Ep. 5 - Ben Minden: US Army Veteran, Founder of Bear Hug Cattle Company

Ben is a US Army Veteran and Founder of Bear Hug Cattle Company, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides vocational training to veterans pursuing a career in the ranching industry. He served in the 101st Airborne and 3rd Ranger Battalion. He also spent time in Italy, advising on counter-terrorism. While transitioning out of the military, he started Bear Hug Cattle Company to help veterans figure out what that next thing is for them. He is a United States Military Academy graduate as well as a Harvard MBA. In addition to running Bear Hug full time, he is an associate at Hivers & Strivers, an angel investment group that supports companies founded by US military veterans. It was such a cool conversation that even my dog wanted to get involved. In this episode, you’ll learn about: What it’s really like transitioning out of the military How Bear Hug Cattle Company helps Veterans transitioning out of military get first job in ranching industry The natural inclination for Veterans to continue doing hard work when they get out of the military As a society, getting back to achieving worthwhile goals Ben’s experience at Harvard Business School and working for Private Equity firm Hivers & Strivers Timestamps: (0:20) - Intro to Ben (2:25) - Expectations vs. reality of serving in the Army (5:38) - The reality of transitioning out of the military (9:30) - How you feel when you’re fully devoted to something (10:35) - What is Bear Hug Cattle Company? (13:23) - MOS’ that tend to want to get into ranching industry (14:30) - Process of narrowing down applicants for the program (17:00) - Why Veterans want to do hard work and have entrepreneurial spirit (19:25) - How do we swing the cultural pendulum back to embracing discomfort and struggle? (21:50) - His parents influence on his work ethic (25:00) - Harvard Business School and Hivers & Strivers (27:00) - Balancing ranching with a “white collar” job (29:10) - Advice to kids thinking about joining the military (29:45) - Advice to people transitioning out of the military Where can you learn more about Ben? Bearhugcattlecompany.org On Instagram @bearhugcattlecompany