Oil & Energy Industry with Cameron
  • An overview of the Corporate Development Manager
  • An overview of a Plant Manager
  • What career progression looks like in the Oil & Energy industry
  • What it's been like at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government
  • And much, much more…

iTurnes Beyond the UniformStitcher Beyond the Uniform

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

Show Notes

  • 1:19 - John’s background
  • 2:06 - John’s decision to leave the Navy
  • 2:58 - Choosing to not join the Reserves
  • 3:32 - The most surprising aspect of John’s transition to civilian life
  • 4:16 - Choosing to go straight to Business School at Harvard Business School rather than to industry
  • 4:57 - Advice on applying to Business School and Harvard Business School in particular
  • 9:03 - What John liked most and least about his time at Harvard Business School
  • 10:30 - Advice on how a veteran might cover their weakness in advance (or as an alternative to business school)
  • 12:13 - Advice on using the GI Bill
  • 13:20 - How John decided to enter the Oil & Energy Industry with Cameron
  • 15:44 - An overview of the Corporate Development Manager
  • 19:25 - In what ways John felt behind his civilian counterparts, and in what ways he felt ahead.
  • 21:50 - An overview of a Plant Manager
  • 24:50 - What career progression looks like in the Oil & Energy industry
  • 30:00 - What are signs that you may enjoy a career in the Oil & Energy industry... and signs that you may not like it
  • 31:30 - What it's been like at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government
  • 33:30 - Final words of wisdom