Service Academy Business Mastermind

Christian White (USMA ‘09) is the managing director and co-founder of risk3sixty, an information security advisory firm that helps companies build, manage, and certify their information security, privacy, and compliance programs. Christian always knew that he wanted to start a business and, although he had no background in information security, he was able to grow risk3sixty through successful team building and his willingness to learn the business from the ground up. In this episode, we discuss: The five core values that frame every aspect of risk3sixty’s business How risk3sixty’s success came from Christian and his partner’s willingness to fail and get back up The importance of having big, audacious goals The three lessons Christian learned from the Army and West Point that helped him grow his business Connect with Christian and the team at risk3sixty: Christian White risk3sixty risk3sixty on YouTube The Virtual CISO - risk3sixty’s podcast If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a frien

Tom Connally (USNA ’83) is the founder of Connally Consulting where he helps leaders and organizations improve their performance and success professionally, personally, spiritually, and physically.  He is also a graduate of Real Estate Accelerator class 2019-2.  In this episode, we discuss: Why Tom decided to join the Real Estate Accelerator after 5+ years into retirement Tom’s path to purchasing five properties in less than a year The tax savings strategy that Tom used to save over $20,000 in taxes Connect with Tom Connally: Tom on LinkedIn Connally Consulting If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today. Subscribe and help out the show: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher Leave us a 5-star review! Special thanks to Tom Connally and Buddy Rushing for the amazing interview.

Jim Mulford (USAFA ’70) is the President and CEO at acQyr eXchange, the first public exchange to track and manage the digital assets you acquire online so you can redeem them for money.  Their initial market will be mobile and online gaming where gamers will be able to monitor, manage, and redeem their gaming rewards on the exchange with a mobile app. In this episode, we discuss: How their product supports the $2.7B gaming industry Their value proposition for gamers and game publishers How they can acquire users from the game publishers to grow their network Connect with Jim Mulford: Jim on LinkedIn acQyr eXchange If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today. Subscribe and help out the show: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher Leave us a 5-star review! Special thanks to Jim

On today’s podcast, I am excited to launch the Traffic Circle at 10X Vets.  The 10X Vets program at SABM is for military veterans who want to grow their business to a 10X level through new learning, collaboration, and connections. The Traffic Circle is led by Jimmy Weeks, Air Force Veteran and founder of Internet Strategy Labs and Veteran Stats.  The Traffic Circle is for 10X Vets members who want to increase website traffic, improve website performance, and generate more leads.  In this episode, we discuss: The vision for the Traffic Circle and how it helps members grow their businesses Jimmy’s internet marketing experience and how he uses website analytics as a starting point for helping his clients optimize their marketing The Veteran Stats analytics platform which helps military veteran business owners understand their website analytics so they can make strategic marketing decisions Connect with Jimmy Weeks: Jimmy on LinkedIn Veteran Stats Join about 10X Vets: https://sabmgroup.com/10x/ If you found t

Shawn Ikpa (USNA ’05) is the Founder of Castletop Logistics, an Amazon Delivery Service Provider who has built his delivery team to 95 drivers in the Buffalo, NY market.  Shawn was also a member of the very first Real Estate Accelerator class when we launched the program in 2018. In this episode, Shawn shares his experience from the Real Estate Accelerator and how he has recently changed careers and is now a full-time business owner in partnership with Amazon. In this episode, we discuss: How his Amazon delivery business has grown to delivering 200,000 packages per month in less than a year What he enjoys about being an Amazon Deliver Service Partner How the Real Estate Accelerator shaped his mindset which allowed him to pursue a career in entrepreneurship How he is growing his real estate portfolio to build long term wealth for his family Connect with Shawn Ikpa: Shawn on LinkedIn If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and wan

Zach Peyton (USMA ‘04) is the Co-Founder of Superior Fence & Rail, the nation’s only fencing franchise.  Superior Fence & Rail currently has 19 locations across the country that fabricate and install fence products.  After graduating from West Point and serving as an Army intelligence officer, Zach was searching for his purpose in corporate America and a phone call from a West Point classmate led him to North Florida and his future in the home services industry.   In this episode, we discuss: The three pillars of Zach’s approach to business success How Zach applied the lessons he learned at West Point and as an Army officer to the operational side of his small business The advantages of joining a franchise model in small business ownership A job opportunity for the SABM community Connect with Zach: Zach Peyton Superior Fence & Rail Superior Fence & Rail Franchising If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want

Jimmy Vreeland (USMA '03) is the principal of Vreeland Capital and the Co-Founder of Cash Flow Tactics. After graduating from West Point where he played football for the Black Knights, Jimmy spent five years serving in the Army through three deployments with his last as a Captain with the Ranger Regiment.  He worked in medical sales for eight years following the Army before starting a turnkey real estate company that provides investment opportunities for members of Cash Flow Tactics, a business community that helps individuals achieve financial freedom in 10 years or less regardless of age, income, or experience. In this episode, Jimmy and I discuss: Their 4-step process that helps people achieve financial freedom in 10 years or less His personal goal to invest in 1000+ properties His favorite success stories from students in the Cash Flow Tactics community Connect with Jimmy Vreeland: Jimmy on Linkedin Cash Flow Tactics If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If yo

Jeff Zeunik (USMA ’95) is a B2B CFO® Partner who helps the owners of privately-held businesses reach their goals, both personal and business.  He provides consulting services on an as-needed long-term basis. This helps privately-held businesses benefit from a CFO, without the fully loaded cost of hiring a full-time employee. In this episode, we discuss: How he helps busy business owners improve their cash-flow The types of clients who benefit most from his services The most important lessons he learned in the Army that have helped him as a business owner Connect with Jeff: Jeff on LinkedIn B2B CFO If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today. Subscribe and help out the show: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher Leave us a 5-star review! Special thanks to Jeff for joining me this

The fund described is open to “accredited investors” only, through an offering made in accordance with Regulation D, Rule 506(c) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. In purchasing securities through a 506(c) offering, we are obligated to verify any participating investor’s status as an “accredited investor” in accordance with Rule 501 of Regulation D. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the fund carefully before investing. Today, we are excited to launch the Academy Fund!  The Academy Fund is a private real estate fund that invests in military veteran real estate operators.  The Academy Fund leverages relationships among Investors, Advisors, and Operators to facilitate the valuable “trust capital." In this episode, we discuss: How the Academy Fund is the first fund of its kind to lend capital to military veteran real estate operators How the Fund is set up for investors and those seeking capital How the Academy Fund will create an ecosystem for real estat

Today we welcome Marissa Limsiaco (USMA ’05) back to the podcast.  We first talked in 2018 and she joins us now to share how her entrepreneurial journey has developed.  Marissa is the President and Co-founder of Otso, an online platform that guarantees financial security to landlords while eliminating the need for cash from tenants in commercial leases.  Otso is an offshoot of Marissa’s other commercial real estate endeavor, Tenavox, and the two companies share the same mission – to make commercial real estate leasing easy and to be a source of truth for the industry. In this episode, we discuss: The biggest lesson Marissa learned after launching her first business that helped her develop Otso How Marissa and her partner pivoted and launched a new business at the start of the COVID pandemic How Otso creates a win/win for landlords and tenants Connect with Marissa: Marissa Limsiaco Otso If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and

Mark Mhley started Re4ormed after almost 22 years as a Naval Aviator.  Re4ormed is a place for veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs to connect to a community and find high-quality business services bundled at lower prices.  In 2019 Mark was selected to participate in The Global Good Fund’s veteran fellowship program and credits the leadership coaching and executive mentorship with Re4ormed’s growth and expansion. The Global Good Fund believes that investing in leadership is the best way to make an impact on a community and do global good.  Through its yearlong fellowship program, The Global Good Fund helps social entrepreneurs grow their leadership capabilities through coaching and funding. In this episode, we discuss: How Mark pivoted Re4ormed with the help of The Global Good Fund’s leadership coaching How The Global Good Fund’s 360° leadership assessment and development plan makes Global Good Fund entrepreneurs accountable to each other and themselves What sets The Global Good Fund Veteran Fellowship

Buddy Rushing (USNA ’04) is the founder of White Feather Investments and the leader of the Real Estate Accelerator, a six-month course for Service Academy graduates and military veterans who want to achieve financial freedom through real estate investing.  Since his first appearance on the podcast in 2018, Buddy has built multiple businesses and will be transitioning out of the Marine Corps in a few weeks (after 16 years of service!) to pursue his business endeavors full time. In this episode, Buddy and I discuss: How the Real Estate Accelerator grew from just an idea to a powerhouse community of 100+ real estate investors Time management strategies for managing multiple businesses in your spare time and the financial risk he took to pull it off His favorite success stories from Accelerator members over the last two years Connect with Buddy Rushing: Buddy on LinkedIn White Feather Investments Real Estate Accelerator Join our upcoming call on Saturday, September 26th to meet the team and learn about the Re

On today's podcast episode, I am excited to announce the launch of our new program called 10X Vets.  10X Vets is a business mastermind group for military veterans who want to grow their businesses to a new level through new learning, collaboration and connections. The program has been underway for a couple of months and we are already up to 40 members. In this episode, we discuss: The 10X Vets Capital Circle that helps real estate investors, fund managers and startups grow their network and net worth The 10X Vets B2B Circle that helps small business owners and high caliber sales reps grow their businesses through trusted referrals Our plans to launch additional circles including a Government Contracting, Healthcare, and Non-Profit circles How the entire community connects each month through a monthly zoom meeting and slack channel Connect with the team: Learn about 10X Vets: https://sabmgroup.com/10x/ Guests on today's show: Bill Militello, David Wuensch and Mark Mhley If you found this episode valuable,

Jesse Iwuji (USNA '10) is an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and a professional NASCAR driver.   He is currently the only driver in all of NASCAR at the national levels to serve in the military.  Jesse was also a free safety on the Navy football team and is the founder of The Red List Group, a trucking and logistics company based in Southern California. In this episode, Jesse and I discuss: His path to becoming a NASCAR driver His unique goal-setting process that helps him turn a vision into a reality The skills he learned at the Naval Academy that are helping him on the racetrack Connect with Jesse Iwuji: JesseIwuji.com Jesse on LinkedIn If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today. Subscribe and help out the show: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher Leave us a 5-star review!

Lionel Hines (USNA '94) is a partner with Payment Lock, an all-in-one solution for both in-store retail transactions and online payments.  Their platform is designed for speed and built on military-grade encryption. I am also joined by Ryan Smith, the founder of Payment Lock and a former professional football player. In this episode, we discuss: Their payment processing platform that saves business owners on expensive credit card fees Their favorite client success story How their experience as athletes has helped them as entrepreneurs Connect with Lionel and Ryan: Lionel Hines on LinkedIn Ryan Smith on LinkedIn Payment Lock If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today. Subscribe and help out the show: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher Leave us a 5-star review! Special thanks t

Tim Mobley (USMA '93) is the Founder of Connext Global Solutions, a staffing company that provides companies with talented offshore professionals, work tools, and operating facilities that support their profitable growth. In this episode, Tim and I discuss: The most popular tasks that companies outsource to them Their capability to build out entire teams for their clients How they are different from other outsourcing companies Connect with Tim Mobley: Tim on Linkedin Connext Global Solutions If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today. Subscribe and help out the show: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher Leave us a 5-star review! Special thanks to Tim for joining me this week.  Until next time! -Scott Mackes, USNA ’01

Thomas Schwab (USNA '87) is the Founder of Interview Valet, a company that helps business owners turn listeners into leads and leads into customers by talking directly to ideal customers with Podcast Interview Marketing. In this age of Social Distancing, the most effective way to market your business is through Podcast Interview Marketing where you're interviewed as the expert guest on podcasts that your potential customers already listen to. You get a long-term return on investment (ROI) that beats blogging, advertising, and social media postings. In this episode, Tom and I discuss: Tom’s experience from being a guest on 1,000+ podcasts His white-glove service that helps business owners get booked on popular podcasts His best advice for someone wanting to start a podcast Connect with Thomas Schwab: Tom on Linkedin Interview Valet Subscribe and help out the show: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher Leave us a 5-star review! Special thanks to Tom for joining

Chris Hsu (USMA '92) is is the CEO and Co-Founder of Zibo, a digital financial services platform that provides individual landlords banking, insurance, and payment services solutions.  Zibo helps landlords save time and hassle by automating monthly rent collection and accepting multiple forms of payment from tenants, including debit card, credit card, and ACH bank transfers. Prior to starting Zibo, Chris was the Chief Operating Officer of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and the CEO of a publicly-traded enterprise software company. In this episode, we discuss: How his app optimizes efficiencies for small independent landlords His best lessons learned on raising capital and building his team from the ground up How his experience at West Point has helped him as an entrepreneur Connect with Chris Hsu: Chris on LinkedIn Zibo Subscribe and help out the show: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher Leave us a 5-star review! Special thanks to Chris for joining me this week.

Raymond Bednar (USMA '84) is the President and Founder of Hyperion Marketing Returns where he optimizes strategies for investments in marketing channels with an emphasis on return on investment (ROI) and return on business objectives (ROO or ROBO).  His sub-specialty within marketing departments is sports sponsorships where he has extensive relationships at the top sponsorship entities in the world including NFL, MLB, NBA, and PGA. In this episode, we discuss: How to negotiate sponsorship opportunities based on business goals How to obtain the most essential sponsorship benefits without paying for unproductive frills Why “skybox tickets” might not yield the highest ROI for your business Connect with Raymond Bednar: Raymond on LinkedIn Subscribe and help out the show: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher Leave us a 5-star review! Special thanks to Raymond for joining me this week.  Until next time! -Scott Mackes, USNA ’01

Russell Long (USAFA '12) is the Founder of Long Capture, a team of Military Veterans and Spouses who support small businesses with exciting new technology ideas by helping them find and capture contracts through the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Program and other funding opportunities. In this episode, Russ and I discuss: How he has helped companies win 90M+ in SBIR awards The competitive advantage he offers companies in the SBIR application process His goal to help companies achieve multi-million dollar government contracts Connect with Russell Long: Long Capture Russell on Linkedin If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today. Subscribe and help out the show: Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Also available on Google Play, Spotify & Stitcher Leave us a 5-star review! Special thanks to Russ for joining me this we