Care for Veterans’ Post

Stock buybacks in defense: What drives them, and how that can change? Read more on the link below. #defense #sbir #military #jointwerx @jointwerx @blackhaysgroup #governmentcontracts #smallbusiness #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #consulting #strategy #leanstartups #startup #growthhacking

Someone once asked me in an interview (several years after I had left the military) if I was going to have trouble working in an environment where "someone wasn't telling me what to do every second of the day" 😑 I'm happy to report I refrained from slapping that person 🤐 and I got the job! 😎 What's hilarious is that it turned out to be the most top-down organization I've ever worked at. 😮 This person had no clue what a veteran has actually done, what they're comfortable with, and the autonomy they are used to. (The military is actually very entrepreneurial, fyi.) My experience was not one-off, and if I was getting that with an MBA from a top school, AND corporate work experience, can you imagine the kind of nonsense some of these guys (and gals) have to deal with? 🙈 I don't, because I've heard their stories. So many of my friends have had to settle into roles where they're underutilized and under appreciated. 😥 A while back, a great friend I served with was telling me all about a lawn care company he was working for, the challenges, the goals, the people, the sales pipeline. He was passionate and cared. 😃 The way he was talking about it, I honestly thought he owned the company at first! 🤔 It made me realize that small business ownership and operations is a perfect place for veterans leaving the military. They are comfortable operating and leading in stressful situations with limited knowledge and uncertain risk. 💪 They rely on experts on their team to follow their vision and execute the company mission. etc. Well I could rant forever but the point of this is to say that I am going to put my money 💰 where my mouth is. I've decided to start an investment company (Panzer Equity) that will buy small businesses, place veterans in as owner-operators (they will be part owners, not just employees), hire primarily veterans, and donate a portion of all proceeds to veteran causes. My goal is to invest $30M 🤑 in 5-10 companies over the next 5 years. Seems like a nice number. 🤷♀️ We're already working on our first acquisition, so hopefully I'll have a big announcement on that in a month or so. Stay tuned. 🤠

This article provides specific examples showcasing the importance of small businesses and SBIRs to the Department of Defense. Equally important are the prime contractors, whose numbers have shockingly dropped from 50 to just 5. 😲 Solid read. https://lnkd.in/g9xcU4Sa

This #VeteransDay, BMC's Curtis Floyd explores how the traits of resilience and teamwork are critical in today’s fast-paced business world. Learn how veterans' unique experiences are transforming tech sales and beyond. 👉Read more: https://bit.ly/4fj4WdZ

𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗔 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 may be over, but we’re just getting started! 🚀 Check out this clip featuring our Pathfinder BG(R) Jim Blackburn as he explains PM13 Defense Solutions, who we are, and what we do. In this short segment, you'll hear how our 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 help you as a 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 navigate the three critical paths: Requirements, Acquisitions, and Warfighters. Whether you're looking to 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 or curious about 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗣𝗠𝟭𝟯 is here to guide you through every step with our 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆. 🔗 Ready to elevate your game? 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 and explore how we can collaborate to deliver value to the Warfighter. #PM13DefenseSolutions #PathfinderScout #GENJimBlackburn #PreferredPartners #InnovationInDefense #DefenseTechnology #MissionSuccess #AUSA2024

The Federal Drive with Tom Temin gets more now from Democratic Congressman, John Garamendi, ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness. "There’s a major effort within the Department of Defense now to push this entire effort to bring new companies into the contracting for the military. Hopefully will be more successful than the past. And by my most recent count, there are five different organizations within the Department of Defense to do this, but it is frankly not working, in part because it’s easier to do what you did yesterday. And there is a risk to step outside the norm, and there’s a risk to bring in a new company. For example, the manufacturing of certain armaments is now being done by the major defense contractors who have did it before, and the government is spending millions upon millions to expand the capacity of those companies. Could those millions of millions be used to expand the capacity of new contractors? Of course they could. But that’s a risk. That’s a risk to the people that are within the Department of Defense, the acquisition teams. That they may wind up unsuccessful. The power of the big companies is such that, yeah, they’re going to screw up and they certainly have done that multiple times. But they’re big. And in that bigness there’s protection not only for the company, but also for those who do the contracting within the Department of Defense."

The Federal Drive with Tom Temin gets more now from Democratic Congressman, John Garamendi, ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness. "There’s a major effort within the Department of Defense now to push this entire effort to bring new companies into the contracting for the military. Hopefully will be more successful than the past. And by my most recent count, there are five different organizations within the Department of Defense to do this, but it is frankly not working, in part because it’s easier to do what you did yesterday. And there is a risk to step outside the norm, and there’s a risk to bring in a new company. For example, the manufacturing of certain armaments is now being done by the major defense contractors who have did it before, and the government is spending millions upon millions to expand the capacity of those companies. Could those millions of millions be used to expand the capacity of new contractors? Of course they could. But that’s a risk. That’s a risk to the people that are within the Department of Defense, the acquisition teams. That they may wind up unsuccessful. The power of the big companies is such that, yeah, they’re going to screw up and they certainly have done that multiple times. But they’re big. And in that bigness there’s protection not only for the company, but also for those who do the contracting within the Department of Defense."

What an honor to facilitate this discussion! This is going to be an important conversation, uniting the real change-makers leading new pathways to defense innovation within the DoD. I hope to see you there. Drop your questions in the comments in advance! #nationalsecurity