How a Disabled Army Veteran Built a Category-Defining Agency

After surviving a near-fatal Humvee rollover, an Army officer enters civilian life carrying leadership experience, a spinal cord injury, and an entirely new challenge: starting over. He takes a step backward in title to learn advertising from the ground up, eventually discovering a massive gap others overlooked. No agency is dedicated to reaching the 20 million Americans who have worn the uniform. In this episode of Living Your Legacy, he reveals how military leadership, veteran marketing, audience research, and authentic communication shape his approach to building MARCH Marketing. He explores why veterans often struggle to translate their value to civilian employers, why authenticity can outperform generic campaigns, and why building a mission-driven business sometimes means turning opportunities away.

Key Takeaways

• Military leadership skills can become powerful civilian advantages when veterans learn how to communicate their value.
• Sometimes taking a step backward in your career creates the foundation for moving much further forward.
• Major business opportunities can emerge from identifying an underserved community hiding in plain sight.
• Strong creative strategy begins with research and listening to the audience rather than relying on assumptions.
• A mission-driven business can protect its values by being selective about the clients and opportunities it accepts.

Notable Quotes

• “You have to sometimes take a step back in your career to advance it.”
• “There’s no agency that’s focused on these 20 million Americans that have worn the uniform.”
• “I’ve got an idea. This will work.”
• “We turn away more clients than we take.”
• “To really get great creative and great messaging, you have to start with research.”