About
The Service Academy Business Mastermind (SABM) is filled with Service Academy graduates on an entrepreneurial-, career- and business-building adventure.
We are a community of Academy grads who create exponential value for each other through new learning, collaboration and connections.
Our core purpose is to help Service Academy graduates achieve freedom of time, money, happiness and purpose through entrepreneurship and business ownership.
There are lots of programs out there to help Service Academy graduates transition from a military to a civilian career. But how about a program to help Academy grads transition into entrepreneurship? Or to take their business to a 10X level?
We believe:
- Academy Grads are the top 3% of the top 3%. Stanford, Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale and others might think they have the best entrepreneur and business owner graduates. They’re wrong.
- Entrepreneurs and business owners are the people who move society forward.
- Entrepreneurship is a spiritual journey that uses our God-given talents and experiences to create new value in the world.
- The best entrepreneurs don’t compete. They create something so uniquely valuable and personal that no one can replicate it.
- Inside SABM, we don’t compete with each other. We share our insight, expertise, experiences, wisdom, and connections to help each other reach new heights.
- Making money isn’t bad or evil. It’s a powerful journey that tests your limits as you are rewarded for creating value.
- If you make money doing what you love and you are great at it… you will never have to “retire.”
Ready to get started?
- Subscribe to the podcast. The podcast features entrepreneurial success stories from the Service Academy community. Listen, learn, and take action!
- Attend a meetup. Each month we host “rapid fire” online networking meetups. This is the most simple, efficient, and innovative way for Service Academy grads to connect.
- Join the Accelerator. We have business accelerator coaching programs led by proven, world-class business people who are fellow grads and experts in their field. They will guide you to the next level the easier, faster and better way. Why go it alone?
By joining the community, you will think bigger, save time, make more money, meet new people, and make new friends. And, we’ve seen SABM-ers even get new customers from the community!
SABM Accelerator Coaches
Bill Watkins, USMA '77
Founder & CEO Accelerator Coach
I am Bill Watkins, a driven, high-achiever like you… possibly just a little further down the road. I’m a 1977 West Point graduate, decorated Army officer, world class athlete, Fortune 50 corporate executive, and entrepreneur who built an 8-figure, four company business out of my garage… and sold it in 2012 for cash. I’m married to Donna, my West Point sweetheart, am a father and father-in-law, live in Jackson, Wyoming and adventure in the mountainous wilderness.
Founder & CEO Accelerator: https://sabmgroup.com/10x/
Emmanuel Eleyae, USMA '04
E-Commerce Accelerator Coach
My professional and personal life experiences have allowed me to excel as an e-commerce entrepreneur. Since a young age, I have always been a lifelong learner having studied business and computer science, formally in school and informally through my natural curiosity. Following my military service, I worked at Amazon fulfillment managing distribution and inventory at a very high level. I managed a 1.1 million square foot facility with 750 employees and shipped 1 million packages per week. My experience at Amazon opened my eyes to what was possible for an e-commerce entrepreneur in today’s economy. So I set out on my own and built an e-commerce business to 7-Figures.
E-Commerce Accelerator: https://sabmgroup.com/ecommerce/
Buddy Rushing, USNA '04
Real Estate Investing Accelerator Coach
Buddy Rushing is the CEO of White Feather Investments, a real estate investing company. Over the past 10 years Buddy and his team have flipped houses, wholesaled, invested in trust deeds, structured seller financed transactions using Roth IRA funds, purchased an apartment complex, executed multiple 1031 exchanges, and much more. In the past year, the White Feather Investor’s group has purchased almost 50 rental properties, added $6MM+ worth of real estate to their collective portfolios, and established $51,450 in monthly rental income.
Real Estate Investing Accelerator: https://sabmgroup.com/realestate/
Scott Mackes, USNA '01
Founder of SABM & Side Hustle Sales Accelerator Coach
Hi, I’m Scott! Thank you so much for being part of the SABM community! Through my wins and losses on various projects, I’ve gathered valuable experiences, insights, tools, and connections that can accelerate your sales and success. I’ve also built this SABM community for you – to streamline your success so you can “connect the dots” much faster than I did. It includes all the resources I wish I had when I was starting out. I believe that starting a side-hustle is a great approach for entrepreneurs who want to launch a new business while minimizing risk. I’d love to help you on your journey!
Side Hustle Sales Accelerator: https://sabmgroup.com/hustle/
SABM Online Marketing Ninja
Trevor Shirk, USMA '08
Online Marketing Ninja
*You probably found out about SABM because of Trevor’s online marketing ninja superpowers*
My name is Trevor Shirk; I’m the co-founder of Strattex Solutions. I’m a combat veteran. And many of our team members are combat veterans. We don’t leave people behind in combat. And I’ve brought that same mentality to digital marketing. We saw all the injustices that other marketing companies were committing on small businesses just like yours and so we decided to do something about it. So, we designed, built, and launched our Hyperlocal Marketing Platform to change the game for the business owner and entrepreneur on the ground. Since building Strattex, we’ve helped hundreds of local businesses flourish, grow, and thrive. And we can do the same for you.
