Service Academy Business Mastermind

Emmanuel Eleyae (USMA '04) is an e-commerce entrepreneur.  After serving as an Army officer, Emmanuel managed a distribution warehouse for Amazon and then set out on his own to build an e-commerce business (satinlinedcaps.com) to 7-Figures.  Emmanuel has advised multiple successful 6, 7, and 8 figure e-commerce companies that were acquired or built from scratch.  He also leads SABM's E-Commerce Sales Accelerator. In this episode, Emmanuel and I discuss: How he built a 7-Figure E-Commerce business from scratch How he uses his experience from working at Amazon to optimize business operations His paid advertising strategy that helped him reach his first million in sales His e-commerce mastermind group that is available to Service Academy graduates Connect with Emmanuel Eleyae Emmanuel on LinkedIn Join his E-Commerce Sales Accelerator 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 j

"I really love investing.  If you're intellectually curious it's a great profession to be in because you learn about different types of companies and industries." -Joe Sroka, USMA '88 Joe Sroka (USMA '88) is the Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Nova Point Capital, a Registered Investment Advisory firm based in Atlanta. Joe’s team manages investment portfolios for high net worth individuals, family offices, corporations, pensions, endowments and foundations. In this episode, Joe and I discuss: His path into Financial Services and why he started his own firm His strategy for getting new clients How he helps business owners build wealth and maximize financial opportunities Connect with Joe Sroka Nova Point Capital Joe 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. To help out the show: Leave a review on iTu

"West Point really helped me get good solid habits to execute and get things done.  Getting out into the entrepreneurial world and trying out my entrepreneurial wings helped me to become more creative and go after things.  I felt like I could make a difference in people's lives around money." -Gary Klaben, USMA '79 Gary Klaben (USMA '79) is the President of Coyle Financial Council, an innovative wealth management firm that uses mind maps to help clients gain clarity on their finances.  Gary is the author of Changing the Conversation, The Wealth Sanctuary and co-author of The Business Battlefield. He’s also a coach at Strategic Coach, the #1 business coaching program in the world for entrepreneurs. In this episode, Gary and I discuss: His patented process for using mind maps to simplify and visually communicate wealth strategies for his clients His path into financial services and growing his company to $1B under management Mind mapping software and tools that can help you create powerful mind maps Enjoy!

"Tenavox is a commercial real estate site built to empower, educate, and connect businesses with the best information, tools, and resources for their lease." -Marissa Limsiaco, USMA '05 Marissa Limsiaco (USMA '05) is the co-founder of Tenavox, an innovative company that helps commercial tenants make the best lease decision possible.  Tenavox is the commercial real estate industry's only platform built for tenants. In this episode, Marissa and I discuss: How her company connects commercial tenants with property owners How her database of property reviews helps tenants make smarter decisions Her company's goal to become the “Zillow” of commercial real estate Connect with Marissa Limsiaco Tenavox Marissa 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.

"It started very intimately with a couple of Marines I deployed with and we thought there was value in the lessons we had learned in a place as unforgiving as Fallujah." -Jason Brezler, USNA '00 Jason Brezler (USNA '00) is the Founder of Leadership Under Fire, a leadership training company that develops leaders and prepares organizations for the moral, physical and mental rigors critical to optimal performance in highly-competitive settings by developing strength of mind, body, character and critical thought. In this episode, Jason and I discuss: How he built a leadership training company serving first responders, Fortune 500 companies, and professional sports teams How he trains teams to excel in highly competitive and stressful situations How to sign up for his national conference that includes many high profile speakers Enjoy!

“If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don’t bother trying to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking.” -Verne Harnish In this episode of the Service Academy Business Mastermind podcast, Bill Watkins (USMA '77 and 10X Accelerator Coach) and I discuss how to create a "One-Page" Strategic Plan. In this episode, you'll learn: A 6-step approach for creating your One-Page Strategic Plan How to align individual goals with organizational goals for maximum impact A framework for creating a brand that people love >>Download the One-Page Strategic PlanRegister for the One-Page Strategic Plan Workshop with Bill Watkins

"One of the most exciting things that's happened with Battle Monument Partners is getting calls from existing investors saying 'hey, can I put in more capital?' It's a real testament to the satisfaction and trust people have gained by being in the fund."  -Mike Brumagin, USMA '89 Mike Brumagin, USMA '89, is General Partner at Battle Monument Partners, a real estate investment fund with a focus on veterans.  Mike is also the President of Integrity Management Group, where he has twenty years of operational leadership and investment experience with Quick Service, Fast Casual and Full Service Restaurants. In this episode, Mike and I discuss: How to invest in his real estate investment fund The strategy he uses to maximize return and minimize risk How he got started in the real estate business His journey as an entrepreneur which started as a franchisee in the restaurant business Enjoy!

"When I was in the Army, I started building websites and a lot of them failed.  But I learned as I was failing.  I finally did a few collaborative projects that took off and it was proof to me that I could make money online." -Tom Morkes, USMA '08 Tom Morkes, U.S. Military Academy '08, is a serial entrepreneur who helps SaaS companies, e-commerce brands and book authors implement and grow high-volume and high-margin affiliate programs.  Tom has worked with personal brands like Neil Patel, John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneur On Fire, Joseph Michael of Easy Course Creation, and Dan Norris of The 7 Day Startup, and companies like Teachable, Ultimate-Bundles, and many others to organize and run massive influencer and affiliate marketing campaigns to generate leads and sales for their products and services. In this episode, Tom and I discuss: How he helps authors with large scale book launches Choosing the right target market for a product or service How he creates scalable affiliate programs for e-commerce and softwa

“We bring in the right candidates, equip them with right hard skills, and deliver them to companies that can develop them into successful Account Executives.” -Justin Ossola, USNA ‘06 Nick Breedlove graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in ’01 and Justin Ossola graduated in ’06 and together they founded Tech Qualled, an innovative sales training and recruiting company for military veterans. Tech Qualled works with over 80 leading technology companies that are committed to their mission of hiring Veterans.  Through a competitive, immersive and intense training program, Tech Qualled helps motivated Veterans achieve new levels professional potential in the Technology sector. In this episode, Nick and Justin discuss: How their company screens candidates and finds the perfect sales reps Their individual paths into entrepreneurship and why they took the leap A new sales training platform they created for technology companies How they grew the team from four founding members into thirteen rock-star employees Enjoy

Today, I'm excited to launch our brand new SABM Accelerator Program!  Our Accelerator Program is a world-class coaching program for Service Academy graduates who are building businesses. The Accelerator will consist of individual mastermind groups, each led by a proven coach.  I'm assembling the "dream team" of business coaches to lead these groups.  The coaches are all Academy grads who are crushing it! You get: Expertise.  Each coach is proven at the level they coach! Trust.  We are all Academy grads! Community.  Coaching is delivered in a group format - you're not in this alone! Here's the link to check out the groups and sign up: https://www.sabmgroup.com/coaching/ We are capping the membership for the first two groups at eight, so if you're interested please let me know. This will be so much fun!!  I'm so excited for the success stories that will come from this!!  I might have to change my podcast schedule to daily!! :-) -Scott Mackes, USNA '01

“I’ve always had an obsession with jumping.  So what spurred the idea for this was my interest in entrepreneurship and my love of fitness and specifically jumping.”  -Dave Hunt, USNA '04 Dave Hunt graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2004 and is the founder of Crossrope, a company that sells an innovative jump rope system that helps people stay fit.  The Wall Street Journal recently published an article about how Crossrope helped a business executive lose over thirty pounds. In this episode, Dave and I discuss: How downtime from an injury sparked his idea for Crossrope How his team built a 20,000-member online fitness community in a year and a half His journey from idea to making his first sale How he connected with a manufacturer to mass-produce his product Enjoy!

“I wasn’t the biggest academic at school. But I truly valued the people around me. I became friends with as many people as I could because I knew every one of my classmates would become successful.” -Chris McKinley, USMA ‘14 Chris McKinley graduated from West Point in 2014 and is the founder of Toes To Barbell, an apparel company serving the fitness community.  He’s also the founder of Catch Your World, an innovative app that serves as a virtual time capsule allowing you to create incredible memories with your friends and family, and then to decide when those memories should be shared. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to bootstrap a business in your spare time A quick way to launch an online shop and sell your products How a side-hustle can improve your skill-set and increase your value at your day job Enjoy!

“What I slowly realized over time through West Point, my military service and corporate America was that I needed to be on the tip of the spear. And I think entrepreneurial ventures are the tip of the spear.” -Bill Watkins, USMA ‘77 Bill Watkins graduated from West Point in '77 and is the co-founder of The Lion’s Pride, a coaching program that helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses without losing sight of what’s most important to them. Bill is a decorated Army officer, world class athlete, corporate executive, and entrepreneur who built an 8-figure business out of his garage. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to grow your business 10X without neglecting your health or relationships Tools for discovering your unique ability as an entrepreneur A goal-setting framework you can use for the rest of your life Enjoy!

“When you have a great partner, it’s unbelievable.  It’s worth its weight in gold.  You’re much stronger with somebody else.” -Terry MacGregor, USNA ‘00 In this episode, you’ll learn: How Terry’s team uses data analytics to predict energy markets Tips for choosing the right business partner Tips for improving team communication Terry graduated from USNA in 2000 and is the founder of Byte Lion and Law IQ.  At Byte Lion, Terry’s team works with innovators in the startup and corporate world to create disruptive products and services.  And at Law IQ, Terry’s team uses predictive data analytics to turn energy infrastructure events into actionable insights which help customers navigate the complexities of the energy regulatory landscape. I hope you enjoy this episode of the Service Academy Business Mastermind podcast!

“We’re seeing that there is this huge gap where big agencies don’t want to help the business owner on the ground who is local. So we crafted a solution that helps them. So far it’s been amazing.” -Trevor Shirk, USMA '08 Trevor Shirk graduated from West Point in 2008 and is the founder of Targeted Laser SEO (TLS), an online marketing company based in Denver, CO.  TLS provides SEO and cutting edge digital marketing strategies to growth-minded entrepreneurs and business owners.  Whether it's Facebook advertising, Pay-per-click, Conversion Rate Optimization, or Search Engine Optimization, Trevor’s team looks for ways to help business owners grow exponentially. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to get your business ranked #1 in Google Maps How to create profitable Facebook ads that work A special strategy for generating qualified leads on LinkedIn Enjoy! Scott Mackes, USNA '01

"I started off with a very narrow focus.  I wasn't trying to be everything to everybody."  -Dan Lesniak, USNA '02 Dan Lesniak graduated from the Naval Academy in 2002 and is the founder of the Orange Line Living Team, a real estate company based in Arlington, VA. He began his career in real estate in 2012 after having successful careers both as a Naval Submarine Officer and Defense Contractor. His hyper-local strategy led to one of the fastest starts in real estate with over $22 million in sales in his first year. Since then, Dan’s team has become one of the top 35 teams in the nation and number one in Virginia as ranked by Real Trends. Dan is the author of the book, The HyperLocal HyperFast Real Estate Agent. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to use the Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP) framework to identify potential markets How to hire the right people for your real estate team Why you shouldn’t target friends and family when starting out How to use Craigslist to create demand for properties

"Part of the reason I'm not in the corporate world is because of the culture where being busy is good and being busy is successful.  I don't really subscribe to that.  I really try and build systems in my business where I don't have to do as much to accomplish the same amount."  Laura Renner, USAFA '01 Laura Renner graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2001 and is the managing director at Freedom Makers. At Freedom Makers, Laura provides freedom for small business owners by providing virtual assistance. Their assistants are military spouses who also gain freedom because they can keep working no matter when or where the military moves their family. In this episode, you'll learn: How to outsource tasks and become less busy Delegation strategies to increase productivity Tips for overcoming fear when starting a business Enjoy! -Scott, USNA '01

“I’ve always had the bug to invent and I’ve always rattled around ideas. I didn’t want to be the guy with regret, saying I had all these ideas and I never did anything about them.” -Mike Mazzocco, USMA ‘93 Mike Mazzocco graduated from West Point in 1993 and is the Founder of the MazzTech Group. The MazzTech Group is comprised of creative engineers and personnel that invent innovative products to solve common problems. They develop functional products and bring them to market using a repeatable and scalable manufacturing process. One of their latest inventions is the Stake Rake, a rake with innovative technology that deploys a stake with the flick of a wrist and effortlessly stands the rake upright. The Stake Rake decreases back strain and significantly reduces the risk of losing, tripping or stepping on the rake by not having to bend over to pick it up. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to patent your idea How to find a manufacturer for your product idea How to know when to invest in your idea and when to w

Ben Arneberg graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2012 and is the Co-Founder of Willow and Everett, an e-commerce company that sells high-end kitchen products on Amazon. Ben is also the Co-Founder of CubeFit and Product Fuel. CubeFit is a company that creates ergonomic products that empower people to be healthy and Product Fuel is an online accelerator for innovative physical products. At Product Fuel, Ben helps e-commerce entrepreneurs at various stages, from validating product ideas, to crowdfunding, to increasing online sales. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to sell your products using Fulfillment by Amazon How to build your very own branded Amazon store How to identify niche products that will sell on Amazon Tips for product sourcing that will save you time and money Words of Wisdom Ben started Willow and Everett with only a single product - a copper Moscow Mule mug.  After the product was successful and sales were rolling in, he expanded his product line.  Also, his company only sells high-end pr

Sonny Tosco graduated from West Point in 2006 and is the Co-Founder of Ronin Dev, a full-stack development team that can build a minimum viable product for your web or mobile app. In his episode, you'll learn: How to build a mobile app your customers will love How to turn your vision into a minimum viable product that customers will buy How to leverage your time with a virtual assistant How to say no more often and get more done Words of Wisdom While growing his business, Sonny recognized that his most valuable time is spent prospecting and talking to potential clients.  In order to focus more on this, he hired a Virtual Assistant (VA) to help with administrative tasks.  He also started saying "no" more often so he could spend time on what is most important. Enjoy!