Today on the Transition, I’m joined by fellow Marine and Bunker Labs Ambassador Brand Childers, Founder of Freelance Corporal, an App whose aim is to help military service improve their financial literacy, combing a budget calculator with their EAS countdown, projecting how much savings a service member could get out of the military with. After serving in the Marines, Brand began pursuing his education in Psychology, with an emphasis on the veteran community. After recognizing that financial dis...
Apr 20, 2023•44 min•Ep. 116
In this episode of the Transition, I share some inside scoop on how I’m approaching Lead Generation, Flawless Acceleration,utilizing the Hawke Method, and how you can apply it on your own venture as well. I also use today’s episode as an opportunity to cover branding essentials for going to market. Be sure to subscribe to the Transition Newsletter on Substack here: https://bit.ly/37Bb8Ne Order my book, “Black Veteran Entrepreneur” here: https://amzn.to/3gme7kg Watch Marc Andressen’s interview wi...
Apr 13, 2023•29 min•Ep. 115
In this episode of the Transition, I talked about the difference between raising capital and going to market with a tech product vs a traditional small business. Be sure to subscribe to the Transition Newsletter on Substack here: https://bit.ly/37Bb8Ne Order my book, “Black Veteran Entrepreneur” here: https://amzn.to/3gme7kg Watch Marc Andressen’s interview with business insider here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfOsP3PmI1U...
Apr 06, 2023•20 min•Ep. 114
In the following episode of the Transition, I’m joined by Army Veteran and CEO Circle Alumni, Chris Anthony, Founder & CEO of Teamworx Security, software company building a better way to manage cyber incident response in defense, cyber, critical infrastructure, and emergency management. Teamworx is the world's largest secure online forum that connects security teams across private and public sectors. Chris and I talk about the origins of Teamworx Security, what he’s learned going through his...
Mar 30, 2023•51 min•Ep. 113
I’m pumped for the following episode of the Transition, as I finally get to sit down with fellow Marine and Bunker Labs New Orleans Ambassador, Taylor White, CEO and Co-Founder of Countable, which provides Financial Operations and Planning for Startups & Small businesses, empowering entrepreneurs with the financial team they need for growing businesses in the digital age. On the show, he opens up about the success and challenges of his business as they reach the next stage of growth, his jou...
Mar 23, 2023•55 min•Ep. 112
In this episode of the Transition, I’m joined by Army Veteran and Bunker Labs OG, A- Jay Orr, Founder and CEO of Simple Plan IT, which helps business leaders manage the digital risks that threaten the existence of their business, taking the confusion out of IT & proving to business leaders that investing in new technology can be practical, effective, & stress-free. A-Jay is also the author of “The Art of War in Business Technology: Simple Tactics For Conquering IT & Cybersecurity Cha...
Mar 16, 2023•50 min•Ep. 111
In the following episode of the Transition, I’m joined by my good friend and Army Veteran, Mike Nemeth, Founder of Emblem Athletic, an apparel company that provides custom athletic apparel to athletes, teams, and organizations. I’ve had a chance to witness Mike scale his company from a handful of employees to almost 30+ and one of inc 500’s fastest-growing companies. Every day until he sold the company earlier this year, it was a struggle, which Mike opens up about on today’s show. He gets real ...
Mar 09, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 110
Entrepreneurship is hard, it requires guts, sacrifice, and the willingness to endure, which is one of many reasons why Today’s guest, Brandon Shelton, is bullish about investing in veteran-led startups. Brandon is an Army Veteran, as well as the Founder and Managing Partner of Tasks Force Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in service-driven, high-performing and commercially tested military and national security startups, led by Veterans who have a passion for solving real-wor...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 109
In the following episode of the Transition, I’m joined by Air Force Veteran turned Venture Capitalist, Derren Burrell, Founder and President of Veterans Venture Capital, a veteran-owned growth-equity investment fund & firm focused on veteran businesses. On the show, Derren and I discuss why he believes veterans make great entrepreneurs, the investment thesis of his firm, and the importance of community and collaboration in the venture space. Whether you’re looking to raise funding for your s...
Feb 23, 2023•43 min•Ep. 108
Today, I’m joined by Robert Kissner and Rianna Khan, from the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at IONA University, which is now providing free one-on-one business coaching and technical assistance to veteran and military spouse owned small businesses. On the show, Rob and Rianna discuss their offerings and how the community can take advantage of them. Be sure to subscribe to the Transition Newsletter on Substack here: https://bit.ly/37Bb8Ne Order my book, “Black Veteran Entrep...
Feb 16, 2023•37 min•Ep. 107
I respond to a listener’s question requesting advice as he prepares for his transition in 2024. Be sure to subscribe to the Transition Newsletter on Substack here: https://bit.ly/37Bb8Ne Order my book, “Black Veteran Entrepreneur” here: https://amzn.to/3gme7kg Apply for The Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship Workshop Series here: https://bunkerlabs.org/breaking-barriers/...
Feb 09, 2023•29 min•Ep. 106
In this episode of the Transition, I’m joined by Army Veteran and Executive Coach Charlie Gilkey, Founder of Productive Flourishing, which helps creators, business owners, and leaders thrive, through award-winning tools and services. Additionally, Charlies is also the author of “The Small Business Lifecycle: A Guide for Taking the Right Steps at the Right Time” and “Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done.” On the show, Charlie opens up about the reality of building a sustainable business f...
Feb 02, 2023•50 min•Ep. 105
On this episode of The Transition, I share a framework to help you drive revenue now. There’s no magic pill for revenue, but what you can do is build a repeatable process that puts you in the best possible position to get it. Be sure to subscribe to the Transition Newsletter on Substack here: https://bit.ly/37Bb8Ne Order my book, “Black Veteran Entrepreneur” here: https://amzn.to/3gme7kg...
Jan 26, 2023•19 min•Ep. 104
On this episode of the Transition, I’m joined by Bunker Labs Ambassador Courtney Zaugg, Founder & CEO of Plaka Associates, an Indiana based economic developing consulting firm that collaborates with innovators in economic development to design entrepreneurship-led strategies that shape talent, community, and industry ecosystems. She’s also the Co-Founder of Zinc Contractors, a commercial and residential general contracting firm, she runs alongside her husband. Those of us that live in major ...
Jan 19, 2023•55 min•Ep. 103
Do you know your brands category? Specifically how customers are positioning you in their mind? If not, this is an episode you don’t want to miss. Be sure to subscribe to the Transition Newsletter on Substack here: https://bit.ly/37Bb8Ne Order my book, “Black Veteran Entrepreneur” here: https://amzn.to/3gme7kg Apply for The Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship Workshop Series here: https://bunkerlabs.org/breaking-barriers/...
Jan 12, 2023•28 min•Ep. 102
We’re kicking off the New Year with Army Veteran and Bunker Labs Ambassador, Vic Hill, CEO of Hillvision, a boutique, family-owned holding firm that features a diverse portfolio of companies, including real estate, technology, and media, just to name a few. Vic recently secured a 100k pre-seed investment for his tech startup, My Ruck, an API service that enables corporate partners to provide their customers with real time analysis of their military benefits profile. On the show, Vic discusses My...
Jan 05, 2023•52 min•Ep. 101
Today, we’re celebrating a huge accomplishment here at Bunker Labs, and that’s 100 Episodes in the book for The Transition. I’d like to personally thank each and everyone of you for tuning into this show, and supporting our efforts to build the next generation of veteran military spouse entrepreneurs. I’d also like to give a special shoutout to our audio engineer, CJ Hughes, who works hard behind the scenes to make this show possible and who has been with me from the very beginning. So for today...
Dec 22, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 100
On this episode of the Transition, I talk about why spreading yourself too thin is holding you back and what to do about it. Be sure to subscribe to the Transition Newsletter on Substack here: https://bit.ly/37Bb8Ne Checkout “The Official 2022 Bunker Labs Holiday Gift Guide” here: https://bit.ly/3U1bvpZ Order my book, “Black Veteran Entrepreneur” here: https://amzn.to/3gme7kg...
Dec 15, 2022•25 min•Ep. 99
Today on the Transition, I sit down with Army Veteran and Expert EOS Implementer, Chris Hallberg, Author of The Business Sergeant’s Field Manual: Military Grade Business Execution Without The Yelling and Pushups. Although we’ve already done a crash course on EOS in a previous episode, which is short for The Entrepreneurs Operating System first coined by Gino Wickman, I wanted to revisit it with Chris to share his insights, as someone who helped companies implement EOS for over a decade. I’ve sai...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 98
On this episode of the Transition, I’m joined by Army Veteran and CEO Circle Alumni, Miles Murray, Co-Founder of Locoal Charcoal Company, A Waste to Energy climate technology company with a mission to change the way the world looks at waste. Utilizing their proprietary mobile containerized fluidized gasifier, Locoal positively impacts the world by diverting waste, converting it to clean energy while capturing carbon in value-added co-products. On the show, Miles discusses his die-hard passion fo...
Dec 01, 2022•56 min•Ep. 97
I share some tips on Annual Planning, so you can head into the new year with the wind at your back. Whether you’re a solopreneur or have a team, Annual planning is a great time to reset and refocus, so you can make the most of the new year. Be sure to subscribe to the Transition Newsletter on Substack here: https://bit.ly/37Bb8Ne Checkout “The Official 2022 Bunker Labs Holiday Gift Guide” here: https://bit.ly/3U1bvpZ...
Nov 24, 2022•26 min•Ep. 96
In the following episode of the Transition, I’m joined by Navy Veteran, Serial Entrepreneur, and Venture Capitalist, Josh Carter. Josh holds multiple roles in the venture space, including Director of Blue Ventures, a non-profit, strategic alliance formed to accelerate innovation and sustainability in support of an inclusive blue economy. Additionally, he’s also a principal at 1859 Ventures, an Oregon based/focused industry agnostic $5M seed fund with a team of serial entrepreneurs focused on fou...
Nov 17, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 95
On today's episode of The Transition, we tried something new. Mike chats with CJ Hughes, Audio Engineer and Producer for The Transition podcast, and Head of Production at IRONBOUND Media. We take a deep dive into the concept of learned effectiveness, and how crucial it is to implement when things get tough and the world feels like it’s battling against you. Be sure to subscribe to the Transition Newsletter on Substack here: https://bit.ly/37Bb8Ne "Learned Effectiveness" LinkedIn Post: h ttps://w...
Nov 10, 2022•26 min•Ep. 94
In the following episode of the Transition, I’m joined by Ryan Micheletti, Co-Founder and General Partner at The Veteran Fund, an early stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley that invests in high growth startups, with an emphasis on dual use technology, that are led by exceptional founders from the military community. Ryan and his Co-Founder, Mike Sherbakov, who I also plan to get on the podcast, are leveraging their unique access to the global startup ecosystem and their partners' e...
Nov 03, 2022•54 min•Ep. 93
On this episode of the Transition, I’m joined by Marine Veteran Carrie Roeger, Co-Founder of Rally Point Grille, a restaurant franchise that brings the camaraderie and tradition of the American military to you in a family-friendly environment, complete with a full menu, bar, and friendly staff. Carrier and her husband Ralph opened their first restaurant, Semper Fi Bar and Grille in 2015, in order to build community and create a home away from home for veterans. Be sure to subscribe to the Transi...
Oct 27, 2022•58 min•Ep. 92
Today on the Transition, I’m joined by Regina Rembert, Chief Executive Officer and Newly Published Author of Think Veterans First, an Ohio based nonprofit whose mission is to promote, support and advocate for veterans and veteran owned businesses! Regina spent twenty one years in the Army as a Paralegal, before becoming an entrepreneur. She’s on a mission to challenge government agencies and large corporations, to make sure they’re including veteran owned businesses in conversations, for large g...
Oct 20, 2022•47 min•Ep. 91
In this episode of the Transition, I’m joined by Navy Veteran, Bunker Labs Ambassador, and Fintech Guru, Todd Youngblood. Todd is an Bunker Labs Ambassador in Denver, CO, and as many of you know, Ambassadors represent the life blood of the Bunker, as there the ones in the streets, connecting with entrepreneurs, and developing their local ecosystems. Invited Todd on the show to talk about the work he’s doing in Denver, and also his twenty year background in Fintech, and how entrepreneurs can succ...
Oct 13, 2022•51 min•Ep. 90
In this episode of the Transition, I’m joined by Army Veteran Andrew Wolgemuth, Co-Founder of Wove, a 21st century jeweler, bringing the jewelry designer directly to couples for custom engagement ring creation. Wove is the only engagement ring company that builds you a custom replica ring for at home try-on. Find Wove at www.wovemade.com If you want to get plugged into the Bunker Labs ecosystem, visit www.BunkerLabs.org , select a city nearest to you, sign up for the local newsletter, and attend...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 89
Today on the Transition, I conducted a Questions and Answer session with VIR Alumni and Marine Veteran Rob Ardnt, Founder of Buffer Springs, a training and consulting firm builds customized military recruitment, retention, and employee engagement programs for companies that are serious about their veteran talent initiatives. Rob’s still in the early days of launching his firm and we talk through how to navigate that early go-to market phase, when there’s still a lot of uncertainty, and an immens...
Sep 29, 2022•55 min•Ep. 88
On this week’s episode of The Transition, I’m joined by Bunker Labs OG and Army Veteran, Daniel Gomez, CEO & Founder of First Person Xperience, which provides education and training for private and government organizations, using an experiential learning model along with interactive storytelling techniques that create unforgettable, teachable, and transformative moments. If you want to get plugged into the Bunker Labs ecosystem, visit www.BunkerLabs.org, select a city nearest to you, sign up...
Sep 22, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 87
