167: "If you're coming out of the military community, don't worry about growing up. You can still love doing fun things." Matt Wood helps Military-Friendly companies become Military Ready

Jen Amos 0:00

Good afternoon. Okay, here we go. All right. And with that said, I'm really excited to invite Matt wood to the show today here at holding down the fort by us bet wealth. Matt, welcome to the show.

Unknown Speaker 0:12

Thank you, Jeff. Pleasure to be here.

Jen Amos 0:15

Yeah, happy to have you. So I was normally going to pull from a deck of cards and ask you an icebreaker question, but because I know that you used to work for Disney World, I have to ask a Disneyworld question. So my icebreaker question for you today to kick us off is what was your favorite? I'm probably gonna get this wrong, because I'm from the West Coast. And I only don't know Disneyland. So forgive me. What was your favorite park? I think it's one that's highest. Let's say what was your favorite park? And why?

Speaker 1 0:44

Well, considering we have four of them here. I think probably Epcot, Epcot is my favorite, although it's gone through a lot of reimagining right now as they call it. But it was, it's always a lot of fun to go there because it's they do all the festivals there and they do food and wine every fall. They do the Flower and Garden in the spring, they have the festival the arts. So it's, there's a ton of stuff that's always going on. And it's always it was always a lot of fun to kind of go there. My wife and I would when we had conjoining days off, we then the kids were in school, we take the day and go to Epcot and wander around food and wine and, you know, hit all the little booths and everything there. Just make a day out and it was a lot of fun.

Jen Amos 1:35

That's awesome. That sounds like more of an adult Park. What would you say?

Speaker 1 1:40

Yeah, it's definitely more more of the adult Park. And that's why people, you tend to see a lot of people wandering around with, Hey, I've got a shirt that says drink and around the world. And so they're always trying to do stuff like that. But yeah, it's it's probably of the four. It's more of the adult themed stuff than than anything else. And I think that's, that kind of goes back to the way Walt Disney imagined it when he was trying to draw up the plans for all the stuff here in Florida. So

Jen Amos 2:12

yeah, yeah, amazing. You know, I'm, I'm more of a, I mean, I wouldn't identify as a West coaster, but I did spend a lot of time in the West Coast. And I just remember that Disneyland was like, from what I was told it was the first park that opened up and and all the other parks opened up. And, you know, I used to, I think I was like low key jealous that Disney World was a thing and in the East Coast. And I remember going for my 18th birthday. It was like a present my mom gave to me. And I was like, No, but I still like Disneyland. And I think at this point, it's kind of apples and oranges because it's completely I mean, you have so much more options at Disney World. But Disneyland is special in a sense where it is like the first theme park so I can say, you know,

Speaker 1 2:52

yeah, absolutely. And that's that's the way I've always looked at it to Disneyland is the that's the original. That's the one that started it all was Forza theme parks go and then disney world came later. And now. I mean, they did it right when they started building here in Florida, they had tons of land that they bought. And I mean, the entire resort itself is the size of the city of San Francisco. So it's huge. Yeah. And they're still adding on and doing all kinds of stuff to it. Whereas Disney Land is really confined. Yeah. They have to like shuffle things around to figure out how they're gonna get things to fit in there. So

Jen Amos 3:31

yeah, yeah, I do know that with Disney World. Even if you don't get tickets to a park. You can still have a ton of fun just taking the what do you call that sky thing?

Speaker 1 3:41

Yeah, the sky liner. Yeah. I mean, we've got the monorail. We've got our own monorail here. Yeah. So I mean, in fact, my brother and his family were down here, the beginning of the month. And that was what we did. One of the days we just said, Hey, we're gonna ride the monorail cruise around get a couple of dole whips. Eyeliner, right. Love it. Both between parks. I mean, we just we made a day that and and had a lot of fun doing.

Jen Amos 4:06

Yeah, absolutely. No, it's just it sounds amazing, too. I feel like if my husband and I were to retire anywhere, you know, Florida seems to be the place that everyone likes to go to. And, and I know, I know that for you and your family when you transitioned out of the military. Matt, you and your family decided to move to Central Florida. And part of why I'm bringing up the story is because it wasn't really I wouldn't necessarily say it was like your desire to work at Disney World. It kind of was by proving your wife that you could do it. Did I get that? Right?

Speaker 1 4:36

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it was it was one of those things I looked at probably five or six years before I left the military and said, hey, you know, I wonder what it'd be like to work at Walt Disney World. You work for Disney, and kind of looked around at different jobs. But the, the way I looked at it at the time was like, Well, I did the only thing I'm qualified to do would be security. And so I kind of I turned it down and kept focused on my military career. And then finally, when it came down to it, I knew I was going to retire, have to go do something else and potentially grow up. I said, Where am I gonna go? And we looked at a couple different places. And then, as you as you mentioned, we were, we were here on vacation. And in the middle of the vacation, we're talking to different cast members, and just seeing how they felt about working for the company. And that's when my wife knew it'd be it'd be kind of cool if he had a job at Disney. Okay, well, I guess that's what that's what I'm gonna focus on doing. And then that was when I realized it was after that, that I realized that she wasn't really serious about it. But I'd already started networking and making connections and applying to different jobs. So I ended up saying, Oh, I've got an opportunity to go work for him. Yeah, we'll take it.

Jen Amos 5:51

Yeah, I'm sure she wasn't upset about it either.

Speaker 1 5:56

No, I mean, the free admission benefits were really nice. So that's probably the biggest thing that I miss about working for for Disney.

Jen Amos 6:06

Yeah, absolutely. No, it's just, it's funny how you said like, oh, it's time to grow up. And then you work at Disney World, you know, but then again, we just talked about Epcot. We just talked about Epcot. And how that's like an adult Park. So there you go. Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1 6:16

And it really when it comes down to it, I don't think I've still grown up yet. So I'm, I'm, at least figured out a problem that I wanted to solve.

Jen Amos 6:25

And there you go. So yeah, maybe that's a sign of growing up is like the not thinking of yourself, but thinking about how you can help others. But you can still be a kid everything else? Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

Speaker 1 6:39

My wife says, her favorite kid is her her in laws. Oh, boy. So yeah, I happen to be the favorite kid.

Jen Amos 6:53

There you go. I love it. Well, I think that's so awesome. How you found your way into the Walt Disney Company. And, you know, it's it's a, it's an interesting journey, how you made it there out of the military, to what you're doing today as consult as a consultant. And let's talk about that journey. You know, going back to working at Walt Disney. And you were, you know, I know you worked a couple of different roles there. And I'm sure you were having a ton of fun. I'm curious, what was your evolved of roles that you did? What would you say was your favorite role?

Speaker 1 7:26

too, I started with Disney Vacation Club. And I was doing outside sales for them, which I quickly realized, I'm not a fan of timeshare sales, which is what it is. But it was fun. Because I was I would spend three, three to four days out of the week in a park. And I get to talk with guests all the time. And I would trade pins I you know, ask them Disney trivia questions and stuff. So I had a lot of fun with that. Yeah. And then from there, it was moving over to a business analytics role with Disney Institute, which opened my eyes to another aspect of the company in the fact that this was their external facing training arm when they had their own internal Disney University, which they would train people, you know, hey, here's how you go do this job, or you do this job. But Disney Institute was out there working with companies like the NFL, General Motors, Air Canada, so like, big companies, and they were really going out there showing them how Disney did Disney, which I thought was really cool. And they would have professional development seminars. And so I got to participate in a couple of those. And then I went over to their workforce management side. And I got to see another aspect behind the scenes, backstage role where, you know, getting to see how how, how we supported all these cast members in you know, 77,000 cast members spread across Florida, and South Carolina and how we supported all of them as far as making sure they were paid correctly, all their benefits were in the system accurately, their, their record cards were straight. So it was a combination of HR and finance. And so it was really, when it was fun. I had I had a good time with it, because it like I said, it opened my eyes to different aspects. And I really got to learn a lot more about the company from that role, how they dealt with those aspects dealing with unions and the various unions that are part of just Walt Disney World itself. So, I mean, it was, there was a lot of fun to all of it. Especially. I think the biggest part was just being able to see all the different stuff backstage. Yeah, getting out there. Interacting with guests was really cool. Like getting to see the backstage stuff and most people don't get to see like, you know, hey, I'm gonna go into the tunnels under the Magic Kingdom. See ya

Jen Amos 9:59

Yeah, that's amazing. I'm, I'm kind of curious about, I imagine that part of Disney culture is to have a very vibrant, not bubbly, but very vibrant, bright, happy personality, you know, because I feel like every time I went to any Disney anything, the personality like everyone's personalities was always on. And I do recall my for my former co host here, shout out to Jenny Lynn, like She interned at Disney World, in when she was in college, and one of her greatest takeaways was all about the value of customer service and being okay with not knowing things and saying, I let me get someone to help you with that, because I don't know it. But really like, like, putting customer service and the front and center of of what you do at Disney World.

: 10:47

Yeah, no, absolutely. I mean, that's one thing that they from day one, when you go through what they call traditions, that's the biggest thing they talked about is, hey, this is you are a customer service centric company. And that's, that's what they're focused on. Whether you're onstage in front of guests, or backstage, doing whatever, like I was doing with workforce management, it was, you know, hey, you're all about customer service, whether it's, again, like I said, it's a guest, or it's a cast member, and how can you support them and make them feel listened to and appreciated and that you're there to help them. So that was, that was, really, that's the biggest thing that I took away from it is how to be focused on customer service and that customer experience so that everybody that I work with, I feel like I try to treat them the way they feel they should be treated.

Jen Amos: 11:42

Yeah. Yeah. And what a bummer because things turn around for you in 2020, right.

: 11:49

A little bit. Yeah. This weird thing happened around the country. And yeah, it was. So yeah, in March of 2020, the entire company said, Hey, we're closing everything down. We're shutting everything off. We're furloughing

Jen Amos: 12:07

just that just I just that just seems so wild to think that Disney World has to shut down like that. Just I mean, nothing is bigger than that, you know, Disney World or Disney overall. So anyway, continue.

: 12:19

Yeah. Oh, I'm telling you. The the role I was in I worked backstage at Disney's Hollywood Studios. And I mean, if I walked out of the building, I could hear Tower of Terror. I could hear the the atmosphere music, I could hear the crowds. Day, after everything closed. I went walking out to go to the cafeteria, and it was dead silence. Oh, my I felt like I was in The Walking Dead or something. I can't wait.

Jen Amos: 12:48

That seems like a walking dead scene for sure.

: 12:51

Yeah, so. And then they, they did the furlough and they furloughed. Almost everybody on the team I was working with. There were five of us that they kept missing here You five are going to continue to work. We're going to send you home, you're going to work remotely. And we did that we were working that way. And trying to figure out how to do everything that we've done from property, do it from home. Then they started bringing people back in June of 2020. Slowly but surely didn't bring him back resorts they were bringing back bus drivers. And you know, and all that stuff that goes along with it. So we helped reintegrate all these people and make sure that they were getting paid and their benefits were kicked back on and all that stuff. And then the company said, Hey, we you know, here it is September 2020. We still haven't opened Disney Land. Yeah, California was super locked down and they weren't doing anything. And they said, Oh, well, because we haven't open didn't ran. We're losing all this money. Yeah. You're hard to believe when you got CEOs that are making seven figure salaries. Okay, sure. We're losing monies but, and that's when they said they were gonna start laying off people. And they put on numbers and we had 20,000 people we're gonna lay off. Wow. And a friend of mine. We were talking about it on a Thursday. He said, hey, they haven't called you by nine o'clock at night. You're sick. Cool. Yeah, great. Yeah. Nine O'Clock came when I haven't gotten a call. Next morning. I'm at the VA. I'm going to a doctor's appointment I get a call from somebody I don't recognize. I'm not answering this and then I get a text message saying hey, this is so and so I need you to I need to talk to you. While I'm in an appointment right now I call I'll let you know when I'm done and we can talk. I get done with everything I get out of my car and I'm headed to Dunkin Donuts to go get a cup of coffee. And up to this point, my team was getting ready to do this massive system upgrade that was going to require see seen our days and we knew we were going to be working like six days a week, and I was going to be working on Halloween and wouldn't be able to go trick or treating with my kids. So I sent I sent a message back saying, Hey, I'm, I'm available. Now, feel free to give me a call. I guess I get the call. And it's I don't remember what her name was. She said, Hey, this is so and so. And I've got our HR business partner on the line with me and I realized that, okay, this is that call. Yeah. And that's when they said, Hey, your role has been eliminated. We're going to keep you on Active status until December 4, but don't do any work. You can still, you know, go to the parks or whatever, still use your employee benefits. But you can't go to work. You're no longer have a job. Wow. Okay, cool. Came home, walked in the door, my wife working remotely from her job at the time and said, hey, you know how I said, we weren't gonna, I wasn't gonna be able to go trick or treating with a kid. I'm gonna be able to do that now. You're working? No, I just got laid off. So

Jen Amos: 16:07

the good news is I gotta go trick or treating bad news is I got like,

: 16:12

exactly. So but I took it in stride. I was like, okay, you know, because at that point, that I didn't, I didn't have any growth potential with, with the team that I was on or the organization and they were, because they were still bringing people back. There was no room for growth anywhere in the company. Okay, I've got to find something. I'm, I'm stagnant right now. And I already started looking for for something else. And that's, so when they they call them told me? Yeah, whatever. Cool. Yeah, let the people on the team know, hey, I got I got laid off. Yeah. And then I started trying to find a job. And I, as I was going through that, I realized, okay, there's, there's this knowledge gap out there. And that's what started leading me towards, I'm gonna start my own company, and I'm gonna be the bridge to help solve that knowledge gap and be that Rosetta Stone that's out there. And that's what led me to shooting green.

Jen Amos: 17:11

Yeah, absolutely. It's, you know, it's very interesting to know of your story, like having served the military for two decades to working at Disney World to you know, getting let go. But this leading you to I mean, fortunately, like you said, you kind of saw the writing on the wall already. And you felt like you hit your own ceiling at the company, it just didn't seem like you were going to progress or climb up any corporate ladder. So it is nice to hear that even though you got let go, it was kind of okay. All right. Well, good to know, you know, and you started looking, started applying for jobs. And you started realized, as a military, as a former military professional, I know that phrase is very important to you, that there was a knowledge gap, you know, between, you know, corporate America and you know, helping our former military professionals find employment and, you know, hence why you're here today with suiting, green consulting. And I know that this, like your consulting business is, it's given you a sense of purpose. And, and I'm curious if if this sense of purpose you're feeling now is, is maybe the first time you felt really purposeful? Or does it remind you of a time when you felt as purposeful, like let's say in the military, or what have you? I'm very curious to hear that.

: 18:22

It's, and that was one of the things that I struggled with, when I first left. I mean, I spent 21 years pretty much as an infantryman, and it was like, go, go, go, go, go, I have the sense of purpose. I'm out here is a friend of mine and had joked I'm out here enforcing American foreign policy abroad, maybe sometimes nicer than others. But yeah, I had that sense of purpose in uniform. I was like, I know what I'm supposed to do. You know, and I had, like, like many service members, I had that sense of, okay, I have rank on my chest. People know what that means that they carry some weight to it, even if they don't know who I am. But I also knew when I left the military, that that aspect of it was going away, it was I wasn't going to be sorted would anymore. He's going to be Hey, I'm Matt from wherever I happen to be living or, you know, We're originally from New Hampshire, whatever. And so I didn't delude myself into thinking that I could walk into something like, Oh, I was, you know, senior noncommissioned officer in the army, and I was done in a blah, blah, blah.

Jen Amos: 19:29

Yeah. Yeah. They're like, what? No.

: 19:34

So So yeah, I, the first job I had with Disney in a sales role. I didn't have a sense of purpose. And I had somebody that was supposed to be a mentor, they're trying to get me to compromise, or what I felt was compromising my ethics and my values. And I was like, Nah, I'm not doing that to be successful at a job. There's no way and as I continue and progressing within the company through those various positions in different lines of business. I still didn't really feel like I had that sense of purpose. It's like, okay, I have a job. Yeah. Right. Don't don't. I mean, it's something I have to do. It's not something I get to do, and starting this company, and in doing what I've been doing now, for almost two years, it really did give me that sense of purpose back, I was like, Okay, I get to do this every day, I get to wake up. And, yeah, there are days where I'm like, I don't really feel like doing a whole lot. So I'm not going to do a whole lot. And I understand the consequences of it. But I also realized that I did. And this was the other benefit to being laid off was I had that safety net to say, okay, yes, I'm a military retiree, I have that cushion that a lot of the other people didn't have. Yeah, so. But I get to do this, and I get to really go out and talk about this and work with people and help people. And it does, it gives me that sense of purpose back that I felt like I I hadn't had for the previous years after leaving the military.

Jen Amos: 21:11

Yeah, I think that's a that's amazing to hear. And I often hear, you know, people who are in post military life and, and how sometimes their best memories or best experiences, or the best relationships they have maintained were from that military life. And so it gets me to reflect on why I have this podcast show holding down the fort, you know, my family was in the military, my dad served for 18 and a half years. And, you know, just the, I just remember being a military kid, and just how how secure it felt to be, you know, to just kind of know, like, where you're headed, where you're going to live at, you know, you you're always kind of taken care of, and even to this day, as an adult military kid. When I run to other other people like me, it's like, oh, we get each other, like, we understood that life. And there's just that familiarity, that I would say the average civilian just doesn't understand. And, and that's okay, there's, it's not right or wrong in any way. It's just kind of that sense of familiarity. And more importantly, like that sense of purpose, like knowing that you're serving your country, above all else, I think, is what I appreciate about the most about the military, and why I feel, you know, grateful that even my husband and I today continue to serve the military in, you know, in the way that we do. So it's great to hear that you have taken your military experience into your company. And and so now that makes me beg the question, because very often, when we think about military retirees, or anyone who has transitioned out, we say, veterans, and I know for you, it's incredibly important to us, former military professionals. So tell us about that.

: 22:44

So there was something I saw. I saw it somewhere on social media a few years ago. And I was like, it just makes sense to use that terminology. Because when you hear a veteran, it gets tossed around so much companies, and you're like, Oh, you've worked here for three years, you're a veteran with this company, sports players, they've been with a team for a few years, they're veteran that team. And so it kind of gets a little bit diluted. And then when people use it and companies use in terms of military community, they look at, you know, Hey, your uniform, you're a veteran. And especially now, in light of the fact that we've come out of 20 years with the global war on terror. It's like, Oh, you are a veteran. So you've probably seen some things, you probably got some PTSD, you probably got some medical issues, you're broken in some way. Not entirely sure. We want to hire veterans, because it sounds really cool. Yeah, we're not entirely sure we want to take out that chance. Because we don't know whether or not you're gonna bring skill sets that we need, or, or you're gonna have these issues that we are not really sure we want to deal with. And so that's why part of what I tell them is okay, well, you know, if I gave you a box of 64, crayons, and half of them are broken, you could still use them, right? Because broken crayons can still color, right? But then, with the former military professional piece, it's these are their individuals that learned they're their business skills and experience. They may not know that, that's what it is. But that's they learn that in the military sector, is just like somebody that goes to work for, say, Jack Daniels, and spends 20 years at Jack Daniels, but then decides, hey, I'm gonna go work for Walt Disney. They, they've got all this experience in different lines of business, but they're not going to be discounted, because Oh, you don't have any theme park experience or you don't have any entertainment experience. You have a lot of stuff that we want. And so it's that professional level of looking at it. And that's, that's why I try to encourage organizations to use that terminology. I mean, I'll I'll go back and forth on it. But I try to make a point of saying, hey, they're former military professionals. Yeah, And I think it makes more sense. And companies start realizing that it clicks that light bulb on for milk. Oh, yeah. There's, there's something a little bit different about these folks. And they're, there's something that sets them apart because of that.

Jen Amos: 25:13

Yeah, you know, my initial thought is there. To me, there's like a level of respect when you say, former military professional, where yes, we respect our veterans. Also, like you mentioned, there's sort of this negative association to it, like, Oh, you've been through stuff, you've seen things, you know, and, and we don't want to just hire you, because we're trying to fulfill some, I don't know, di fulfillment to cover, like, have veterans in our company kind of thing. And so So I know for you, it's important to help companies go from being military friendly to military ready. So what does that look like? Like how tell us how you help companies become military ready?

: 25:54

What's the that's, that's the cool thing about being a consultant is you're you're out there looking at problems. Companies say, Hey, we got a problem. We're trying to hire X number of people or whatever it's like, okay, well, let's, let's look at what you're what you're doing and how you're doing. And when, when it comes to the military friendly military ready, it's asking them well, why do you want to hire from the military community? And peeling back the layers of the onion on that to really get to? Or depending on, you know, if you're Shrek or not, and maybe it's a parfait, you peeling back those layers? Why do you want to? What's, what's the big answer to your why? And then helping them define? And then looking at Alright, well, what are you doing right now? What is your military hiring program look like? Are you looking at specific, you know, veterans? Are you looking at? Are you? Are you even looking at the military spouse community? Because that's a huge aspect to it. Are you looking at members of the garden reserve? How are you utilizing all of these different aspects? You know, where how are you targeting? And then once you do start targeting the this talent stream of the community, how are you onboarding? What are you using internally to help make your process smoother? Because especially if you're getting somebody that's just coming out of the military, whether they're, you know, a service member transitioning out or a military spouse, that's, that really hasn't done a whole lot in corporate America, and they're leaving a huge community behind. Right? What are you doing to help them make that transition a little bit smoother? I'm not saying they have to be, you know, bend over backwards to help them but if they don't understand, you know, because I mean, most companies they know all know what a general well, you know, the brand, but you really don't know, scope of responsibility. So it's, you know, a lot of that aspect, and how are their how they're utilizing, you know, maybe people that have military affiliations, or, you know, something within their company already, to help with their hiring and onboarding, to make sense of certain things and then streamline that process. Because when you leave the military community, you're so used to having, hey, I've got left and right limits, I know what I can work with, when I'm in when we're in the military, and you leave that you'd have no idea where that is. But if somebody's there to say, Hey, I got, I'm going to help you out with this, I'm gonna explain where, who to talk to where your scope and responsibilities are? Then it starts making sense. And how do you engage those employees on a regular basis so that they feel valued, because it's a lot more than just saying, Hey, thanks for your service. Thanks for your sacrifice. It's saying and then say, hey, we, we actually value, the skills and experiences you're bringing to our organization, and we want to be able to put those to use in roles that make the most sense for you, for us as the company and then have the potential for increasing responsibility. And we're going to provide you opportunities to continue to grow within our organization. So now you're really going beyond thanks for your service to Yes, thank you, for your service to the country and to our organization. We're keeping you engaged. And the benefit is now you're retaining employees, which surprise, surprise saves money, which, and I don't know any company that doesn't want to do that. So, you know, it really, that's really where it gets to that point, they say, okay, yes, now we value these people, we know what they're bringing. We're really appreciative of what they've done, and what they're gonna continue to do for us. And now they're at that military ready, stay.

Jen Amos: 29:35

Yeah, absolutely. And tell me about the two for one deal that you like to talk to these companies about, like not just hiring the former military professional, but also the military spouse, which, you know, for me, this is the first time I'm hearing it, and I think it's very clever, and it does help I'm sure companies keeping them from having to constantly you know, seek out potential employees. It's like, Hey, you got you know, you got the service member and you got the spouse so tell was about that?

: 30:01

Oh, yeah, this was it was something that I heard last summer. And it was like, it just absolutely made sense. And I don't know why more companies aren't doing it for a company that has positions that are remote friendly, or that can be done in the work from home status, maybe a hybrid status, if they can tap into the military, spouse community, and they hire these, these individuals, and they really utilize them and appreciate them, then, eventually, that that service member that they're married to, is going to have to leave the military. As much as we love the military, most of us, we can't stay forever. So we got to go figure out what we're gonna do next. And I know if my wife had been working for a company that was super friendly to work from home and military spouses and everything, that'd be my first place to look like they've been treating my wife. Awesome. Why wouldn't I want to go work there? And that's, that's the aspect I talked to these companies about. I'm like, Look, if you can tap into them and treat them well, and, you know, move them along within your company, or have the opportunity to do what do you think they're going to be talking to about their great job that they've got? The person they're married to? Yeah, what do you think that person is gonna want to get when they leave the military company that appreciates their spouse? So it becomes that two for one deal? And and I don't know why more companies are doing it. To me, it just makes a ton of sense.

Jen Amos: 31:28

Yeah, I think that's what makes your company you know, special is knowing that two for one deal. Yeah, so you know, one thing that we talked about before recording is about how, and you mentioned this, it was like, there's over and let me know, if I got this number, right. There's over 45,000 nonprofits out there in the transition space. And you are different, in a sense, where you're a matchmaker for, you know, these organizations that are trying to, you know, train up these former military professionals and spouses. But, you know, trying to be that gap between them. And, you know, let's say, in corporate America, and tell us about that, and, you know, your role as as a matchmaker between these organizations.

: 32:15

Yeah. Well, and that's, that's part of where my, my self proclaimed title of Chief headache producer comes from. So yeah, there's just like, 45,000 veteran service organizations across the country. And, and so many of them are in that transition space, they're helping with resumes, how do you network? How do you operate social media and LinkedIn to try to find that next opportunity. And that was one of the things I looked, I'm like, Okay, I don't want to dive into that. Because then I'm just a drop in the bucket. And I don't want to write resumes. So that was the other thing. I go that way, I have to write resumes. Now. I have a hard enough time, right? My own keeping up with that. Right? So. So I looked at and said, Okay, well, who's out here, setting companies up for success, who's out here helping them and there's probably a handful across the country, that are really, in that area that are doing and a lot of them are, you know, no fault against them. They're, they're doing a lot of staffing to and like that's, you're just giving them a fish, I want to go out there and, and to use the the old adage, I want to teach them how to fish and a lot and that goes back to why I continuously call it a talent stream. Companies, oh, we've got a talent pool and whatever, great, if I fish in your pool long enough, I'm gonna fish everything out of it, and there's nothing left. But if I take you to a stream and show you how to fish teach you how to effectively fish, you're gonna pull from there all the time. So I wanted to, I want to teach these companies how to fish so that they they become more effective at it, they have a strategic plan, they they look at how does this become our succession plan for our leadership, because eventually, we're all going to have to leave the company anyway. But who's been behind us? And that's, that's why I feel like I'm I'm in that niche where there's, like I said, there's probably maybe a dozen or so companies that are doing what along the lines of what I'm doing, but there's not many that are really focused in the areas that I'm looking at with, with teaching these companies how to fish and be more strategic and intentional in what they're doing.

Jen Amos: 34:31

Yeah, you know, speaking from the business owner standpoint, it's really great that you found a way to stand out from, you know, for lack of better terms of competition, like you don't want to just be another drop in the bucket, as you said, with the in the transition space. You wanted to stand out and you no longer behold and here's this, you know, you've been able to run this company for about two and a half years and helping you know, helping people helping companies and also nonprofits like set them up to you know, pair up in a sense And like you said, teaching companies how to how to fish instead of are teaching them how to fish is what you're saying. I'm, you know, I know that one thing that we also talked offline was how you first started in business. So we know a little bit about where you're at today and what you're doing and, and how you found a sense of a sense of purpose in it. But I know it wasn't. I know, it wasn't. You didn't get off to the greatest store start. So let's talk about even just starting, you know, just being an entrepreneur and what it was like for you to get, you know, suiting green consulting off the ground.

: 35:34

Yeah, well, I mean, I'm sure you can, you can attest to this to starting your own company. It's, there's no, there's no guidebook to say, Hey, do this, this, this and this, and you're gonna be successful. Right? You got it. It's a lot of trial and error. It's how do I figure out how to do this? Where do I go? Who do I ask? And that was, when I started, I had an idea. I was like, Okay, I want to, initially it was I want to show companies that they can hire somebody for a leadership role, who doesn't have an MBA, or maybe may not even have a bachelor's degree, but can still do these things that they're asking. But I didn't know how to go further than that. And I was fortunate that I had a mentor turned me on to an organization in Florida. That kind of started me on the path, say, Okay, this is where you want to go. And that, that moved me in the right direction. But I still there was a lot of things. I don't know if I'm doing this, right. I don't know. You know, they showed me some things. I don't, it doesn't make sense to me. And then, earlier this year, so I had a hiccup two years ago now and said, Okay, well, I restarted everything, essentially, last year, and I'm going to figure out how to do this and make this more effective. And as I was going through all this, and I got introduced, and found out about the Rosi network, I said, Hey, let me check this out. If nothing else, I get some more information. And I'll learn something from it. Because I, the way I look at is I'm gonna learn something from everybody. Whether it's something to do or something not to do, in the Rosi network, took some of those things that I've learned previously and said, Hey, this is what this actually is, this is how you can actually use it. Let's build a pitch deck that actually makes sense, when you look at Hey, who's your competition? How are you going to do? How are you going to separate yourself from them and really stand out from the crowd. And in that process? Now, it's making sense. Now I'm learning from this, as opposed to here's just a bunch of stuff figured out. And yeah, you're done with this cohort. And no fault of that other organization. I love them. They're great. They've got super intentions, but it just it I didn't feel like either I wasn't in the right headspace for it, or it wasn't coming across effectively. So I got connected with B or with Rosie network. That's where I was like, Oh, now it makes sense. I get this. I knew what this was. But I didn't really know what to do when I started. And so I worked with that. And I had a great time with and I really, I feel like it helped move me forward. Beyond where I was at initially, so it wasn't so much just the me, let me throw this spaghetti against the wall. Hope it sticks. Maybe I'll have dinner tonight it was okay. Now I've thrown it against the wall. It's stuck. I know it's ready, I'm gonna pour some sauce on it. And now I can start serving it up. So it made sense. And I can't think too rosy network enough for the opportunity to be a part of that program your service to SEO. It really, it opened my eyes a lot and really gave me a lot of tools that I feel I can I can make use of. So between what I learned previously, what I learned from Rosi network, and then the stuff that I continue to learn on a daily basis by following other entrepreneurs, and other veteran printers, solopreneurs that are out there. How are they doing things and connecting with the right people to ask questions? Hey, how are you? How are you doing this? What have you learned that I can, you know, that could potentially help me go to that next stage? And making those connections and learning from those people has been huge?

Jen Amos: 39:42

Yeah, and I think it's a testament to you wanting to be a student of everyone like you, we're more than happy to learn from other people. And of course, the Rosie network and, yeah, you know, it's funny, like, we're having worked with my husband for a number of years. It's, uh, it's been really interesting. I feel Like, hey, if we made money, like if we happen to make a sale, and let's follow the dollars, like, how did we, how did we make that sale, you know, and like work backwards and, you know, kind of go from there. But honestly, the strategy changes every quarter every month, every week, you know, it really is, it really is like trying to throw spaghetti on the wall and seeing what sticks. But I think that's also the fun of it, you know, it keeps us engaged and excited. And, you know, we are hands on with our lives are hands on with, you know, making making money, and serving our community with the way that we want to do it. And so, it's just great to hear that you had someone you had the Rosen network to really help you maybe fill in the gaps or remind you of things that you, you know, didn't put too much thought into, to now, you know, here you are, you know, here you are, and talking about your company and, and what you're doing, and I'm just really happy to hear that you were able to get that level of support. And I imagine that you're a continual student anyway, and I'm sure you're continuing to learn from someone. Yeah, I

: 41:00

do. I I've always looked at it that way is if I'm not learning something, then then I'm gonna end up as you know, Blockbuster blackberry and and I used to tell people that I, the biggest example of that was, I mean, not obviously, doing what I'm doing now. But even in the army, when I got tagged, and they said, hey, guess what, you're gonna go be a drill sergeant. And we know you've got 18 and a half years in the Army, we're gonna go be a drill sergeant now. Really, this is what I'm gonna go, do you want me to go do this now. And I went through the school and I was the guy that was, hey, who doesn't want to be here, don't want to be, you know, through the entire 10 weeks. But every time I was there, they asked, and I told him that I want to want to be here. This was not where I thought my career was gonna go. But yeah, I'm here. I'm learning from what you're teaching me because you have skills that I don't. And I want to learn how to do that. And one way or another, it's gonna make me a better individual. So yeah, you know, I was a stubborn guy, but I, you know, I stuck it out. And I did my time as a drill sergeant retired and said, Okay. Yeah. And I like to throw down like, no, your drill. Sorry. You're not You're too nice for that.

Jen Amos: 42:10

You worked at Disney World. Yeah, no, I that's, that's amazing. And, you know, I just want to, you know, say how amazing it is that you have been able to find a sense of purpose after the military, and you know, you're continue to thrive and have fun and enjoy what you're doing, especially today. And so I want to talk about like, I want to talk next about, you know, what does sustaining your business look like moving forward? You know, like, here you are two and a half years into it. And I imagine you want to keep going for another two and a half years. So what is what is that? I guess, what is your sustainability plan? If anything, to keep this going?

: 42:56

You know, and I look at this, and this is something that I think it's something I can do for a long time. There's just, there's so much potential to it. And and it's not just looking at other companies, and how can I help them and set them up for success and the people that they hire for success, but it's looking at different lines of business work with a non working with a nonprofit working with? A did an interview, about franchising? And how does, how can franchise owners? How do you know, how does this work for the military community? Is it is it a good fit for them? And I can say yes, because not only by doing this, but I'm also getting ready to open a franchise gym. So it's like, okay, yeah, not that I don't have enough going on in my life. But

Jen Amos: 43:45

be yourself busy. Why not? You know, so and, you know, I want to make a comment on the franchises I did interview someone in the past, who coached, you know, veterans or former military professionals on owning a franchise, and part of the benefit is you're buying into a system, you know, you're not starting from scratch. And so it actually works really well for the military community to consider that I mean, you know, granted if you have like the savings and the funds and the resources to do it, but you know, at least you're not starting from scratch. So that's, that's great to hear.

: 44:17

Yeah, no, absolutely. And that was one of the things that I mentioned was like, Hey, you're stepping into a, you know, an opportunity that has systems in place to help you be successful. And that's, you know, for the military community, that's huge. Yeah. Because everybody's so used to, hey, if you do this, this and this, things are gonna work out. You may have a hiccup here and there, but for the most part, this is a standard operating procedure. If you follow it, you are going to be relatively successful and that's, that's why it makes sense for I think a lot of franchise organizations to look at the military community as a really awesome talent stream to fish from and even if it's an Are you looking at them as franchisees, but you know, hey, if I got a franchise and I want to hire somebody, if I look at the military community, I know these are people that are going to be successful because they're coming into an organization that has systems in place to make them successful. And, you know, hey, down the road, they say, Oh, well, this is great. I learned a lot. Being a manager here for this, you know, this franchise, I want to open my own. Cool, they know how to do that. And they can be successful at it. So yeah, it's, that was, that was the biggest thing I mentioned during that was like, yeah, a great opportunity to tap into man, if you're, you know, if you're a franchise or, you know, owner, and you're not looking at it, then you're missing out on a lot of talent and a lot of opportunities.

Jen Amos: 45:46

Yeah, absolutely. Well, Matt, as we come to a close here, I just want to make sure I have asked everything you want to share on the show. So before I get to my last question of main takeaways, is there anything else that you you'd like to mention about your journey or what you do at suiting, green consulting or, you know, just your journey as a former military professional?

Unknown Speaker: 46:09

And, you know, it's catchy, it starts kicking in, you're like,

Jen Amos: 46:12

I like it. I honestly I like it. I'm, it's funny, because in my notes, I have it in caps. Sure, I say that around you.

: 46:21

Yeah, I mean, it's, it's so much fun, really being being my own boss, and being able to do this kind of stuff, and having the opportunity, having a sense of purpose back. And it really, I love it, love being able to give back to the community that gave me so much good and bad for 21 years. But, you know, and that's, that's part of why when I look at, hey, who do I want to be associated with, who I want to partner with, I look at organizations that have that tie that are, that are really good about doing that. And, and they're the ones that I say, yeah, if I'm going to work with, with an organization, and least column a partner, I want to know that they have some kind of commonality. You know, I don't care if they, they were, Space Force, or whatever, or even know, affiliated with Coast Guard doesn't matter. There's, there's that similarity. And, and I say this all the time, because my wife served in the Marine Corps. I've got good friends that served in the Marines, you know, and it's like, you know, I give them a hard time all the time. But there's that commonality. And even if it's hard to find outside of the community, even you know, if you talk to military spouses, it's the same way there's, there's just that bond to be able to, oh, we've shared some some similar hardships. Yeah, we had to move maybe every 18 months or something, or, or whatever. But, you know, we've had that or you know, every every year and a half, it's like, okay, orders are coming. Where are we going next? You know, and which is something that we, my wife and I went through? Absolutely. But no, it's, it's just it's so much fun. And there's so many opportunities out there. And if you're, if you're coming out of the military community and trying to figure out what, what you want to do next, don't worry about growing up. I'm 48 years old, I have not grown up yet. I'm still loving all the fun things. And yeah, having all that stuff, but ask yourself one question, what problem do I want to solve? And it can apply? It applies to anybody, I even asked my kids that, what problem do you want to solve? And it makes a world of difference. And then, you know, if you're making that transition out of the military community, ask yourself that question and ask yourself where you want to live. Because those are two big things. And you have to have one to get the other end and figure out what jobs are going to help you solve those problems wherever you're going. And for companies, this talent stream, it's Matt's, you got so many people coming out hungry, looking for that next opportunity. And if you're not looking at them intentionally and strategically, you're missing out on money. You're missing out on opportunities. And, and companies like yours with us bet wealth, that's just huge to be able to say, hey, we're here to support this or this, this community that gave us something we are giving back. And it just makes a world of difference. So

Jen Amos: 49:34

yeah. Well, Matt, I am speechless. I don't really have anything else to say to wrap up this conversation. So I think that was just a great way to close out your story. I want to thank you again for being on the show and talking about what you do and I'm really, you know, my husband and I we do work with military retirees quite often and it just fills up my heart to know that You turned out okay, and you're still you're still. You're still a kid at heart.

: 50:05

And not I live in life. And I'm not giving up my Transformers. No way.

Jen Amos: 50:10

So funny. I love it. I love it. I love that youthful spirit. And yeah, I mean, just congratulations to you and all your success, and I wish you continued success with saving green consulting.

: 50:22

Thanks, Jen. I appreciate it. It's an absolute honor to be here. I love it. It's just fun. We get to do fun things all the time. And that's the cool part of being an entrepreneur.

Jen Amos: 50:36

Yep. Amen to that. Awesome. Well, Matt, thanks again so much for joining us and to our listeners. We hope you got a lot of value out of this. Check out the show notes to learn how to get in touch with Matt and with that said, We'll chat with you in the next episode. Tune in next time, and they give me one second