The $10,000 Mistake That Forged a Stronger Partnership – John "Moz" Mozdzien
Release Date: 10/14/2025
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info_outlineJohn "Moz" Mozdzien, a Navy veteran and co-founder of Veterans First, joins host David Knack to share a costly hiring mistake—but not of a person. He "hired" a flawed understanding of VA benefits, leading to a $10,000 loss on his company's very first case.
He opens up about the specific rule regarding surviving spouses that they misunderstood and how this "hard fail" became the foundation for a 99.9% approval rate today. Moz reflects on how the crisis forged an unbreakable bond with his business partner, built on pre-existing trust. The conversation also covers the underrated power of genuine listening, the mission to serve veterans and their families, and why treating your caregivers like family is the ultimate key to growth.
Lesson Takeaways:
1. Vet Your Assumptions, Not Just People: A hiring mistake can be about a flawed process or understanding. Always double-check the fine print, especially with complex systems like VA benefits.
2. Partnerships Are Forged in Failure: A business partnership built on pre-existing friendship and trust can withstand early, costly failures that would break other companies.
3. Fail Hard to Learn Hard: Your biggest, most expensive mistakes often contain the most valuable, business-defining lessons that pave the way for future success.
4. Your Caregivers Are Your Lifeline: The way you support, pay, and treat your caregivers is the single biggest indicator of your company's health and its ability to grow.
5. Listen More Than You Speak: Check your ego at the door. Surround yourself with people smarter than you and practice genuine listening to understand, not just to reply.
Timestamps:
00:01 - Introduction of John "Moz" Mozdzien and his home care journey with Veterans First
02:28 - The mission of Veterans First and the overlooked "non-service connected pension" benefit
05:34 - Moz's big mistake: Misunderstanding a key VA rule, leading to a $10,000 loss
07:15 - The moment of realizing the error and the reaction from his business partner
08:14 - How a foundation of trust allowed the partnership to survive the failure
09:49 - Moz's philosophy on listening, ego, and filling a room with smarter people
14:11 - Underrated industry practice: Home care as a proactive service
16:02 - The critical role of companionship in combating loneliness
17:45 - A simple, high-impact tip: Conducting in-person caregiver-client introductions
19:27 - Going the extra mile: The power of visiting a hospitalized client
22:13 - The common little mistake: Failing to treat caregivers like family
26:07 - A story about building unwavering caregiver loyalty through trust
28:08 - Win of the week: Veterans First is expanding to Los Angeles
29:25 - Moz on overcoming imposter syndrome by focusing on others
30:45 - How to connect with Veterans First and what makes an ideal partner
Quotes:
John Mozdzien: "When you fail in life, that's how you learn. You don't learn when you win, you learn when you fail, and when you fail, fail hard. And we failed really hard on that."
John Mozdzien: "If you fill a room with individuals that are smarter than you, you bring down egos and you listen more than you speak, incredible things happen."
John Mozdzien: "The common denominator... is the lack of treating caregivers as family members of your company. They are the lifeline of your organization to grow."
David Knack: "The little things are the everythings. An in-person introduction is an easy way to deliver value to everybody in the situation."
Resources:
1. Veterans First: https://www.veteransfirst.us/
2. Connect with John "Moz" Mozdzien on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-moz-mozdzien-8190823b/
3. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/
4. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com
5. Watch Episode on Zingage’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage