Service Academy Business Mastermind

Brendan Aronson (USNA '12) is the Co-Founder and CFO of Paintru, a company that turns photos into custom paintings. Through their network of artists, Paintru makes it easy to turn your most cherished moments and memories into a work of art.

In this episode, we discuss:

• His moment of clarity that led him to bet on himself as an entrepreneur
• How Paintru can turn your photos into custom paintings that make amazing gifts
• The biggest lessons he learned from the Naval Academy and the Marine Corps that are helping him as an entrepreneur

Connect with Brendan:

• Brendan Aronson
• Paintru

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Brendan for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Barry Lingelbach (USMA '99) is the Co-Founder of BlackGreyGold and Slides Wizard, two companies that he started with his West Point classmate, Matthew Hargrove. Matt and Barry started BlackGreyGold to help small to medium-sized companies shorten the path to success and they started Slides Wizard to help people create winning pitch decks.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why he decided to go into business with a USMA classmate
• How Barry and Matt founded their companies based on their shared values and passion for helping small businesses succeed
• The 3 main objectives a pitch deck should accomplish and the common mistakes to avoid when creating a pitch deck

Connect with Barry:

• Barry Lingelbach
• BlackGreyGold
• Slides Wizard

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Barry for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Ricky Waters (USNA '06) is a professional engineer and Principal with Bowman Consulting leading the Charleston, SC and Charlotte, NC offices. At Bowman, Ricky works with a broad range of clients on real estate development projects such as large commercial development and master-planned communities. Ricky also plays an important role in our 10X Vets program as the leader of the 10X Vets Real Estate Development Circle.

In this episode, we discuss:

• His passion for finding the highest and best use for real estate
• His vision for the 10X Vets Real Estate Development Circle
• His goal for Academy grads and veterans to team up on real estate projects across the country

Connect with Ricky:

• Ricky Waters
• Bowman Consulting

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Ricky for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Jordan Foley (USNA '12) is the Founder and CEO of Chow, a community-focused nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide active vocational food truck training to veterans and military spouses. Chow seeks to provide its fellows with a "Food Truck MBA" and offers everything from food safety and culinary instruction to marketing and business training.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Jordan wanted to start a nonprofit hyper-focused on food trucks
• Chow's "Service Above Self" ethos and its charitable mission
• His advice on starting a nonprofit and the biggest challenges he's faced

Connect with Jordan:

• Jordan Foley
• Chow

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Jordan for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Josi Heron (USCGA '00) is the Founder and CEO of Waypoints Equity, a company that empowers like-minded real estate investors to reach financial freedom through passive income with tax benefits. They buy, renovate and operate multifamily properties with teams and partners in growing U.S. markets. She is a graduate of Real Estate Accelerator class 2020-1.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Josi is using her military experience to structure deals and manage her real estate projects
• Her experience purchasing a 24-unit property and her goal to complete a $10M deal
• How the Real Estate Accelerator helped her transition into real estate investing as a full-time career

Connect with Josi Heron:

• Josi on LinkedIn
• Waypoints Equity

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and would like to learn more about our Real Estate Accelerator, please visit: https://sabmgroup.com/realestate/

Join our Upcoming Webinar

On Wednesday, June 2nd we are hosting a zoom call to discuss our upcoming Real Estate Accelerator starting in June. If you would like to join us on the call, please register here.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Josi Heron and Buddy Rushing for the amazing interview. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Michael Cashman (USMA '91) is an estate planning and business attorney. He served as an infantry officer and Airborne Ranger before attending law school. Michael runs his own firm based in California and Hawaii in addition to serving as a lawyer for the Hawaiian Air Guard. He is the recipient of Lawyer's Weekly Leadership in Law Award and has been recognized for two consecutive years as a rising star in Business Litigation. In addition, he is currently on the 2020 Super Lawyer list, an honor reserved for only 5% of attorneys.

In this episode, we discuss:

• His path to becoming an attorney after his service in the Army
• The different components of an estate plan and why you need each of them
• The new Academy networking group he started in Hawaii

Connect with Michael:

• Michel Cashman
• Cashman Law

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Michael for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Jim Collison, an Army veteran, is the CliftonStrengths Community Manager for Gallup. The Clifton Strengths Assessment is an online talent assessment that helps you discover what you naturally do best and has been taken by more than 25 million people. The Assessment helps individuals learn about their own strengths and provides managers with the tools and framework to have their teams work well together.

In this episode, we discuss:

• An overview of CliftonStrengths and how you can use it to find your passion
• How Jim has used his natural talents to craft his job within Gallup that allows him to do what he does best
• How the Assessment can help entrepreneurs just starting out as well as those in large corporations
• And, as a bonus, his best tips for starting a podcast

Connect with Tim and learn more about the CliftonStrengths Assessment:

• Jim Collison
• Gallup's Strength Coaching Webcasts
• CliftonStrengths Assessment

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Jim for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Today we welcome Todd Waldemar (USNA '89) back to the podcast (he first joined us on Episode #110). Todd is the founder of ChowCall and recently went through the 757 Accelerate program. He joins us today along with Evans McMillion, 757 Accelerate's Executive Director, to share how the program helped ChowCall grow. 757 Accelerate is a nonprofit startup accelerator program focused on founders and their growth.

In this episode, we discuss:

• ChowCall's exciting growth and their newest offering, grocery delivery from base commissaries
• 757 Accelerate's focus and how it works with founders to grow their businesses
• The type of founders 757 Accelerate focuses on supporting, specifically military and underrepresented founders

Connect with Todd and Evans:

• Todd Waldemar
• ChowCall
• Evans McMillion
• 757 Accelerate

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to both Todd and Evans for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Marques Hardin (USAFA '03) is an art buyer and advisor and the cofounder of Artgence, an agency focused on connecting art collectors with artists. Artgence offers personal art shopping services, hosts virtual art galleries and offers premium 3D virtual art fair experiences.

In this episode, Marques and I discuss:

• The career pivot that brought him from the corporate world to the art world
• How he uses technology to share art with his clients
• The skills he gained during his time in the Air Force and at the Air Force Academy that helped him build his own business

Connect with Marques:

• Marques Hardin
• Artgence

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Marques for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Ed Henkler (USNA '78) is the Founder of The Blind Guide, a company that helps people who have lost their vision shift their goals from surviving to thriving by offering employment initiatives, assistive technologies, and other resources.

In this episode, Ed and I discuss:

• A career shift in his 50s that led him to pursue his passion to help the blind community
• The networking mistakes he made early in his career and his belief that networking is about giving back to others
• How the lessons he learned at the Naval Academy and during his time in the Navy are helping him today in the business world

Connect with Ed:

• Ed Henkler
• The Blind Guide

If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.

Subscribe and help out the show:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Also available on Google Podcasts, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Ed for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01