VEL Institute Podcast - Inspiring stories from Veterans, Entrepreneurs and Leaders.

Bob Milner is a U.S. Air Force Veteran, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, Co-founder of Mercedes-Benz of The Woodlands, College Professor, Community Philanthropic Leader and founding strategist of TerBo Consulting. Our interview covers how to build an extraordinary life, building world class teams, and leadership of both self and others.

A humble start in business [03:48]

Launching a Mercedes-Benz dealership [5:28]

The responsibility of a leader [8:01]

Importance of servant leadership [10:21]

How and why to develop your leadership [12:12]

Having a service passion [14:30]

Success routines and feeding yourself [15:39]

Bob’s favorite research articles [18:15]

Lessons from the military and mindset [21:00]

What underperforming businesses miss [25:30]

How to gauge your culture [26:49]

Why Bob serves with non-profits [31:29]

The path to success in business [33:27]

How to start shaping your business culture today [35:39]

What I learned from training at West Point [37:35]

Shaking the hands of seven U.S. Presidents [40:48]

Bob’s perspective on helping others [43:15]

Lessons from Bob’s greatest mentor [45:19]

How Bob gives back and causes he serves [49:55]

Leaders Eat Last

Good to Great

Canopy

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Clairity to Win

TerBo Consulting

Lead Like Jesus

Rocket Fuel

Gordy Bunch is a U.S. Coast Guard Veteran, 2015 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Founder of TWFG, and Chairman of The Woodlands Township. In our podcast we talk about how Gordy built a $600,000,000 business using $10,000 of his personal savings. There is much to learn from Gordy Bunch in this interview.

The first decision in business [1:42]

1,000 Lb. Samurai Statue [2:40]

A road trip to San Diego [4:13]

1994 Haitian Rescue [7:40]

Lessons from the Coast Guard [10:22]

Human trafficking & The Chinese Mafia (Snakeheads) [12:06]

Gordy’s early prep for business [16:25]

Right person, wrong job [22:15]

Hanging onto employees or releasing them [23:43]

The Peter Principle [25:40]

Gordy’s ideas about success [28:18]

Helping create 100’s of millionaires [31:06]

Early days of Entrepreneurship [32:56]

Early adoption, first mover advantage & market research [37:49]

Building a company from 1 person to 5,000 & the importance of staying humble [40:54]

Balancing life by serving [47:25]

Divine intervention [55:08]

How Gordy gauges his success [59:02]

The most important thing Gordy does with his time [1:01:47]

Jesus and becoming an Ironman [1:04:24]

Beetlejuice, electrocution and Jedi mind control [1:07:55]

Helping others to gain strength [1:11:56]

The importance of commitment [1:13:07]

The greatest challenge and getting through it [1:13:44]

How to learn from our greatest failures [1:16:20]

Gordy sharing advice with a young entrepreneur [1:18:24]

Principles Gordy lives by [1:21:33]

VEL Institute

Gordy Bunch Article

TWFG Financial

TWICO Insurance

Susan G. Komen

American Heart Association

CASA

College of the Ozarks

Bill Winters, serial entrepreneur & extraordinary environmentalist. Bill is the founder of Freedom CNG, Novus Wood Group, and WoodFuel.com. Bill is a voracious reader which helps him grow as a leader. Our podcast explores the ups and downs of business start-up, how to defeat fear, and the keys of becoming a successful entrepreneur many times over.

Making something out of nothing [3:32]

Being an environmentalist [4:47]

Fuel entrepreneur [7:15]

Finding opportunities in problems [8:58]

Building a fleet [15:50]

Dealing with uncertainty in entrepreneurship [16:50]

Bill’s proform equation / calculating risk [18:01]

Building a world class team [19:05]

Keys to building a 30 year team [21:25]

Mistakes and comebacks [23:20]

Importance of culture [25:30]

Throwing bodies and firing one’s self [27:20]

Advice to future entrepreneurs [28:50]

Power of mentors [30:49]

Invaluable words of wisdom [33:10]

Fitness routines [34:25]

Power of reading [37:01]

Finding balance in life [38:31]

Book recommendations [40:18]

Communicating with God [42:22]

Uncovering the truth in success [43:55]

Dealing with fear [51:57]

7 P’s of success [56:10]

Herd mentality and connecting dots [59:15]

Tesla and electric trucks [1:03:05]

Bill Winter’s in ten years [1:07:51]

Advice to the younger generations [1:10:15]

VEL Institute

Love Does

Growing food God’s way

Freedom CNG

Novus Wood Group

Wood Fuel

Bob Koenig is the founder of Andrew Coaching and the training director for VEL Institute. Bob has spent the last thirty years of his life helping leaders maximize their potential through coaching them to become Principled Leaders. Bob is an Iron Man and a Man of Faith. During this episode we discuss God, life, leadership, purpose, training, serving others and much more.

Leadership as a common bond [3:09]

Career experience [5:22]

Andrew Coaching [6:01]

Leaning into fear [7:50]

Find out what make you alive [9:00]

Starting a business [10:53]

Successful people [11:29]

Being an Iron Man [11:50]

Why invest in people [15:48]

Learning from the front line [17:47]

The definition of success [21:21]

Bob’s idea of a good coach [23:16]

Advice to future entrepreneurs [24:50]

Growing as a leader [27:26]

Lessons learned [29:47]

Dealing with fear [32:25]

The importance of a spiritual life [33:12]

The lasting leader [35:31]

Overcoming challenges [40:40]

Rumbling with things [43:15]

Helping others with anger [45:02]

The last leg of the Iron Man [50:35]

Believing in yourself [51:55]

Principles [53:20]

Book recommendations [56:08]

What every man needs [58:51]

VEL Institute

Andrew Coaching

John Eldredge

Iron Man

Mindset

John Wooden

Chesterton

George Barna

Fran Tarkenton

Peter Drucker

Brene Brown

The Anger Management Book

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence 2.0

The Servant

Good To Great

Patrick Lencioni

Henry Cloud

Endurance

Wild at Heart

Andrew Coaching

Scott Wells is a fitness entrepreneur and leader. 13 years ago he stepped out of the corporate fitness environment to help usher in a new era of physical fitness. He is the founder of Lift Strong Run Fast, a conjugate method training system, that has been called the best physical fitness program in existence. This interview includes the physical, relational, spiritual, and mental aspects of total health and explains what it takes to revolutionize an industry.

Early Crossfit 13:10

Fitness Journey 19:32

Change the world 26:17

Lift Strong Run Fast is born 31:43  

Success versus Happiness 36:08   

Gym spin offs from LSRF 43:09

The difference of Scott Wells 46:55

Advice for others starting a gym 49:52

What it took to build LSRF 54:50

Death Goal 58:57

What success is 1:01

What if versus what is 1:03:52

True Strength 1:07:59

Finding your calling 1:11:06

Lessons of a father 1:17:05

Life lessons from Louie Simmons 1:20:01

Advice for beginners in fitness 1:24:01

Lessons from a Monk 1:34:01

LSRF

VEL Institute

Mark Rippetoe

WestSide Barbell

Greg Glassman

Dave Tate

Derrick Brew

Jocko Willink

Nelson Mandela

Dalai Lama

Mahatma Gandhi

Serving Fit

Louie Simmons

Barry Ross

The VEL Institute podcast interviews Veterans, Entrepreneurs and Leaders who have fascinating stories that will inspire others to be more, give more and serve greater. This podcast is brought to you by VEL Institute, a non-profit, with a mission to develop and connect Veterans, Entrepreneurs and Leaders through collaborative learning. To support VEL Institute visit www.velinstitute.org/support