My time at Patriot Boot Camp
Well, here we are a couple of weeks into the new year and I am finding myself compelled to share more of my experiences here on Medium. It has been a long time since I have written anything of substance here and my recent post on startup failure just confirmed to me that I need to be more consistent with my writing. I will do my best to write more for 2019. It is definitely one of my goals as I look to download my experiences into more entries. I know that there are a lot of things I have done throughout my career that have either given me more clarity or have been just a general learning lesson that could be included into the collective knowledge share.
First of all let me just say that the first version of this blog post was lengthy and included some great content. However when I went back to read it again I realized that none of it was actually something I was comfortable releasing. It wasn’t that I was writing something that was untrue. It was more of a case in which I was embellishing something I knew in my heart was not entirely accurate. There is a difference. Trust me.
You see it was recently revealed that I am leaving Patriot Boot Camp. A better way to put that is that I am already gone. Not to say it was a hasty exit or a controversial one. Because it wasn’t. It was simply put, my time to go.
Since I joined Patriot Boot Camp in November of 2017 I created a new builder program called VetHacks, created a new pre-seed program partnership with Founders Institute, and connected the organization to my personal network to the benefit of the founders that come through our programs.
We put together one of the most incredible three day programs in Denver last September with people like Arlan Hamilton, Nate Boyer, Mat Ellis, Rick Turoczy, newly elected Colorado Governor Jared Polis, Robbie Jack, Matt Abrams, and so much more. The program had a NPS score over 90! Easily one of the highest scores in the history of the organization.
With the good came the bad. The year wasn’t always perfect. I started 2018 having to back away from a lot of my social media postings as it was clear my personal opinions were being perceived as being a hindrance to organizational progress. You scoff, but if you lead an organization you are the face of that org. When you offer an opinion people believe it to be the opinion of the organization. It took a big slap to the hand to realize this very valuable lesson. The same could be said if you have any leadership position in a company or organization, but it is especially critical that the head of the company be seen as a neutral party in those early days. I plan on writing a more broader post about this very subject soon.
It is not clear what my next adventure will be. Still trying to sort that out, but being able to say that I led one of the most important veteran and military spouse technology programs in the country is a tremendous honor and one I will take with me along with a lifetime of memories.
To those founders, mentors, sponsors, partners, and other PBC family members who spent their weekends with us during one of our incredible programs I cannot thank you enough. You gave of your time, your resources, and your guidance without expecting anything in return. You live the Techstars mantra of “Give First” and are a part of a community that is unmatched in any organization I have ever had the privilege of being a part of.
While the decision to leave was not an easy one, it was clear that the timing was right for me to move on and let a new leader take the helm to grow Patriot Boot Camp. There is an official release about the leadership transition, but I felt that it was important to add some clarity and ensure people knew that I hold no ill feelings toward the organization, its board, staff, or anyone associated with PBC. I cherish this community more than I can express here and PBC was a critical component to my entrepreneurial journey as well as my career development.
I look forward to the future as 2019 promises to be a very exciting year filled with new adventures.
