Sitreps 2 Steercos

Promotion in the private sector be like…

They don’t call it the grind for nothing. On a real note- it’s okay to feel overwhelmed and even miserable at times at work. The reality of this is twofold. 1?? To find actual fulfillment and happiness (not just momentary fun), you’ve got to struggle a little bit and overcome things. Our ancestors could do this by hunting wooly mammoths and defending against mongol hordes. I guess it’s our existential trial that the mongol hordes are now Q3 KPIs 2?? Make sure you have something else going on outside work. Your employer, your peers, your favorite sandwich shop down the street from the office… they’re going to let you down. (And in a weird twist of fate it might be blackstone responsible for all three ??). If you can center yourself on something other than your job, you’ll find not only that the job becomes more meaningful but that when it does let you down it’s not nearly as much of a disappointment. Happy Saturday, y’all. We’re in the final push before the “no one works” period!

You do not, in fact, need to learn about business before learning about business. I hear from a lot of transitioning or current service members who are worried that their applications either aren’t competitive enough to get in without civilian experience, or that they won’t learn as much without context. I don’t believe either have much merit. On the application side I have two recurring thoughts: 1?? Schools love vets: From class profiles to outreach event frequency to vet club activity… it’s clear that schools from HBS to Wharton to Tepper love active duty. Almost none of the vets who get into these programs have any experience beyond the military… and the school is fine with that! You can go watch our fireside chat mba event or just DM Wharton’s adcom Park Watson and he will assure you that an extra civilian job is not necessary. 2?? Brand Risk: As you leave the military you have a very clean and well-recognized brand. While the “veteran” title persists for life, your professional brand will shift very soon after you take your first full time role. There is a legitimate possibility that whatever role you take before going to an MBA may actually decrease your brand and subsequently also lower your admissions odds. On the learning side, I really think that it comes down to the fact that MBA classes are almost entirely made for people without any sort of business experience. While MBA programs bring in bankers and consultants, they also bring in school teachers, chefs and veterans. With the exception of a few very technical finance classes, you’ll need almost no outside understanding to really do well. I will also add a note here for enlisted veterans finishing their undergrads after having 5+ years of enlisted experience: your enlisted time is work experience! You can (and should!) apply for the MBA right when you finish your undergraduate degree. And for those still worried, I’ll say this for the 1,000,000th time… you’re not going to fail out of your MBA program. I literally don’t even know if it’s physically possible without you literally telling them that you want to fail out.

Delta’s frequent flyer program is such a classic example of how a business can become a victim of their own success. The partnership with Amex and superior branding and offerings for years over United, American, and other domestic US airlines brought so many flyers into the fold. It seemed forever that anyone not living in Dallas or Chicago were Delta first and always. But recently that made influx of people has made it so that there are too many people with miles and status to make either thing worth much. And after flying recently on a United flight I have to say that they’ve gotten pretty close to catching up with Delta. If you’re West Coast, Alaskan is just about as good too. (ngl American still blows lol) Not sure what the future holds, but I doubt future case studies will hail the shake shack burger partnership as much more than a lame marketing gimmick lol.

These jobs are literally designed by the devil himself. They do look absolute ??on a resume tho… Consulting and banking are both “client services” roles. Meaning that at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is bringing in more clients and making sure the ones you have are satisfied with your work so they come back for more. While that sounds a lot like any other business, the difference here is that the client demands can shift, grow, and outright change in an instant. A product offering is much more stable. So, why does that make these jobs so absolutely brutal? Because whatever the client wants (mostly), you do. You’ll try to manage client expectations, but most of the time you will concede to their demands and just make it happen. Even if that means getting a request from a client at 5 PM that needs to be complete by 10 AM the next morning. And then at the end of the engagement you’ll pass of your recommendations off and put together a flashy deck for the client and move on to the next. Doing it all over again like a well compensated version of Groundhog Day. All that said, the technical skills you learn in banking and the business problems that consulting exposes you to are extremely valuable things to have in your bag of tricks. Companies list “previous consulting or banking experience required” for a reason. It also lets you “kick the can down the road” on figuring out what you actually want to be when you grow up. Which, for vets, can be really useful. All that said, if you are passionate about an industry and have the ability to land a solid role within that industry, go for it. You’ll avoid a lot of pain and heartache.

??JOB ALERT- 3X DEFENSE TECH ENGAGEMENT MANAGERS, MARFORPAC AND INDOPACOM HAWAII ?? THE COMPANY: Defense tech planning software company. ??LOCATION: Honolulu, Hawaii ?? COMP: $210k+ all in compensation (relocation to Oahu for qualified hires) 1?? ROLE 1: Engagement manager, US Marine Forces Pacific 2?? ROLE 2: Engagement managers, US Army Pacific and INDOPACOM MUST BE *CURRENT* TS/SCI You will be accountable for overseeing sales, implementation, and continued client satisfaction. You will Own the entire customer relationship, from users up to Generals/Admirals throughout the Joint Force. Apply at link in comments!

The glow up is absolutely real once you step out. For those wondering about what to wear once you step into the big bad world… Some general guidelines: Start out conservatively, and as you grow into your new style you expand what you are comfortable wearing Buy nice stuff. It lasts longer, displays class in a quiet manner, and people notice. Dress like you have done this before Try to not pay full retail for this stuff. Look for sales, outlet malls, holidays etc. TJ Maxx is really great to pick up a lot of this stuff except for the super new brand names and very exclusive brands Oxford shirts are now appropriate here. In fact, they are one of the primary shirts you will wear. The buttoned down collar lends a quiet confidence and is very versatile Find some brands you like and identify with. I personally have became very partial to Cole Haan, Barbour, Polo, J-Crew, Bonobos and CRZ Yoga on Amazon (Lululemon dupe but it has been very good to me. Dress in a way that makes you feel confident and comfortable.

People often ask how we’d recommend building a brand. We always tell them that “professionalism” will be the chief enemy of virality. Veterans especially place a very high premium on the high and tight, super polished branding that was essential in briefings with their brigade or squadron commander. And don’t get me wrong- this sort of brand is extremely important *personally* when applying for jobs, succeeding within a company, and closing and serving clients. (Though you still need to be a real, relatable person). Throw it out the window when trying to grab eyeballs and get people to notice your page, product, or service. No one wants to spend their free time watching another podcast repeating the same safe platitudes about veteran transitions you can get in a ghost written self-help book, or reading another blog or LinkedIn post that is indistinguishable from Chat GPT. You’ve got less than a second to grab someone’s attention. And regardless of what people tell you, we all love to laugh and we all deep down love to watch a controversy unfold. It’s why Instagram cares far more about the shares than the likes and why Jerry Seinfeld says that “people aren’t mad about the joke, they’re mad you’ll see them laughing at it.” If you can figure out how to combine that with something legitimately informative, you’ve got infotainment. Something people from Dave Portnoy to DJT to yours truly have figured out. Other fantastic examples include Sonny Tai and Nick Huber. Most people don’t have Sonny’s “idgaf” attitude to make it work, though. You’ll have people gasp and clutch their pearls and even go insane in your comments. But that’s the point. Large brands normally are too petrified of controversy to have effective marketing, but sometimes they get it right. I thought I’d share a few of those below.

An Army-Navy event the day prior to the game that you won’t want to miss! We’re organizing the third annual Warrior Class summit at Georgetown on Friday Dec 13 with Patrick J. Murphy, former Congressman and Undersecretary of the Army, and Dan Kunze, a national champion of veteran causes. Past conferences have had fantastic speakers and this one will be no different! Register to attend at the link in the comments!

??JOB ALERT-GM MARKET OPS?? ?? THE COMPANY: A startup with major equity backing focused on transforming car ownership and rental. ?? THE LOCATION: Princeton, NJ. 5 days per week in person. ?? THE COMP: $150K base + Bonus and equity opportunity. ?? THE ROLE: Oversee day-to-day market operations, including logistics, inventory control, and member experience. Take ownership of site metrics and manage P&L to drive profitability and efficiency across multiple locations. Build and develop a high-performing team, managing staffing and cultivating vendor relationships to optimize costs. Collaborate with senior leadership, provide strategic insights, and drive improvement initiatives to enhance operations See listing for requirements. Apply at the link in comments!