Scuttlebutt Podcast Brock Briggs

In this episode, Brock talks with Deed Zieglar. Deed is a former Marine Corps infantry and intelligence officer and now, in addition to working in business development at Anduril, is the founder of Recpak, an ultralight meal replacement drink for harsh and austere environments. Deed discusses how the idea for Recpak originated from long time spent leading a sniper platoon in the Marines where movement and conditions often prevent the use of MREs. We discuss the importance of social mission and how to guage whether you're doing your life's work or not. Deed also talks about the benefits of Kickstarter to launch a business, how to grow a team in pace with the business, and why product development is much harder and expensive than most people think.



Episode Resources:

Deed on LinkedIn

Reckpak



Show Notes:

Starting a CPG brand for military personnel. 0:23

Finding problems and finding motivation to do something about it. 6:09

Life's work and the importance of staying committed to one's passions. 14:11

Product validation and market fit for a physical product. 17:54

Product development, validation, and funding challenges. 22:29

Kickstarter success and product launch strategies. 29:06

Marketing strategies for a new product. 34:14

Ecommerce channels and customer mix. 40:43

Entrepreneurship, product development, and sales. 46:44

Hiring and managing employees in a new business venture. 50:32

Entrepreneurship, mission, and giving back. 57:30

Charitable giving and outdoor conservation efforts. 1:00:47

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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.

The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.

Follow along:   

• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/

• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/

In this episode, Brock talks with Brendan Aronson. Brendan is a former Marine Corps infantry officer and currently an associate at Context VC as well as the co founder of the Military Veteran. In this conversation, you're going to hear from the frontlines of the veterans mission space. Brendan talks through building a company exclusively aimed at transitioning vets, different business models they're pursuing, the pros and cons of b2b and b2c, and why bootstrapping is right for most veteran entrepreneurs. In Brendan's work at the MilVet they run in person events for transitioning vets as well as placement into roles typically, in service companies backed by private equity. We explore some of the traits he sees of the highest performing veterans and what leads to the most successful outcomes. We also talk about the science of networking, how to conduct effective outreach, and how to be a giver when you have nothing else to give.



Episode Resources:

Brendan on LinkedIn

The MilVet Website

The MilVet Podcast



Show Notes:

Introduction to episode 0:00

The MilVet's digital community. 5:07

Brendan's Backstory 9:14

What does it mean to be a professional in transition? 15:23

Putting the weight of change on the service member. 20:58

Why networking is not a dirty word 25:16

How to be a giver meeting new people. 30:15

Careers networking helps you with and whether its applicable in the military. 35:08

Increasing the surface area of luck. 39:21

Connecting your passions with making a living. 43:12

Lessons learned from his early career and a failed startup. 46:31

In person networking events and placement of vets in high paying careers. 50:55

The problem with being venture backed 56:25

Quick wins and building something sustainable. 59:21

The traits of the most successful high performing veterans. 1:04:14

Reaching out to people that care about you. 1:09:25

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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.

The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.

Follow along:   

• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/

• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/

In this episode Brock speaks with Mark Holden. Mark is a former Navy Corpsman and today is the founder and CEO of Holden, a consultancy business that assists with prototyping, productizing pricing and advising in the defense technology space. Expect to hear about the current and desired future states of defense tech. We talk about what's missing in our defense tech portfolio as a country and the weapons he's excited about. We get into the state of hybrid warfare, why counterinsurgency is over the looming threat of China's invasion of Taiwan, and the evolving battlefield as activity begins to play out in the South China Sea. Mark gives us a masterclass on the most important elements of product management as well. Lastly, we get into his personal mission, serving after service, why vets need to actively define who they are, and how to answer the question, who am I when I'm no longer myself.

Episode Resources:

Mark on LinkedIn

Defense by Holden

Show Notes:

Creating content and Tik Tok's weaponization 6:58

Brand versus affinity 10:33

Monetizing content - where does the money come from?. 13:34

Mark's background 17:13

Mark's personal mission and implementation throughout career 19:16

The problem with the defense industry 26:07

Robots on the front line. 30:12

What are the biggest threats to the US? 33:14

Hypersonic missiles, surface and undersea warfare, and China's threat to Taiwan35:22

The breakdown of the Naval carrier strike group 43:07

Why hypersonic missiles are so critical and how to defend against them 47:37

Growing Defense budget and what's new in defense technology 54:09

GPS systems and why the move to laser guided 1:00:29

Specific companies that are leading the defense tech space 1:03:44

Reusable flashbangs and modernizing firearms for today's force 1:06:47

What is missing from defense tech today? 1:10:01

Lacking cold weather innovation leaders 1:16:35

What is product management and how does it work? 1:19:00

The opportunity to sell to the government. 1:23:44

How do you measure value in product management? 1:26:55

Sheild AI product example in close quarters combat. 1:32:43

Vets as product managers 1:37:36

Serving your country in defense tech is an extension of service 1:39:07

Understanding the place of the VA 1:44:21

"Who am I when I am no longer myself?" 1:50:28

Mark’s approach to building Holden 1:56:03

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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.

The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.

Follow along:   

• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/

• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/

In this episode Brock talks with Tom Croteau. Tom is a former Air Force maintainer, and the current president and owner of Operfi. Operfi is a factoring company serving the $800 billion trucking and logistics industry. In this conversation, you're going to learn what factoring is. We get into Tom's training and education program he's currently building out for his carriers. Tom gives us a pulse on the economic forecasts for trucking.

Episode Resources:

Tom on LinkedIn

Operfi



Show Notes:

Introduction to Tom 1:38

Studying entrepreneurship and business at Notre Dame. 7:44

Leaving more on the table in the military. 10:18

What is factoring and why does it matter? 16:06

The difference between distressed and entrepreneurial factoring. 18:32

What are the fees of factoring? 24:46

How much does it cost to do factoring? 26:40

Protecting the golden goose (customers). 32:12

The data business behind trucking 38:45

Driving across the country handing out business cards at truck stops. 50:40

The bottom line on freight rates. 56:51

How trucking is a leading indicator for the economy. 59:35

The big opportunity for veterans in trucking. 1:05:11

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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.

The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.

Follow along:   

• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/

• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/

In this episode Brock talks with Bill McNeely. Bill is a former Army logistics officer and the founder and CEO of Wharphy, a logistics startup aimed at floral delivery. Expect to learn some of the history behind the logistics industry and how it was once not the sexy data driven industry we see behind companies like Uber and DoorDash. Bill talks about Walmart's early jump to streamline supply chain efforts, Amazon's backward planning methodology, and how he saw supply chain modernization on a tour in Iraq. We also talk about working with the data that you have available now to get your business up and off the ground and how to avoid solving $150 a day problems.

Episode Resources:

Bill on LinkedIn

Bill on Twitter



Show Notes:

How he reset his expectations and expectations. 1:28

Self Reflection and Introduction to Logistics. 4:45

Backward planning and warehouse management. 9:57

How to decide on what to keep working on. 16:02

Common problems with people pursuing entrepreneurship. 22:49

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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.

The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.

Follow along:   

• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/

• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/

In this episode, Brock talks with Hal Fischer. Hal is a former recruiter in the Air National Guard, a serial entrepreneur with several exits, and is one hell of a salesman. Expect to hear how his sales expertise helped to build one of the first military career fair expos which ended up being acquired by private equity. You'll get a discussion on when it's time to exit a company and how to suss out salesmen with malicious intent. Hal also breaks down his five steps of a sales process, the relationship between sales and marketing, and why the biggest thing you need to become an effective salesperson is overcoming fear of rejection.

Episode Resources:

Hal on LinkedIn

Startup Veteran

Show Notes:

Intro to this episode. 0:00

Perfectionism and the ego. 1:29

The importance of selling what you think is good enough. 4:41

How did you get into the field? 7:01

Hal's personal story 9:32

Marketing and Sales relationship. 15:36

What problems are worth working on? 18:38

Creating the first military job fair. 24:34

Private equity buyouts of in person events. 27:06

How self-awareness can help you decide where to insert yourself. 33:03

What is the definition of sales? 36:02

The importance of having a sales process. 42:33

How to ask for the sale 45:51

Why kids are great examples of how to be a salesman. 51:14

What books and resources do you recommend? 53:54

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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.

The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.

Follow along:   

• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/

• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/