Boots About Business

Boots About Business

Support for our military veterans has never been higher than it is today. Many businesses have an interest in employing veterans, but they don’t know how to connect, and they don’t really understand the skills veterans can bring to their business. Something similar can be said about veterans in transition and their understanding of the business world. Hi, I’m Frank Strong, I’m a veteran, I’ve worked in businesses of all sizes, small-, medium and large, today I’m a business owner and now, I’m hosting a podcast called “Boots about Business.” We interview business leaders, executives and entrepreneurs that all started their careers wearing boots in service of the US armed forces. This podcast will be equal parts about sharing great stories, helping veterans, helping businesses and ultimately helping them both understand each other. The show is available wherever you get your podcasts. Keep an eye on the show’s website for show notes and links resources discussed on the show.

Episodes

Episode 30: Veterans Have an Employment Edge With or Without a College; Jason Marchant of FineTune

June 16, 2021 • 30 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bab_030_jason_marchant.jpg Jason Marchant won’t tell you to not get a degree, but he will tell you don’t let not having one prevent you from applying for a job. That’s how he did it. And in a couple years, he went from a veteran in transition, and wondering what he’d do with his life, to having a career in sales and business card with the title of “president” of a franch...
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Episode 29: One Step Back to Go Many Steps Forward; Army Veteran Starr Corbin of Diligent Robotics on Building a Career in Tech

June 2, 2021 • 33 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/bab_029_starr_corbin.jpg After leaving the Army Starr Corbin took a job for which she felt she was overqualified. But she took it anyway and excelled. In few years, she was running the shop that eventually led opportunities with companies like CapGemini, iHeartRadio, and eventually her own consulting company. Today she leads the software team for a robotics startup in Aus...
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Episode 28: This Army Vet Applied to 400 Jobs with Zero Callbacks, but Here’s How He Finally Landed His Dream Job; Chuck Kluball, Military Relations for Home Depot

May 19, 2021 • 39 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/bab_028_chuck_kluball_home_depot-scaled.jpg After Chuck Kluball transitioned out of the Army, he spent months applying for jobs and sending out resumes. In fact, he says he submitted about 400 applications and received no responses. Zero. Home Depot was at the top of his most wanted list and he sent some 40 applications to positions there and had the same result: No cal...
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Episode 27: This Veteran Started a Landscaping Business with Work Ethic and Organizational Skills Acquired in the Army; Michael Winters of ThirtySeasons LLC

May 5, 2021 • 23 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/bab_027_michael_winters.jpg Many of the lessons Michael Winters applies to his small business, he learned in the Army. He and a buddy started researching what it take to open a landscaping business while he was still wearing the uniform. In fact, they started mowing lawns part-time, in off duty hours, to get things going. It wasn’t easy, but then Mike says a lot of the th...
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Episode 26: Former Navy SEAL Shares How Broke into Business; DJ Faldowski on How he Moved from One Elite Team to Another

April 21, 2021 • 24 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/bab_026_dj_faldowski.jpeg It was 9/11. That’s what gave him the motivation to join the service. DJ Faldowski went on to graduate from Annapolis and serve in the Navy SEALs. He spent nine years in the Navy and multiple deployments before he decided to transition out. He wound up working in private equity, which is an elite aspect of finance. He later moved into business d...
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Episode 25: This Former Marine Landed in Cybersecurity Almost by Accident; Christopher Kennedy with Career Tips for Veterans

April 7, 2021 • 37 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/bab_025_chris_kennedy.jpeg Christopher Kennedy joined the Marines as a communications officer, and almost by accident wound up in cybersecurity. Cybersecurity was still a nascent industry then, but the experience served him well over his career. He’s worked in high profile cybersecurity gigs across multiple vertical markets, including government and finance, and also in o...
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Episode 24: Veterans Make “Savagely Loyal” Employees; Air Force Veteran Adam Braatz of the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce

March 17, 2021 • 30 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/bab_024_adam_braatz.jpeg Adam Braatz joined the Air Force to play the piano. A professional trained musician, he was among the few that audition and selected for the Air Force band. That experience took him around the world – before transitioning to a Military Training Instructor (MTI). Today he serves as Vice President, Communications & Programming at the Wisconsin ...
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Episode 23: Finding a Purpose in Business After Military Service; Army Veteran Kent Wilson of Network Security Provider Bricata

March 3, 2021 • 26 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/bab_023_kent_wilson.jpeg Some veterans struggle with finding purpose after military service. It’s hard to match the idealism of uniformed service – that is being part of something bigger than oneself. Kent Wilson, however, found purpose in his work in cybersecurity. The mission is very real every day, but it took a dinner with some old buddies that were still serving in ...
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Episode 22: This Air Force Veteran is Building out a New Food Delivery Service; Timothy Dance of Dancin' Delivery

February 17, 2021 • 23 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/bab_022_timothy_dance.jpeg Some of the conventional popular food delivery services are missing important elements: tamper proof measures, temperature control technology and other food safety issues. That’s a big part of where Timothy Dance sees a niche for his business idea. An Air Force veteran turned chef and entrepreneur, he walks us through his plans as he builds out ...
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Episode 21: Operating in Chaos translates to a [Business] Bias for Action; Beau Higgins a Retired Marine Colonel Turned Senior Manager of Military Talent Acquisition for Amazon

February 3, 2021 • 26 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bab_021_beau_higgins.jpg One of the skills Beau Higgins says veterans bring to business is an ability to operate in chaos. That is when things are chaotic – veterans learn to focus on getting things done. For 25 years, Beau got things done in the Marine Corps. He’s a retired colonel that held roles from intelligence to Marine Recon and went all over the world. Today, he ...
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Episode 20: Balancing Work and Life between Google and the Army National Guard; Googler and Intel Officer Nathan Iglesias

January 20, 2021 • 36 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bab_020_nathan_iglesias.jpeg Nathan Iglesias joined the California Army National Guard right after 9/11 – and after graduating college he essentially spent the next six years on active duty. He was trained as an intelligence officer, attended the military’s language school where he learned Dari, and later deployed to Afghanistan. He eventually came off active duty and wa...
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Episode 19: She Left the Army, Married a Soldier and then Discovered Military Spouses Need Career Help too; Jaime Chapman on Careers for the Spousal Community

January 6, 2021 • 26 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bab_019_Jaime_Chapman.jpg When Jaime Chapman married into the Army, she experienced firsthand how difficult it is to find a job or maintain a career. While she did find work as a DoD contractor running programs for veterans in transition, the contract nature of the work meant her employment was subject to budget constraints. Despite three promotions, when she was laid of...
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Episode 18: How a Nuclear Machinist Mate got into Real Estate; Navy Veteran Craig Hatcher of Georgia Residential Realty

December 16, 2020 • 35 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bab_018_craig_hatcher.jpg Craig Hatcher joined the Navy as a Nuclear Machinist Mate looking after the reactors and associated equipment that powered the nuclear ship to which he was assigned. He later got out, and worked for UPS, until his wife’s interest and budding career in real estate drew him in as well. Today, Craig runs his own real estate brokerage. On this episo...
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Episode 17: How a Special Forces Soldier Deployed to Corporate America; Former Green Beret turned Management Consultant Herb Thompson and The Transition Mission

December 2, 2020 • 26 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/bab_17_herb_thompson.jpg When Herb Thompson was getting ready to retire from the Army, he had no idea what he would do next in his career. However, the uncertainty is something he was trained to deal with, and he used those skills to start planning his next mission to the civilian world. He didn’t know much about LinkedIn, but he got on it and just reached to people askin...
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Episode 16: A Business Incubator and Support Network for Military Veteran Entrepreneurs; Business Author and Navy Vet Todd Connor on the Third Shift Entrepreneur

November 18, 2020 • 32 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/bab_016_todd_connor.png Todd Connor is a Navy veteran that has really done some interesting things. He’s worked for big companies like Booz Allen, he’s run his own consulting firm, and he’s even run for elected office. However, two of the things that he’s done that we’ll talk about on the show is an organization he founded called Bunker Labs and a book he has coming out w...
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Dear Veterans: Strive to be a Better Veteran this Veteran's Day {special message}

November 10, 2020 • 4 mins
My friend Tom Deierlein posted an update to LinkedI (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6732017553482235905/)n that reads: To all my Veteran friends: When people thank you for your service tomorrow and all days. Don’t say "you’re welcome." Tell them how you really feel: "It was my honor and a privilege." Tom was the first interview for this podcast series -- so it you haven't listened yet, g...
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Episode 15: How to Identify those Transferable Skills: Retired Sergeant Major Turned High-Tech Business Recruiter with Tips for Veterans in Transition

November 4, 2020 • 31 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/bab_015_elliot_marks_.jpg Veterans are quick learners that are loyal and perform well under pressure. They have a sense of integrity, selflessness, teamwork and resiliency. However, articulating these things and other transferable skills onto a civilian resume one of the hardest things for veterans in transition to do. So says Elliott Marks who has had two careers in rec...
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Episode 14: Setting Up Military Affairs Programs in Business; Former Marine and Public Defender, Joshua Wilson Now Advocates for America’s Warrior Partnership

October 21, 2020 • 29 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/bab_014_josh_wilson.jpg Joshua Wilson is a Corporate Relationship Manager at America's Warrior Partnership. The organization is a non-profit aimed at empowering communities to empower veterans. That involves many different things, but Josh is focused on helping businesses set up military affairs programs. Military affairs programs are designed to help businesses attr...
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Episode 13: This Former “8th & I” Marine Once Tried to Open a Dominoes Franchise; Today He’s an Entrepreneur with a Wearable Stylus that Might Help Protect Us from COVID

October 7, 2020 • 25 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/bab_013_gable_eaton.jpg When Gable Eaton saw how many pizzas his peers assigned to Marine Barracks at 8th & I ordered, he saw an opportunity. The (then) young Marine came up a plan to open a Dominoes Franchise nearby…but there was one barrier: as an active duty Marine, he’d need the Colonel to sign off on his paper work, and he didn’t quite see the opportunity the sam...
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Episode 12: Uncommon Route to Self-Employment: How Army Vet Ruthie Bowles Turned Her MI Experience into a Marketing Career

September 16, 2020 • 33 mins
https://www.swordandthescript.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/bab_012_ruthie_bowles.jpeg Sometimes veterans struggle to translate what they did in uniform into skills that make sense in the civilian world. Ruthie Bowls spent eight years in the Army working in intelligence. When she got out of the service, she went to work for a government contractor doing much the same thing. Still, she wanted something more and one thing the Army ...
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