Beyond the Uniform

Why Listen:

My guest today, Brendan, started a company called Paintru, which he co-founded with two other Naval Academy graduates. What I think is so fascinating about Brendan's story is that he is a Naval Academy grad, served in the Marine Corps, earned his MBA from hardcore finance school Wharton, worked at a hardcore finance company, Goldman Sachs, and then started, of all things, a startup that focuses on art. It's such an unexpected twist in someone's story.

About Brendan:

Brendan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Paintru, which makes it simple to commission fine artwork from incredible global artists. He started out at the Naval Academy, served in the Marine Corps for nearly six years, and earned his MBA from Wharton, where he interned at Goldman Sachs. He founded Paintru in February of 2020.

In this episode I provide my top 17 takeaways from an incredible book about leadership and growing a company: Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.

Why Listen:

Normally on the show, I interview military veterans about what they're doing post-service. My guests today are not military veterans, but I believe their message and perspective are a great contribution to our community.

This is a great episode for anyone. Whether you're a job seeker, an entrepreneur, or an executive, LinkedIn is such a powerful platform. We talk about it all the time on the show. Today, we're going deep on tactics for how to use LinkedIn to grow an audience, sell products, find your next job, or build your brand. There are so many different things that you can do with it.

About Justin & Jennifer:

Justin Welsh is a solopreneur building a portfolio of one-person businesses to $5M+ in revenue. As a "diversified entrepreneur," he splits his time between investing in early B2B SaaS companies, advising early-stage SMB SaaS companies in the healthcare technology vertical, building digital products, running a paid community for creators, and coaching entrepreneurs. Prior to his work as an entrepreneur, he spent a decade as an operator helping build two $50M+ ARR companies and raise over $300M in venture capital.

After a decade managing global office operations for high-growth startups, Jennifer pivoted to pursue her passion for personal finance. She's on a mission to share financial literacy and help people get started investing in the stock market. You can read all of her best tips on LinkedIn, where she's amassed over 50,000 followers in the last 12 months.

In this episode, I provide my key takeaways from a book a recent guest recommended to me; WHO not HOW. It is a book all about the fact that, when presented with a problem, we often think: how can I solve this? Instead, the book talks about shifting to a "who can help me solve this" mindset. By finding a WHO who has a network and area of expertise to solve your problem, you free yourself up instead to operate in your own particular zone of genius.

Why Listen:

Normally on the show, I interview military veterans about what they're doing post-service. Today's guest, Mike, has a unique career transition story that I haven't heard before and thought would benefit our audience. We talked about Mike's career transition of going from someone on the tech side to someone on the marketing side as an owner and operator, but also the process of acquiring other businesses.

About Mike:

Mike Maynard is the Managing Director of the Napier Group, a 7 million PR and marketing agency for B2B technology companies. He was awarded a Master's Degree in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from the University of Surrey and an MBA from Kingston University. He acquired Napier in 2001. Since that time, Mike has directed major PR and marketing programs for a wide range of global technology clients reaching over 30 European countries. He is actively involved in developing the PR and marketing industries, is Chair of the PRCA B2B Group, and is a Visiting Lecturer in PR at Southampton Solent University

In this episode I give a quick recap of a book that helped me and I know will help many Veterans who may think there's not enough time or money to go around. You Are A Badass at Making Money is a fantastic book about changing our beliefs about money and success, and I hope you'll check it out.

Normally on the show, I interview military veterans about what they're doing post-service. My guest today is not a military veteran, but I believe his message and perspective are a great contribution to our community.

Today's guest, Barry, is helping companies and individuals reach their full potential. Our conversation gave me a deeper understanding of myself, my drives, strengths, and weaknesses. As he puts it, I can be a hero or a villain, and some triggers can drive me in either of those directions; this is certainly applicable to self-knowledge. But we talked about it in the context of choosing the teams that you join, the companies you build, and the employees you hire. He also talks about having goals and being clear about what you want. Regardless of your career aspirations, Barry's got some great wisdom in here for you.

In this episode I give a quick recap of one of my favorite books of 2021: The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. I plan to have every person I hire read this book. It is an exceptional framework for leading with integrity, and a book that has had a big impact on my and my business.

Why Listen:

Shelli is doing incredible work at Space Foundation, a nonprofit helping expand the space ecosystem and helping job seekers just like you find a job in the space industry. There are a lot of opportunities here. Shelli is one of the rare ones I've interviewed in 420 episodes where it is so clear that she found a good fit for herself in this organization. After 29 years in the Air Force, she is motivated by helping others and giving back. She desires to be inclusive with this industry and pay forward to the next generation. It's always refreshing to speak with someone that has found a calling, not just a career.

About Shelli:

Shelli Brunswick is the Chief Operating Officer at Space Foundation, the world's premier organization to inspire, educate, connect, and advocate on behalf of the global space community. Her career includes work as a space acquisition and program management leader and congressional liaison for the U.S. Air Force to her current role, including overseeing Center for Innovation and Education, Symposium 365, and Global Alliance.