Why Listen:
This is my one of my favorite interviews - whether you’re interested in entrepreneurship or any career path, there is something in this interview for you. We talk about how a library card may be more valuable than college or grad school, we talk about the pros and cons of gaining experience prior to starting a company, we talk about the tactics of starting a company and how to do that on a limited budget while supporting a family, we talk about finding co-founders, we talk about how to maintain a fresh mind even amidst the grueling mental battle of running a company, we talk about daily planning and finding your game-changers, and more.

About Matt:
Matt is the CEO & Co-Founder of Combat Flip Flops, which creates peaceful, forward-thinking opportunities for self-determined entrepreneurs affected by conflict. He started out at West Point, after which he served in the 75th Ranger Regiment as a Rifle Company Fire Support Officer with three tours to Afghanistan and one tour to Iraq.  His post military career includes work as the Director of Military Sales for Remote Medical International and the director of Special Operations for Protect the Force. 

Why Listen:
Brian is a Navy SEAL turned entrepreneur in the midst of starting his first company. We haven’t had a lot of guests on the show who are selling physical products, and Brain talks about what it’s like to start a watch manufacturing company. We talk about finding expertise and knowing when to pay for it, we talk about how social media is often shunned in the military and yet absolutely essential in business, we talk about the value of reserves for healthcare when you’re starting a company and have a family, and we talk about much, much more.

About Brian:
Brian is the founder of the Declan James Watch Co. He started out in commercial real estate for 6 years, before joining the Navy SEALs, where he served for 8 years including two deployments with SEAL Team 7 and one shore duty assignment as a BUDS instructor. He separated from active duty 10 months ago and the Declan James Watch Co is his first venture.

Why Listen:
Ryan Hogan is a serial entrepreneur who has started the majority of his companies while still on Active Duty. In this interview we talk about finding like minded people as accountability partners, and the importance of believing that anything is possible. We talk about what it’s like to have a startup fail, and how to recover from this in a way that might not seem intuitive to most listeners. We talk about finances, and how Ryan has started his company and grown it to over $18M in annual revenue without raising a single dollar of investment from outside investors (and how he borrowed money from his Thrift Saving Plan) to do it.

About Ryan:
Ryan Hogan is the Co-Founder & CEO of Hunt A Killer (HAK), the fastest-growing thriller subscription service in the world. Hunt a Killer is an immersive murder mystery entertainment service that challenges its players to hunt and catch a killer through its interactive monthly membership boxes and premium one-time experiences allowing thrill seeking minds to solve ongoing fictional murder mysteries. Ryan started out as an Enlisted Naval Aircrew member, and served in the Navy for 15 years, most recently as a Surface Warfare Officer. He is currently in the Navy reserves.

Why Listen:
There is a major problem in the military Veteran community around over-medication, suicide, and drug dependancies. While in the Marine Corps, Steve realized this epidemic, which led him to start Warfighter Hemp. In this episode we talk about the legally approved, non-psychoactive CBD Oil that his company sells. While CBD Oil helps with anxiety and pain, it is non-addictive, and does not build up a tolerance in one’s body like many drugs do. Additionally, we talk about starting a company while having a full-time job and more. Steve is offering a 50% discount to the Beyond the Uniform audience at https://www.warfighterhemp.com/btu

About Steve:
After returning from a ground combat tour in Iraq with the Marine Corps, Steve spent the following year working wounded issues, primarily in the National Capitol Region at Walter Reed and Bethesda. Steve was so troubled by what he perceived as the over-medication of service members and Veterans that it led to him founding an all volunteer non- profit with the mission of addressing the myriad problems of what he believed would become long term crisis. Unfortunately, his fears materialized, and today’s Veterans suffer one of the highest suicide rates on record. Steve founded Warfighter Hemp based on what he learned from wounded Warfighters he has befriended over the past decade. He currently serves as an unpaid consultant for Warfighter Hemp, a Veteran founded and run business that provides CBD to the Veteran community. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserves as a LtCol in 2014. His wife Valerie still serves on active duty in the Marine Corps in the National Capitol Region and was recently promoted to the rank of full Colonel. 

Why Listen:
Malachi went from the infantry into Cyber Security without any background in Cyber Security. We talk about federal jobs in general, and why Veterans should consider a career in Cyber Security. Malachi also managed to get a tremendous amount of education debt-free, and talks about all the Veteran resources he used to do this. We talk about all the fields inherent in Cyber Security and the 2 Million job openings anticipated in this field

About C. “Malachi” D. Scott:
Mr. C. “Malachi” D. Scott serves as Program Analyst with the Cybersecurity Education and Awareness Branch in the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C), U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS). Before his current assignment with DHS, he was an IT Pathways Intern within SECIR. Prior to working for DHS, Mr. Scott served as an Analyst in the Executive Office of the President at the White House. Previously, Mr. Scott served as the Operations Maintenance Chief at Tobyhanna Army Depot. Mr. Scott also has served in the U.S. Army, and is currently serving in the Pennsylvania National Guard as an Infantryman. 

Mr. Scott graduated from University of Western Florida with a Graduate Teaching Certificate. He also holds a Bachelor of Science and two Associate of Applied Science degrees from Thomas Edison State University. Mr. Scott also holds Associate of Applied Science degrees from Hagerstown Community College. He also holds an Associate of Science Technology degree from Penn Foster College. Mr. Scott also holds a Diploma Nursing. 

Our Sponsor: 

• This episode is sponsored by Lockheed Martin. At Lockheed Martin, veterans are at the center of everything they do — in fact, one in five of their employees has served in uniform. Lockheed Martin is proud to help men and women like you successfully transition into civilian careers. Join Lockheed Martin and you will find opportunities to take on the same kind of long-term challenging assignments you tackled while in the military.  Whether you’re on active duty, transitioning or already embarking on your civilian career, Lockheed Martin’s Military Connect is your online community for professional support. You can find out more at https://lockheedmartin.bravenew.com

• StoryBox- People trust each other more than advertising. StoryBox provides the tools and supports businesses need to take the best things customers say about them, and use them to drive more sales and referrals. StoryBox offers a 10% discount to companies employing veterans of the US Armed Forces.

• 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

Why Listen:
Today’s guest was introduced to me by Kill Anderson, from episode 182 at the Pat Tillman Foundation, who described Kim Jung as someone who moves a “mile a minute.” That may be an understatement. Kim went from the Army, to Harvard Business School, where she started Rumi Spice, a for profit company that employs over 2,000 women in Afghanistan. She raised over $500k in 24 hours, appears on the TV show the Shark Tank, where she raised funds from Mark Cuban himself. And is now at MIT getting another advanced degree, and focusing on the space industry. She asks herself frequently about if she is operating at 100% happiness… and if not, finds a way to get there. There is something for everyone in this episode. 

About Kimberly Jung:
Kimberly Jung is a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and also serves as the Vice President of the Board of Directors of Bunker Labs. She started out at West Point, after which she served as an officer in the Army for 5 years, most recently as a Brigade Construction Officer. After her military service, she earned her MBA from Harvard Business School, and then started Rumi Spice, a for-profit social enterprise that imports saffron from Afghan farmers and cooperatives. 

Why Listen:
I’ve done several interviews about Cyber Security lately, but Chris is perhaps the most senior person I’ve spoken with on this subject. As Corporate Vice President of Cyber Incident Response at the New York Life Insurance company, as as Chief Information Officer previously at two separate companies, Chris has a very unique perspective. His story of switching from CIO to focus on cyber security, and about the incredible growth coming in this field is compelling for anyone even remotely interested in considering Cyber Security as a career path. We also talk about his experience in the Reserves and advice to other Veterans about considering staying in the Reserves.

About Chris Koc:
Chris Koc is the Corporate Vice President of Cyber Incident Response at the New York Life Insurance Company. He started out in the Army, where he served as a Communications Officer for over four years on Active Duty. Since his military service, he has worked at Accenture as a Technology Manager, at the Facility Group as their Chief Information Officer, LakePoint Sports as a Chief Information Officer, and more. He has served over 21 years in the Army Reserves, retiring at the rank of Colonel.

This episode is sponsored by Lockheed Martin. At Lockheed Martin, veterans are at the center of everything they do — in fact, one in five of their employees has served in uniform. Lockheed Martin is proud to help men and women like you successfully transition into civilian careers. Join Lockheed Martin and you will find opportunities to take on the same kind of long-term challenging assignments you tackled while in the military.  Whether you’re on active duty, transitioning or already embarking on your civilian career, Lockheed Martin’s Military Connect is your online community for professional support. You can find out more at https://lockheedmartin.bravenew.com

• StoryBox- People trust each other more than advertising. StoryBox provides the tools and supports businesses need to take the best things customers say about them, and use them to drive more sales and referrals. StoryBox offers a 10% discount to companies employing veterans of the US Armed Forces.

• 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

While I’ve had a lot of guests on the show to talk about entrepreneurship, Beth is in the trenches right now, and towards the starting point of her entrepreneurial journey. In this raw interview, Beth opens up about a Kickstarter campaign she just launched, that didn’t work out as she hoped, and what she learned from that. She talks about the “imposter syndrome” and what it’s like to not feel like a “real entrepreneur.” She talks about working a full-time job, starting her own company, and raising her son, and not dropping the ball on any of those three. We talk about Bunker Labs, dreaming big and going for it, doing what you want to do, getting enough sleep, and fusing the gaps in your day.

About Beth:
Beth Fynbo is the Founder of Busy Baby Mat. She is also an Enterprise Account Manager at Cardinal Health, a global, integrated healthcare services and products company, providing customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories and physician offices worldwide. She started out in the Army as a Crytpologic Linguist and Broadcast Journalist, where she served for over 10 years. Since her military service she has worked at the National Guard Bureau and Alutiiq.

Why Listen:
Michael is amongst the top thought leaders in the Veteran transition space in the country. In this interview, we talk about how IVMF is solving transition problems and opening transition pathways for Veterans and their families. We talk about business ownership, credentialing and licensing programs, and how IVMF helps with all of these - for free. We talk about entrepreneurship, and how fear is the biggest obstacle on this path. We talk about how the military trains people to be planners, and how this can be a major obstacle to success. And we talk about the cure: small, actionable steps.

About Mike:
Dr. Mike Haynie is the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives & Innovation at Syracuse University. He is also the founding Executive Director of Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families. The IVMF is the nation’s first, interdisciplinary academic institute focused purposefully on informing and impacting the policy, economic, wellness, and social concerns the nation’s veterans and their families. Today the IVMF’s educational programs directly impact more than 35,000 veterans and family members annually, and the IVMF is widely acknowledged as the nation’s hub of academic thought leadership related to the post-service concerns of America’s veterans and military-connected families.Michael started out as an Officer in the Air Force, where he served for 14 years. Mike also serves as an appointed member of the U.S. Secretary of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Employment, Training, and Employer Outreach, and as a member of the advisory committee for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Veterans Coming Home project.