Join us as we dive deep into the world of government contracting with Hillary Voice, an Army veteran and founder of BAFO Services. Hillary shares her extensive experience navigating the complexities of government contracts across various sectors. She offers invaluable insights on finding opportunities, understanding federal acquisition regulations, and the importance of building a robust network. Learn about the critical steps for starting from scratch, the significance of compliance in proposals, and the benefits of teaming with both small and large businesses. Whether you are a small business owner or a seasoned contractor, this episode provides essential tips and strategies to help you succeed in the competitive landscape of government contracting.
00:00 Introduction to Government Contracting
01:10 Meet Hillary: A Government Contracting Expert
03:26 Understanding the Federal Market
05:33 Navigating Set-Asides and Certifications
09:40 Challenges and Risks in Government Contracting
12:56 Getting Started: Strategies and Tips
16:05 Networking and Building Relationships
21:02 Partnering with Large Businesses
25:26 Finding and Winning Contracts
31:15 Evaluating Opportunities and Making Decisions
36:31 Identifying Key Requirements for Government Contracts
37:18 Strategies for New Contractors: Subcontracting and Reverse Auctions
37:58 Balancing Profit and Strategy in Early Contracts
38:52 Homework and Preparation for Competitive Bids
39:58 Building a Strong Proposal and Pricing Strategy
42:14 Hiring and Managing Your Team Effectively
47:46 The Importance of Responsiveness and Networking
53:16 Leveraging LinkedIn and Other Platforms for Opportunities
54:31 The Role of Proposals in Winning Contracts
58:44 Introduction to BAFO and Their Services
01:05:52 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: December 23, 2024In this episode, Brock interviews Randy Wootton, CEO of Maxio, as they delve into various aspects of pricing and monetization strategies for B2B SaaS companies. Randy shares his extensive career history, including his time in the military, his rise through the corporate ranks, and his experiences leading multiple companies.
The discussion covers key metrics like ARR, CAC, gross retention, and net revenue retention, and how these affect overall business success. Randy also emphasizes the importance of segmenting the market, tailoring pricing strategies based on customer value, and the need for regular pricing reviews through a dedicated pricing council.
The conversation also touches on strategies for reducing customer acquisition costs, the efficacy of product-led versus sales-led growth models, and the significance of ensuring efficient billing and invoicing processes. Lastly, Randy highlights the crucial role of hiring the right talent and leveraging external expertise for optimal business growth. 00:00 Introduction to Scuttlebutt 01:31 Randy's Career Journey 03:55 Maxio and Its Evolution 04:50 Understanding ARR and Its Importance 06:18 Challenges and Strategies in SaaS Business Models 08:25 Metrics and Customer Acquisition Costs 10:31 Product-Led vs. Sales-Led Growth 14:43 Key Metrics for SaaS Success 18:31 Pricing Strategies and Retention 27:16 Challenges with AOR RevRec and Investor Expectations 27:45 Customer Segmentation and Pricing Strategies 28:38 Aligning Business Objectives with Pricing 29:02 Importance of Unit Cost Economics 29:52 Segmentation and Growth Strategies 31:03 Implementing Pricing Strategy Changes 31:36 Market Research and Pricing Penetration 32:36 Value Perception and Pricing 35:04 Customer Conversations and Value Realization 36:41 ROI Calculators and Efficiency Metrics 39:53 Abstract Values and Due Diligence 42:17 Comparing Metrics and Business Planning 49:45 Hiring Strategies and Channel Models 52:42 VC vs. PE: Finding the Right Fit 54:27 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: December 17, 2024In this episode of the Scuttlebutt Podcast, host Brock Briggs sits down with Charlie Felker to discuss the transformative impact of AI in the home services industry. Charlie shares his journey from running a traditional customer support operation to embracing cutting-edge AI technology to streamline and enhance customer interactions.
Expect to learn:
Whether you’re a home services entrepreneur or interested in how AI is revolutionizing customer service, this episode provides valuable takeaways for anyone looking to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving industry.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
00:00 Introduction and Background
00:22 Military Experience and Transition
02:04 Entrepreneurial Journey
04:50 Challenges in Home Service Business
08:26 Lessons Learned and Advice
12:12 Customer Service Insights
16:20 Founding Free to Grow
19:25 Pivot to AI Solutions
32:25 Reflecting on Business Shifts and AI Integration
33:37 Challenges in Transitioning to AI
34:32 Impact on Workforce and Client Relations
35:46 Adapting to AI in Customer Service
37:01 AI's Role in Home Services
40:45 Customer Reactions to AI
48:44 Customization and Integration of AI Solutions
55:54 Advice for Entrepreneurs and Veterans
58:42 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: October 4, 2024In this episode, Alex Mikhailovsky, a medically retired Army veteran, discusses his journey to founding Organic Grit, a CBD company tailored for veterans. Alex shares the how they're overcoming challenges with the legal landscape of CBD and the strategies that have fostered Organic Grit's growth, including using customer education to drive customers down funnel. Expect to learn the importance of a clear mission, the benefits of starting with a niche market, and the power of word-of-mouth and customer education in building a successful brand.
Organic Grit 00:00 Introduction to Life-Changing Transformations 00:15 Understanding the Survey and Product Recommendations 00:22 Military and Mental Health Challenges 00:31 Defining Scuttlebutt and Introduction to Alex 01:03 Alex's Background and Military Experience 01:21 The Birth of Organic Grit 02:43 Challenges and Stigma in the Military 04:08 Early Customers and Business Transition 05:08 Ensuring Quality and Transparency 10:00 Marketing Challenges and Strategies 14:02 Customer Service and Community Building 16:56 Advocacy and Legislative Efforts 31:36 The Importance of Customer Feedback 32:43 Subscription Model and Future Plans 34:56 Struggles and Lessons Learned 40:47 Conclusion and Call to Action
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: August 19, 2024In this episode of the Scuttlebutt Podcast, host Brock Briggs delves into the fundamental principles that propelled Amazon from their first sale in the 1990s to a staggering $575 billion in revenue by 2023. Drawing from the book 'Working Backwards' by former Amazon employees Colin Breyer and Bill Carr, Brock shares key takeaways that can be applied to any business. Key lessons include the importance of detailed documentation, the 'six-pager' technique for pitching new ideas, PRFAQ for execution, hiring principles including the 'bar raiser' concept, empowering leaders with single-threaded ownership, and the value of understanding input metrics to create a business flywheel. Tune in for actionable insights and practical steps to implement in your own business endeavors.
Episode Resources:
0:00 Working Backwards Presentation
02:13 Introduction to the Book 'Working Backwards'
02:23 The Importance of Reading 'Working Backwards'
03:35 Key Takeaways from the Book
04:36 The Concept of Building in Amazon
07:39 The Hiring Process at Amazon
14:30 The Leadership Style at Amazon
21:31 How Amazon Measures Success
28:31 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: August 9, 2024Mastering Global Talent: Leadership Strategies and Business Lessons with John Matzner In this insightful episode of the Scuttlebutt Podcast, John Matzner, co-founder of Sagan Passport, a global talent agency, shares his expertise on building and managing a global workforce. The video delves into the principles of leading remote teams, maintaining effective leadership, and ensuring your business serves you rather than the other way around. Learn how to find top talent outside the US, onboard new employees effectively, and capitalize on the benefits of a global team while avoiding common pitfalls. Whether you're a seasoned business owner or just starting, this episode offers valuable takeaways to implement in your business today.
Episode Resources:
Jon on X 00:00 Introduction to Global Talent and Leadership 01:04 Welcome to the Scuttlebutt Podcast 02:12 Meet John Matzner: Background and Experience 03:07 The Philosophy of a Global Workforce 08:15 Leadership and Management in a Remote Environment 13:19 Practical Tips for Hiring and Managing Global Talent 27:02 The Importance of Note-Taking 28:37 Building Team Cohesion in a Remote Workforce 29:17 Challenges of Running a Business 29:41 Introducing Militia: A Network for Veteran Entrepreneurs 30:19 Creative Leadership in Remote Environments 34:03 The Role of Hierarchy in Leadership 38:50 The Value of Peer Support and Networking 46:39 Final Thoughts and Recommendations
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: August 6, 2024In this episode Brock talks with Aaron Hale, a former Navy cook and Army EOD technician.
Aaron shares his life journey from military service to becoming blind and deaf due to an IED explosion and bacterial meningitis. Despite these challenges, Aaron started a successful chocolate business, EOD Fudge, turning adversity into opportunity.
He discusses the importance of resilience, gratitude, and finding fulfillment through business ventures and helping others. Aaron also talks about his podcast, 'Point of Impact,' and his pivot to real estate, emphasizing the value of community, team-building, and living a life full of adventurous experiences.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
00:00 Introduction to Scuttlebutt
00:19 A Sweet Beginning: The Fudge Story
01:55 Military Journey and Transition
03:35 Overcoming Adversity: Injury and Recovery
04:23 Starting a Chocolate Company
06:29 From Fudge to Real Estate
21:19 Building a Brand and Marketing
42:00 Final Thoughts and Encouragement
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: May 28, 2024There's lots of garbage career advice out there and I get why - its hard to apply principles across different disciplines, personal pursuits, and backgrounds. That was true until today - meet Joel Martycz.
After his time in the Air Force, Joel has gone on to work in the broadest array of fields I've ever seen from Space X to Target and Optum Health.
Joel breaks down how to position yourself properly for different industries, why titles don't mean anything and how to optimize for doing things you actually enjoy, and questions you should ask yourself to get to your true calling.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Reflecting on past year's goals and setting new ones. 0:00
Prioritizing processes over outcomes in personal growth and development. 3:43
Breaking down goals into smaller bite size pieces. 9:04
Joel's backstory. 12:13
How to pick a career. 17:36
Being a big fish in a small pond. 22:57
Why title chasing won't get you anywhere. 29:00
Maslow's hierarchy of needs. 34:16
Where family falls into the career conversation. 39:30
Nonprofits and social efforts. 46:45
Building a personal board of directors for career guidance and self-discovery. 52:16
Personal growth, meaningful work, and veteran community service. 56:34
Veteran support and employee resource groups. 1:01:43
Necessity of giving back to other veterans. 1:06:54
Applying military lessons to civilian life. 1:09:55
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: February 6, 2024How do you take over a 50 year old ice business? What new verticals is there to explore in such an old industry?
These are questions Brandon Adams answers in a conversation with Brock. Brandon is former Army Recon and walks us through his time growing a fund from 25 million to 12 billion before being sold to Blackstone, taking the ETA path to the ice business, and his reflections on personal growth required to move forward in life.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Expanding custom ice with new product line. 0:00
Life choices and military enlistment after 9/11. 13:09
Workplace culture and employee empowerment. 20:44
Business ownership, leadership, and employee responsibility. 26:15
Starting/buying additional businesses, aligning with personal goals. 34:21
Leadership, team management, and personal growth. 38:48
Personal growth and responsibility after military service. 43:04
Masculinity, self-discovery, and personal growth. 49:06
Spirituality. 57:25
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: January 12, 2024Who did we leave behind in the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan? How are we looking for interpreters and other civilians who aided US efforts throughout the GWOT? What is the status of visa process?
These are all questions Brock dives into with Mikael Cook, the author of the upcoming book Life and Death at Abbey Gate. Mikael's book recounts the story of his relationship with Abdul and Mohammad, two Afghanis he met while deployed, and his involvement in #DigitalDunkirk, an underground communication channel between those on the ground in country and people in the US working to evacuate essential personnel.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Afghanistan war experiences and writing a book. 0:00
Military service and deployment. 2:09
Evacuation failures in Afghanistan. 10:23
State Department inconsistencies. 15:22
Immigration policy. 20:04
Digital Dunkirk and citizen-led rescue efforts during Afghanistan crisis. 26:21
The role of social media in the unfolding of a true story. 28:56
Using social media for good in the military. 34:22
Immigration visa process for Afghan allies after US withdrawal. 40:02
Afghanistan's current situation and resistance efforts. 42:44
Military service, heroism, and patriotism. 53:35
Book release. 57:59
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: December 27, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Jake Dulle. Jake is a former Navy submarine officer and now currently the CEO of Localvest, a marketplace to bring together veterans looking for funding for their small business and investors. In this episode Jake talks through how he found himself in the position of looking to make private investments, why he explicitly invests in veteran founders, and what they're building at Localvest to help get veteran businesses funded.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Veteran-led businesses and networking. 0:00
Where military experience fits into post service networking. 6:37
Investing in veteran-led businesses and building trust. 9:43
Trust and intentions in veteran-related initiatives. 15:09
Jake's background and joining Localvest. 17:49
Places veterans can go to get funding. 23:09
Investment strategies and asset classes for an accredited investor. 27:23
What opportunities are exciting to Jake today. 34:49
Entrepreneurship and risk-taking in the US. 40:19
The importance of making the first sale. 45:11
Entrepreneurship, excuses, and execution. 50:52
Why side hustles can help vets through transition beyond just something to stay busy. 54:22
Overcoming procrastination and taking action in business. 58:07
Monetizing a platform for investment opportunities. 1:08:57
Challenges in creating a dual-sided marketplace. 1:13:28
Why venture is probably not the answer 1:15:35
Finding new words for lifestyle businesses. 1:21:30
How to start your comms plan to raise. 1:31:17
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: December 16, 2023In this episode, Brock walks through 4 lessons learned from guests spanning 100 episodes.
Show Notes:
Purpose and its creation over time through life experiences. 0:01
Finding fulfillment in life and career. 2:47
Deliberate action and choosing your own adventure. 9:23
Trial and error in career and life choices. 15:31
Career development and decision-making. 20:54
Personal responsibility and accountability in various contexts. 25:49
Taking action and overcoming excuses. 30:52
Goal creation and breakdown. 36:22
Life's work, giving, and imposter syndrome. 41:16
Stoicism and Personal Growth. 47:02
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: December 16, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Colin Carroll. Colin is a former Marine Corps recon and intelligence officer and today works at Anduril on strategy and growth. Colin has been a part of several unique teams within and adjacent to the Department of Defense. We get into his time at Project Maven as well as the Joint AI Center to talk about building innovative teams from scratch, why people are the most important ingredient when determining success, and how those people influence the early culture of an organization. Colin also talks about some of the technical advancements AI is bringing to the battlefield and the changing state of the defense technology business in particular how people should be thinking about how to win in defense.
Show Notes:
Getting fired from the Joint AI Center. 0:39
Command climate surveys and morale in the Department of Defense. 3:02
Career in DoD and Project Maven 12:06
Military service, Intel, and AI development. 15:30
Autonomous systems and program design in government. 19:02
Team dynamics in the DoD. 25:34
Building and maintaining a high-performing team. 29:36
Hiring and evaluating candidates for innovative companies. 32:44
Career paths and personal growth. 39:15
Disrupting the defense industry with AI. 43:17
Government procurement and defense industry. 46:42
Tailoring government go-to-market strategies for different stages of a company's lifecycle. 50:03
Defense industry strategy. 56:28
Scaling production and command control for multidomain unmanned systems. 59:33
Defense tech gaps and data needs for autonomous systems. 1:02:15
The data problem in the DoD. 1:10:03
Tension between industry and government in defense tech. 1:13:23
DOD acquisitions challenges and cultural changes. 1:16:53
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: December 16, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Deed Zieglar. Deed is a former Marine Corps infantry and intelligence officer and now, in addition to working in business development at Anduril, is the founder of Recpak, an ultralight meal replacement drink for harsh and austere environments. Deed discusses how the idea for Recpak originated from long time spent leading a sniper platoon in the Marines where movement and conditions often prevent the use of MREs. We discuss the importance of social mission and how to guage whether you're doing your life's work or not. Deed also talks about the benefits of Kickstarter to launch a business, how to grow a team in pace with the business, and why product development is much harder and expensive than most people think.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Starting a CPG brand for military personnel. 0:23
Finding problems and finding motivation to do something about it. 6:09
Life's work and the importance of staying committed to one's passions. 14:11
Product validation and market fit for a physical product. 17:54
Product development, validation, and funding challenges. 22:29
Kickstarter success and product launch strategies. 29:06
Marketing strategies for a new product. 34:14
Ecommerce channels and customer mix. 40:43
Entrepreneurship, product development, and sales. 46:44
Hiring and managing employees in a new business venture. 50:32
Entrepreneurship, mission, and giving back. 57:30
Charitable giving and outdoor conservation efforts. 1:00:47
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: December 16, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Brendan Aronson. Brendan is a former Marine Corps infantry officer and currently an associate at Context VC as well as the co founder of the Military Veteran. In this conversation, you're going to hear from the frontlines of the veterans mission space. Brendan talks through building a company exclusively aimed at transitioning vets, different business models they're pursuing, the pros and cons of b2b and b2c, and why bootstrapping is right for most veteran entrepreneurs. In Brendan's work at the MilVet they run in person events for transitioning vets as well as placement into roles typically, in service companies backed by private equity. We explore some of the traits he sees of the highest performing veterans and what leads to the most successful outcomes. We also talk about the science of networking, how to conduct effective outreach, and how to be a giver when you have nothing else to give.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Introduction to episode 0:00
The MilVet's digital community. 5:07
Brendan's Backstory 9:14
What does it mean to be a professional in transition? 15:23
Putting the weight of change on the service member. 20:58
Why networking is not a dirty word 25:16
How to be a giver meeting new people. 30:15
Careers networking helps you with and whether its applicable in the military. 35:08
Increasing the surface area of luck. 39:21
Connecting your passions with making a living. 43:12
Lessons learned from his early career and a failed startup. 46:31
In person networking events and placement of vets in high paying careers. 50:55
The problem with being venture backed 56:25
Quick wins and building something sustainable. 59:21
The traits of the most successful high performing veterans. 1:04:14
Reaching out to people that care about you. 1:09:25
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: December 16, 2023In this episode Brock talks with Tom Croteau. Tom is a former Air Force maintainer, and the current president and owner of Operfi. Operfi is a factoring company serving the $800 billion trucking and logistics industry. In this conversation, you're going to learn what factoring is. We get into Tom's training and education program he's currently building out for his carriers. Tom gives us a pulse on the economic forecasts for trucking.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Introduction to Tom 1:38
Studying entrepreneurship and business at Notre Dame. 7:44
Leaving more on the table in the military. 10:18
What is factoring and why does it matter? 16:06
The difference between distressed and entrepreneurial factoring. 18:32
What are the fees of factoring? 24:46
How much does it cost to do factoring? 26:40
Protecting the golden goose (customers). 32:12
The data business behind trucking 38:45
Driving across the country handing out business cards at truck stops. 50:40
The bottom line on freight rates. 56:51
How trucking is a leading indicator for the economy. 59:35
The big opportunity for veterans in trucking. 1:05:11
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: December 16, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Nicu Parente. Nicu is former Army Infantry and today is a senior product manager at Salesforce. In this discussion, we dive into the role of product manager and how best to be an effective one. Nicu is a builder at heart and connects the dots between solving real problems, balancing business needs, and serving the customer. We also discuss Cal Newport's idea of career capital which Nicu expands on. He gets into developing your career capital as a transitioning vet, why we all should be building it online publicly, and finding the element thats most important at the time.
Episode Resources:
Nicu's Tech Transition Resources
Show Notes:
Building a mobile app for solving personal problems. 0:00
Selecting problems to solve through product development. 5:56
App development, monetization strategies, and problem-solving. 8:40
Career transition from military to tech industry. 13:56
Role transitions within tech. 17:08
Engineering and product management roles. 23:44
Product management strategies and prioritization. 26:50
Balancing customer feedback and business objectives. 30:16
Product management and engineering relationships. 35:48
Product management roles for veterans. 38:38
Career planning and skill development in tech industry. 45:33
Job search strategies for veterans. 52:47
Career capital and pillars for professional growth. 1:04:06
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: December 15, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Amanda Rose. Amanda is former National Guard and CIA and comes on to discuss everything from weapons to toxic femininity. Amanda shares why changes in societal norms around gender roles is harming both men and women in the workplace. We discuss gun control and common misconceptions women have around self defense. Amanda also gets into why consumerism and what our country values is destroying the nuclear family and what we can do about it.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Running a business when everything is going wrong. 0:00
Gender roles in self-defense and protection. 9:23
Women's fears and barriers to learning self-defense with firearms. 13:57
Gun control and Second Amendment rights. 17:59
Career choices, identity, and family. 27:45
Balancing career and family for women. 32:11
Consumerism driving culture. 38:07
Destroying the nuclear family. 44:25
Masculinity and its impact on society. 51:31
Expectations in social settings. 55:54
Gender identity and worth rooted in Christ. 1:01:39
Personal growth, domestic violence, and community support. 1:04:38
Entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and youth empowerment. 1:11:37
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for veteran owned businesses. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with veteran owners and operators about specific tactics they're using to start, buy, and grow business. Get the tactics, templates, and case studies from the conversations for free at https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/.
Published on: December 15, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Doug Spence. Doug is a naval flight officer and a big real estate investor which is what we get into today. We start out with discussing best bars in Pensacola and why F18s are better than helos before discussing single family home investing and being a GP in an RV park investment syndication. Then we also have him break down a issue that I'm currently facing about whether I should rent my house out sell it and or what else I should do.
Episode Resources:
Free PDF on buying out of state
Show Notes:
Creating a course vs. one-on-one coaching. 1:46
Real estate investing pillars and personal goals. 5:23
Setting clear real estate goals with a spouse. 9:19
Military service, real estate investing, and financial goals. 15:24
Doug's story. 23:10
Real estate investing, RV parks, and affordability. 27:54
Sourcing off-market RV park leads and contributing to a real estate fund. 32:18
Real estate investing and property management. 36:23
Renting out a house while moving to a new location. 42:53
Self-managing rental properties and the benefits of property management. 49:14
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: December 15, 2023What asset class is bigger than housing, but 10x less efficient? LAND.
In this conversation, Brock talks with Justin Piche, former Navy submarine officer, about how he started flipping land on the side while working his W2 at Exxon Mobil and now leads a team of 10 full time employees.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Parenting, marriage, and preparing for baby #3 3:52
Work life balance in W2 and entrepreneurship. 10:25
Traveling with family and best destinations to visit
Getting started investing. 27:27
House flipping as a business and startup costs. 32:22
Valuing land with various factors and due diligence. 35:41
Real estate investing strategies and logistics. 42:17
Scaling a real estate business with a growing team. 47:32
Capital intensity of land business and managing cash flow 55:21
Content creation. 1:01:14
Entrepreneurship and career transition for veterans. 1:15:56
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: December 15, 2023How is Anduril changing the defense undersea landscape?
This week we hear from Ariana Pybus, a program manager on the Dive-LD, Anduril’s unmanned undersea vehicle. Ariana and Brock discuss why unmanned undersea vehicles is a massive unlock for the future of defense, her first interaction with Palmer Luckey in her new hire class where she asked him about Andruil’s ambitions in undersea, and her playbook for being a 0 to 1 builder.
Episode resources:
Palmer’s conversation on Invest like the Best
Show Notes:
Unmanned underwater vehicle development and accessibility in the Navy. 0:00
Navy's adoption of unmanned systems and their potential benefits. 3:42
Dive Technologies and application of undersea robots. 7:09
Submarine morale, camaraderie, and future importance in the US Navy. 18:04
Submarine capabilities and threats. 22:10
Technology and retention in the Navy. 26:24
Company growth, efficiency, and decision-making processes. 32:16
Professionalizing a defense tech company through deliberate R&D and customer-focused strategy. 38:29
Customer requirements and product development in defense tech. 44:10
Advocating for better technology in the military. 50:40
Product management principles and effective communication. 59:01
Leadership philosophy and impact. 1:04:20
Military transition, career fulfillment, and leadership. 1:09:12
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: December 15, 2023What does it mean to be a Navy SEAL? Well, that answer differs based on what time period you're talking about.
In this conversation, Kevin Stark, former Navy SEAL of 22 years, talks with Brock about the identity crisis the community had which led to writing the ethos. It was at this time a shift towards picking individuals of high character, not just physical strength. We also talk about the human OS, why performance is greater than endurance, and not taking a backseat to your life.
Show Notes:
Global issues and leadership quality. 0:00
Leadership, war, and unity in the US. 1:27
Mentorship in SEAL community . 6:28
Military culture, ethos, and selection process. 13:22
Grounding yourself and then leading others. 19:22
Prioritizing personal goals. 30:13
Optimizing human performance and managing stress. 34:56
Managing energy and optimizing daily life. 41:18
Building a successful life outside of military service. 51:37
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: December 15, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Reagan Roberts. Reagan is the CEO of Mission Essential Gear, former infantry Marine as well. We talk about launching Mission Essential and printing T shirts from the back of his house to the warehouse that are distributing out of now. We talked about using relationships as fuel for business, being better than the Marines and having a hard problem to solve the need for custom units wagon how that gave him traction, super early on in his business. Reagan talks about prioritization, why your family is more important than your business, and why everyone is actually a firefighter.
Episode Resources:
Mission Essential Gear Website
Show Notes:
Digital vs. screen printing for small business. 5:50
Transitioning from military to business ownership. 12:07
Starting a T-shirt business while in the military and after. 18:55
The woobie hoody that started it all. 24:30
Business operations and forecasting for a print-on-demand merchandise company. 30:26
Vendor relationships and print-on-demand services in the apparel industry. 37:09
Selling merchandise through a platform, tax implications, and connecting with the military community. 41:15
Part-time firefighting and business management. 47:25
Finding passion and balance in firefighting career. 52:44
Managing multiple responsibilities with calendars. 59:25
Prioritizing family and business as a veteran entrepreneur. 1:03:47
Community support for veterans and their families. 1:10:10
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: November 15, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Caleb McMurtrey. Caleb is a reserve Army logistics officer working in civil affairs and full times in the cyber security space. Since the Hamas and Israel conflict began in October 2023, Caleb has been covering the fight with in depth analysis and joins the Scuttlebutt to discuss the players involved, a chronological walkthrough of the attacks, and where things could be headed next.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Israel-Hamas conflict and its implications. 0:00
Middle Eastern players in conflict. 5:11
Middle East conflicts and their root causes. 9:24
Hamas using Gaza as a defense mechanism. 16:03
International perception of conflict. 21:56
Potential for nuclear threat. 28:00
Urban environments and instability of international relations. 34:08
How the conflict could unfold from here 39:55
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: November 12, 2023A crash course on the state of Israel and what the current crisis tells us about ourselves.
In this episode, Brock talks with Bill Toti about Israel and Hamas. Bill walks through the history of the nation of Israel, why the current conflict is important to the world, probable outcomes, and important factors that could lead to future US involvement.
Episode Resources:
Background on Israel and Hamas
Show Notes:
Bill Toti Introduction 0:00
History and politics in the Middle East. 1:18
US-Israel ties. 7:28
History of Jewish migration and Israel-Palestine conflict. 13:10
Hamas' tunnel attack and global response. 19:40
The value of liberal arts education in the US. 25:47
US military response to Israel-Hamas conflict and defense of American forces in Syria and Iraq. 32:40
Geopolitics and potential global conflict. 40:20
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: November 3, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Dan Blackmon. Dan is an active duty army artillery colonel so expect to get a real time pulse about some of the biggest issues facing today's military, tomorrow's military, and what he spends his time thinking about. We spend a bulk of this conversation dispelling common narratives - we get into problems with the diversity conversation in today's military. Dan talks about developing future leaders, avoiding the only positive feedback loop inherent to staying in an organization for so long, and many others. Dan is a big believer in the cornerstone of what this podcast stands for - the military is a starting point for everyone. Whether you stay in for 4 years or 26 years like him, the military lays the groundwork for future success and its the obligation of veterans to show future generations what is possible because of time spent in the military.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Leadership and setting the next generation up for success in the military. 0:09
Trust and development. 4:53
Diversity in the military and its benefits. 11:27
Gender integration 17:31
Opportunity as the key to success. 23:50
Dan's early career track. 27:02
Position of highest impact. 36:37
Measuring impact as a military leader. 41:25
How to not waste soldiers time. 48:31
Effective training and time management in the military. 53:44
Military efficiency and meaningful interactions with soldiers. 58:01
Retention and cohesion. 59:36
Treating military personnel with dignity and respect. 1:10:04
Military service as a starting point for life. 1:15:04
Standards and quality of recruits. 1:19:26
The intellectual and physical abilities of today's young soldiers. 1:24:07
Adapting to changing times in leadership and the military. 1:29:07
Veteran recognition and storytelling. 1:34:13
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: October 4, 2023In this episode Brock speaks with Mark Holden. Mark is a former Navy Corpsman and today is the founder and CEO of Holden, a consultancy business that assists with prototyping, productizing pricing and advising in the defense technology space. Expect to hear about the current and desired future states of defense tech. We talk about what's missing in our defense tech portfolio as a country and the weapons he's excited about. We get into the state of hybrid warfare, why counterinsurgency is over the looming threat of China's invasion of Taiwan, and the evolving battlefield as activity begins to play out in the South China Sea. Mark gives us a masterclass on the most important elements of product management as well. Lastly, we get into his personal mission, serving after service, why vets need to actively define who they are, and how to answer the question, who am I when I'm no longer myself.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Creating content and Tik Tok's weaponization 6:58
Brand versus affinity 10:33
Monetizing content - where does the money come from?. 13:34
Mark's background 17:13
Mark's personal mission and implementation throughout career 19:16
The problem with the defense industry 26:07
Robots on the front line. 30:12
What are the biggest threats to the US? 33:14
Hypersonic missiles, surface and undersea warfare, and China's threat to Taiwan35:22
The breakdown of the Naval carrier strike group 43:07
Why hypersonic missiles are so critical and how to defend against them 47:37
Growing Defense budget and what's new in defense technology 54:09
GPS systems and why the move to laser guided 1:00:29
Specific companies that are leading the defense tech space 1:03:44
Reusable flashbangs and modernizing firearms for today's force 1:06:47
What is missing from defense tech today? 1:10:01
Lacking cold weather innovation leaders 1:16:35
What is product management and how does it work? 1:19:00
The opportunity to sell to the government. 1:23:44
How do you measure value in product management? 1:26:55
Sheild AI product example in close quarters combat. 1:32:43
Vets as product managers 1:37:36
Serving your country in defense tech is an extension of service 1:39:07
Understanding the place of the VA 1:44:21
"Who am I when I am no longer myself?" 1:50:28
Mark’s approach to building Holden 1:56:03
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: September 13, 2023In this episode Brock talks with Bill McNeely. Bill is a former Army logistics officer and the founder and CEO of Wharphy, a logistics startup aimed at floral delivery. Expect to learn some of the history behind the logistics industry and how it was once not the sexy data driven industry we see behind companies like Uber and DoorDash. Bill talks about Walmart's early jump to streamline supply chain efforts, Amazon's backward planning methodology, and how he saw supply chain modernization on a tour in Iraq. We also talk about working with the data that you have available now to get your business up and off the ground and how to avoid solving $150 a day problems.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
How he reset his expectations and expectations. 1:28
Self Reflection and Introduction to Logistics. 4:45
Backward planning and warehouse management. 9:57
How to decide on what to keep working on. 16:02
Common problems with people pursuing entrepreneurship. 22:49
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: August 30, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Hal Fischer. Hal is a former recruiter in the Air National Guard, a serial entrepreneur with several exits, and is one hell of a salesman. Expect to hear how his sales expertise helped to build one of the first military career fair expos which ended up being acquired by private equity. You'll get a discussion on when it's time to exit a company and how to suss out salesmen with malicious intent. Hal also breaks down his five steps of a sales process, the relationship between sales and marketing, and why the biggest thing you need to become an effective salesperson is overcoming fear of rejection.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Intro to this episode. 0:00
Perfectionism and the ego. 1:29
The importance of selling what you think is good enough. 4:41
How did you get into the field? 7:01
Hal's personal story 9:32
Marketing and Sales relationship. 15:36
What problems are worth working on? 18:38
Creating the first military job fair. 24:34
Private equity buyouts of in person events. 27:06
How self-awareness can help you decide where to insert yourself. 33:03
What is the definition of sales? 36:02
The importance of having a sales process. 42:33
How to ask for the sale 45:51
Why kids are great examples of how to be a salesman. 51:14
What books and resources do you recommend? 53:54
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: August 23, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Kieran Carroll. Kieran is a former surface warfare officer in the Navy and now the Chief Strategy Officer at ZeroEyes, a software company using computer vision to detect weapons on video feeds and stop active shooters. Expect to learn what exactly computer vision is and the problems that faces today which hinge around quality of data. We hear how ZeroEyes started by creating their own datasets by walking around with weapons on video cameras to train their initial machine learning models. We talk about dual use products and how to manage complexity of having customers in public and private sectors. And we also get into deciding what problems are worth solving in your business and how to fail it a lot of things but still come out on top.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Intro to this episode. 0:00
What has been the most surprising thing about fatherhood? 1:33
Introduction and Kieran's life summary 4:07
What is the technology behind the ZeroEyes? 7:19
How has computer vision changed? 11:05
Creating proprietary data and early contract wins. 14:33
End user feedback. 21:04
Dual use products: Commercial vs. Defense. 23:49
The size of the business today. 27:03
Raising money for growth. 29:37
Managing geopolitical challenges. 36:09
How to accelerate growth. 39:12
Successes in the market place and position against competitors. 42:29
Deciding what to work on. 45:31
How do veterans position themselves and apply for jobs like this? 52:45
The good news about veteran talent acquisition. 56:11
Taking ownership of your failures. 1:00:13
Failing forward every day. 1:03:49
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: August 16, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Greg Fischer. Greg is a former Marine Corps infantryman and currently running Burn Pit BBQ, a sauces and rub business he started from a recipe blog. Expect to learn how to instill an ownership mentality in your employees when starting a business. We talk about the cohort of men in the world today putting their job ahead of their family. Greg found himself drowning and never ending slew of emails and communication, even outside of working hours, which was the fuel for him to burn the boats and start a business. We also hear about his strategy on consumer packaged goods, how his distribution strategy mirrors strategies you've learned in combat overseas, why discounting products for deals like Prime Day don't work, and why influencers tend to be overrated in the CPG space.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Intro to this episode. 0:00
Creating a content day 1:36
Burn Pit BBQ 4:31
How did you decide to start your business? 7:40
The biggest difference between working for a small business and large business. 14:53
Why do most men not pursue their passions? 17:59
The role of a man. 24:31
What does it mean to serve your wife? 28:17
Managing expectations with a partner when quitting your job 33:45
Burn the boats 37:08
Small business milestones 40:34
Strategies for building the brand. 46:07
Why they don't do prime day deals 49:21
Importance of sharing your story when building a business. 54:46
Lessons learned from breaking bottles during shipping. 58:22
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: August 9, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Shamus Flynn. Shamus is a former Marine Corps officer and now a partner at Flynn Giudici, a law firm he co founded where he specializes in small and medium sized businesses, particularly litigation. Expect to learn how the changing world we live in today on the heels of a global pandemic and the advent of artificial intelligence is influencing our court systems. We discuss the fee structure of law firms, when it's worth it to pursue litigation as a small business and specific leverage points that you can take into any dispute to find the upper hand potentially a bad situation,
Show resources:
Show Notes:
Working for yourself vs. working for others. 1:50
Streamlining the court process. 4:53
Will artificial intelligence help streamline the legal process? 7:37
How did you decide to start your own law firm? 14:20
How long does it take to become a self-sustaining business? 17:55
Flat fee vs. Retainer. 20:51
Working with small and medium sized businesses. 27:40
The true nature of disputes 30:51
The art of mediation. 33:00
Small claims strategies. 39:26
Advice on how to deal with small claims. 42:34
When is it time to call a lawyer? 47:12
The psychological effects of stiffing people. 54:10
High profile cases of bullying. 58:00
The remoteness of the legal industry. 1:00:58
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: August 2, 2023In this episode, Brock talks with Troy Peterson. Troy was a PYSOPS officer in the Army and is now working on product policy and trust and safety at OpenAI. In this conversation, we talk about the value of information and how the control of access to information can be used as a weapon. Troy shares a story of providing radios to locals in Afghanistan in an attempt to build trust and encourage participation in elections and government activity. We talk about how we see access to information play out in our world today, particularly in social media, the news and the rise of individual influence over large populations. And we also talk about how to optimize for learning and growth not always money. After some time spent aligning his personal interests with careers, Troy landed a job at Facebook, which has helped him propel through several tech jobs and kept him from being forced to make decisions he didn't want to. He gives a few lessons on how to approach your finances and career that keep you from being backed into a corner.
Show resources:
Show Notes:
Welcome to the Scuttlebutt podcast. 0:00
Challenges in the training pipeline and the level of preparedness the military expects when you arrive. 1:55
Value of asking questions early. 5:10
Why haven’t you started your own company yet? 9:47
Early interest in tech while in the Army. 11:48
Breaking down barriers and build rapport with the local population while deployed. 16:42
The power of information and communication in Afghanistan. 22:05
Taliban Attacks in Afghanistan. 26:24
Was our war in Afghanistan representative of why the power of communication is important? 30:53
Having information is power. 37:56
Comparing information value in public to private sectors. 44:53
How to apply to tech jobs with your resume. 49:58
What’s the first thing you need to do when you get on the platform? 56:27
You’re only stealing from your future self if you aren’t taking the time to be intentional and try to learn. 58:52
What are some tangible things that you are doing now that protects life's downside? 1:04:05
Be open minded to change. 1:08:54
Journaling can be a good first step to holding yourself accountable to reaching your goals. 1:11:31
How do you balance the trade offs of technology and how do you make sure it’s not used for bad purposes? 1:16:16
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
In this conversation, Brock speaks with Joe Heieck. Joe was an intelligence officer in the Navy, where he spent time on SEAL Team Three as part of the Naval Special Warfare community, and is now the CEO of gWorks, a software company serving state and local government. In this conversation, Joe talks through why leadership of the NSW community is different and the do's and don'ts for implementing strong leadership in your life and business. We talked about his entrepreneurship through acquisition journey, a checklist to consider for self funded versus traditional search for veterans, and all of the different parties you should consider being close to when buying a business and where to find them. And lastly, we also get into how Joe helped grow the business so quickly, whether to focus on horizontal or vertical growth, and the ins and outs of a recapitalization.
Resources:
Show Notes:
Welcome to the Scuttlebutt Podcast. 0:00
Scaling gWorks is top of mind today. 1:33
How to plan for a ramp up. 3:34
When to get involved and when to get out of the way. 9:24
Coming to acquire gWorks through ETA 12:51
The importance of earning the trust and respect of your teammates. 18:26
The different relationship dynamics of NSW community versus traditional Navy fleet 21:39
His first taste of real leadership. 28:03
When it was time to exit the Navy for good. 30:47
The pros and cons of getting out of the Navy. 37:12
The search process and why he became a searcher. 40:22
What are some of the risks that come with being a first time CEO? 46:18
Benefits of choosing a lifestyle business versus with partners. 48:49
Where can searchers go to find the right people? 54:48
Don’t be a dick and good things can happen. 1:01:10
What is the revenue mix look like now? 1:05:44
Deciding whether to grow vertically or horizontally. 1:10:23
What does going through this process tell you about the importance of who your investors are? 1:16:48
Where have you grown the most as a leader? 1:21:21
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: July 19, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Jonathan Gensler. Jonathan spent a career worth of time working in the clean energy sector. In this conversation, you hear about some of the problems facing renewable energy today, from someone who grew up in coal country. We also get into an underrated mindset veterans don't take advantage of as often as they should and that's our unique ability to endure despite failure. Jonathan talks a lot about working in sales and is now currently a writer where he's had to get comfortable with a lot of people saying no, our time in the military makes us great at pushing through these knows. He also gets into a bit of the victimization of veterans and why it's paramount that we don't reenter the civilian world with our hands out.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Introduction to this episode. 0:00
What are you working on right now? 1:25
How do you know when you’re doing something wrong? 6:46
Getting started writing. 14:11
Introduction to the world's energy problems. 21:00
Why the move to renewable energy has been so slow. 32:42
Companies and technologies that are the key to the future of renewable energy 39:07
What is it that the veteran community can learn from John? 47:08
The idea that everything is beyond your control and nothing matters. 53:50
Safety in the known. Veteran community is acknowledged everywhere. 1:00:21
The role of the veteran in society continues to change. 1:05:45
Do the work you want to do, even if it doesn’t pay very well. 1:12:38
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episodes & transcripts: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: July 12, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Rob Wynkoop. After his time in the Marines, Rob went on to start the first franchise of Gyrene Burger, a delivery focused specialty burger chain started by Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza. Rob shares what he learned from Tom and the economics of food delivery before Uber Eats existed. We also talked about government contracting, specifically service disabled veteran owned small businesses, and why that niche isn't as profitable and easy as most people think it is. Lastly, we talked about worm buckets, a worm composting ecommerce company Rob started during COVID.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Introduction to this episode. 0:00
When is enough? What is your goal? What are you looking for? 1:18
Looking for ownership of something. 4:54
Rob's background in the marines. 11:17
How he met Tom Monaghan and got into the burger business. 13:52
What was the most challenging part of running a fast food restaurant? 19:19
What’s the concept of 100% delivery? 22:22
The three legs of the stool of success. 30:09
What is diversity contracting and how does it work? 36:20
What is government contracting and why is it hard? 40:02
The importance of getting the inside track in government contracting. 46:00
The three ways to be successful in government contracting. 48:57
How do you get into government contracting? 54:55
What’s the purchase price of a government contracting small business? 1:00:53
Taking over a SDVOSB. 1:04:11
Worm farming is a success. 1:10:52
Marketing in ecommerce. 1:13:41
Optionality for partnerships. 1:19:21
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episodes & transcripts: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: July 5, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Josh Kristoff. Josh is a former surface warfare officer and is now the managing partner at Nomad Capital Ventures and Kristoff Real Estate Investments. In this discussion, Josh talks about the stark differences he saw leading a manufacturing company compared to working inside of a tech company in Silicon Valley. We talk about how the military develops you as a generalist and when you need to specialize in a particular skill, why executive MBAs are underrated, and building a highly verticalized property management company.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Introduction to this episode. 0:00
What is the product you’re working on? 1:36
What are some of the accounting pain points you’re having and why is the willingness to pay so high? 6:42
What’s necessary in the short term rental industry. 11:41
How he ended up in the Navy and what he learned from it. 16:12
Is there the feeling of camaraderie that comes with being part of a tightly knit team? 22:58
What is the difference between working in Silicon Valley and manufacturing? 26:56
The importance of team leadership and communication and setting goals. 31:10
Why did you find yourself more apt at the manufacturing vs the tech focused gig? 36:11
When is the right time to specialize in a technical skill? 40:16
What’s the next five to 10 years looking like in terms of technical skills? 44:40
The three things executives need to brush up on and focus on. 49:40
The composition of the classroom and the opportunity cost. 54:26
The benefits of education after the military. 58:45
How he got started in real estate investing. 1:02:53
How his partnership started a real estate investing business. 1:07:47
The strength of the partnership has been the amount of stress they’ve experienced. 1:12:17
The impact of the pandemic on the short term rental industry. 1:19:38
What’s informing their decision to go vertical? 1:22:54
Why they’re not going to launch in every market. 1:27:03
What is it that you can offer them and we can take it from there? 1:32:10
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episodes & transcripts: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/
Published on: June 28, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Susan Maly. Susan is former Air Force and Booz Allen now working as a fractional Chief Strategy Officer for small technology companies. From this conversation, expect to learn how to structure your writing and how to speak more eloquently. Susan was a speechwriter during her time in the Air Force and has several simple ways to get your thoughts down on paper and connecting with your audience. You also learn about what strategy is why you need it in your business and the steps to implement it. Susan is an expert at translating the big vision you have in your head about what the future ought to look like down into the things you need to be doing in your life and business everyday to achieve those. She gives some helpful frameworks to think through and apply what you do and best practices for aligning your entire business towards one common goal.
Episode Resources:
Strategy Made Simple Newsletter
5 Tools for Your Strategy Toolkit
Show Notes:
Introduction to today’s episode. 0:00
Finding the space to have enough flow to write. 1:45
Susan shares excerpts from her book with her readers. She also writes a newsletter. 7:33
Being a speechwriter for a four star. 11:56
What are we trying to accomplish with this speech? What is the end goal so that we can frame everything around it? 15:02
What’s your hook? What is the story? How can you pull that through? 20:26
How did your dreams of getting out of the Air Force play into landing your role at Booz Allen? 24:07
What is strategy? What does it mean? 31:12
Do you think it’s possible to succeed in business without everything you describe? 34:09
Why there’s a need for management consulting companies. 39:19
What was the largest barrier to large organizations implementing change? 42:18
What is your vision for what your perfect future will look like? 48:29
When is the right time to hire? 52:13
The benefits of having a third party come in. 56:57
The importance of having a Northstar strategy. 1:00:13
The importance of having a written down North Star plan. 1:05:27
What would you take away from this conversation and implement it today? 1:13:41
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag. https://scuttlebutt.carrd.co/
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: June 21, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Josh Thompson. Josh is a former Army medevac pilot and now a fractional CFO. In this conversation, we talk about the family dynamics of the military, and how to live for your legacy and not your resume. We hear about Josh's experience in command of several field hospitals in the army and how he managed finances for several struggling activities. He also goes in depth on the challenges facing medical services, both in a civilian capacity and in the service from a readiness perspective, I hit him with a hot question of whether or not pregnant women should be allowed in the service or not as well enough to listen through to hear his take on that. We also talk about some of the financial challenges SMB owners face and the best practices for having clean financials and operations, m&a, and raising money.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Welcome to the Scuttlebutt podcast. 0:00
The most important thing he’s anticipating in this season of transition. 1:39
Where are we going to settle? 7:49
What the service means to people is unique. 14:41
How he landed where he is today. 22:26
How the Army offered to pay for his grad school. 28:45
What was driving the misappropriation of money? 33:35
The importance of managing your hiring process. 36:59
Working with so many layers of complexity in the military. 44:30
What were the big lessons or takeaways from this process? 47:28
What’s the purpose of the Defense Department? 54:02
The second hard question that really challenges the Surgeon’s Journal and the services. 57:48
What happens if you’re in the middle of the Middle East and you have to find a host nation provider that can provide the same service 1:04:15
Mental health is a big issue in the service. 1:07:51
What are some of the repercussions that we’re feeling from using the healthcare system? 1:13:35
What is direct primary care? What is it? 1:16:04
Why you need to join a BNI group. 1:20:48
What business owners are struggling with. 1:23:54
The proliferation of fractional roles and their importance. 1:31:04
What’s the one thing that small business owners constantly mess up when it comes to their finances and something that you could articulate that they could 1:33:53
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag. https://scuttlebutt.carrd.co/
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: June 14, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Josh Smith. Josh is former EOD tech and now the owner of a large welding and fabrication business. We talk about how his business is looking to adopt e commerce strategies and the pros and cons of customization versus mass adoption. He walks us through his first acquisition, everything that went wrong with it and how to avoid some of those pitfalls. And we talk about his strategies for recruiting top trade talent and cultivating an environment that retains highly skilled people.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Introduction to this episode. 0:00
The biggest problem he’s seen in the metal fabrication space. 1:13
What is ecommerce like? 3:58
Building an infrastructure around something that stops for whatever reason. 11:01
How he got started in real estate. 17:05
How he got started in the business. 20:25
What’s so attractive about starting a small and medium business? 25:21
What was the size of the shop at one point? 31:42
When he first came out here, he was looking for a place to work out of his garage. 34:09
The most critical things he would have done differently with the business. 39:55
What are the things that could have been a deal breaker for a SMB? 45:33
How do you know when you are being ripped off? 47:11
What are some of the benefits of bringing all of his businesses under one umbrella? 52:27
The best decision he’s ever made. 57:02
Trade work is similar to the military because it’s about the quality of your work. 1:02:44
What do you think people most misunderstand about business? 1:07:23
Don’t make the same mistake that I did. 1:13:50
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: June 7, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Nolan Gore. Nolan operates a landscaping company that's going to do over 5 million in revenue this year, which is more than 2x Since he bought the company back in 2017. In this conversation, you'll learn why work life balance doesn't exist and why if you're an entrepreneur striving for work, life integration is much more effective. You'll learn how to have difficult conversations with customers and why positioning really is everything. And you'll also hear about his Leadership Development Academy where he takes D1 athletes and students with master's degree and puts them to work mowing lawns, and reading all the entrepreneurship books that made us. It's really an impressive program and inspiring to hear Nolan's love to foster young people coming up in the world.
Episode Resources:
Show Notes:
Introduction to this week’s episode. 0:00
What’s going on in his life right now. 1:45
How to use adversity as a rallying cry to motivate your team. 7:48
The importance of being vulnerable in business. 9:59
His background and what he has learned about business from his parents. 14:19
What was the final release for you of getting out of the shadow? 19:00
My wife and I grew up together, which is not something most people an replicate. 24:11
You may not always be passionate about what you’re doing, but there’s an intangible thing you are optimizing for personally. 28:52
The decision to get out of the marines. 32:07
The decision to put someone else on top of the business. 37:10
The importance of getting a verbal agreement, not just a verbal Agreement. 43:50
Have you incubated any other service lines? 46:30
The importance of leadership and stability in the company. 52:02
How do you balance unit growth and charging aggressive pricing? 55:25
The origin story of the Leadership Academy. 1:00:37
Why you need to taste small business before you buy. 1:05:31
Finding the right fit for every person. 1:08:01
What is the reaction and how does the integration work with the people who are in the business? 1:13:22
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: May 31, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Ryan Kilkenny. Ryan is the founder and CEO of Atomic Planning, a virtual retirement planning financial services company. Ryan is former Marine Corps and after a few years learning financial advising at Edward Jones started his own practice with a focus on retirement planning specifically. Expect to learn the must dos for your money while in the service, the differences between financial services companies like Edward Jones and starting your own practice, and how to use content as a way to differentiate yourself and your business.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:10) - Becoming a dad for the first time (06:18) - Early starts in Marine Corps Aviation (13:40) - The finances of a Marine Corps officer (18:18) - Giving every dollar a name and financial education in the military (24:09) - The most important heuristics for personal finance in the military (30:35) - Discussing the benefits and drawbacks of the blended retirement system (35:56) - Coaching junior marines on finances to sales at Edward Jones (41:24) - Who working at Edward Jones is and isn't right for (44:42) - What the future looks like for Edward Jones and leaving to start your own firm (51:36) - Atomic Planning - Ryan's own practice (54:06) - Defining a niche within the industry and speaking to a select audience (58:13) - Content as a differentiator (01:06:55) - "Why is money important to you?" (01:11:45) - What we can learn from Ryan? Have a plan The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: May 24, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Mike Jones. In this conversation, Mike talks about how to do targeted networking with a particular focus on raising money for a business, as well as running effective meetings with people. We talked about him launching one of the first Crossfit gyms in Minneapolis back in 2009. And how we use learnings from that to co found his own fitness company, Alchemy 365, a boutique fitness brand. Mike also talks about EOS or Entrepreneurial Operating System, why it's a valuable back into any business and how to implement it in your own company.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:20) - How to have a good meeting or networking call (06:56) - Cold vs warm outreach (09:46) - Best practices when it comes to networking to raise capital (17:21) - The biggest driver of success: Confidence (21:09) - Idea validation for new ventures (26:55) - Launching the first Crossfit gym in Minneapolis (33:02) - Crossfit business model and its influences on boutique fitness concepts (38:52) - Acquiring customers and managing balance of capacity (45:05) - Starting a new boutique fitness brand, Alchemy 365 (52:21) - Pricing strategies for new and existing products (57:34) - Size and scale of Alchemy 365 and growth plans (01:02:30) - What is EOS and why do businesses need it (01:07:08) - Fractional executives (01:11:18) - The biggest struggle businesses face implementing EOS (01:16:13) - What implementing looks like in practice and costs involved (01:20:41) - Common pitfalls and advice for young entrepreneurs The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: May 17, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Rodney Adams. Rodney is a former Marine Corps infantry, both enlisted and officer and is now the CEO and founder of Mr. Home Repair of Tulsa. We get into why the title of veteran means different things to different people and the good and bad application of it in the workplace. We talk about his journey from his time working at Goldman Sachs Investment Management arm to becoming an entrepreneur. We also get into what it takes to succeed operating a small and medium business and some very potent advice for young men pursuing a similar path.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:17) - Is the veteran space played out? (12:23) - Military teaches us leadership, but not hard skills; how does that equate to the comparable civilian (18:13) - Where are the high performers in the military? (23:50) - How to incentivize high performers (30:02) - Integration with Dutch Marines (37:20) - MBA, Goldman Sachs, and missing culture fit (47:12) - Providing for your family and whether or not to seek autonomy (58:05) - Finding and building a peer network (01:05:47) - Starting a home repair business to solve a personal problem (01:11:35) - The greatest challenge starting a business: Zero to 1 (01:16:13) - Scaling home repair businesses (01:21:40) - To raise money or not to raise money (01:28:39) - Gumroad free download for outfitting trucks and starting a home repair business (01:33:05) - The biggest problem facing young men The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: May 10, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Jeremy McCool. Jeremy is a former Army infantry officer, and currently the founder and CEO of HEVO, a wireless electric vehicle charging company. We talked through Jeremy's inspiration for HEVO, a story recounting restoring power to a village in Iraq while deployed. He explains the barriers to wireless charging and how they're combating both the innovation and distribution challenges, their recent partnership with Stellantis, and advice for young entrepreneurs raising money. Jeremy is the type of person that when you listen to them talk about the future. It's exciting. He also tells a story of how he was explaining his idea for wireless charging when he was started back in 2011 to Exxon executives, just three years after Tesla released its first roadster considering how far they come, it's difficult to not to be optimistic about that future.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:52) - Jeremy's entrepreneurship roots (08:39) - How the ability to lead changes from the military and in entrepreneurship (14:43) - Can you teach entrepreneurship? (21:40) - Restoring power to a village in Iraq as inspiration for a startup (37:34) - What Jeremy would change about time in service (39:37) - Incentives to start companies and differences of US to the rest of the world (50:40) - Humble beginnings starting HEVO after leaving Columbia (01:01:11) - HEVO's business today (01:07:25) - Rolling out public wireless EV charging in NYC (01:11:01) - Technology and distribution challenges (01:16:16) - Retrofitting vehicles vs production (01:24:34) - Crowdfunding and advice on raising money (01:38:04) - Where to find out more
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: May 3, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Doug Pugliese. Doug is a former naval aviator and translator as well as the former managing director at Bear Stearns, where he rode through the dot com bubble and the GFC. Today he is head of 1042 QRP strategies at Alpha Architect. In this conversation we start with a bit about Doug's time in the Navy. Doug was a translator for an admiral and the president of Paraguay in the late 80s. He gives a bit of a history lesson about the US as involvement in South America during that time, and share some photos of him with some very notable figures, including the general who staged a coup and overthrew that President. We also hear what Doug learned about risk in financial markets working through a few of the most notable time periods in financial history. And we also learned about ESOP's or employee stock ownership programs, what they are, why they're important, and what Alpha Architect is doing in this world today.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:56) - What Doug is most proud of (06:13) - A near aviation mishap landing with a blown engine at night (12:43) - Acting differently in the light of recognizing your own mortality (16:32) - Sharing a few photos from Doug's time in service - first flight at Martha's Vineyard (19:02) - Doug's learning of Spanish early, exchange student, and skills for later in life (30:27) - Translating for an admiral in Paraguay in 1993 (35:15) - The general who staged a coup to overthrow the president of Paraguay (42:42) - South America countries and the future of America (46:48) - Joining the world of finance, leaving the life of riley (01:02:00) - Working at Bear Sterns from the dot com boom & bust through the great financial crisis (01:08:43) - Understanding financial cycles and commonalities between them (01:16:20) - Meeting Wes Gray and joining Alpha Architect (01:23:37) - Head of 1042 Solutions (01:26:37) - ESOPs, what they are and why they're important
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along: • Brock: @BrockHBriggs • Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast • Send me an email: [email protected] • Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Published on: April 26, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Wes Gray. Wes is a former Marine intel officer and currently the founder and CEO of alpha architect. This episode might double as an intro to financial markets. We talk about what quantitative investing is, and how that differs from the famous stock pickers, like Warren Buffett. We talk about systems based thinking, where and why that's relevant. And we also talk about the future of investing and how to use our strengths to best play into that.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:21) - What Wes is most proud of (04:02) - What you do after school and the benefits of being young and dumb when it comes to work (11:06) - Most impactful experience from the Marines (14:59) - System 1 and 2 Thinking (22:42) - Personal finance advice for young service members (28:42) - Wes' first stock and getting started investing (33:32) - Quantitative investing introduction (42:01) - Macro and technology risks to quant investing (48:16) - Relationship between value and momentum (54:02) - Why all investing is front running (01:00:12) - Popularity of quant investing and what the next 5-10 years look like (01:06:49) - Starting Alpha Architect (01:12:51) - Entrepreneurship and the doors it opens to new adventures (01:18:57) - Building ETF Architect and sources for business today (01:28:03) - Twitter Q&A
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along: • Brock: @BrockHBriggs • Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast • Send me an email: [email protected] • Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Published on: April 19, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with JD Modrak. JD is currently a director at Kasa and is as close to a VA loan expert as I've found. We talk about MBAs and how the value of an MBA could be offset with drive and experience, his time stacking VA loans and why now may be the best time to use a VA loan despite where interest rates are, and the state of short term rentals - why or why not they may be worthwhile.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:15) - Why JD doesn't want to talk about the Navy (05:37) - Driving aircraft carriers to squeezing more aircraft seats on planes (08:43) - Attitudes perpetuated in the military, good and bad (15:43) - Is an MBA worthwhile? (21:47) - How would JD coach someone through doing the work and skipping school? (25:30) - Paths from business school and evaluating alternatives in the workplace (31:38) - Story of using the VA loan for the first time (43:05) - Stacking loans and rules around VA loans (47:49) - VA Loan caps today (52:57) - Coming to a conversation with a broker prepared (01:01:13) - Must have's when buying a home with a VA loan (01:05:25) - Finding people to have in your court (01:14:50) - Introduction to short term rentals (01:24:06) - Working at Kasa and learnings from working in real estate (01:29:28) - Summary and closing thoughts
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along: • Brock: @BrockHBriggs • Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast • Send me an email: [email protected] • Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Published on: April 12, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Christian Ruf. Christian is a former Army helicopter pilot and now operating a home services business. We talk about what we can take from aviation and how to apply that in our lives. We talk about why ETA or entrepreneurship through acquisition may not be as sexy as most make it out to be. And we talk about an interesting business he's starting, jumbo mail, a new take on direct mail.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:48) - Hot yoga, a quick trip to Iraq, and finding what you're capable of (11:05) - Why developing a team is the most important thing we do in the service and how to do it (14:03) - Building a team outside the military with aviation principles (18:43) - What prep school, college, and the military have in common (25:56) - Structure after the military and building confidence in uncertainty (29:08) - Unlimited potential after the military and the requirements to pursue it (33:25) - Operating a home services business under a PE umbrella (35:41) - What is so sexy about ETA? (42:19) - Establishing SOPs in business vs keeping creative options open (49:50) - Starting a direct mail business off Twitter (55:33) - Economics of direct mail (01:07:31) - Riffing on domain ideas
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along: • Brock: @BrockHBriggs • Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast • Send me an email: [email protected] • Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Published on: April 5, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Joe Parker. Joe is a former Army officer worked as the head of capital markets at USAA, a product manager at Amazon and now is the COO at positive some of venture stage investment fund. In this conversation, we talk about how you can lead from the front by willing to get dirty and how that drives retention and greater buy in from your employees. We talk about the business of the military and the unique challenges it faces when it comes to developing the people who run it, and why many high achievers choose to exit. We also discuss the shortcuts to finding what you're good at, whether you're the right person to change the world, and finding the jobs that align with those key features of who you are.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(02:36) - Joe's introduction and how the Army was and wasn't what he thought it would be (09:40) - What suffering in the dirt means as a leader (15:10) - Why timing and tenure is weighted heavier in the military (20:27) - How to take Amazon's ability to find and promote great talent back to the Army (24:51) - Who are the shareholders of the military and how does that drive outcomes (36:02) - Measuring success both in, out, and exiting the service (41:10) - Joe's desire to surround himself and work with entrepreneurial people (44:13) - Identifying what we're good at in life (51:28) - Getting into Venture Capital, specifically working at Positive Sum (57:32) - Unpredictability in work and the world and finding obsessiveness (01:07:39) - Joe's long term goals
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along: • Brock: @BrockHBriggs • Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast • Send me an email: [email protected] • Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Published on: March 29, 2023In this episode, Brock speaks with Neville Johnson. Neville is the first EX US vet that I've had on serving in the British infantry, and the author of the newly published book Sangin, Then and Now published by Dead Reckoning Collective. We talk about the value of family and managing one through chaotic times. We talk about how to handle your personal priorities, knowing what true defeat looks like and how that differs from a change in direction. We also get into finding purpose in things outside of our service. Neville mentions that many people want to ask how many doors you've kicked in, but aren't interested in that next phase of all of our lives.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:41) - What Neville is most proud of
(04:22) - Changes he would make to parenting looking back
(06:13) - Two poems from Sangin and drawing parallels from early childhood to parenting
(10:13) - Regrets and things he would have done differently during service
(13:10) - Comparing who we were to who we are
(19:51) - Arnold Schwarzenegger as a hero along dad; why are heroes aren't everything/how to hero select
(29:27) - Balance of pursuit of goals with optionality for new opportunities
(37:58) - How to stay hungry - a lesson in self reflection and self management
(51:08) - Writing as a process and early submissions to Dead Reckoning Collective
(01:02:20) - Lessons from first submission to publishing a book
(01:07:29) - Life after service; working and influencing at risk youth
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Levi West. Levi is an 0311 in the Marine Corps, but if you ask him, that's definitely not the first way describe himself. He's a writer, a photographer, and an all around creative. He talks about why we need our own identity outside of the military, and how to start down the path of creating that. We also discuss his firsthand account of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the mental toll that that put on the on the ground decision makers. Levi also gets into launching an indie publication called Dirtbag Magazine featuring everything cool.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:56) - What Levi is most proud of
(09:04) - The big picture of 'making an impact'
(14:45) - Why he joined the Marine Corps and any regrets
(19:23) - Introduction to photography
(21:57) - Withdrawal from Afghanistan - the good, the bad, and the ugly
(31:58) - Why experience in the military should give an immense appreciation of being an American
(39:15) - The military as an identity
(45:06) - Doing creative work just because and how to get started
(49:35) - Starting Dirtbag magazine
(55:30) - Content and the future of the magazine
(01:05:23) - Q&A from Instagram; vet writing culture, machine gun poets, and more
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Justin Mikolay. Justin is a former submariner and was a speechwriter for several notable figures, including General Petraeus, General Mattis and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. You'll hear what he learned about leadership from each of them. You'll also hear an in depth discussion on the creative process and how he works through the work of some of the world's smartest people. You're going to learn a lesson in nuclear fission, and how it applies to our creative process, why it's essential to put your words out into the world, and how to use those as a lighthouse to draw like minded people to you. We get into several other subtopics what he regrets about his time in the military, working at Palantir, and heuristics on habit forming.
Episode Resources:
'The Meaning of Their Service' by Mattis
Notes:
(02:08) - Justin's Rate My Professor score
(05:02) - Why most people have never tried to write and parallels with running/staying in shape
(15:07) - Systematizing creative and life processes
(19:20) - The art of 'Active Consumption' and K Effective
(23:37) - ChatGPT and Generative AI
(27:12) - Speechwriting and takeaways from the world's most powerful figures
(36:06) - Why leadership is inspiration to action
(43:37) - Finding meaning in service and what we're truly serving
(50:51) - How Nuclear school played out in Justin's career
(56:03) - Assimilating back into civilian lifestyle
(59:17) - Regrets about service
(01:08:25) - Spend your energy on a worthy cause
(01:12:38) - Putting your thoughts, energy, and time into the world through the scale of the internet
(01:29:15) - Finding what you have that's valuable
(01:37:27) - What we can learn that we can implement today
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Martha MacPhee. Martha is a former Marine and in this discussion, we talk about her time running protocol for high visibility events, including President Trump's inauguration and how her job translated into the civilian world working with organizations like Susan Davis International. We also talked about her work with the Military Influencer Conference, a funny story about Rob Riggle at last year's event, and a teaser for this year's conference in Las Vegas. She also gives us a unique take on the word legacy, what that means and how we ought to think about what happens after we're gone.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:38) - Relationship with John Glenn
(09:00) - Carrying on Grandfather's legacy
(15:38) - Optimize for legacy
(17:21) - Entering the world of protocol
(23:29) - What protocol is and why its important
(27:09) - Most outlandish protocol faux paw she's seen
(33:09) - Training for unknown
(35:16) - The most challenging event - Trump's inauguration
(43:59) - Is working in protocol a career maker?
(49:44) - Bridging the gap to a civilian employer and verifying terms
(53:54) - The most critical elements of putting on an event
(01:01:07) - Putting on the Military Influencer Conference
(01:09:37) - The power of self employment in choosing what you want to do
(01:14:16) - Endgame and staying happy
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Tony Nash. Tony is an army officer and the host of the Got Your Six Podcast. Tony talks about how to use physical triggers to slow down time, how to free yourself from the need to be good enough, and why we need to meet resistance every single day. We also talk about the power of repeated small actions on a long time horizon.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(02:25) - What are you most proud of?
(05:54) - Creating a relationship with yourself that emphasizes awareness
(08:21) - Being proud of things that don't work out
(17:40) - Has the Army been everything you thought it would be?
(23:57) - Writing to change your mind
(29:51) - The power of repetition and recording 100 podcasts
(32:28) - Why start a podcast?
(38:44) - This is Day Two, not Day One anymore
(49:31) - Lessons from 100 episodes
(01:02:47) - Creativity within all of us
(01:05:07) - Tony's 5 Pillars: Servant Leadership, Life Tactics, Inspiration, Discipline, Encouragement
(01:41:44) - Using the pillars to make daily decisions
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Kim Campbell. Kim is a former Air Force A10 pilot and is well known for returning her aircraft back to base safely after being struck by a missile flying over Baghdad during the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003. In this conversation, we discuss what failing forward means, women flying fighter jets, why trust may be the most important element of a team, and why she wouldn't change to flying F18s ifgiven the chance. Kim is extremely dynamic, is eager to give back, and also has a book coming out which you should buy - "Flying in the Face of Fear: A Fighter Pilots Lessons on Leading with Courage".
Episode Resources:
Ones Ready Interview Podcast with Kim
Notes:
(01:50) - The most impactful experience in 24 years in the Air Force
(03:20) - Managing a military family
(08:31) - Have you always considered yourself a calm person?
(09:50) - Brave and afraid at the same time
(14:21) - Being called to perform at a higher level
(18:18) - Deciding who you want on your team
(23:57) - Mentoring junior cadets and advice for young service members
(35:03) - Debriefing after difficult life missions and moving on to the next thing
(38:39) - Women's roles in the Air Force and more women fighter pilots
(45:01) - Did having kids negatively influence career?
(46:48) - Creating a work life balance culture
(55:08) - Book recommendations
(01:01:22) - What's on the other side, writing a book, and a story from the book
(01:09:38) - If given the chance, would you fly F18's instead?
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Heath Smith. Heath is a former Army Command Sergeant Major and this episode is a download on 27 years of struggle, leadership and conquering. We discuss how average people have above average careers, why you can't engineer leadership, and who in your unit you should be focused on when leading a team, as well as overcoming a negative relationship with alcohol. Heath gives very tactical advice on intervening in the life of someone struggling with alcohol and talks about how he's approaching his next great adventure in retirement.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(02:23) - Summarizing 27 years in the Army
(07:55) - Average people with above average careers
(12:48) - True meaning of sacrifice
(18:06) - Living differently and confronting alcohol head-on
(26:50) - Confronting people struggling with alcohol
(35:55) - Importance of community and TRIBE especially in transition
(41:02) - What being alpha means
(46:23) - Encouragement for young leaders stepping up to the plate and why leadership can't be engineered
(01:09:42) - Relentless self improvement
(01:25:38) - Fine tuning performance
(01:34:50) - Imposing your will on the world
(01:40:33) - Work life balance, particularly in "retirement"
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with William Bolyard. Will is the author of Sober Man's Thoughts and co founder of Dirtbag magazine. We start the conversation off with what he's most proud of in life and go on to explore both his writing and writing process, why the world doesn't need more war poetry books, and how to lead junior troops into gunfights and being able to talk about poetry with them, and much more.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:04) - What Buck is most proud of - books!
(07:31) - Getting past caring about negative reviews or what people think about what you're working on
(09:05) - Expectations of veteran writers
(12:10) - Changing the narrative of vet writers
(13:51) - How to market books and write them
(18:10) - Self publishing vs publishing house
(25:02) - Identity as a writer
(28:19) - Seeing the man behind the uniform - communicating with your troops on a level beyond the military relationship
(32:44) - Excelling in the service and then putting it to bed
(37:54) - Community based service, life outside of the military, and building up other vets
(52:39) - Other projects and Dirtbag magazine
(59:58) - Thoughts from specific segments of writing
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode Brock speaks with Paul Szoldra. After Paul's exit from the Marine Corps in 2010, he fell into journalism where he went on to write for publications like Business Insider, We are the Mighty, and later became the editor at Task and Purpose. He's the founder of the popular military satire newsletter, Duffel Blog and late this last year went full time on a solo newsletter, The Ruck, a weekly national security newsletter. In this conversation, Paul talks about why everyone has the ability to create through writing with heuristics on getting started, the origins of Duffel Blog and his early insight into content marketing, and going solo as a writer with some of the tools he uses in his process.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:35) - What Paul is most proud of and position the Marines to his kids
(08:55) - Taking off the uniform but not exiting service
(17:26) - Was journalism a means to an end?
(25:14) - Everyone having the power to write and create
(32:31) - Origins of Duffel Blog
(41:40) - Duffel Blog's growth over time and where it is today
(45:14) - How Paul's writing style has evolved over 10 years writing on defense
(52:27) - How to know where the knowledge of your reader is with the nut graf
(57:49) - Content evolving over time
(01:02:34) - Importance of feedback and finding what to work on
(01:13:36) - Starting the Ruck and building a sustainable solo business
(01:22:18) - Tools, software, and resources Paul likes
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with James LaPorta. James is former Marine Corps infantry turned investigative reporter having gone on to be a contributor and work at many prestigious news organizations such as The Daily Beast, Newsweek, and the Associated Press. James talks about why journalism is such a difficult life especially in the early days, how he approaches story selection, and gives some advice on the most important skill in journalism, and maybe even life, how to listen better. We also talk about his extensive backlog of information collected from the Freedom of Information Act request, why command climate surveys in the military might be bullshit, and what's next for him after an unexpected departure from the AP.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:34) - How to hold better interviews
(04:06) - What James is most proud of - FOIA requests/data
(10:41) - A Yelp review for the Marine Corps
(13:39) - Different jobs within the Corps
(18:43) - Learnings about people and reporting on vet suicide
(32:39) - Journalism debut at Newsweek
(36:39) - Advice for the younger James LaPorta
(46:44) - Reporting on contentious stories, deciding what stories to cover
(52:41) - Time, love, and fallout at Associated Press
(01:00:03) - How do we ask better questions
(01:06:36) - Reaching out to James
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Scott painter. Scott served in the Army as a Spanish interrogator in the late 80s. And since then went on to found or CO found many companies you've likely heard of, including Fair.com, Cars Direct, True Car, Pricelock, and now Autonomy, a subscription Electric Vehicle Company. He's incorporated 57 businesses over the last 30 years. Scott talks extensively in this episode about the balance of family life and entrepreneurship. He talks about how he treats his kids like small businesses and make some great analogies on how to build and grow them successfully. We discuss how the auto industry has changed over his time in market and his past influence on it. He talks about how he thinks about different business models and how those feed business valuations. And we close out with his advice on raising money and lessons for young entrepreneurs.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:30) - Something proud of, but doesn't get to talk about: Raising a family and navigating turmoil
(06:44) - Early influences and joining the Army
(15:16) - Finding the driving force behind early success
(19:32) - "Stealing" cable TV and bringing it to the Westpoint Barracks
(27:12) - Becoming class president and convincing leaders of the impossible
(33:42) - An early foray in entrepreneurship and love of all things cars
(41:33) - Importance of marketing when delivering something new
(50:00) - Lack of transparency in auto industry and turning the tide on an informed consumer
(58:40) - Autonomy - subscription electric vehicles and serving the core mission
(01:03:32) - Capital intensity in business, business models, and valuation
(01:12:29) - Advice on raising money
(01:15:07) - Best things for young entrepreneurs to understand
(01:23:38) - Scott Painter's endgame
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Victor De La Flor. Vic is in his last year of 20 years of service in the Marine Corps and we have an open brainstorming discussion around his transition. We talked about some of the challenges he's facing, how he's learning from his exit, and some of the resources he's building in the process. We also talk about his entrepreneurial spirit. Vic has had several side gigs over the years, including being a top seller on eBay, heat pressing uniforms for teams on base, and selling over 10,000 units of undercover clip, a clip that sits in your eight point cover and holds your sunglasses. This episode has some great insight into the transition process and how to think about the problems that need to be solved, if you've got that entrepreneurial bug.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(01:11) - Takeaways from 20 years in the Corps - how to effectively lead
(06:02) - Differences in mentality in younger Marines
(08:49) - Learning to live by the rules in Legal
(21:12) - Defining the scope of outcomes as lateral limits
(27:57) - Biggest fear exiting service
(40:32) - Resources discussion, what's there and what isn't
(49:19) - Taking the transition to Youtube
(54:57) - Hosting a podcast
(57:54) - Entreprenurial ventures - Pressing uniforms
(01:04:34) - Becoming a top seller on Ebay
(01:19:28) - Undercover clip to 10,000 units
(01:34:00) - Advice for vets both in transition and pursuing entrepeneurship
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Vishal Amin. Vishal is currently a GM at Microsoft overseeing their security compliance identity management and privacy for all US federal work and a former Marine Corps F18 pilot. In this episode, you'll learn how to decide what to work on. If you're listening to this podcast, you likely have more opportunities than you have time. Vishal walks through an aviation mantra he uses to whittle down to what the most important thing is. You'll also learn how to avoid the need to validate your service. We've all been there, looking for opportunities to over explain our past, particularly to non veterans in order to tell ourselves that our service means something. And lastly, you'll hear a recounting of being named on a public hit list by ISIS following operations he was involved in. He recounts how his personal identity being compromised changed his life, and how he's channeling that energy into passion for protecting identities and cybersecurity.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(02:02) - Olympic Water Polo
(06:38) - How being a first generation American influenced early days and joining the Marine Corps
(13:29) - Deciding what to work on - an Aviation mantra for making decisions
(17:46) - Freeing yourself from the need for validation
(24:15) - Transitioning out of service and your first job
(31:01) - Being named on a public hit list by the Islamic State
(39:15) - What changes were required as fallout of the event
(43:46) - Launching headlong into cybersecurity
(49:56) - How cybersecurity is changing how threats are responded to over time
(55:19) - Humans changing roles in cybersecurity going forward
(59:03) - Getting a job in cybersecurity, certifications/schooling needed
(01:04:36) - Building and growing a team in tech
(01:11:41) - Travis Manion Foundation
(01:14:20) - The importance of ACTING
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Mark Delaney. Mark is a former Army officer and his hyper focus on veteran transition. He hosts the Veteran Semi Professional podcast, which recently crossed over 100,000 downloads. He's also building that journey, saas tool that will track vets transition process and assist in their transition outside the service starting from a year out. Mark has had a ton of experience in veteran hiring and much of our conversation hinges around the barriers inherent there and the way he's trying to use that experience to tackle those huge problems.
Episode Resources:
The Veteran Professional Instagram
The Veteran Professional Website
Twitter thread on hiring service members in Skilbridge
Notes:
(01:49) - Gotta love a good origin story
(04:01) - Thinking differently than everyone else
(07:50) - An early entrepreneur
(11:13) - A Military not designed for change
(19:17) - Balancing career risk
(23:22) - Mitigating downside risk and optimizing for big outcomes
(28:41) - Skillbridge and exiting the Army
(30:31) - Starting the Vet Pro, blogging and podcasting
(37:06) - Learnings from studying the veteran transition process
(47:58) - Knowing your audience and the flow of information in the military
(55:20) - Military Hiring Accelerator and the military job market
(01:04:01) - Building Vet Journey
(01:16:33) - Long term goals and outcomes
(01:28:15) - Coping with the unknown, and why military and entrepreneurship aren't that different
(01:33:46) - What we can learn: managing risk and fear
(01:37:59) - Book recommendations
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Joey Dizon. Joey is former Marine Corps and after time working in financial services and at a protective services agency, he ventured out to start his own business; a mobile cigar lounge. Joey explains why people are so foundational to our experiences in life, how to approach a service based business that keeps you at the top of your customers mind, and how he develops world class salesmen. He also walks through the process of how tobacco is grown and the different steps it undergoes to reach it's final cigar form.
Episode Resources:
Notes:
(02:11) - An early desire to join the military
(09:46) - Early life, family culture, and the best Filipino food
(10:27) - Second guessing staying in the service
(19:09) - Jobs after the Corps and introduction to entrepreneurship
(28:12) - Did you struggle with transitioning out of service?
(35:52) - Tips for a successful transition
(39:53) - Ideating on a Mobile Cigar Lounge
(43:50) - Initial direction of the business and making your first sale
(47:19) - Economics of cigar business
(52:33) - Why weddings are like the barracks smoke pits
(01:01:39) - Tobacco growing to smoking
(01:11:51) - Building an effective sales process
(01:18:28) - How to hire and build a team
(01:22:23) - Why you should always have a coach and instrumental programs getting started
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Olivia Nunn. Olivia is a former Army officer who has previously hosted the Army Soldier for Life podcast and now currently the Military Officers Association of America podcast. We talk through why your most important mission should be to figure out your calling, how the military responded to Black Lives Matter and how they should have responded, and the three most important elements of a successful transition out of service.
Giveaway! On December 15th, 2 winners will be drawn for over $1000 in prizes. Books, coffee, swag, 7investing subscription, and a ticket to the Military Influencer Conference. Leave a rating for the show and upload to the link below before details and uploading sc
Episode Resources:
Military Officers Association of America Podcast
Notes:
(00:00) - Introduction and 1 Year Anniversary Giveaway Details
(04:30) - What lights your fire?
(10:27) - Second guessing staying in the service
(17:37) - The real reason why getting out of service is difficult
(24:02) - Coaching troops through transition versus going through it herself
(32:06) - Creating a contingency plan, but being ready for anything
(39:53) - Leveraging your military network online
(43:06) - What everyone gets wrong about communicating, particularly online
(48:41) - Being a Public Affairs Officer that was too "punchy" and responding to Black Lives Matter
(56:38) - Crafting a more effective response to sensitive issues
(01:01:59) - How to fight against the pace of change in the military
(01:07:36) - A new perspective on women in the military
(01:13:13) - MOAA Podcast
(01:24:32) - Best advice for developing a presence online for someone in transition
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Lessons learned from a year podcasting.
Everything I've changed my mind about regarding the military community and veterans (it's a lot).
Published on: December 5, 2022$1000 worth of books, swag, coaching, 7investing stock market research subscription, and a Military Influencer Conference ticket for 2023. Only thing required for entry is leaving a rating for the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click the form here for more details and submission. GIVEAWAY FORM
In this episode, Brock speaks with Jesse Gould. Jesse's background has it all. He worked in finance, specifically investment banking, and then went on to be an Army ranger, worked at a nonprofit, and now is the CEO of his own nonprofit. We talk through some heavier topics including struggling with alcohol and PTSD and how it brought him to the culminating decision of needing to do something about it or else accept a lifelong diagnosis. On a trip to Peru, Jesse experienced ayahuasca and is now bringing a tailored and scientific approach to bringing that to other veterans. We discuss the science behind psychedelics, the current state of the law around them, and how Heroic Hearts is looking participate in pushing forward the science behind it as a viable treatment alternative to PTSD.
Resources:
Show notes:
(00:00) - Giveaway details
(08:15) - Something Jesse is proud of but doesn't get to talk about
(11:14) - Being stuck in a hyperactive loop
(20:11) - Going extremely wide on scope of life opportunities
(25:58) - How to balance playing it safe and your passion work
(31:37) - The birthplace of Heroic Hearts
(38:48) - Military drinking culture
(40:04) - Seeking help at the VA
(45:48) - What ayahuasca is and the science behind the psychadelics
(54:52) - Profound veteran experiences
(01:00:11:) - Health considerations and taking too much?
(01:11:36) - Research on psychedelics and state of the world today
(01:15:26) - What are the biggest headwinds to the descheduling of psychedelics?
(01:24:22) - Decriminalization in Oregon.
(01:29:44) - How to measure success as an organization
(01:33:19) - Getting involved and how to support
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Ryan Pavel. In this conversation, we talk about why growing up playing video games as a differentiator. Ryan landed a job at a law firm from playing Destiny. We talk about understanding the quantitative and qualitative impacts of your military service and how higher education plays into the life of veteran. We talk about higher education because Ryan is the CEO of the Warrior-Scholar Project, a nonprofit focused on preparation for education after service. Warrior-Scholar Project helps vets prepare for that transition to education with a really rigorous program that sets the tone encourages and gets you plugged in with some great people at the university you're going to be attending.
Resources:
Show notes:
(02:45) - Landing a law firm job playing Destiny
(08:36) - Changing perception of gaming
(11:11) - Marine Corps as a backup option
(16:23) - Conflicting outcomes leaving the Corps and moral injury
(23:05) - Money as an incentive
(32:11) - Why the military is 'safe'
(40:18) - The feeling of inadequacy, particularly in Law school
(47:11) - Finding your meaning in the military
(51:52) - Ryan's personal measuring stick
(55:35) - Finding the Warrior-Scholar Project and getting involved
(59:19) - The program's changes over time
(01:07:12) - Description of Warrior-Scholar Project, offering and why it's needed
(01:14:35) - What is the value of a degree in the hands of a capable veteran
(01:18:47) - The future of WSP and steps to get there
(01:23:37) - What would cause WSP to fail?
(01:27:26) - What we can learn and implement today?
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Bill Kieffer. Bill served as a logistics officer in the army, followed by over 20 years in various senior HR and talent roles before setting out on his own. He is currently a professional executive coach and specializes in military transitions. We talked through some heavy hitters around our professional lives answering questions like, what if my passion has nothing to do with what I'm doing now and the four things that you must bring to an interview. Bill's unique perspective showcases what HR and hiring managers are really looking at in hires, and also flips the script on how you can hire more effectively if you're in that position.
Resources:
Get Bill's Book: Military Career Transition
Show Notes:
(01:21) - Who is Bill's hero?
(04:15) - Such a thing as too much optimism?
(06:48) - Fulfilling your life's purpose
(15:36) - Understanding your passion and turning it into action
(20:52) - Knowing when to go deep and when to move on
(26:04) - Most decisions aren't fatal
(30:07) - Importance of flexibility within a framework
(37:12) - Understanding sensitivity to price as a consumer and a business owner
(43:41) - Wearing a uniform in a civilian workplace
(49:47) - The burden of proof during interviews
(55:08) - Mindset in which to enter for interviews
(01:02:42) - What to dig into when hiring
(01:14:21) - Balancing opportunity and capacity within your own business
(01:18:18) - Who is best suited for entrepreneurship
(01:22:20) - What can we implement today?
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Bernard Toney. Bernard is a former Army physician's assistant, and now a professor at the University of Lynchburg while pursuing his Master's of Public Health. In this conversation, Bernard recounts some of his humble beginnings growing up in Atlanta, Georgia. Although a bright individual, he talks about his own self sabotage, both in school and even in the army as an enlisted man. He shares that one of the more radical changes that occurred for him during his time in the army as he found people who believed in him. After his time in the army, he went on to be a medical officer at the White House. He talks through his observations from caring for some of the most powerful people in the world amidst the COVID 19 pandemic. We go deep on some of the larger issues about why access to opportunity isn't always the answer. He talks about being presented with the opportunity at a young age to attend to a better funded school with more resources, but at the time, he wasn't ready to receive and take advantage of that. The question of access to opportunity comes up again, in his observations of how the world accesses medicine, and share some of his thoughts on ways our healthcare system can be improved.
Resources:
Show Notes:
(01:50) - What are you most proud of that you never get to talk about?
(04:01) - Humble beginnings growing up in Atlanta, Georgia
(13:17) - Enlisting in the Army and how it didn't change his course
(22:00) - Long term career considerations and revisiting the past
(31:51) - ROTC as the stepping stone and finding strong mentors
(43:18) - Pursuing medicine and finding fulfillment
(50:29) - Becoming a medical officer at the White House
(58:32) - Observations on a global health crisis
(01:04:15) - Changing long term goals and influencing the future of healthcare
(01:10:47) - State of healthcare in the US and globally
(01:18:53) - What can we learn and implement today?
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Beau Higgins. Beau is a retired Marine Corps Intelligence Officer of 25 years and now works as a senior manager overseeing military talent acquisition at Amazon. We talk through how to inspire leadership from every single person in the unit, even down to the most junior personnel. Beau talks through his framework for managing risk and balancing the necessity for field training with the requirement of comprehensive instructions. We close the conversation talking about how the culture at Amazon has mirrored that of the Marine Corps, getting comfortable with failing quickly, and tactics for successful job hunting, coming from someone who looks at a lot of resumes.
Resources:
(01:30) - What are you most proud of that you never get to talk about?
(05:11) - What does it mean to be a “man for others” and where does that come from?
(10:13) - Is it possible for every person to lead every day?
(14:37) - Why the Marine Corps leads and act differently than other branches
(21:04) - Drawbacks to giving too much power to junior personnel
(30:32) - Intelligence driving decision making
(44:37) - Beau’s mindset entering transition to civilian workforce after 25 years in the Marine Corps
(55:48) - Senior Manager at Amazon
(59:28) - Veterans diversity of thought
(01:04:00) - What makes the perfect resume
(01:09:45) - Misconceptions of veterans entering the workforce
(01:19:00) - Closing thoughts
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Carlos Lopez, a connection facilitated by Veterati. Veterati is a platform for connecting service members with common goals, career searching , and networking. Carlos is former SF with specialty in intelligence and after 20 years of service, is seeking a job in data science and analytics. Veterati allows mentees to reach out to and connect with people in specific fields visible through LinkedIn which is why Carlos reached out. We discuss the skills needed to enter the data science field, landscape of jobs available, how to decide what sector to go into, and how to tailor your resume to experiences to the job with experiences in the military.
Show Notes:
(02:14) - Carlos introduction
(05:05) - How to narrow your job search
(09:19) - What are your current interests and what formed those conclusions
(12:30) - Applying interests to sectors and specific job types
(19:23) - Going deep into one programming language or casting a wide net
(29:26) - Taking experiences from the military and leveraging those on your resume
(37:29) - MBA experience and how the military makes everything easy
(42:03) - Specific company search
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Amanda Huffman is the host of the Women of the Military podcast , a two time author, and the creator behind Airman to Mom. In this episode you’ll hear the story of Amanda’s engineering unit coming under attack while in Afghanistan, how she cultivated an audience around her unique niche, and why it’s important to continue to pivot into new things until you find your thing. Amanda’s story of how she landed where she is will be inspiring to anyone and underlines the fact that no matter your position, there’s people in the world that want to know what you do, and there’s only one person who can give them that. She’s embraced her experiences and is using that to help other’s in a way I think everyone ought to.
Resources:
Girls Guide to Military Service - Book
Show Notes:
(01:10) - Engineering 101
(07:13) - Colocating with a spouse in the Air Force
(11:05) - Joining an Army infantry unit
(13:38) - Challenges of rebuilding Afghanistan from the ground up
(23:54) - How view of Afghanistan changed through time deployed
(25:58) - Unit coming under attack and coping with the residual effects
(39:29) - Becoming a mom and finding a new calling
(42:29) - Starting to blog and the beginning of Airman to Mom
(47:51) - The Military Influencer Conference and cultivating a community
(57:35) - How to find your audience
(01:05:21) - When to pivot and try new things and how to validate the ideas
(01:12:34) - Defining your personal brand
(01:17:34) - Girl’s Guide to Military Service and places for further study
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock walks through three different business ideas for the military community: a military base drive through coffee truck, a Thiel Fellowship for service members, and a cohort based TAPS class.
Show Notes:
(00:00) - Why it's important to be a problem solver
(02:25) - A drive through coffee truck on military bases
(16:30) - A Thiel fellowship for military
(24:20) - A Cohort based TAPS class
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Tim Kirkpatrick is the cofounder of Condition One Media as well as the writer and director of the TV show 'Figure It Out' which follows a recently discharged Marine's re-entry into civilian life. Tim is a former navy corpsman who, on deployment with Marines to Afghanistan, filmed his first video of dancing Marines which he used on his application to New York Film school (he got in). We talk about how the military influenced Tim's approach to film and why it's important to let your past military experience shine through your creative work even today. Tim shares on the fundamentals of filmmaking, the economics of the business, and what the future holds for the tv series.
Resources:
Condition One Media - 'Figure It Out'
Show Notes:
(02:57) - Early interest in film, but nowhere to practice
(07:52) - The marine dancing video that got Tim into film school
(11:45) - How the military influences the eye for film and inspiration for content
(15:15) - Bringing the audience along in a story
(18:27) - The pitch for ‘Figure It Out’
(21:00) - When to be strict with goals when it comes to filming and everything else
(26:10) - Film fundamentals and why tv’s and movies are the way they are
(29:55) - The weight of the military on creative ability
(34:53) - Economics of putting together a film on a budget
(47:50) - What steps along the way of producing the film were positive signs of affirmation to continue
(55:10) - Biggest learnings from producing a TV episode
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Mark Harper is the former Optimus Prime Myspace page manager and the current CEO of We are the Mighty. Mark's early interest in film led him to pursuing a dual degree which landed him in the Combat Camera division of the US Air Force. Mark and his unit were in Iraq to film the 'purple fingers' which played a role in how he pitched himself to Hollywood. We discuss how media and content have evolved in the last two years and how that has influenced the type of content current and former service members are interested in. Lastly, we hear the founding story around We are the Mighty with cofounder David Gale of MTV. Mark cover's the business models the business has gone through, how he thinks about reaching millions of readers and watchers today, and how acquiring the Military Influencer Conference has set the stage for future growth.
You can reach out to and follow Mark on LinkedIn.
Resources:
Military Influencer Conference
Show Notes:
(02:15) - What are you most proud of, but don't get to tell people about?
(05:08) - Convincing the Air Force to allow majoring in film
(10:37) - Role and responsibilities of Combat Camera
(16:00) - Is physical harm a threat?
(19:25) - The line between public affairs and everybody else
(24:15) - How the Air Force gave a dream job and introduction to Hollywood
(33:20) - Content and Hollywood changes in the last 20 years
(41:05) - Paramount, a high end consumer electronics startup, and meeting David Gale starting We are the Mighty
(47:06) - How veterans consume content and finding initial traction
(55:00) - Business models WATM has grown through
(01:05:10) - The one driving goal and what WATM does today in size and reach
(01:15:10) - Acquiring the Military Influencer Conference
(01:17:20) - What veterans today really need
(01:19:55) - A closing story on Top Gun 2
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Chris' background is in trade and foreign policy, but joined the Army infantry for a profession. We talk about how he has seen foreign policy develop in the last 20 years across a civilian job on Capitol Hill and then throughout his time deployed in the Middle East. Chris talks about his stint as a speechwriter for a senior officer and the things he'd learned about how to communicate more effectively. And last, we dive into the Military Writers Guild, of whom Chris is the President, and why writing is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
You can reach out to Chris on Twitter.
Resources:
Military Writers Guild Twitter
Show Notes:
• (01:05) - Capitol Hill and then the Army
• (02:20) - What is foreign policy?
• (05:46) - Major foreign policy changes over the last 20 years
• (13:42) - Trade as a weapon
• (19:10) - Why Join the infantry after a promising career in politics
• (22:18) - How have economic views on Afghanistan changed after joining the Army
• (28:07) - Joining the service later in life, pros and cons
• (32:17) - Speech writing and effective communication
• (39:17) - Best practices for speaking in a thoughtful and compelling way
• (43:00) - Takeaways from Afghanistan
• (47:04) - The power to change one regulation in the Army
• (51:40) - The Military Writers Guild, what it is and what is offered
• (01:00:40) - The future of the guild
• (01:05:13) - Book recommendations
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
In this episode, Brock talks with Michael Pecota.
Mike is former aviation at the squadron level and now works for NAVAIR doing additive manufacturing. We talk about how proximity to the mission impacts the lives of people in a unit. We compare and contrast sea duty and shore duty and how being more involved with the mission day to day tends to strip away a lot of the unnecessary actions have units with more time than duties. Mike gives a unique take on why the Navy has such a hard time promoting junior people that speak up. He has a drastic proposed solution that involves getting rid of the chiefs mess entirely. And lastly, we talk about Michael's area of expertise additive manufacturing. He talks through how 3d printing is playing out in today's military and what needs to happen to see wide scale adoption.
You can reach out to Michael on LinkedIn.
Resources:
Topics:
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
In this episode, Brock talks with Max.
Max is a Veterans Readiness and Employment counselor with the VA. While in the Marine Corps, Max participated in two combat deployments which were formative in his desire to give back to the veteran community. We discuss his learnings about what veterans truly need after service, how to find and pursue what you're most passionate about in life, and a in depth discussion of how to use Chapter 31 Veterans Readiness and Employment benefits.
Resources:
Veterans Readiness and Employment
Topics:
(2:10) - Joining the Marine Corps and why it wasn't a career
(06:20) - Takeaways from the corps and how to carry yourself now as a veteran
(13:25) - Words of caution on veteran service organizations
(25:35) - Finding a passion for veterans
(29:19) - Transitioning out of service, working at the Dept. of Veteran Affairs, and creating yourself a job
(37:34) - Deductive reasoning to work yourself back into finding purpose
(42:15) - Introduction to Chapter 31, Veterans Readiness and Employment
(54:05) - Benefits offered on Chapter 31
(01:20:05) - How to apply and expectations of enrolling in benefits
(01:33:15) - The right way to approach chapter 31 benefits from service member's perspective
(01:40:45) - Veterans need accountability
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
In this episode, Brock talks with Todd Connor.
Todd is the author of third shift entrepreneur, founder of Bunker Labs, and CEO of Veterans for Political Innovation. In this conversation we talk about startups, a topic Todd is an expert on. We discuss some of the programming Bunker Labs offers to veteran entrepreneurs as well as the origin story of the company. We also dive into Todd's time and passion for the political world. He talks about ranked-choice voting and why it's not only a better system psychologically from the voter perspective but can lead to higher voter turnout.
Reach out to and follow along with Todd on LinkedIn.
Resources:
Veterans for Political Innovation
Topics:
(01:45) - What is the most important thing to accomplish in life?
(09:00) - Inspiration for seeing veterans 'fulfill their full potential'
(16:00) - What do veterans actually want?
(19:55) - Origin story of Bunker Labs
(29:15) - Getting started as an entrepreneur by launching your first idea
(39:40) - Validating ideas and ability to pivot
(45:50) - Third Shift Entrepreneur - Realistic stories on entrepreneurship
(58:10) - Todd's current ideas in the hopper
(01:04:25) - The longevity of our political system
(01:09:20) - Veterans for Political Innovation and ranked choice voting
(01:20:00) - How to implement ranked choice voting over the next 5 years
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, a sneak peek of the next episode and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
In this episode, Brock talks with Micah Taylor.
Micah spent 20 years in the National Guard working in many positions, but heavily focused on training. In this conversation we talk about the guard as an augment to your life and the good things and bad that come with it. Micah has a passion for the concept of 'safety in teams' and how to breed that. That brings us to talk through her formula to promote it and develop it internally. We also talk through how she promotes development of her team members by adhering to a strict timeline for growth.
Reach out to and follow along with Micah on LinkedIn.
Resources:
Topics:
(2:30) - The Guard as a positive augment to your life.
(13:20) - Long duty stations: the pros and cons
(20:10) - Mental & Psychological safety in teams
(29:00) - The difference in military teams vs civilian and how to implement
(39:20) - Overcoming objections to strict growth timelines
(41:40) - Determining incentives
(45:40) - Benefits of saying yes to everything
(49:30) - The military's biggest opportunity in training
(56:30) - When was time to call it good in the military and joining Hire Heroes
(01:05:00) - Hire Heroes - the offering and how they help
(01:10:50) - What passion really means
(01:18:20) - How to prepare to get out from any time standpoint
(01:25:20) - Time at the USO
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peek of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
In this episode, Brock talks with David Armstrong.
Dave is a former Marine Corps Officer, a private wealth manager, sits on the board of PB Abbate, and a fellow podcaster. Dave recounts the story of the details surrounding his early years leading to joining the Marine Corps and how formative that was for him early on. We hear how he found finance and went on to build his own wealth management firm which is now approaching 500 million dollars in AUM. He spends some time talking about how to differentiate your offering in the financial services space, all lessons that can be widely applied across business. We also get to talk our extra ciriculars including how he came to join the board of PB Abbate and his thoughts on direction for his podcast, Moments in Leadership.
Reach out to and follow along with Dave:
Monument Wealth Management
MIL Website
MIL Podcast
MIL Instagram
Email: [email protected]
Topics:
(2:26) - Joining the Marine Corps for Top Gun
(07:43) - A traumatic event to change course
(16:30) - Finding a love for finance
(25:05) - The reserves and how to rejoin the service
(30:30) - A banker over a cycle
(34:25) - Understanding all the repercussions of wanting to be in charge
(46:25) - Why advising has all the wrong incentives and setting out to start his own
(49:00) - How to differentiate a business
(01:20:00) - Advice on finances for people on active duty
(01:38:22) - Meeting Tom Schueman and fundraising for PB Abbate
(01:48:10) - Origins of Moments in Leadership podcast
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peek of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
In this episode, Brock talks with Barrett Bogue.
Barrett is a former Marine Corps reservist who developed a passion for tackling the problem of communication around veterans during his time in the service. He worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs, overseeing GI Bill implementation before going to start his own company Evocati, a PR and consulting firm helping companies communication and grow their relationships with the veteran community.
We talk through the benefits of working a federal job after service as well as some of the problems presented at working at a government agency. Barrett also talks through starting a company, who should and shouldn't do it, and resources on getting started focused on understanding the problem you're trying to solve. We discuss the Stanford Ignite program and Bunker Labs which he both attributes as fantastic resources for veterans looking to start businesses.
You can follow along with Barrett on LinkedIn.
Resources/Articles Talked About:
Evocati
Topics:
(2:45) - A Transformational Deployment / Gap Year
(6:17) - Whose responsibility is our military transition?
(14:10) - Communicating effectively with civilians about military experience
(21:20) - The history of the GI Bill
(34:32) - Do more degrees matter in todays work environment?
(42:00) - The pros and cons of working a federal job after service
(44:15) - Working at the Department of Veterans Affairs and implementing the GI Bill program
(57:30) - Identifying a problem and setting out to solve it with business
(01:05:40) - Stanford Ignite and Bunker Labs
(01:09:45) - Understanding the genesis of Evocati
(01:17:10) - To raise money or not to raise money
(01:26:05) - Outlining the future success of Evocati
Whether you’re in the service for four years or twenty, you have learned skills, led teams, and learned what it takes to execute under pressure. While those past successes are valuable, they don’t always translate to a life or career when you get your DD214.
Join Brock in breaking down the skills and strategies current and former military members are using to build a successful careers on the outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peak of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along with us.
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
In this episode, Brock talks with Don Reynolds.
Don is a Sergeant Major in the Marine Corps with 22 years of service under his belt and is currently working in recruiting.
We discuss the past, present, and future culture of the marine corps including what makes the perfect marine. Don talks about how a dose of imposter syndrome is a good check for the chest bumping alpha culture of the military in general. Our world today has much faster feedback loops and that's evidenced in social media today; we talk through how that plays out in disciplining and leading the marines of today.
The biggest topic we dive into is understanding what you want to be measured against in life. The military offers an extremely simplistic way to be measured. In the marines, you need to shoot, run, and ruck well. That isn't for some people, but for Don, that is a dream.
You can follow along with Don on on Instagram.
Topics:
(02:15) - What makes the perfect marine
(05:25) - Understanding the competition within ranks
(10:00) - Balancing past performance with the need for readiness today
(12:15) - The military's measuring stick
(21:40) - Drawbacks to short feedback loops in the military
(26:40) - Expectations of new marines joining today
(37:40) - Common complaints heard from the field
(42:00) - How to maintain standards but be open to change
(50:00) - The importance of having accountability
(55:10) - Balancing family life being career military
(01:11:00) - How the landscape of war has changed and how to adapt
Whether you’re in the service for four years or twenty, you have learned skills, led teams, and learned what it takes to execute under pressure. While those past successes are valuable, they don’t always translate to a life or career when you get your DD214.
Join Brock in breaking down the skills and strategies current and former military members are using to build a successful careers on the outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peak of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along with us.
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
In this episode, Brock talks with Josh Steinman.
Josh is a former navy officer who served in a variety of roles including the chief of naval operations rapid innovation cell and the office of the secretary of the navy task force innovation. After his time in the Navy, he went on to work on the national security council advising on cyber policy, an issue he's particularly passionate about. Josh has worked to launch several startups including an American made wool stocks company that crowdfunded over 50,000 dollars on Kickstarter and most recently Galvanick, a company looking to secure industrial operations from cyber attacks.
We talk through the importance of building a feedback loop on your life in order to get closer to reality, that past and present of cyber security and what Galvanick is looking to do in the industrial space, and the basic frameworks for startup founders.
You can follow along with Josh and Galvanick on Twitter.
Topics:
(02:20) - What Josh thinks is important in life
(08:10) - How is required for us to get closer to reality
(11:40) - Working at Chief of Naval Operations Rapid Innovation Cell
(14:25) - Why it takes so long to implement change in the DoD
(16:35) - Building in public; the case to or not to
(24:00) - Social media, the echo chamber
(27:15) - Introduction to cyber security
(30:00) - An emerging threat; everything becomes a computer
(35:00) - Building companies for the world we want or the world that exists
(38:10) - What was the inspiration for starting Galvanick
(42:40) - Galvanick timeline from inception to today
(46:00) - Venture vs bootstrapping a startup
(53:30) - Building and scaling a team
(57:30) - Importance of understanding the problem being solved
(01:01:00) - Tools and resources for founders/startups
Resources / Links discussed:
Books: The Mom Test / Tim Ferriss and The 4-Hour Workweek (fourhourworkweek.com) / Scott Adams - How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
The Steinman Mentoring Program
Resources for Starting a Company
Whether you’re in the service for four years or twenty, you have learned skills, led teams, and learned what it takes to execute under pressure. While those past successes are valuable, they don’t always translate to a life or career when you get your DD214.
Join Brock in breaking down the skills and strategies current and former military members are using to build a successful careers on the outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peak of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along with us.
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
In this episode, Brock talks with Will Jordan.
Will is the founder of BnB Interiors, a company offering interior design services focused on the short term rental market as well as property management in San Diego. We talk through how he looks at money - he spent two years living in a van which allowed him to save enough money to go in as a limited partner on a real estate transaction with his brother. He talks about how the desire for community and good experiences led to his friends starting a backyard concert venue. There's some great food for thought in this episode on how to approach life and balancing a career and your actual life.
Now, Will is building BnB Interiors. We hear his approach to the STR market, how he evaluates deals, and walk through some basic numbers on a rental he has under management.
You can reach out and follow along with Will on Twitter.
Will's Business - BnB Interior
Episode with Rich Jordan, Will's Brother
Topics:
(02:35) - Differences between Rich and Will
(07:10) - Travel and work abroad plans for 2023
(11:32) - How money plays a role in life and living in a van
(15:30) - A life of minimalism and the fire that brought it
(19:15) - The importance of community
(21:30) - Starting a backyard venue
(34:50) - Demeanor inside and outside the Navy
(37:20) - Systemic inefficiencies and desire for control
(46:00) - Preparing for transition out from the moment going in
(48:50) - The Navy's preparation for transition
(57:01) - Launching BnB Interiors
(01:08:07) - Differences in design for STR for long term rentals
(01:20:24) - Compare and contrast STR model and walking through a deal
(01:35:10) - Will's ideas and plans for BnB Interiors
Whether you’re in the service for four years or twenty, you have learned skills, led teams, and learned what it takes to execute under pressure. While those past successes are valuable, they don’t always translate to a life or career when you get your DD214.
Join Brock in breaking down the skills and strategies current and former military members are using to build a successful careers on the outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peak of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along with us.
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send us an email: [email protected]
In this episode, Brock talks with Maureen Elias.
Maureen is former Army counterintelligence before receiving a medical discharge back in 2006. From there, Maureen stayed home to raise her three kids before receiving the call to go back to school. While pursuing her undergraduate and masters degrees, Maureen was involved in a variety of veterans organizations including Student Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, and High Ground Veterans Advocacy. Her involvement in these organizations and others brought her to the realization of her true calling which is advocating for vets at a higher, political level. Maureen is now the Deputy Chief of Staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
We discuss the mental and physical challenges of receiving a medical discharge both while in the service and out. Maureen explains this breakdown in care for veterans who are also dependents, a population she falls into and is particularly passionate about. She talks about some of the resources available and problems that still need to be solved for this rather large group of people. We also talk about a long list of veteran resources and organizations looking to make an impact.
You can reach out and follow along with Maureen on LinkedIn.
Resources:
Student Veterans of America
Armed Services Art Partnership
Topics:
(04:10) - Receiving a medical discharge
(10:15) - Being stationed abroad and what that does for your worldview
(15:12) - An AIT marriage and being stationed with a spouse
(17:02) - The divergence of being a veteran and a dependent
(21:02) - No crosstalk between DoD Tricare and VA healthcare
(24:15) - The differences in VA care
(28:51) - Raising 3 kids and then going back to school
(32:00) - Plugging into first veterans organization and renewed sense of purpose
(41:32) - Counseling to a larger veterans advocacy focus
(45:25) - Finding what you're truly suited for
(51:50) - Play upfield in your career
(54:05) - Veteran Service Organizations; the good, the bad, and the underfunded
(58:20) - Unsolved problems facing the veteran community
(01:02:30) - Fundraising at veteran organizations
(01:09:07) - How to take veterans advocacy past just awareness
Whether you’re in the service for four years or twenty, you have learned skills, led teams, and learned what it takes to execute under pressure. While those past successes are valuable, they don’t always translate to a life or career when you get your DD214.
Join Brock in breaking down the skills and strategies current and former military members are using to build a successful careers on the outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peak of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along with us.
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send us an email: [email protected]
In this episode, Brock talks with Ben Kohlman.
Ben is a former F18 pilot turned startup CEO after a few years working for Mckinsey. Ben led the Chief of Naval Operations Rapid Innovation Cell and is also the cofounder of the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum. In this episode we discuss the military from a startup lense and talk through some of the barriers to bringing innovation to today's battlefields. We talk about the founding of Defense Entrepreneurs Forum and the indicators you can look for when determining whether you have product market fit or not. Ben also talks about how he came to take over as CEO for the company now called Farcast, a company looking to deliver cargo from airplanes without landing.
You can check out Ben and Farcast on the Farcast website.
Resources:
Elon Musk's Master Plan for Tesla
Topics:
(01:58) - Why Ben started his podcast
(03:08) - What Ben is most proud of
(07:10) - "What government regulation would you repeal if you could take one away"
(17:58) - The military's product market fit
(26:28) - Taxpayer dollars to fund the military's 'product market fit'
(32:27) - Launching of Chief of Naval Operation Rapid Innovation Cell
(34:56) - 'The Military Needs More Disruptive Thinkers'
(43:25) - Military constraints on innovative leaders
(45:11) - Finding the most painful problem
(50:10) - Longevity as the missing key in military startups
(52:36) - Cofounding Defense Entrepreneurs Forum
(58:15) - Taking over Farcast
(01:07:10) - The Tesla Model
(01:13:15) - The business and pricing conversation at Farcast
(01:16:35) - Mentality taking over a business that isn't yours
(01:22:45) - Finding product market fit
(01:28:37) - Riffing on product ideas
Whether you’re in the service for four years or twenty, you have learned skills, led teams, and learned what it takes to execute under pressure. While those past successes are valuable, they don’t always translate to a life or career when you get your DD214.
Join Brock in breaking down the skills and strategies current and former military members are using to build a successful careers on the outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peak of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along with us.
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send us an email: [email protected]
In this episode, Brock talks with Allison Jaslow.
Allison is former Army captain with a love for all things politics. She gets into the similarities between service and working in politics, on a campaign or otherwise. We discuss the need for more veteran representation in office due to lacking "skin in the game" as well as how service members can pursue helping out on a campaign or running themselves. Allison also talks about an article she wrote a few years back pointing out the lack of care for female veterans, particularly from the VA. We take that a step further and talk about women in the military generally and how we need to rewrite what modern day warriors look like.
You can follow or reach out to Allison on Twitter or her personal website.
Topics:
(02:20) - Allison's transition from the military into politics
(08:15) - Do we need more veterans in office?
(10:40) - Objectives, why we need them, and the need for continuous reevaluation
(16:08) - Challenging the status quo - what are politicians optimizing for?
(20:38) - Who do we ask to serve and how we gain buy in to war
(26:02) - Questioning American's support of troops
(32:23) - Storytelling to reshape the military narrative
(40:33) - The military preparation for a life in politics
(43:30) - Running for office as a former service member
(49:00) - Permission to change your mind, publicly
(51:50) - How to join the world of politics
(57:09) - The lack of support for women veterans
(01:02:17) - Femininity or toughness, surviving as a woman in the military
(01:14:30) - Time to make change
Whether you’re in the service for four years or twenty, you have learned skills, led teams, and learned what it takes to execute under pressure. While those past successes are valuable, they don’t always translate to a life or career when you get your DD214.
Join Brock in breaking down the skills and strategies current and former military members are using to build a successful careers on the outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peak of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along with us.
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send us an email: [email protected]
In this episode, Brock talks with Michael Madrid.
Michael is an entrepreneur fueled by his love of space. He's currently working at a venture backed startup, Starfish Space, a company working to solve the satellite servicing problem. He's also the cofounder of Project Buna, a specialty coffee company focused around community. Michael talks about the mindsets entrepreneurs enter the world with and the ways of thinking required in order to endure long periods of loneliness. We talk about the right approach to take when starting your own company, understanding product market fit as well as founder fit.
You can follow or reach out to Michael on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Resources discussed:
Commit Foundation
Payload Space Newsletter
Defense Entrepreneurs Forum
Topics:
(02:45) - Michael's history in entrepreneurship
(09:20) - Indefinite and definite optimism
(13:15) - Founder Market Fit
(16:00) - Starting a coffee business from a dorm room
(34:30) - Getting your first idea off the ground and finding building your entrepreneurs community
(39:51) - 5 years from now success or failure exercise
(44:17) - Starfish Space and introduction to satellite servicing
(01:03:38) - Venture backed or bootstrapping
(01:08:46) - Skillbridge programs for active duty and veterans
(01:17:10) - Understanding your personal fit and resources
(01:22:20) - Recommendations
Whether you’re in the service for four years or twenty, you have learned skills, led teams, and learned what it takes to execute under pressure. While those past successes are valuable, they don’t always translate to a life or career when you get your DD214.
Join Tim and Brock as they break down the skills and strategies current and former military members are using to build a successful careers on the outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peak of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along with us.
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send us an email: [email protected]
In this episode, Brock talks with Sarah Morgan
Sarah Morgan is a multimedia journalist and a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army reserve. She's formerly worked at local news stations and the Associated Press. In this conversation we talk about what it takes to make it as a journalist including the deep expertise it requires to balance multiple inputs into one cohesive story. We talk about the question "Why do I care" which drives home the power of personal story. She also talks about the state of news and reporting today and the parallels she sees in the military.
You can follow or reach out to Sarah on Twitter.
Whether you’re in the service for four years or twenty, you have learned skills, led teams, and learned what it takes to execute under pressure. While those past successes are valuable, they don’t always translate to a life or career when you get your DD214.
Join Tim and Brock as they break down the skills and strategies current and former military members are using to build a successful careers on the outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peak of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along with us.
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send us an email: [email protected]
In this episode, Brock talks with Tom Sietsema.
Tom is a former marine who had an early interest in finance as well as M&A. We talk about his time at Columbia after his exit, why it's a great school for veterans particularly those interested in finance, and the importance of networking outside the veteran circle while at college. The finance industry has incredibly high barriers to entry and we talk through some of the best ways to tackle those. Tom is now the COO at Newbury Franklin Home Services. Tom discusses how better understanding his life priorities led him to pursue the autonomy that comes with the ETA (entrepreneurship through acquisition) space.
You can follow or reach out to Tom on LinkedIn and on Twitter.
Resources mentioned: FourBlock, American Corporate Partners
Whether you’re in the service for four years or twenty, you have learned skills, led teams, and learned what it takes to execute under pressure. While those past successes are valuable, they don’t always translate to a life or career when you get your DD214.
Join Tim and Brock as they break down the skills and strategies current and former military members are using to build a successful careers on the outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peak of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along with us.
• Tim: @Mccaurthor, Youtube
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send us an email: [email protected]
In this episode, Brock talks with William Toti.
Bill, after a brief stint of enlisted time, attended the Naval Academy and graduated with his undergraduate degree in physics in 1979. Bill was nominated for the Navy's astronaut program, was in the pentagon on 9/11, was the commanding officer of the USS Indianapolis submarine, and held several executive positions at defense companies after his time in the Navy.
We hear straight from Bill, the abbreviated story of the original USS Indianapolis cruiser sinking and how the captain, Charles McVay was court martialed for not hazarding the ship. Years later, after coming to captain the Indy, Bill got involved with the survivors from the original ship and was drawn into assisting the efforts to exonerate captain McVay. It was Bill's analysis, assisted by modern day technology, of the ship's position and the torpedoes that struck it that played a pivotal role in the exoneration in 2000.
After his time in, Bill became frustrated by the lack of accurate information being given to veterans while pursuing a career in industry. He wrote the book entitled 'From CO to CEO, A Practical Guide for Transition from Military to Industry Leadership" where he parses out some of the most important factors affecting veterans. We discuss why leadership skills aren't enough, how to think long term, and how employers can meet our veterans halfway by setting proper expectations and delivering on them.
You can follow and reach out to Bill, find out more about his work with the Indy, and order his book from his website.
Whether you’re in the service for four years or twenty, you have learned skills, led teams, and learned what it takes to execute under pressure. While those past successes are valuable, they don’t always translate to a life or career when you get your DD214.
Join Tim and Brock as they break down the skills and strategies current and former military members are using to build a successful careers on the outside the service.
Get a weekly episode breakdown, sneak peak of the next episode, and other resources in your inbox for free at https://scuttlebutt.substack.com/.
Follow along with us.
• Tim: @Mccaurthor, Youtube
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send us an email: [email protected]
In this episode, Brock talks with Bailey Ader.
Bailey starts with talking about her love of running and how an early injury left her with a permanent medical running profile during her time at the 82nd. After her time as an active duty officer, Bailey transitioned to becoming a real estate agent while still maintaining her guard status. She's building a military focused real estate team called Homefront that are uniquely positioned to serve the military community. We talk about her entrance into real estate and the importance of personal brand when offering a service that many others do.
You can follow and reach out to Bailey on her Instagram.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: May 25, 2022In this episode, Brock talks with Susannah Stokes.
We talk through her position in the Marine Corps as a uniformed victim advocate as part of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program. Susannah has some fantastic insight to the problems people who experience sexual assault, harassment, and thoughts of suicide experience and how best to combat those problems. We talk about her time at Facebook and standing up the entire veterans hiring program for the company. Susannah also shares how her team is helping to coach the leadership of the future at her company Do Unto, a nonprofit leadership development program.
Susannah served as a Marine Corps officer from 2011 to 2016. You can follow along with her on LinkedIn and on the Do Unto's website. -- The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military. The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service. Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag. Follow along: • Twitter • Instagram • Send me an email: [email protected] • Episodes & transcripts
Published on: May 18, 2022In this episode, Brock talks with Lisa Jaster
Lisa Jaster graduated from the military academy in 2000, followed by multiple tours overseas during her time on active duty. After her exit, she worked as an engineer with Shell oil before feeling the call back to service and joining the reserves. We talk about how taking small actions daily are often more impactful than periodic, more meaningful actions. She talks about training for ultramarathons and why she thinks fitness is a lifelong habit rather than a short term objective. Lisa also shares insights from being one of the first females to receive the Army Ranger tab and why cognitive diversity in the military is so important.
You can follow along with Lisa on Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, Twitter, and read her new book Delete The Adjective.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: May 11, 2022In this episode, Brock talks with Rich Jordan.
Rich is a former marine infantry officer and now runs the holding company Strongpoint which is centered around real estate and small business ownership. We talk through how good financial habits while he was in the marines allowed him to purchase an 18 unit apartment building while still on active duty. Since then, he's purchased a plumbing company and recently an HVAC company. Rich shares his learnings around how military members can get into the SMB space and how to stand out. We discuss how he thinks about building an effective team what strategies he's using to manage businesses in multiple states.
You can follow along with Rich on his Twitter or on his company's website, Strongpoint.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: May 4, 2022In this episode, Brock talks with John Spencer.
John is considered to be the worlds leading expert on urban warfare. He's written about the subject extensively in publications, a book, and his podcast, The Urban Warfare Project. John talks through some points in his mini manual which serves as a field guide for implementing strategies and tactics in a simple and easy to understand way. We discuss why the future of warfare will primarily be urban and how that plays out in the US military approach overseas, particularly in Ukraine with the events taking place currently. The conversation is closed on the subject of his new book, Connected Soldiers, which is a memoir on social connections in war.
You can follow along with John on his personal website, on Twitter, and also preorder Connected Soldiers on Amazon.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: April 27, 2022In this episode, Tim and Brock talk with Angie Holbrook.
Angie is a retired Army Colonel and now working in a consultant role, advising to both DoD and government roles. We speak with Angie about a person's tribe and the different factors that influence who we hang around both in and out of the service. She also talks through how her transition out of the service was different than she had anticipated. We close out by discussing how to make sure you're doing the things you say are important to you.
You can connect with Angie on LinkedIn.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: April 20, 2022In this episode, Brock talks with Chris Rawley
Chris has spent a combined 30 years in the Navy across the active and reserve component. In this conversation we talk about finding jobs while in the reserves and the synergies that can be seen between your reservist and civilian job. We talk through Chris' history and interest in investing and the observation he had while deployed that led to the founding of his company, Harvest Returns. Chris gives commentary on the importance of farmland and how the landscape of agriculture is changing due to current concerns such as COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, as well as what the future of farming may look like.
You can check out Harvest Returns website for inquiries.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: April 13, 2022In this episode, Brock talks with Colin Price.
Colin 'Farva' Price is a 20 year Naval Aviator, held the executive officer and commanding officer titles at VFA 154, and is the prospective executive officer of CVN 69, the Dwight D Eisenhower. We discuss the nuances of being a pilot and how it compares to getting in your car to drive down the road. Colin talks through the development of his leadership philosophy and how he hopes to implement that aboard a carrier that holds a multiple of the amount of people he's led before. We also talk through who the Navy is right for long term and how personal and professional goals need to align staying in the service.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: April 6, 2022In this episode, we hear all about Brock.
Brock talks about his background and how looking for a way out of a grim future led to joining the Navy. We talk through why validation is so important and how to use it to identify good friends and your future career. He dives into why just starting and taking action is the best way to figure things out. Brock also walks through the three prong stooled that make up what he believes drives success.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: March 30, 2022In this episode, we hear all about Tim.
Tim walks us through his background and how looking to establish his own identity led to joining the Navy. We talk through how he's used his great social skills to leverage great friendships and how to implement those not just in your personal life but in business. Tim dives into why and how he acts quickly which distinguishes him and can set anyone apart from the crowd.
Tim spent four years in the Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician and since his exit, become a successful salesman.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: March 23, 2022In this episode, Brock talks with Kate Germano.
Kate spent 20 years in the Marine Corps, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In this conversation, Kate explains how she used data collected at boot camp to dial in on more effective Marines in the recruiting process. We discuss the systemic problems women face in the Marine Corps and the military as a whole. She also explains how the military and data focus has shaped her leadership style which is strongly reflected in her tough, but humble, attitude.
Kate is the author of the book, Fight Like A Girl: The Truth Behind How Female Marines Are Trained, and is now a leadership coach and consultant at C+H Partners. You can follow along with Kate and reach out through her website or on LinkedIn.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: March 16, 2022In this episode, Tim and Brock talk with Austen Alexander.
Austen was a Master at Arms in the Navy, having served aboard the USS Carl Vinson as well as harbor security in southern California. Austen began making Youtube videos while in as a way to make extra money. Having found success with Youtube, Austen exited the Navy in 2020 to go full time on his fitness series, 'Battle Bunker', which puts athletes and different occupations head to head in military-style fitness events. We hear his funny story of meeting (then Chief) David Goggins at Great Lakes. We discuss the difficulties of content creation while in the service and how to navigate the rules associated that landed Austen as the center of a NCIS investigation. We also talk about what advice to talk in life and how to cut through noise and distractions to hone in on the valuable learnings.
Follow along with Austen on Youtube or on his Instagram.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: March 9, 2022In this episode, Tim and Brock talk with Frank Scappaticci and John Plumstead.
Frank and John played college football together, attending Westpoint in 2004 before graduating as Field Artillery Officers. Their friendship in college and time throughout the military eventually fostered a business relationship in Gray Line Investments. This duo started out investing in single family homes before graduating to self storage where they plan to acquire 20 million dollars this year. We discuss why buying a small or medium sized business is a great avenue for service members to take and how they are uniquely equipped to handle the problems. Frank and John also talk about growing the growing pains of SMBs and how growing too fast can cause harm to the business and relationships.
Follow Frank and John on Twitter or check out their website for more investing information at Gray Line Investments.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: March 2, 2022In this episode, Brock talks with Hunter Anderson.
Hunter served one enlistment in the Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician. He participated in two carrier deployments aboard the USS George HW Bush and USS Harry S Truman. After a brief stint working in the shipyards, Hunter extended his passion for service to working at the Fire Department in Williamsburg VA. We talk about the importance of positive self talk when confronting difficult situations and how finding the right job doesn’t feel like work.
Hunter also explains how he used the OJT portion of GI bill benefits to receive a stipend while training at the fire house. This program isn’t talked about a lot, but is applies in many different industries. You can find more out about the program here.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag. https://scuttlebutt.carrd.co/
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: February 23, 2022In this episode, Tim and Brock talk with Thomas Schueman.
Tom is our first active duty guest, currently a Major in the Marine Corps studying strategy at the Naval War College. We talk through Tom’s approach to being a lifelong learner and how humility unlocks personal and professional growth. Tom dives into the struggles of mental health challenges within the military and its impacts on the organization as a whole. We also cover the company Tom founded, PB Abbate, a veterans service organization that brings veterans with shared interests together in honor of Sergeant Matthew Abbate.
You can follow Tom on Instagram.
Can learn more about PB Abbate and how to get involved on the website.
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag. https://scuttlebutt.carrd.co/
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: February 16, 2022In this episode, Tim and Brock talk with Joe Cardamone.
Joe was an aviation planner in the Army as well as the Air Force which he transferred to for his reserve time. Joe got interested in film creating Youtube videos with his friends. His interest eventually led him to several related fields including acting, screenwriting, and eventually photography - his biggest passion.
We talk with Joe about the business of acting and all the different roles involved in putting a film together. We also discuss how the military influences our creative processes negatively and steps that can be done to avoid that. Lastly, Joe explains why producing art whether through content or some other way, helps you find your voice which is the most important thing we can do.
You can follow Joe on his personal website, Twitter, or Instagram.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: February 9, 2022In this episode, Tim and Brock talk with Josh Duntz.
Josh is a former EOD tech for 10 years in the Navy and is now an account executive at Shift as well as the founder and CEO of Stasis.
We talk through the physical challenges that come with working in EOD and how those led to an increased focus on health, in particular breath work. Josh goes on to explain why he believes veterans make such strong candidates in the work force but also as entrepreneurs. Working at Shift, he gets direct insight into filling active duty and veterans into prominent companies. We also discuss Josh's Ayahuasca retreat to Mexico and the importance of being willing to put in the work in order to change your life.
Episode Resources:
Josh on Twitter@JoshDuntz
Shift - Career Advancement for Military Members, Past and Present: Shift.org
Stasis - Optimal health and performance starts with a single breathe: Stasis.life
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: February 2, 2022In this episode, Tim and Brock speak with Keith Dow and Tyler Carroll.
Despite being at different points in their career, Keith and Tyler became aware of each other during their time in the army. Their time together early on was extremely brief, but they stayed in contact which eventually led to the founding of Dead Reckoning Collective (DRC).
Keith and Tyler reminisce on the story of running an early blog featuring content written by folks in the military. They go on to share how running the blog showed them the unfilled need of military and veteran writers. After multiple small projects, DRC was formed and have since published 11 veteran works. DRC is a veteran exclusive publishing company, covering all writing styles.
We speak at length about the importance of the people you have around you, how fostering a creative community around you pushes you harder than doing it alone, and how DRC is helping veterans learn and publish their work.
Follow along with Keith, Tyler, and DRC at:
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: January 26, 2022In this episode, Tim and Brock talk with Nate Lenahan.
Nate spent six years in the Army followed by eight years in the Army National Guard where he worked in artillery. Nate promoted quickly and served two tours in Iraq from 2003 to 2004 and 2005 to 2006. After his active duty exit he got to teach sergeants Army leadership as well as be activated to assist with Hurricane Harvey.
Nate went on to work for Lockheed Martin and participate in many of their leadership development programs. Follow Lockheed, Nate got involved in the property management and real estate space and was a regional manager for WeWork. Since WeWork, Nate has dove into the SMB space, particularly buying and scaling home services businesses.
You can follow Nate on Twitter @n8lenahan and on LinkedIn.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag.
Follow along:
• Send me an email: [email protected]
Published on: January 19, 2022In this episode, Tim and Brock speak with Dario DiBattista.
Dario served in the Marine Corps reserves from 2001 to 2007 with multiple tours to the Middle East in support of OIF. Dario recounts the story of how he got started writing online out of spite. His introduction to blogging was timely as Iraq and Afghanistan veterans sharing their stories online was in its infancy. Publishing his work on the impacts of war led Dario to several unique opportunities including being asked to write a piece on Osama Bin Laden's death for the Washington Post. Dario has an MFA and is currently pursuing his doctoral degree.
Dario now works in academia in support of veterans everywhere. His passion for writing got him involved early in the Veterans Writing Project where he continues to mentor service members in helping to tell their stories. His book, 'Retire the Colors', recounts 19 stories about the residual effects of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The book can be found on Amazon and Kindle here.
Dario's Twitter
Dario's Personal Website
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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Every week, we send out in depth breakdowns of episodes, resources and content not featured, and free swag. Check it out here.
Follow along:
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts
In this episode, Tim and Brock speak with Caleb Taylor.
Caleb was was Marine Rifleman from 2009 to 2014. Caleb talks through why it's so important to build your own life outside the military. How the end of our service doesn't cite the end of our story nor allow us to hang up the cleats. We also get to hear the first audible telling of his coordination efforts to rescue his Afghan interpreter, "NB", during the recent fall of Afghanistan.
Since his exit, Caleb achieved a bachelors and masters in Global Security Studies and now works at FEMA. On the side, he writes for OAF Nation, a veteran owned media brand. He does everything from book reviews, to military history, and was published in a poetry book entitled 'War...&After: The Anthology of Poet Warriors'. Can find the book on Amazon here.
Check out Caleb and OAF Nation
Caleb Instagram
OAF Nation Instagram
OAF Nation Website
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
For episodes of the show, transcripts, and weekly newsletter, check out https//www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Follow along:
• Twitter: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Brock speaks with Matt Bishop.
Matt attended the United States Naval Academy and received a Marine Corps Officer commission as a combat engineer. He participated in two combat deployments before exiting to pursue an MBA from Georgetown. After feeling like his work wasn't completed, Matt was selected for SF in the National Guard and completed several operations before exiting for good in 2015. After a few entrepreneurial missteps, Matt found traction in the coffee space after combining his business with a competitor to form Iron Mule Coffee. Iron Mule is a premiere roastery and supplies many regional grocery stores with quality coffee beans. Matt's passion for people has led to the launch of Direct Access coffee, a brand that sources beans directly from farmers in other countries. The goal of Direct Access is to provide transparency to farmers and pay that is consistent with their coffee sales, benefits missing from programs like fair trade.
Check out Matt and Iron Mule
Richard The Mule's Instagram
Iron Mule Coffee Website
Direct Access Coffee Website
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
For episodes of the show, transcripts, and weekly newsletter, check out Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Tim and Brock talk with Graham Barnhart.
Graham spent 11 years in the Army and National Guard as a Special Forces Medic (18D). Having been deployed 3 times, Graham has leaned on many of his experiences as inspiration for his writing. We talk through why it's difficult to talk to non service members about your experiences, how the military forces you to compare yourself to others and how detrimental that is, and how mindfulness, reading, and writing can help you process past events.
Graham has an undergraduate degree in English and is working on a doctorate in creative writing. His poetry book, 'The War Makes Everyone Lonely', can be purchased here.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
For episodes of the show, transcripts, and weekly newsletter, check out Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Tim and Brock talk with Austin Lieberman.
Austin served as a Tactical Air Control Party Officer in the Air Force from 2011 to 2018, joining through ROTC. While in the National Guard, Austin leveraged the time and skills learned while active to land a consulting job at Slalom. Since then, Austin has worked as a career coach at Lambda School, a lead advisor at 7Investing, and now manages money professionally at Social Capital.
Austin walks us through how being public about your hobbies and interests leads to interesting opportunities. His focus on producing high quality content online has led him to connect with people and opportunities he never thought possible. We also discuss how to transform your resume from military titles to real world titles that businesses want to hire.
You can follow Austin on Substack and on Twitter @LiebermanAustin.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
For episodes of the show, transcripts, and weekly newsletter, check out Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Tim and Brock talk with Conrad Jeffries.
Conrad spent 13 years in the military between the Coast Guard and National Guard. Throughout his time in service, he struggled with alcohol and talks openly about his personal struggle against suicide. His understanding of that fight led him to found the Shot At Dawn Project, a veteran suicide solution that uses 'flags' or incidents as triggers to counsel and coach active duty members at the unit level to prevent a future casualty rather than respond to it. Conrad is now a realtor and ultra marathoner, using runs such as the David Goggins Challenge and Moab 240 to raise awareness for veteran suicide and his cause.
You can follow Conrad on Instagram @ConradJeffries and check out his initiative at https://www.shotatdawnproject.org/.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
For episodes of the show, transcripts, and weekly newsletter, check out https//www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Follow along:
• Twitter: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
In this episode, Tim and Brock talk with Matt Cochrane.
Matt spent six years in the Navy as an electronics technician from 1996 to 2002. After exiting, he became a patroller for the Plantation Police Department in South Florida and is now a detective. On the side, Matt has written for the Motley Fool and is now a lead advisor at 7Investing, a long term focused stock research service.
We discuss why following your passions always leads you to the right place, how connecting with people you don't know pushes your career forward, and how starting to make sound financial decisions earlier in life sets your future up for success.
You can follow Matt on Twitter @Matt_Cochrane7 and check out his write ups and researched stock picks at www.7investing.com. For $10 off your first month, sign up with referral code.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
For episodes of the show, transcripts, and weekly newsletter, check out Scuttlebuttpodcast.co
Follow along:
• Brock: @BrockHBriggs
• Instagram: Scuttlebutt_Podcast
• Send me an email: [email protected]
• Episodes & transcripts: Scuttlebuttpodcast.co