What I learned at USAADigiMil

USAA hosted their first every DigitalMilEx. It was two days packed full with learning and networking for people who care about bettering the military community. The experience was wonderful. I was able to learn a great deal from others who have been doing what I just started doing for years. This post is me sharing the wisdom they sent my way and pointing you in the direction of learning it online. Next year, if you get the chance, I highly recommend that you attend. There is no way to replace the conversations over dinner and wine, the laughter, and the connections that were made.

Last week I shared about some of the people I met at USAADigiMil that are doing amazing things for our military community. This week I’m sharing with you the speakers USAA brought in. Next week will be all about the ways USAA is improving our community with new technology, customer service, and just well - being them.

So here are some of the speakers who presented at DigitalMilEx 2015 and how you can learn from all they have to offer as well.

• Ted Coine, Chief Marketing Officer at Meddle.it, shared with us how business in the social age has changed. His book A World Gone Social: How Companies Must Adapt to Survive is a must read for any style of business (whether you believe in the power of social media or not). He spoke on the power of giving, of being a part of a community, on how to quite the noise on twitter for more meaningful conversation no matter how large your tribe, and to listen to your audience’s needs and wants. There was so much wisdom in his advice for relational business models. Some of it seeped into the sermon I presented Sunday on “Like A Good Neighbor.” I will be sharing even more next week in my post Dear Church- Why Social Media Matters. For now get a copy of his book, follow @TedCoine on Twitter, and watch this Ted Talk he recommended to all of us.

• Kelly Perdew, the Managing Partner of Moonshots Capital and Founder and CEO of Target Close, shared with us how to make the transition to self-employment. He shared with us the ups and downs of his own journey and the importance passion and planning. To learn more grab his book Take Command: 10 Leadership Principles I Learned in the Military and Put to Work for Donald Trump and follow him on twitter at @kperdew.

• Ellie Kay (America’s Family Financial Expert) and Bethany Grace (Director of Communications of Heroes at Home Financial Event) shared with us how to get our services on base. There is a lot of red tape to go through but that does not mean it is impossible. Follow @elliekay and @besanyg on twitter. Ellie Kay has authored numerous books on finances in the military and has some great practical advice for all of us. USAA sent us home with her book The 60-Minute Money Workout: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Finances into Shape

• Tara Crooks, Owner and Co-Founder of Army Wife Network, also shared about getting your services on base. She has been working with the DOD bringing her Field Exercises Conferences to various installations for 8 years now. She was adamant about not giving up and seeing your dream come to fruition. Partnering with USAA has also given her a great resource to provide her services to military spouses. If you aren’t already be sure to follow her on twitter @taracrooks and @armywifenetwork and tune into her show at Army Wife Network every monday night.

• Stephanie Hoehne (Director of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation)also spoke on working with the DOD. She emphasized that every installation is different, highlighting Freedom Crossing at Fort Bliss as leading the way in offering entertainment to soldiers and family. Her advice was to know the motto and culture of the post you are attempting to offer your services at.

• Blake Hall, Co-Founder and CEO of ID.me, shared with us how to work with a team. My two biggest take aways from him were: changing the world requires a relentless commitment to accomplishing the mission and that we must have the commitment to succeed while possessing the humility to know we could fail. He highly stressed the need for a mentor who actually cares about you and that you must possess the passion to see things through. Follow him on twitter @blake_hall

• Judy Davis, The Direction Diva and Co-Founder of LivingThruCrisis.com, is a personal friend and mentor. She spoke on the family perspective of entrepreneurship. In order to succeed we all must learn to turn off the noise of business and focus on family. We have to master the act of juggling a business (not a hobby) with the demands of being present for our families. This requires setting boundaries, something Judy Davis does a great job of explaining at her speaking engagements and on her blog. She has a book out called Right Side Up: Find Your Way When Military Life Turns You Upside Down that speaks greatly to this need as well. You can follow her on twitter at @jdavis55. Awhile back I had the opportunity to interview her regarding her new book and company Living Thru Crisis

The remainder of the presenters were from USAA and provided great insight into various aspects of entrepreneurship, military life, and their business model. I am looking forward to sharing that with you next week. Be sure to follow all the links above, check out the books, and follow the speakers on twitter. They all have so much wisdom to give.

USAA has always been a great bank. They’ve helped us out in some tough spots and done so with kindness. Even in embarrassing situations they have this way of making you feel like everything is going to be ok. They won me over years ago as a new military spouse unsure of how deployments work. At USAADigiMil I got to see a little more of what they are actually doing and was highly impressed. Come back next Tuesday to learn about some great resources to help teens improve their driving, how to stay protected online, and more.