You don’t grow a mustache like this without doing some serious shit. Shane Barnes did bad things to some bad people as a 160th Nightstalker. Most notable- an operation a couple years back that killed the top ISIS leader. Shane didn’t miss. He took my spot on that operation, and I stayed home. The result was a bad dude dead and the birth of my daughter 9 months later. He pushed me- and I pushed him. The type of relationship that accelerates your life. Shane was killed when the force positioned across the world to help our allies. He left behind a very young family.

The pilot of this helicopter was in his 20s and wearing a Timex.

The new Lexus will still look good in 15 years.

My buddy is a getting heart surgery He called 3 doctors: Doctor 1: $97k Doctor 2: $78k Doctor 3: $997 Always get 3 quotes.

The Bank Of America associate that died was former special operator Leo Lukenas. Leo is a former Green Beret and left behind a young family. If you can, please help support Leo's family, link to follow. If we can raise 500k for the young men that held the flag, we sure as hell can for someone that fought for it.

Getting approved for a mortgage as an employee vs entrepreneur: As a W2: Me: I work for a start up that sells ketchup popsicles to Southern grandmothers with white gloves. I’m the head of inclusion and we have a month left of runway. Bank: Approved As an Entrepreneur: Me: I paint homes solo for $1000/hr and am booked out 8 months. Bank: You have to liquidate everything, get your entire family to co-sign, and provide your last 15 google reviews.

$35M with multiple caphalon pans

Solution for young entrepreneurs: Join the National Guard: - full service healthcare for a family is $300ish a month -work one weekend a month and two weeks a year -get college paid for -help out your state during disasters -free training for something interesting (ie helos) I know several guys who have done this for 10+ years, with minimal interruption to life. They’ll get a retirement, on top of learning soft skills that most jobs won’t teach.

I was 15 when my dads career began to slip. He hid it well, but we were losing everything. One weekend he disappeared for 3 days, no idea where he went. He came back and was a different person. The summer I was 16 I worked a couple jobs, giving the $ to them for groceries etc. At that point my parents were divorcing, I went back to boarding school, and the relationship all but disappeared. Later that year I went to South America for two weeks for a school trip and came back to find out he had died of a heart attack while I was gone. Apparently he had one less that two years earlier, which coincides with when he left for a few days. I’ve been wired on ever since, for better or worse. A lot of things that I would do differently if I could.

We let drone pilots strike Toyota Hilux in Yemen from a trailer in Utah, but we won't unload a container without a person standing there to watch?

Every time I go to buy a new truck I remember that my taxes for a 1999 L100 are $31 a year.

Every pallet manufacturer in the US that is privately owned and generates $5-20M per year in revenue.

If you watch closely, you will see that as soon as the aircraft kicks up debris/tents, etc, the pilot pulls in power, tips the nose over, and GTFO. This is indicative of "whoops I didn't expect that, need to stop it" I have done this before when I accidentally terrified some horses that were worth $100,000s. I GTFO

4. You realize all fancy cars are boring and go back to the Toyotas you had at stage 1

Former Green Beret looking for a role. (I receive nothing for this) Tom Stanley. American badass 🇺🇸 -BS in Accounting & Business Management  - Green Beret, Officer, 10 years of service - Completed Skillbridge internship with an Alpine-backed company, Apex Services Looking for: - Management roles, particularly in PE-backed companies - Sample roles: VP/Director of Operations, VP/Director of Special Projects, Chief of Staff - Lives in & looking for opportunities in Nashville, TN

If 10,000 boomer business owners are retiring daily- How many of them have 97 F-250 7.3s included in the asset sale?

During the earlier days of Iraq, the AH-6 pictured below was shot down. The sister ship remained flying, shooting, and keeping the enemy at bay. They were shooting so much that they began to run low on both ammo and fuel. No option to go back to base. So they landed and pulled the ammo and fuel from the downed aircraft to keep going. And won, of course. You can train a monkey to fly- it’s a lot harder to develop tenacity, urgency, and integrity.

It is a toyota so my bet is yes

I receive $3900 a month in disability from the military. (TBI, PTSD, and a few other acronyms in there). This month I will spend the following on care directly related to injuries that the gov't won't provide: -$1000 labs/intake for a TBI clinic -$280 supplements (brain related) -$129 ketamine micro-dose therapy -$900 therapy -$80 other meds -$80 supplements (related to toxicity exposure) This is an average month- some less, some 2x the above.

My FAVORITE question to ask during an interview: "You are at Starbucks, in line. There is a guy in front of you, ordering a coffee. He places the order (just coffee) and pays. But, just before he heads over to the service area to pick up his cup with his name scribbles on the side with a cute lil heart, he looks down and grabs a bar from in front of the register. Barista doesn't see- and he didn't pay for one. But you do, and he walks over to get his coffee. What is your move?" I have asked this 40+ times- and have never gotten the same answer. This type of questioning forces the interviewee to think on the spot- and pulls out the TRUE attributes/characteristics that inform their decision making. Personally, I am not hiring the individual that says "oh not my business, I'm not doing anything." On the spot, scenario driven assessments will tell you far more than: "Tell me about a time you had integrity." Assessments should get uncomfortable- do it now or discover it later.

I am very excited about cooking. And have gone to war. Cooking is better.

I drove a VW Jetta

The 160th Night Stalkers are the most elite helicopter pilots in the world. I was one, but neither I nor my peers started that way. We developed average guys into uncommon leaders. Here's how we did it (and the approach you can use too):

Upgrading the fleet to all late 90s vehicles.

🫡

When you’re ready- I have a spot for an afternoon in one of these with your name on it.

If you wake up and think: "fck I am going to lose everything today- all my clients are going to fire me at once and I am going to have to sell the house and move to my in laws and my wife and we are going to have to wait tables at their restaurants" There is a solid chance you are a successful entrepreneur. And you're not alone.

Just made a huge pivot in my investing/retirement strategy. No more maxing out accounts- in fact I am going to stop investing in my business too. I’m going all in on low mileage Land Cruisers.

I loved doing these approaches. No amount of skill on the controls matters if you can’t communicate with your crew- everyone in the bird has a role. No self proclaimed “visionary” role in your business does anything if you can’t effectively crew-coordinate your intention with your team.

Neither It was the helicopter pilot that went one day without telling people he’s a helicopter pilot

This is a 20 something year old that makes maybe $50k a year, sitting on a 30mm cannon attached to a helicopter- trying to fix a jam in a minigun while it’s flying.

Here’s my pitch: A veteran owned smoker company Hellfire Grills We take what Black Rifle did for coffee, and it apply it to every conservative man’s favorite hobby: Smoking meats. Our differentiator? Spent brass melted down and added into the accents on the smoker. Each model is named after an aircraft or weapon system. Who’s in??

Did you know you can buy a business and escape the 9-5 and inherit all of your employees issues like when they oversleep a key appointment with a new customer because they got drunk on their 2nd tinder date at a bowling alley with a girl from Colombia that has braces?

I’m torn. 401k contribution or this?

My wife booked my flight tomorrow and she selected business class I’m supposed to wear a suit, right?

My wife had my flag framed in a lucite box. I brought this on every stateside trip and overseas deployment- it sat underneath my seat in the aircraft. On my last trip, we were scrambling to leave the base as Iran launched missiles at us. Only having minutes to grab our belongings, I prepped the bird and asked my copilot to grab the flag from our trailer, along with our sensitive data items. He forgot it. Luckily, the missiles missed our living areas by 100 meters. When we returned, the flag was on the ground, covered in dust. Now it rests on the wall in our daughter’s playroom, and I’d run back inside in the event of a fire to grab it.

Take my $$$ I’d spend on this truck before I bought even a slightly used ‘22.

Never leaving this place. I’ll be starting a parallel service soon.

"All of the operators have since graduated from the MIT MBA program and are running PE backed roofing companies in south Florida."

Elf on the shelf is the slowly killing me. What originally was a fun activity is now wearing us down. My daughter now wakes up at 5:45, only to emerge from her room and exclaim “I have to find it, now!”

I wonder how much of the "trades shortage" could be mitigated by more homeowners having a basic understanding of plumbing, electrical, and small "handyman tasks." I am not about to go rewire my house or swap a hot water heater for a tankless. But short of that, I can handle many basics. The only shortcoming I have is actually executing on my honey do list.

I hit another dark depression this summer. It seems to happen every six months, like clockwork, mostly due to TBI. Frankly, I’d do the activities that caused it again—it’s the consequence of having the best job in the world. During this low, I bought a ’97 F250 Powerstroke. I shouldn’t buy old trucks (stick with the Toyota, I tell myself now). One afternoon, driving home, the engine quit in front of tourists feeding horses near our house. I forgot to flip the tank switch, starving the engine of fuel. Already down, I wanted to wallow, but I was blocking the street. With a 7.3 Powerstroke, if you run it dry, you must manually remove the filter and add diesel to prime it. Luckily, I had a 5-gallon fuel tank. I climbed up, trying to pour carefully, but within 15 seconds, I was soaked in diesel. It was August in South Carolina, so I was sweating buckets too. After 30 minutes of fixing it, I was a mess of diesel, grease, and sweat. And I couldn’t have been happier. Shit eating grin happy. Using my hands and doing real work pulled me out of that depression for weeks. I spoke with another entrepreneur this week who experienced the same. Life, work, and play were off, but wrenching in one of his businesses snapped him out of it. Maybe there’s data to support this, maybe not. But now I know two things: no more old trucks, and if you’re in that space, get out and do something.

I did, however, just save $19.99 a month on cancelling my @TheEconomist subscription.

If you think that you need A players to succeed- Go to Chic fil A Do you think that they have the market concerned on A players making 12-16/hour? What they have is better processes, training and accountability than you. So they can take Ds,Cs,Bs with the right attributes and get A+ results.

The ladies asked- so here we go. This former special operator is looking for a DATE, not a job. Meet Christo. He’s 33, lives in Florida, and has a killer job in commercial real estate and construction. He spent 10 years as a Green Beret, traveling the world and generally being a badass. Christo saw his bud Tom get some great professional opportunities last week- and he’s up for some personal ones. Interested? I’ll connect.

The goal is to be valuable, not viral. Now, hold my beer and watch this. Then, imagine doing it at night.

Want to do something absolutely miserable? Nov 21-23 Asheville NC 50+ miles of hiking in <24 hours Small group of entrepreneurs, we might fail, that's ok. If interested- DM me

I think an important point is that the drugs are the not the medicine, the person is. Using psilocybin and ketamine opened a lot for me- but I had to actually do something with it. There is a large delta between recreation and intention.

Dear @elonmusk, A few recommendations on where to start with DOGE as a former govt employee. -The military “transition career counselors” that have never had a career outside the military. -That one guy at every base that has a clipboard and makes all incoming soldiers fill out a form with information (on paper) that the military already has. -The VA employee that won’t take your out-of-pocket medical bills by email, and requires it faxed (yes this still exists). -The veteran liaison that refers you to another liaison that refers you to another in order to schedule a call (6 months out) with a doctor. -The guy that checks your ID card, while deployed, in order to get into the dining facility. @S2Steercos @markbdelaney any additions?

Did this with fishing charter company Had 5 Boston Whalers. I took out the engines and added sails instead (passive motoring). Being environmentally friendly pays dividends. Had to fire the captains, but hey this is business.

Couple years ago on New Year’s Eve I was sitting across from my pregnant wife at a Chic fil a. She was sobbing- the other people there probably thought I was breaking up with her. In reality, I had rushed out of a hot yoga class to go pack up the aircraft to execute a no-notice operation. We were about to leave- couldn’t share where or for how long. Naturally, she was not thrilled. I miss and crave that adrenaline. Nothing like it. But damn it’a nice to have zero plans today.

A potential client reached out, needing a CEO candidate. Within 6 hours, we delivered three: • Former Marine with real C-suite experience (not a one-man show CEO). • SEAL officer with proven leadership in PE-backed companies. • 20+ year Tier 1 SEAL, Top 5 MBA, and robust leadership experience at a $25M+ business. Not to mention, all have been vetted by the some of the most strenuous assessment processes in the world. We can operated with urgency and results not because of what we do, but because of the caliber of our talent.

I can assure you it’s nothing like losing a guy in battle.

I turned down the opportunity to take over a 100% seller-financed, niche business because of sudden and debilitating depression. I did a lot of uncommon things in the military, that'll happen when there are only 12 of the aircraft you fly in the world. Some experiences I will take to the grave, and others I will share to demonstrate principles to the teams and individuals I coach. I had an incredible time- but it also forced me to compartmentalize all of those experiences. Truthfully, I am glad I was able to do that- it helped me operate at the top of my game. I went from a terrible pilot to the youngest officer in the military to earn the right to fly, lead, and shoot at the level I did. When I left, I was leading the most sought-after crew of aviators in the world. I could pin a 30mm round through a window while flying, puking, communicating, and leading. One day, as I was driving to a client's home to do some pressure washing, I broke down. Going from an unstoppable force to a $15/hour general laborer in a business I was going to buy was a huge shift, and during that drive, something unlocked everything I had shoved away for years. I pulled over, trying to remain on time, and sobbed. For the buddies I had lost, the stress on my marriage, and my inability to find purpose. My wife begged me to come home, but I went and did the job. The client treated me like "the help", because, that is what a lot of people do, unfortunately. Her dog bit me as I was washing , and she laughed it off. I just kept washing, chuckling inside as the shirt that she wore from "Blackberry Farm", a luxe resort in TN, was owned by my wife's extended family. The following week, my wife's grandfather died (102), we all got COVID, missed the funeral and family Easter, and I cried every day. I needed to change something, and I knew that buying a business at that point in my transition was NOT the answer. Not for me, my family, nor the guys that would need me to lead it. Short-term loss? Sure. Long term? I'm about to find out.

This coffee machine survived Iranian missiles. The handprint is from one of the operators picking it off the ground, having been covered in ceiling tile, and placing it back on its throne. That machine, rated for residential use, made coffee for 200+ people a day for weeks after the attack. I try to be like that coffee machine: purposeful and tenacious.

I decided that I wanted two sources of passive income. So I got two gov't jobs. Few understand this hack.

Sold our home in Nashville at the peak of the market. Abandoned the golden goose of an opportunity in front of me. Removed myself from a tight, professional network. And now we: 1. Live where we love 2.Surrounded by the people we love 3. Do what we love I have the same unrelenting ambition, just a different channel. My decisions are now focused on what is "better," rather than "more."

7 years ago my girlfriend, now wife, moved into a townhouse in East Nashville with me. Within 48 hours I was gone on surprise “work trip.” Within a day of me leaving there was a gang shootout next to our home. I was on a boat off the coast of Yemen, convincing the police department to put a cruiser outside our house via sat phone. I came home and bought a very large ring.

Somewhere, in a shitty, leaking trailer next to a small airstrip nestled in the mountains of a desolate land, a very chill, unassuming guy sits behind a folding table desk. He's watching the finale season of the Sopranos for the third time this year- it is his third deployment since January. He is there right now- ready to go do bad things to bad people. His kids (5 of them) are home, getting ready, like the rest of us, to enjoy an epic day of freedom, burgers, and the fireworks that will inevitably send the family dog into a panic. And, despite being so far from the ones he loves and a day of festivities, this is is fuel- and he welcomes it. It's the best day of the year.

Five 160th DAP guys were killed doing some really hard shit. Living a life of urgency, intent, and sacrifice is not for the faint of heart, and these men gave it all. DRMF NSDQ

A lot of mixed opinions on material possessions. I use them as a carrot for pinnacle goals. I bought this truck when I achieved my wildest professional goal 4 years ago. I still have a shit eating grin every single time I drive it.

Fixed wing is cute

If you are single and in your 20s- Join the military. -You will do things that the rest of the world can’t pay to do. -4 years will shape you into the leader that most can’t achieve in a lifetime. -The ladies will love you (ESPECIALLY if you are a pilot) -The only debt you will take on is the privilege and obligation to leading your men

Hilton Head is just an extension of Ohio

This has a radio (currently not working)

We crushed this event. 10 entrepreneurs, 2 SEALs, badass house and killer food. A lot of hard, physical work performed by all and needed conversations that most keep internally. A growing tribe. No BS, no yelling, and I am smoked.

This is a 5min run from my house. I’m EXACTLY where I want to live. And I realize my greatest professional goal is behind me. The actions I take now are about “better,” not “more.”

We didn’t go to any restaurants or wine tours. Myself, an active duty special operator, and a former operator took a group of entrepreneurs into the mountains this weekend. They don’t have a podcast or a book. And we didn’t have an alpha male boot camp agenda. Just hard shit and cold beer.

Perfectly cooked. Really happy with how it turned out. 10 min each side, no rest.

A business I wish someone would create: Weeklong excursions for business leaders. Imagine: - 10 entrepreneurs - 1 week - Epic location (e.g., Telluride) in a luxury house - Mornings for remote work, afternoons for fly fishing, hiking, biking, etc. A mix of networking, exciting activities, and partial work flexibility, saving full disconnects for family vacations.

Smoked pulled pork needs to be cooked to 205 internal.

When is he coming on twitter as "remote pizzeria mountain ski guy"

My best decision of 2024: Buying a boat My worst decision of 2024: Buying a boat

I live on a PGA tour golf course. Never played. But damn it’s a nice place to workout.

Since September 11th, over 150,000 veterans have taken their own lives. Many more have been on the edge. The VA continues to underperform. It took me 6 weeks to get an appointment two years ago when I realized something was not right. Progress with alternative treatments has been stalled by opinion- not actual data. There is still a lot of work to be done.

Combat veterans: “yeah so after the second time I was blown up, I decided to see the doc” VA: Here is $1k a month to cover your complex medics bills we don’t cover. Apply for more and we might just take it all away. The Economist:

Tomahawks, rib eyes, and skirts

With rates the way they are, I’ll never buy new cars. Used is such a better deal.

How I would increase military recruitment numbers under the current administration. (I am having to put my ego aside on this one). Step 1: Stop the retirement of the A-10. Step 2: Make more of them. Step 3: Place them in each branch of the military, including the Coast Guard. Step 4: Produce a new Top Gun movie focused only on the A-10, with some MH-60M DAPs included. Step 5: Create an enlisted to pilot program, open slots for ROTC graduates. Step 6: Pay for everyone's college tuition, as it's already done for the hippies studying forestry (yes, I was one). This will attract more high schoolers and college recruits. @PeteHegseth @JDVance you know this is the way; I'm happy to lead the recruitment effort.

Someone please send these dudes a truckload of coors light and Jim beam for their summer.

I have a thing for smoked meats. And I have owned 15 grills in the past decade. These are some of my favorites, and how they fit into various stages of life.

The irony of the military: Me: “I flew too close to the target, and when I was climbing out I clipped a tree and need a new $250k blade.” Govt: “Ok here you go, aircraft will be back up tomorrow.” ———- Also me: “My office chair broke and I need $60 for a new one.” Govt: “Please submit for approval in 2028.”

It was about to get wild. I'd cranked the Blackhawk hundreds of times before, but always with a co-pilot in the cockpit as well. This time it was just me- he was running back to our trailer as we began to execute an emergency evacuation of the compound. The Iranians were pissed. Having left our homes with no notice to deploy on a contingency operation in January 2020, we quickly found ourselves in an interesting situation. My wife was a month pregnant, and I had all but disappeared on what was an adventure for me, and 45 days of terror for her. It was a typical deployment evening- I was hammering away on the Rogue Echo while the other guys were lifting heavy things and putting them back down. "We gotta F%^$ing go," exclaimed my crew chief, who came running in while throwing on his uniform. Intelligence had come through foreign back channels and three letter agencies that indicated the Iranians were going to launch inter-ballistic missiles at our base, all in retaliation for the drone strike on Soleimani. With little time available to us, the pilots huddled and quickly disseminated the plan. In passing, the lead pilot briefed me as I took mental notes and threw on my gear. Intent: Load up and get out with any and all that you can fit. Drop them off, and come back. That was it. No fancy power points, no briefs, no notes taken. There wasn't time for questions, that was all the information the flight needed to know. We rushed out to the birds to get going, and I hopped in to crank it solo. No time for manuals for softly following the rules anymore. That "intent", coupled with a bias for action and communication saved a lot of lives that night. -I had probably 10% of the information I would have liked to know- but it was enough to figure the rest out. -As a flight, we had a great flight leader that crafted the plan on the fly and shared only what was pertinent. "Be brief, be brilliant, be gone." The very spot in which my aircraft had sat was hit directly with a missile. I wasn't there. I think about this night a lot, and it became more interesting after we started the evacuation. A near crash, confusing shooting stars with missiles, and texting my wife a "thumbs up" when it finally cooled down. It was a 72 hour period that tested every soft and hard skill I had developed over previous 10 years. Fast forward today, I work with a lot of leaders that start by trying to gather 100% of the information before taking action on the fraction of that which actually matters. Now, the P&L is different, but the exercise we do facilitates an alignment that opens the door for 80% of the problem to be solved by the team, not the leader alone. I see them grow through their team when they improve the ability to: -to craft an intention -communicate what is necessary -measure growth Ambition waits for no answers and uncovers them with curiosity and tenacity.

Only took one shot with the mustache.

If anyone is interested in starting a business, just come to Hilton Head and open a painting company. The only thing you will have to do to differentiate yourself from the competition is…… Answer the phone.

I own a MH60M DAP with 334 million partners. 138mph. 4 lunatics + a lot of ammo + bunch of gas. Yeti cooler with snacks. $5000/hr to fly. There are less than two handfuls in service . Available for immediate charter or rescue anywhere in the world.

Why are more people not buying land here? Great access to prime skiing and no lift lines.

In this maneuver, the pilot is essentially flying blind. It’s called a “bump” Up front, It is damn near impossible to see the wheel- which is used as the touch point against the side of the building. The crew chiefs in the back- young guys that make below the poverty line, are calling out the approach. Their ability to communicate with brevity and urgency allows the approach to succeed. Oh, and in combat, they are also manning a mini-gun and protecting the crew. At night.

250 porta potties will generate roughly $470,000 a year in revenue, with 30 to 35% margins. I guess you just have to be willing to get your hands dirty.

Want to fly private? In style and stealth? Try a blacked out MH-60M DAP “Direct Action Penetrator.” -$35M -Seatbelts -Rescue hoist -Radar -$6000/hour to operate (no ammo) -2x miniguns, 1x 30mm cannon, 19-rocket pod, and 4x hellfires -Refueling probe for extra range Think of it as an Apache, on TRT. Sits 4 comfortably, but can pull people off a target in an emergency. Drop the factory seats and replace with a Yeti lawn chair, and you just saved 200lbs for more ammo. Perfect. This aircraft is going to be a high cost of entry and high cost of operation, especially when you’re hammering away $300k worth of ammo each week. Less than a dozen exist in the world, so hat’s off to you if you can find it. So when your doctor and lawyer buddies are puttering away in their Cessna 172’s, you will be cruising low level above the trees, looking for beaver dams and hogs while humming AC/DC to yourself. @preston_holland how was that?

I deployed 5 times

I’ve spent more $ on grills than I have put into a 529. Also because my daughter will get a free education.

Just wrapped up our 39th placement so far this year. Absolutely wild. I’ve made the remark before that my greatest professional achievement is behind me- there is a certain level to the game of flying in the 160th that is hard to hit. But I had a friend push me the other day into asking: “well what about the impact you are having on these guys lives?” Some of these roles are insane. From the 7 figure equity VP gigs in a roofing platform, to the GM of a very small service business, where the operator is going to really learn the guts of SMB- and be set up for life. We have certainly ffcked some stuff up too. Couldn’t deliver on a role, had a candidate leave, all the issues that come with people, regardless of who the people are. And don’t let the surface level wins fool you, there has been a lot of challenge in doing this and navigating some hard family events. There will always be wins and losses, just gotta choose your attitude.

I have a role for any veterans out there: CEO of Commercial HVAC Business Location: Phoenix, AZ Comp: $275k-$300k base, $100k bonus, up to 5% equity Requirements: Veteran, 3+ years in key business leadership positions, P&L ownership, HVAC experience a plus

Be brief be brilliant be gone. Brevity speaks louder.

This is a "bump." Technical term for lock the brakes, put the wheel against the building, and don't move while guys jump out. If you are the pilot- you can't see a thing, especially at night. Pick an object of dust somewhere and don't let your view of it change. If you accidentally over control the aircraft, it can flip to the left and everyone dies.

I got a 3.89 in college My classes: Backcountry Skiing and avalanche safety Winter survival and ice climbing Red Cross First Responder 1-Year Capstone where I built a ski trail Meanwhile my engineer buddies got worse grades and took real classes. I was doing WHATEVER it took to get a high gpa so I could go to flight school The army wanted a number for their formula- so I have them a number they wanted. It’s a poor metric

I married a very talented interior designer. Insanely gifted. How many lamps do you think I have in my office?