Commander's Brief
Business ideas, jobs for veterans, and other cool stuff for ex-military.
I saw a video this week of a billionaire being interviewed.
The only reason I am not sharing the video directly is that I might lose credibility with you all as you see the person who shared it. They are a bit cringeworthy.
But the message I heard in the video was powerful.
It was all about ego.
He was pushing people to think about what they would do if they were not worried about their ego.
For you all, let me share a pattern I have seen a lot with veterans.
Military academy grad→ SOF/Pilot/High performer in the military → Top MBA → Prestigious consulting firm or investment bank → 2 years later being very unhappy and wondering why they have been chasing everyone else’s dream except theirs.
I know I am about to paint a very broad brush, but the answer as to “why” here is ego.
These people were on “the” path.
They received all the accolades and admiration.
Everyone looked at them and said, “Wow! You have accomplished so much!”
But it felt hollow because they were doing all of these things for everyone else, not themselves.
So, to feed their ego.
I am by no means immune to this. I have done things for ego purposes also.
But take a minute while reading this to ask where you could go if you were not worried about impressing other people.
Veteran Business of the Week
We all had to do evals on the military. They were part of the job and part of being a good leader.
There is also an art to evals- how do you say the right thing to signal that this person is ready (or not). There were those “secret phrases” you had to include.
That’s where my friend Brock steps in.
Brock started Navy Eval Writer, a free curated list of the best Navy eval bullets and opening/closing statements that set your sailor apart for promotion.
Super cool- I love it.
Which one of you is going to create this for your branch?
Resource of The Week
I see their ads all over airports, but Vet Tix provides free tickets to events for veterans.
From their site:
Vet Tix * provides tickets to events which reduce stress, strengthen family bonds, build life-long memories and encourage service members and veterans to stay engaged with local communities and American life. We support our troops by honoring their service and providing positive family and life experiences, during and after their years of service to our country.
You can learn more or find tickets here.
I started using Monarch Money to finally get my finances organized—and honestly, it's a game-changer. If you want to get on top of your money, too, check it out here.
New Stuff
Lisa is one of the few 2x guests on the show. She is the head of Search Fund lending at Live Oak Bank, one of the top SBA lenders in the country, and a premier expert on loans for buying small businesses.
She also loves to work with veterans and I had her on the show to talk about why.
Listen HERE
From the Archives
Go crush it,
Mark
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