The Lions Pride

What's the point of having strengths if you can't put them to work? Scott Mackes (USNA '01) is founder of Service Academy Business Mastermind (SABM), by far the most influential business association of service academy alumni. Scott is also a certified Gallup StrengthFinders coach. Here, The Lions Pride founder (and RINGKNOCKER Sponsor) Bill Watkins (USMA '77) asks Scott to examine his own trajectory in light of his top strengths. A key theme here is that real satisfaction comes when all of our best strengths are fully deployed. Learn more about SABM at https://sabmgroup.com/ Learn more about StrengthFinders at https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/strengthsfinder.aspx Learn more about The Lions Pride at https://thelionspride.com/ Are you a current or former military officer? For a summary of this Meetup or to learn more about RINGKNOCKER, visit the After-Action Report at https://ringknocker.net/after-action-report-rvm-63-with-scott-mackes/

What's a vision board? Scott Mackes (USNA '01) is founder of Service Academy Business Mastermind (SABM), by far the most influential business association of service academy alumni. These days SABM is an empire, encompassing not only the business mastermind but an investment group, a capital fund, a talent matchmaker, a podcast, and of course https://strengthsmugs.com. But before all that... there was a vision board. Here Scott explains just what that means and what a difference the exercise made for him. Learn more about SABM at https://sabmgroup.com/ Are you a current or former military officer? For a summary of this Meetup or to learn more about RINGKNOCKER, visit the After-Action Report at https://ringknocker.net/after-action-report-rvm-63-with-scott-mackes/

Bill Watkins (USMA '77) is the leader of The Lions Pride, a 10x accelerator for veteran Founder/CEOs. TLP recently launched the ONWARD Initiative, which will match every cohort membersip sold with a one-year scholarship for a deserving early-stage veteran Founder/CEO! And Bill has news: the first five ONWARD candidates are in the pipeline! RINGKNOCKER is a part of that pipeline, so look for their pitches at a Meetuop soon! Learn more about TLP and apply for the ONWARD Initiative at https://www.thelionspride.com/onward-initiative Are you a current or former military officer? For a summary of this Meetup or to learn more about RINGKNOCKER, visit the After-Action Report at https://ringknocker.net/after-action-report-rvm-63-with-scott-mackes/

Securrency is an early crypto play that offers software to establish institutionalized finance on the decentralized blockchain. They just secured a $30M B-series financing round, but when Securrency went after their first round of funding in 2015, the blockchain was almost unheard of. Here co-founder Ron Poe (USNA '92) discusses the role both business process and technology patents played in the establishment of Securrency's intellectual capital. Are you a current or former military officer? For a summary of this Meetup or to learn more about RINGKNOCKER, visit the After-Action Report at https://ringknocker.net/after-action-report-rvm-56-with-ron-poe/

RINGKNOCKER Dad Robert Williscroft (NESEP 1969 BC) always had an idea that there was no reason why he couldn't go places few had gone and see things few had seen. His career in uniform spanned the globe, touching every latitude, plumbing the deep, and featuring experiences he later detailed--with little embellishment--in his novels (see https://amzn.to/3wmyS2C). In this clip, CEO Whisperer (and RINGKNOCKER Sponsor) Bill Watkins (USMA '77) offers an example of how that kind of bold belief can translate directly into a meaningful business and a dedicated tribe of customers clamoring to support it. Learn more about Bill and The Lions Pride 10x Accelerator at https://thelionspride.com. Are you a current or former military officer? For a summary of this Meetup or to learn more about RINGKNOCKER, visit the After-Action Report at https://ringknocker.net/after-action-report-rvm-50-with-bill-watkins/

What is a Bold Belief in business? (Note the capital letters!) CEO Whisperer Bill Watkins (USMA '77) makes a distinction between marbles-in-my-mouth corporate-speak ("QUALITY!") and the kind of statement you make through a megaphone from the castle wall. A Bold Belief is like a dog whistle: everybody can hear it inside the castle walls, but your customers are OUTSIDE the walls, waiting for direction. Sound it loud and clear, and they will come running! Learn more about Bill Watkins and The Lions Pride 10x accelerator at https://thelionspride.com. Are you a current or former military officer? For a summary of this Meetup or to learn more about RINGKNOCKER, visit the After-Action Report at https://ringknocker.net/after-action-report-rvm-50-with-bill-watkins/

Getting a startup off the ground is about clarity. KEEPING it off the ground is about OXYGEN: without paying customers, even the most visionary startup will soon crash. CEO Whisperer (and RINGKNOCKER Sponsor) Bill Watkins (USMA '77) works through a gold mine of tools and resources that will help a new venture achieve escape velocity. To learn more about Bill Watkins and The Lions Pride 10x accelerator, visit https://thelionspride.com Are you a current or former military officer? For a summary of this Meetup or to learn more about RINGKNOCKER, visit the After-Action Report at https://ringknocker.net/after-action-report-rvm-50-with-bill-watkins/

Transition is a challenge, and veterans leaving the service face one of the biggest transitions of all. What's next? How do you organize for success in the future? CEO Whisperer Bill Watkins (USMA '77) has mentored veteran CEOs and founders of dozens of startups, and he says it begins with self-awareness. Once BUPERS is no longer designing your life, it's up to you, and it helps to know what you have to work with! Here Bill shares an exhaustive list of resources that help transitioners discover their own unique combination of strengths, capabilities, and desires. On the other side of a transition is... ANYTHING. Use these tools to find a target worth aiming for. Are you a current or former military officer? For a summary of this Meetup or to learn more about RINGKNOCKER, visit the After-Action Report at https://ringknocker.net/after-action-report-rvm-50-with-bill-watkins/

Bob Louthan (VMI '82) is founder & CEO of the VeteranCrowd Network. Here he describes the bold belief that drives this effort: the common experience veterans share causes them to behave DIFFERENTLY in groups from most other people, Bob says any gathering of veterans is like the exact opposite of a middle-school dance: strangers congregate in the middle of the room and STAY there--probably insulting each other--until the beer runs out. Learn more about the VeteranCrowd Network at https://veterancrowdnetwork.com/ Are you a current or former military officer? For a summary of this Meetup or to learn more about RINGKNOCKER, visit the After-Action Report at https://ringknocker.net/after-action-report-rvm-50-with-bill-watkins/

Bill Watkins (USMA '77) is the CEO WHISPERER. Bill's business is the mentorship of business leaders. Bill mentors dozens of firms large and small from his ranch in Wyoming... most of them led by former military officers, and most of those service academy alumni. So Bill has a unique perspective, uniquely relevant to this community. He already knows many of us individually... but he also knows us intimately as a category, and is highly practiced both in keeping us out of hot water and in fishing us out when we fall in. If you are contemplating something audacious in your life—like starting a business, leaving active duty, or finding opportunities for service and growth in the midst of a global disaster—do yourself a favor and watch Bill's remarks. Then go learn more at https://thelionspride.com Are you a current or former United States Military officer? Join a RINGKNOCKER Virtual Meetup! Learn more at https://www.ringknocker.net/meetups.