176 - Flawless Acceleration: Black Veteran Entrepreneur “Iron” Mike Steadman is Empowering the Next Generation of Business Leaders
Release Date: 05/05/2023
201 - Mike Sherbakov - From the Marines to The Veteran Fund
Mission Oriented
In this episode of the Mission Oriented Podcast, host Bob Louthan sits down with Mike Sherbakov — Marine veteran, venture capitalist, and Managing Partner of The Veteran Fund — to explore how service, gratitude, and purpose can shape the next generation of veteran entrepreneurs. Born in Russia, Mike immigrated to the United States at the age of five, watching his parents rebuild their lives from the ground up. That journey instilled in him both humility and drive — lessons that would later guide his military service and entrepreneurial career. After 9/11, an 18-year-old Mike felt called...
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200 - Gen. Darren McDew - USAF Retired
Mission Oriented
In this milestone 200th episode of the Mission Oriented Podcast, host Bob Louthan sits down with General Darren McDew, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), to reflect on a lifetime of leadership, service, and perspective shaped by 36 years in uniform. General McDew’s story begins at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), where the values of teamwork, integrity, and resilience first took root. From there, his career path took him to the skies as an “accidental pilot” — thanks to an ROTC scholarship that set him on course for an extraordinary journey. Over time, he commanded at every level,...
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199 - Tim Jensen - From the Marine Corps to Grunt Style
Mission Oriented
In this episode of the Mission Oriented Podcast, host Bob Louthan sits down with Tim Jensen — Marine veteran, Chief Brand Officer at Grunt Style, and President of the Grunt Style Foundation. Tim shares his remarkable journey from enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1997, serving in Iraq with 2/24 Marines, to helping grow Grunt Style into one of the most recognizable patriotic apparel brands in America. Along the way, he reflects on the culture of military service, the challenges of transition, and how a “t-shirt folding job” turned into a career shaping brand identity and community. We dive...
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198 - Chad Fulkerson - From B-1 Bombers to Firehouse Subs
Mission Oriented
In this episode of the Mission Oriented Podcast, host Bob Louthan sits down with Air Force veteran Chad Fulkerson, a former B-1 bomber weapons systems officer who successfully transitioned into entrepreneurship as a Firehouse Subs franchise owner in Texas. Chad shares his unique journey from growing up in a military family to joining the Air Force at age 28, earning his call sign “Henway,” and navigating combat missions with his B-1 crew. He talks candidly about the challenges of leaving military life after 10.5 years, the lessons learned in leadership and discipline, and how those skills...
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197 - Paul Habenicht - Marine Veteran Applying Military Principles to Entrepreneurial Success
Mission Oriented
Paul Habenicht - Marine Veteran Applying Military Principles to Entrepreneurial Success Paul Habenicht, a U.S. Naval Academy and Darden MBA graduate successfully built and exited a veterinary services business called VetEvolve. Paul shared his journey from the Marine Corps to entrepreneurship, highlighting how his military experience shaped the culture and operations of VetEvolve. As Paul and his co-founder Nick acquired and integrated veterinary clinics across the country, they intentionally applied principles from the Marine Corps playbook - things like mission-type orders, empowering...
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196 - Erik DeGiorgi -Marine Veteran Launches AI-Powered Network Management Tool
Mission Oriented
Erik DeGiorgi is a Marine veteran that is the founder and CEO of NetSpeek. Erik shared how his background as a Marine infantryman during the early days of the Afghanistan war helped prepare him for the rigors of entrepreneurship. "Endurance is probably the single most necessary trait for a founder," he said, noting that the ability to push through challenges is critical. After leaving the Marines, Erik co-founded a family business in the digital signage industry, gaining valuable experience in building and scaling a tech company. This led him to identify a major pain point in the pro-AV...
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195 - Doug Moran: Author & Executive Coach
Mission Oriented
Leadership Lessons from Doug Moran: A Journey of Resilience and Empowerment Doug Moran is a seasoned executive coach, author, and former Capital One CIO. Doug shared his inspiring leadership journey, which has been shaped by his experiences in business, politics, and personal reflection. His book, If You Will Lead, distills these experiences into valuable leadership insights, with a focus on empowering others to reach their potential. He covers sixteen historical figures as he highlights leader characteristics. Doug’s journey to leadership started early, shaped by his upbringing as a...
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194 - Dave Esra - Veteran Entrepreneur Tackles Maternal Health Crisis
Mission Oriented
Dave Esra - Veteran Entrepreneur Tackles Maternal Health Crisis Dave Esra is the founder and CEO of Bobi Health. Dave is a veteran who served in both the Navy and Army, and he is now using his entrepreneurial skills to tackle a critical issue - the high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity. Dave shared his personal connection to this problem - his wife had a high-risk pregnancy that was ultimately successful, but he saw firsthand the challenges and risks that many women face. This experience inspired him to found BobiHealth, a startup that is using technology to improve maternal health...
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193 - Nick Smith - Navy Veteran & Partner, 37th & Moss
Mission Oriented
Nick Smith - Navy Veteran & Partner, 37th & Moss From a young age, Nick had a desire to take to the skies, inspired by his Great Uncle's job of flying F-86s during the Korean War and his Grandfather's service in the Air Force. Opting for the Navy, he fulfilled his passion for flying as an F-18 test pilot during his active duty service. Post-military life, Nick set his sights on entrepreneurship, gaining valuable experience in small businesses at a bank. This journey led him to join forces with a business school colleague, giving birth to 37th and Moss – a dynamic search fund...
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192 - Sherman Williams - Academy Investor Network, Helping Service Academy Graduates Invest
Mission Oriented
Sherman Williams & Emily McMahan - Academy Investor Network, Helping Service Academy Graduates Invest in Venture-backed Startups Sherman Williams is a Naval Academy graduate. After serving as a Naval Intelligence Officer, he headed to Chicago’s Booth School to study finance and landed himself in investment banking. While in banking he started investing and advising startups. This was a perfect segue to co-founding Academy Investor Network. Emily McMahan is a WestPoint Academy graduate. After her time in the Army as a Military Police Officer, she has always been focused around community...
info_outlineFlawless Acceleration: Black Veteran Entrepreneur “Iron” Mike Steadman is Empowering the Next Generation of Business Leaders
As a black veteran entrepreneur, Steadman has made it his mission to empower others to achieve their highest potential in the business arena. Steadman's journey to entrepreneurship began at the Naval Academy, where he discovered his love for boxing and leadership. He went on to become a three-time National Collegiate Boxing Champion. He then commissioned as a Marine Corps Infantry officer and serving until 2015.
After leaving the military, Steadman turned his attention to serving inner-city youth through teaching boxing and leadership. He co-founded IRONBOUND Boxing, a non-profit that provides free boxing and fitness classes to underprivileged youth in Newark, New Jersey. Steadman's passion for mentoring and coaching others led him to co-found Flawless Acceleration, a coaching business that provides accountability and support to help individuals achieve their highest potential in the business world.
Steadman's entrepreneurial spirit doesn't stop there. He recently published a book titled, Black Veteran Entrepreneur, which explores the challenges and triumphs of being a black entrepreneur in today's society. Steadman hopes his book will inspire and encourage other aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams, no matter the obstacles they may face.
“YOU DON’T NEED MORE BULLSHIT BUSINESS ADVICE. YOU NEED AN ACCELERATION COACH.”
Flawless Acceleration
This statement encapsulates the philosophy behind Flawless Acceleration. The company recognizes that there is no shortage of generic business advice available today, but that what business owners and entrepreneurs really need is personalized guidance and support. The company's approach is centered around accountability, building a battle rhythm, and performing at the highest levels of business ownership.
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VeteranCrowd Network
Our "forever promise" is to build the veteran and military spouse community a place to connect and engage. VeteranCrowd is simply a national network of veterans, veteran led businesses and the resources they need to prosper. Subscribe to stay in touch.
by VeteranCrowd Network
Why do thousands of merchants put us through a bootcamp to join their loyalty program? Why do they make checkout an obstacle course?
It’s embarrassing. Time consuming. Intrusive. Cumbersome. Broken.
Why?
Because no one ever built a simple & secure way to validate our veteran status at checkout.
Until now.
Want to be recognized at select merchants simply by swiping your existing Visa card?
Join our waitlist and be one of the first veterans to have this power in your wallet.
About Your Host
Bob Louthan is a VMI Graduate, Army veteran, and executive with over 25 years of experience in mergers, acquisitions and private capital formation. He founded the VeteranCrowd Network to bring veterans and veteran-led businesses together with each other and the resources they need to prosper.