Paul Habenicht - Marine Veteran Applying Military Principles to Entrepreneurial Success

Paul Habenicht, a U.S. Naval Academy and Darden MBA graduate successfully built and exited a veterinary services business called VetEvolve.

Paul shared his journey from the Marine Corps to entrepreneurship, highlighting how his military experience shaped the culture and operations of VetEvolve. As Paul and his co-founder Nick acquired and integrated veterinary clinics across the country, they intentionally applied principles from the Marine Corps playbook - things like mission-type orders, empowering frontline teams, and an "officers eat last" mentality.

"We really understood that it's all about your people," Paul explained. "The best captain in the world is supported by 20 sergeants and they do the work and they drive your plan." This people-first approach allowed VetEvolve to scale while maintaining a strong culture.

Paul also offered insights on the emotional and practical aspects of exiting an entrepreneurial venture. While the financial upside was rewarding, he found the transition out of the day-to-day business to be bittersweet. "It doesn't feel exactly like you think it does," he said. "There's a tremendous amount of work that leads up to that sort of a transaction or that sort of process."

Now, Paul is turning his attention to helping other entrepreneurs through his new venture, Range Control. He's eager to share the lessons he learned - from navigating acquisitions to building a cohesive culture - with the next generation of founders.

"I'm looking to transfer some of the skills I've learned," Paul said. "I can help them see where they need to go and provide them some of the advice and guidance and investment support that people have provided us."

To hear the full interview and learn more about Paul's entrepreneurial journey, check out the latest episode of the Mission Oriented podcast.

Erik DeGiorgi is a Marine veteran that is the founder and CEO of NetSpeek. Erik shared how his background as a Marine infantryman during the early days of the Afghanistan war helped prepare him for the rigors of entrepreneurship. "Endurance is probably the single most necessary trait for a founder," he said, noting that the ability to push through challenges is critical.

After leaving the Marines, Erik co-founded a family business in the digital signage industry, gaining valuable experience in building and scaling a tech company. This led him to identify a major pain point in the pro-AV industry - the complexity of managing disparate technologies from multiple vendors in enterprise environments.

This insight inspired the creation of NetSpeek and its flagship product, Lena. Described as a "central nervous system" for AV networks, Lena uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to monitor, diagnose and even automatically resolve issues across an organization's collaboration and audiovisual systems.

"We've built Lena to really mimic human workflows," Erik explained. "Lena has instant access to every support ticket that's ever been, the technical manuals for every device, and can communicate directly with the equipment to take corrective action."

With Lena's commercial launch scheduled for January 21st, Erik is excited to bring this innovative solution to the pro-AV market. NetSpeek will be showcasing the product at the Integrated Systems Europe trade show in Barcelona in early February.

"We're really focused on the meeting room right now," said Erik. "There's more technology in those spaces than ever before, and a zero tolerance for when it doesn't work. That's where we're laser-focused on making a difference."

Listeners can connect with Erik and the NetSpeek team at [email protected] and visit them at www.netspeek.com

Doug Moran is a seasoned executive coach, author, and former Capital One CIO. Doug shared his inspiring leadership journey, which has been shaped by his experiences in business, politics, and personal reflection. His book, If You Will Lead, distills these experiences into valuable leadership insights, with a focus on empowering others to reach their potential. He covers sixteen historical figures as he highlights leader characteristics. 

Doug’s journey to leadership started early, shaped by his upbringing as a "Navy brat" and his father’s influence. Although he didn't follow in his dad's military footsteps, Doug’s passion for leadership grew throughout his career. After working in telecom and politics — including a key role in Governor George Allen’s administration — Doug transitioned to Capital One, where he spent a decade honing his leadership and coaching skills.

A pivotal moment came when Doug discovered the power of coaching. Through coaching, Doug learned that leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room but about enabling others to perform at their best. This philosophy became a cornerstone of his work as a coach.

A central theme of Doug’s leadership approach is resilience, and this idea was inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s poem "If". His father’s frequent quoting of the poem instilled in Doug the importance of treating both success and failure with equanimity. In the book, Doug draws on this principle of steady leadership to help readers navigate their own leadership challenges, from dealing with setbacks to managing high-pressure situations.

The spark for writing If You Will Lead came from Doug’s realization that many leaders need a practical framework for developing their leadership skills. He wanted to offer a guide that not only shared his personal lessons but also provided actionable advice for leaders at every stage of their journey. The book reflects Doug’s deep belief in the power of coaching and the ability to bring out the best in others — an approach that has been the core of his career and coaching philosophy.

Whether you’re a seasoned executive or just starting your leadership journey, Doug Moran’s insights offer a wealth of wisdom for anyone looking to grow as a leader and empower others along the way.

For more insights on Doug’s leadership philosophy, check out the full interview on the Mission Oriented podcast and grab a copy of If You Will Lead to dive deeper into his practical approach to leadership.

Buy "If You Will Lead" here

Website: https://www.ifyouwilllead.com

Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.

Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?

It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.

Why?

Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.

Until now.

Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?

Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.

About Your Host

Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Dave Esra - Veteran Entrepreneur Tackles Maternal Health Crisis

Dave Esra is the founder and CEO of Bobi Health. Dave is a veteran who served in both the Navy and Army, and he is now using his entrepreneurial skills to tackle a critical issue - the high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity.

Dave shared his personal connection to this problem - his wife had a high-risk pregnancy that was ultimately successful, but he saw firsthand the challenges and risks that many women face. This experience inspired him to found BobiHealth, a startup that is using technology to improve maternal health outcomes.

The statistics around maternal health are sobering. Dave noted that 94% of maternal mortality is avoidable, and that every two minutes, a woman dies from maternal health complications. In the U.S. alone, there are over 50,000 cases of severe maternal morbidity each year, costing the healthcare system billions of dollars.

BobiHealth's approach is to leverage wearable devices and predictive analytics to identify risk factors and complications early on. By continuously monitoring key biometrics like heart rate, breathing, and activity levels, the platform can alert healthcare providers to potential issues before they become serious. This allows for earlier intervention and treatment, potentially preventing devastating outcomes.

As an entrepreneur, Dave has drawn heavily on his military experience to guide BobiHealth's development. He spoke about the importance of defining a clear mission and vision, establishing core values, and building a culture of accountability. These are all lessons he learned during his time in the service.

Dave Esra Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveesra

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bobihealth

Website: https://www.bobihealth.com

Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.

Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?

It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.

Why?

Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.

Until now.

Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?

Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.

About Your Host

Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Nick Smith - Navy Veteran & Partner, 37th & Moss

From a young age, Nick had a desire to take to the skies, inspired by his Great Uncle's job of flying F-86s during the Korean War and his Grandfather's service in the Air Force. Opting for the Navy, he fulfilled his passion for flying as an F-18 test pilot during his active duty service. Post-military life, Nick set his sights on entrepreneurship, gaining valuable experience in small businesses at a bank. This journey led him to join forces with a business school colleague, giving birth to 37th and Moss – a dynamic search fund dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs in acquiring and running small businesses.

37th & Moss, a search fund, supports entrepreneurs in acquiring and operating a single business. Through defined criteria, networking, due diligence, and negotiation, the fund aims to acquire a business, actively participate in operations, and honor the legacy of the previous owner. The focus is on a smooth transition, cohesive operations, community impact, and continuous improvement while respecting the business's mission and values.

Nick Smith Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-b-smith/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/37th-and-moss/

Website: https://www.37thandmoss.com/

Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.

Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?

It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.

Why?

Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.

Until now.

Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?

Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.

About Your Host

Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Sherman Williams & Emily McMahan - Academy Investor Network, Helping Service Academy Graduates Invest in Venture-backed Startups

Sherman Williams is a Naval Academy graduate. After serving as a Naval Intelligence Officer, he headed to Chicago’s Booth School to study finance and landed himself in investment banking. While in banking he started investing and advising startups. This was a perfect segue to co-founding Academy Investor Network.

Emily McMahan is a WestPoint Academy graduate. After her time in the Army as a Military Police Officer, she has always been focused around community and working with entrepreneurs. She has a passion to work with startup companies and founded Capitol Post, which taught military veterans how to start and grow businesses, a great foundation for beginning the Academy Investor Network. She is also the Deputy Director at the Common Mission Project, an international platform supporting mission-driven entrepreneurs.

Academy Investor Network was founded in 2020. From Sherman’s and Emily’s own academy experience they personally saw the unique population that made up the graduates. They wanted to offer an investment syndicate for U.S. Service Academy graduates to invest in venture-backed startups. “We enable every Service Academy graduate to connect, learn and invest in the venture asset class.” 

Sherman Williams Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherman-williams/

Emily McMahan Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilymcmahan/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/academy-investor-network/

Website: https://academyinvestor.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AIN_members

Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch, or consider if Individual or Corporate Membership in the Network is a fit for you.

Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?

It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.

Why?

Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.

Until now.

Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?

Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.

About Your Host

Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

David Jones - Co-Founder & General Partner at Bull City Venture Partners

After attending the United States Naval Academy and graduating with a BS in Electrical Engineering, David Jones served as a Naval Aviator and a Weapons and Operations Officer.  It was his military background and experience in technology that laid the groundwork to co-found Bull City Venture Partners in 2012. Bull City Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in $250K to $2M in bold founders building software and tech-enabled companies. Serving mostly the East coast, they value the power of teamwork in identifying and investing in high-potential founders.

Bull City Ventures Website: www.bcvp.com

Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.

Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?

It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.

Why?

Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.

Until now.

Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?

Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.

Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Brandon Shelton - Removing the Barriers to Capital for Veterans, TFX Capital

Brandon grew up in rural Virginia. He was part of a long line of military service. This led him to utilize the ROTC program and attend the University of Richmond. After being commissioned as an Airborne Infantry Officer in the U.S Army. and serving for eight years he landed himself on Wall Street. This was the beginning of Brandon’s experience in the financial realm. He worked hard and received his MBA from Duke University. 

It was through these years that Brandon began the passion and desire to remove the barriers to capital for veterans. He firmly believes that Veterans make great startup founders because of their experience in service. According to the Small Business Administration, 1 in 10 small businesses in the United States are owned and operated by Veterans. This is despite that less than half a percent of the the U.S. population has served in the military.  Knowing this in 2015 Brandon founded TFX Capital

Started in 2015, TFX Capital “invests in service driven, high performing and commercially tested former military and national security leaders.”

Visit Brandon Shelton's  LinkedIn Profile  Visit Task Force X Capital Management Check out their Instagram @taskforcexcap

Email:  [email protected]

Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.

Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?

It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.

Why?

Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.

Until now.

Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?

Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.

Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Brendan Aronson - USMC Veteran, Co-Founder & CEO The Military Veteran

Brendan attended the United States Naval Academy for his undergraduate degree and commissioned as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps. He served for six years before starting his entrepreneurial journey. He is the co-founder and CEO of The Military Veteran and has a passion to help transitioning veterans. He is a big proponent of in person events and the compound effect that networking can have on the business builder and the job seeker.

The Military Veteran

 The Military Veteran works with employers looking to hire veterans and holds conferences to help veterans network. Each event allows participants to network in person. Whether looking for employment or looking to build your company these events help you build your professional network. This year they have their MilVet Startup conference in San Francisco, February 8th-9th. Following that, April 25th - 26th, they are hosting The Military Veteran Career Conference in Austin, Texas. Check out The Military Veteran events here.

Brendan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrenburrell/

The Military Veteran Website: https://www.themilvet.org/

MilVet Startup Conference:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/military-veteran-startup-conference-2024-tickets-528521832027

Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.

Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?

It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.

Why?

Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.

Until now.

Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?

Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.

About Your Host

Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.

Ryan Micheletti - The Veteran Fund & Founder Institute 

Ryan Micheletti served in the California State Military Reserve for six years. He would tell you that he learned leadership, resilience and the value of a team during his time in service. This laid the foundation for his journey as an entrepreneur.  He began by starting a security company with his brother. This grew from just the two of them working overtime to now being the 2nd largest veteran owned business in the San Francisco bay area. They focus on hiring veterans. Ryan has also helped to found Vet-Tech, which works with startups by providing “advanced mentorship, traction with corporate partners and access to our international investor network.”  Ryan’s most recent endeavor was co-founding The Veteran Fund in 2021.  He truly believes that “a veteran founder, is one of the most powerful change agents that we have to actually drive positive impact in the world.” In addition to the Veteran Fund Ryan is the Head of Global Operations for Founders Institute, the world's largest pre-seed start up accelerator. For the last 10 years, he's been leading the operations team there as head of operations to help us scale to 7,000 portfolio companies across 200 cities with a mentor network of 35,000 mentors.

“The Veteran Fund is an early stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley that invests in top military veteran-led technology startups. The Veteran Fund finds, funds and scales top performing startups within the military veteran and spouse community by leveraging our unique access to the global startup ecosystem and our partners' experience launching thousands of startups worldwide.”

Ryan Micheletti LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmicheletti

Website:  https://veteran.fund

Veteran Startup:  fi.co

Applying for Funding: veteran.fund.startup

Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.

Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?

It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.

Why?

Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.

Until now.

Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?

Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.

About Your Host

Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.