Service Academy Business Mastermind

Shawn Ikpa (USNA '05) is the Founder of Castletop Logistics, an Amazon Delivery Service Provider who has built his delivery team to 95 drivers in the Buffalo, NY market. Shawn was also a member of the very first Real Estate Accelerator class when we launched the program in 2018. In this episode, Shawn shares his experience from the Real Estate Accelerator and how he has recently changed careers and is now a full-time business owner in partnership with Amazon.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How his Amazon delivery business has grown to delivering 200,000 packages per month in less than a year
• What he enjoys about being an Amazon Deliver Service Partner
• How the Real Estate Accelerator shaped his mindset which allowed him to pursue a career in entrepreneurship
• How he is growing his real estate portfolio to build long term wealth for his family

Connect with Shawn Ikpa:

• Shawn on LinkedIn

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 Shawn Ikpa and Buddy Rushing for the amazing interview. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Zach Peyton (USMA '04) is the Co-Founder of Superior Fence & Rail, the nation's only fencing franchise. Superior Fence & Rail currently has 19 locations across the country that fabricate and install fence products. After graduating from West Point and serving as an Army intelligence officer, Zach was searching for his purpose in corporate America and a phone call from a West Point classmate led him to North Florida and his future in the home services industry.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The three pillars of Zach's approach to business success
• How Zach applied the lessons he learned at West Point and as an Army officer to the operational side of his small business
• The advantages of joining a franchise model in small business ownership
• A job opportunity for the SABM community

Connect with Zach:

• Zach Peyton
• Superior Fence & Rail
• Superior Fence & Rail Franchising

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 Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

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

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Jimmy Vreeland (USMA '03) is the principal of Vreeland Capital and the Co-Founder of Cash Flow Tactics. After graduating from West Point where he played football for the Black Knights, Jimmy spent five years serving in the Army through three deployments with his last as a Captain with the Ranger Regiment. He worked in medical sales for eight years following the Army before starting a turnkey real estate company that provides investment opportunities for members of Cash Flow Tactics, a business community that helps individuals achieve financial freedom in 10 years or less regardless of age, income, or experience.

In this episode, Jimmy and I discuss:

• Their 4-step process that helps people achieve financial freedom in 10 years or less
• His personal goal to invest in 1000+ properties
• His favorite success stories from students in the Cash Flow Tactics community

Connect with Jimmy Vreeland:

• Jimmy on Linkedin
• Cash Flow Tactics

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 Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

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

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Jeff Zeunik (USMA '95) is a B2B CFO® Partner who helps the owners of privately-held businesses reach their goals, both personal and business. He provides consulting services on an as-needed long-term basis. This helps privately-held businesses benefit from a CFO, without the fully loaded cost of hiring a full-time employee.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How he helps busy business owners improve their cash-flow
• The types of clients who benefit most from his services
• The most important lessons he learned in the Army that have helped him as a business owner

Connect with Jeff:

• Jeff on LinkedIn
• B2B CFO

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 Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

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

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

The fund described is open to "accredited investors" only, through an offering made in accordance with Regulation D, Rule 506(c) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. In purchasing securities through a 506(c) offering, we are obligated to verify any participating investor's status as an "accredited investor" in accordance with Rule 501 of Regulation D. Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the fund carefully before investing.

Today, we are excited to launch the Academy Fund! The Academy Fund is a private real estate fund that invests in military veteran real estate operators. The Academy Fund leverages relationships among Investors, Advisors, and Operators to facilitate the valuable "trust capital."

In this episode, we discuss:

• How the Academy Fund is the first fund of its kind to lend capital to military veteran real estate operators
• How the Fund is set up for investors and those seeking capital
• How the Academy Fund will create an ecosystem for real estate investors and operators

Connect:

• Bill Militello
• Brian Whitten
• Academy Fund on LocalVest

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 Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Brian and Bill for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Today we welcome Marissa Limsiaco (USMA '05) back to the podcast. We first talked in 2018 and she joins us now to share how her entrepreneurial journey has developed. Marissa is the President and Co-founder of Otso, an online platform that guarantees financial security to landlords while eliminating the need for cash from tenants in commercial leases. Otso is an offshoot of Marissa's other commercial real estate endeavor, Tenavox, and the two companies share the same mission – to make commercial real estate leasing easy and to be a source of truth for the industry.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The biggest lesson Marissa learned after launching her first business that helped her develop Otso
• How Marissa and her partner pivoted and launched a new business at the start of the COVID pandemic
• How Otso creates a win/win for landlords and tenants

Connect with Marissa:

• Marissa Limsiaco
• Otso

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 Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

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

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Mark Mhley started Re4ormed after almost 22 years as a Naval Aviator. Re4ormed is a place for veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs to connect to a community and find high-quality business services bundled at lower prices. In 2019 Mark was selected to participate in The Global Good Fund's veteran fellowship program and credits the leadership coaching and executive mentorship with Re4ormed's growth and expansion.

The Global Good Fund believes that investing in leadership is the best way to make an impact on a community and do global good. Through its yearlong fellowship program, The Global Good Fund helps social entrepreneurs grow their leadership capabilities through coaching and funding.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Mark pivoted Re4ormed with the help of The Global Good Fund's leadership coaching
• How The Global Good Fund's 360° leadership assessment and development plan makes Global Good Fund entrepreneurs accountable to each other and themselves
• What sets The Global Good Fund Veteran Fellowship program apart from all other veteran entrepreneur support programs
• The Global Good Fund's leadership services beyond their fellowship program

Connect with Mark and the team at The Global Good Fund:

• Mark Mhley
• Re4ormed
• The Global Good Fund
• Manolo from The Global Good Fund
• Brenda from The Global Good Fund

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 Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to Mark, Manolo, and Brenda for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Buddy Rushing (USNA '04) is the founder of White Feather Investments and the leader of the Real Estate Accelerator, a six-month course for Service Academy graduates and military veterans who want to achieve financial freedom through real estate investing. Since his first appearance on the podcast in 2018, Buddy has built multiple businesses and will be transitioning out of the Marine Corps in a few weeks (after 16 years of service!) to pursue his business endeavors full time.

In this episode, Buddy and I discuss:

• How the Real Estate Accelerator grew from just an idea to a powerhouse community of 100+ real estate investors
• Time management strategies for managing multiple businesses in your spare time and the financial risk he took to pull it off
• His favorite success stories from Accelerator members over the last two years

Connect with Buddy Rushing:

• Buddy on LinkedIn
• White Feather Investments
• Real Estate Accelerator

Join our upcoming call on Saturday, September 26th to meet the team and learn about the Real Estate Accelerator course starting in January: Real Estate Investing Accelerator - Mid-Course Meeting!

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 Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

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

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

On today's podcast episode, I am excited to announce the launch of our new program called 10X Vets. 10X Vets is a business mastermind group for military veterans who want to grow their businesses to a new level through new learning, collaboration and connections. The program has been underway for a couple of months and we are already up to 40 members.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The 10X Vets Capital Circle that helps real estate investors, fund managers and startups grow their network and net worth
• The 10X Vets B2B Circle that helps small business owners and high caliber sales reps grow their businesses through trusted referrals
• Our plans to launch additional circles including a Government Contracting, Healthcare, and Non-Profit circles
• How the entire community connects each month through a monthly zoom meeting and slack channel

Connect with the team:

• Learn about 10X Vets: https://sabmgroup.com/10x/
• Guests on today's show: Bill Militello, David Wuensch and Mark Mhley

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 Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

Special thanks to the 10X Vets team for joining me this week. Until next time!

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Jesse Iwuji (USNA '10) is an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and a professional NASCAR driver. He is currently the only driver in all of NASCAR at the national levels to serve in the military. Jesse was also a free safety on the Navy football team and is the founder of The Red List Group, a trucking and logistics company based in Southern California.

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss:

• His path to becoming a NASCAR driver
• His unique goal-setting process that helps him turn a vision into a reality
• The skills he learned at the Naval Academy that are helping him on the racetrack

Connect with Jesse Iwuji:

• JesseIwuji.com
• Jesse on LinkedIn

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 Play, Spotify & Stitcher
• Leave us a 5-star review!

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

-Scott Mackes, USNA '01