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Kevin Jackson

Tuesday Sep 22, 2026

Category: Newsletter

VOB Roundtable Recap — September 22, 2026

This week's Roundtable brought more new faces, a few welcome returns, and one theme that kept coming back all hour: getting seen. Social media algorithms, AI search results, the right job posting reaching the right military spouse — the room kept circling back to visibility, and people kept offering to help each other get there.
 

We opened with two first-time attendees. Dr. Bere Waller (Air Force veteran and licensed acupuncturist running her own practice in Rockville, MD; Bere@walleracu.com; walleracu.com) found us through BNI, most likely by way of our board member Mike Garrity, who is active in BNI up in Maryland. She's about two years into her solo practice, and we'll be setting up a longer one-on-one. Jarrett Cieslak (artisan bladesmith and owner of Fire Beard Forge in Harford County, MD; jarrett@firebeardforge.com; firebeardforge.com) came to us through Richard Moyers, also via BNI. Jarrett makes one-of-a-kind and small-batch pieces in metal, wood, and leather, from knives and barware to branded keychains and luggage tags. He got into blacksmithing from Hollywood prop master Tony Swatton's videos. He also makes the weapons for ArmoredAF, a Maryland nonprofit that uses full-plate armored combat to help veterans with PTSD through training and camaraderie. That one brought back memories of my own armored combat days, flat on my back under a collapsed shield wall with three or four guys piled on top of me. lol
 

Cybersecurity had a strong showing too. Luis Aguilar (Army veteran and founder of CyberOps Specialists, a penetration testing firm; ag@csspecialists.vet; csspecialists.vet) is back after about a year away and getting back into his cybersecurity business. I want to get him together with Todd Mitchell. and David Mohammed (Army veteran and founder of Mo-Blind Solutions in Tampa; david@mo-blind.com; mo-blind.com) spent 22 years in cybersecurity at AT&T. Now he helps businesses show up in Google and AI search through SEO, AEO (answer engine optimization), and GEO (generative engine optimization), along with chatbots, AI phone agents, and automation. Luis asked to connect with David after the call, and I'll send an email introduction so they have each other's info. David is also at the Military Influencer Conference (MIC) in Tampa this week and posted a free ticket link in the chat.
 

Bill Haase (author of Our Mindset on Money and host of the Money Mindset Media podcast; bill@billhaase.com; moneymindsetmedia.com) shared a new interview he recorded with a Sydney-based YouTube host who has about 250,000 followers. It runs an hour and 17 minutes because the host didn't want to stop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ8SGRtrmBw Bill heads back to Australia and New Zealand in November for more speaking. With his web and IT guy PJ Ewing (founder of Chief Marketing Outsource, a marketing and web design firm for small and mid-sized businesses; pjewingnyc@gmail.com) now on board as a partner, he's on TikTok, posting clips, and seeing a lot more views. Bill asked Alicia Nordman (social media manager and short-form video specialist leading VOB's social media campaign; alicia.nordman@gmail.com; socialmedia@vobnetwork.org; aliciassocials.com) to confirm a few things, and she gave the room a quick masterclass. Post about once a day, or a few times a week depending on the platform. Upload natively from your phone instead of through schedulers, and use stories. Put links in the comments, not in the post, because the algorithms suppress posts with links and hammer anything that reads like sales. My advice to Bill: bring PJ to that meeting with Alicia. We're also putting together a VOB promo with Bill as the voice, since his radio background makes him a natural. Alicia will set it up as a collab post so it lands on both his accounts and VOB's.

 

That led into our biggest VOB update. The content upload link is now live on the VOBNetwork.org homepage. Scroll down past the Zoom link for this meeting, and you'll find it just above the scrolling photos. You can drag photos and video straight from your phone into the portal, no email required. Alicia was clear about what we need: no sales pitches, PowerPoints, or logo-heavy content. Send creator-style clips and B-roll instead: your dog, a sunset, the clouds, whatever you've got, kept to 30 seconds or less. She has a list of easy trending video ideas you can shoot on your phone, and she's looking for someone to take on the paper airplane one right away. She'll also help anyone who wants to script a short talking-head video. Consider yourself voluntold. 😉
 

The AI conversation picked up from there. Mark Miracle (Marine Corps combat veteran, 1987–1993, and owner of Miracle Sales Advisory, helping B2B small businesses build or fix their sales engine; mmiracle@salesxceleration.com) kept his intro short and sweet. Then he told us he spent about two weeks preparing a presentation for the Colorado Economic Development Council, and got two slides in before it turned into a 45-minute Q&A. It was a great meeting, and a good reminder of how much better a real conversation is than a slide deck. Bill noted that NotebookLM helped us build an acceptable presentation in under half an hour on a project last week. Mark said most of his prep time goes into rehearsal, not building slides, and he hasn't found an AI tool for practicing yet. Mike "Buzz" Mallon (Marine Corps veteran and founder of Storyteller Promotions in Houston; info@storytellerpromotions.com; storytellerpromotions.com) added that NotebookLM's audio overview is a great tool and that you can download the script too. Mike also invited everyone to Tropic Thunder, his networking group that meets Thursdays at 9:00 AM Central.

 

Lisa Bowers (founder of Office Allies, providing executive-level admin support up to fractional COO for entrepreneurs; lisa@officealliesllc.com; officealliesllc.com) is back and hiring. She has two remote, part-time openings. One is general admin (schedules, email, back-office processing). The other focuses on social media and light graphic design in Canva. Every role is remote but must be U.S.-based, which includes military spouses stationed on U.S. bases overseas. She especially likes hiring military spouses because they can work from anywhere, and she's willing to train the right person. Email her for the full job description, and know that how you write that first email is part of the interview. Bill is sending his daughter her way, and David may know some candidates. David also shared that he's been asked to be a brand ambassador for VirtForce, which specializes in remote careers for military spouses and veterans. That ties into another update: our job board should be live in about two weeks. Employers will be able to post listings and job seekers can post resumes, all searchable by city, state, and military base, just like our other directories. In the meantime, if you have a job opening or any other ask, sign in, click Dashboard, and post it to Community News yourself.

 

We wrapped with two regulars. Dorothy Smith (retired Air Force, enrolled agent, and owner of DMS Bookkeeping in Memphis, TN; dorothy@dmsbizhelp.com; dmsbizhelp.com) made it through tax season without the stress. Taxes are her favorite part of the work, and as an EA she represents clients who owe back taxes before the IRS. 

Mark Spenelli (Army veteran, founder of Nature's Edge Group, and part of QRF Up; natures.edge.glampground@gmail.com; naturesedgeglampground.com) shared the latest on Nature's Edge, a RV park and tiny home cabin community project he and his wife are building for veterans, first responders, and active-duty military. He also updated us on the all-veteran NASCAR Truck Series crew QRF Up is fundraising for, from the driver to the transporter team. The Homestead race in Miami is off because they didn't hit the fundraising goal in time, so they're now raising funds for the 2027 season across ARCA and the Truck Series. QRF Up, which focuses on suicide and crisis prevention for veterans and first responders, just launched its new website at qrfup.org. Its app connects anyone who needs help with a licensed counselor or doctor at the push of a button. Alicia put in her request right away: she wants video from the track, sprint car races included, for both VOB and QRF Up.

 

Before next week, a quick to-do list:
 

  • Finish your member profile. It's free, and it's how other members find you. If you're stuck on your profile, your business listing, or posting to Community News, reach out and I'll walk you through it.
     
  • Share your content. Upload your photos and videos through the Content Portal on the VOBNetwork.org homepage, right below the Roundtable Zoom link. Short, unpolished clips are exactly what we need.

Every week this group proves the same thing: when veterans and supporters show up for each other, missions move faster. I'll see you next Tuesday.
 

Mahalo, 

Kevin 🍍🇺🇸

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VOB Roundtable Recap — October 20, 2026

This week's Roundtable had a real-time quality to it. People asked for help and got it before the hour was up. Clay hosted and kept us moving, and the room did the rest: wins, introductions, and plenty of hands raised to help each other.
 

Clay Hicks (CEO and founder of H7 Network, a B2B networking platform, and a VOB board member; clayton@h7network.com; h7network.com) opened with celebrations. I kicked it off with a quick VOB update: Monday was full of good meetings, including introductions for Mike Forrest and progress on a job sourcing program we're building with Brian Nichols. Michael "Mike" Forrest (92-year-old Army veteran and founder of ALMA my friend, a free voice-first AI companion app for seniors and veterans; mike@almamyfriend.com; almamyfriend.com) shared that ALMA started live testing in his Central Florida neighborhood this week, with no complaints so far. Mike Verret (founder of Verret & Associates, who helps business owners talk about their business with clarity and impact; vapresentations@gmail.com; verretandassociates.com) offered on the spot to help put ALMA in more hands, and I'm making that introduction. Welcome back, Mike V! He's now working with two startups on retainer and gives his first paid keynote on Thursday, with more than 650 people registered.
 

The wins kept coming. Bill Haase (author, podcaster and money-mindset educator; bill@billhaase.com; moneymindsetmedia.com; garage-talk.com) has the fourth part of his three-part GLP-1 series out Thursday, this one on the investment side. Bill Higgins (president of NORA Mental Health in Central Indiana, offering therapy, including EMDR, by telehealth and in person, and accepting insurance; billhiggins@noramentalhealth.com) attended his first Roundtable and shared that NORA just hired a new therapist, which adds capacity. David Mohammed (Crosshair Digital Marketing, helping business owners show up in both AI and Google search; david@crosshaircommunications.com) taught about 60 people from the military community how to build a professional portfolio on GitHub. He also started a Sandler Academy and launched Portfoliomatic, a tool that tailors your resume and runs a mock interview, free for the next two months. Jake "The Flagman" Droge (Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional with Luminate Bank, running a half marathon in all 50 states while carrying the flag; Jake.Droge@luminate.bank; jakedroge.com) is back with Luminate as of last week and got his second clear-to-close that morning.
 

AI and automation came up from a few directions. Frank DiBartolomeo (USAF Lt. Col., retired, and a public speaking consultant to engineers and technical professionals; frank@speakleadandsucceed.com; speakleadandsucceed.com) has connected ChatGPT to ClickFunnels, so he can build and revise funnels, and even his website, from a prompt. Kathy Swanson (founder of Integrated Marketing Werx, who helps expert consultants scale with AI and automation; Kathy.swanson@mktgwerx.com; mktgwerx.com) launched her YouTube channel, Automating By Design, in May. On it she documents, in real time, how she's building Thrive Here, a social app that tackles isolation through curated dinners, coffees and events. It starts in San Antonio for anyone 30 and up, and she has members as old as 105.
 

On the social media side, Alicia Nordman (social media manager and short-form video editor in St. Augustine, FL, and the force behind VOB's social channels; linktr.ee/Aliciassocialmedia) reported that VOB's YouTube Shorts have passed 3,000 views across four videos and are already showing up in Google's short-form video results. Her ask is simple: follow VOB on every platform you use, and when our posts show up, hit save, which tells the algorithm the content is worth pushing. She also needs raw video clips, which you can send through our content upload portal (linked on the website, right under the Roundtable Zoom link). She has a new video with GB, Frank and me coming out soon. Alicia and Mike Forrest connected on the spot to get him on camera, which works well since they're both in Florida.
 

Introductions brought a few new and familiar faces. Shaun Moore (retired Army MSG on Maui and Edward Jones partner who combines strategic business planning with personal financial planning; Shaun.Moore@edwardjones.com) attended his first Roundtable. He's looking for business owners doing more than $750K in revenue who don't yet have a transition plan, whether that's a sale, passing the business to family, or protecting against death, disability or other risks. Ed Jarecki (founder of Jarecki Business Coaching & Concepts, working with ex-corporate professionals, retired military and side-hustlers through his CLEAR+ framework; ed@jareckibcc.com) now has a course for new business owners on the VOB platform, alongside courses from Clay and Nikki. GB De León (retired Army officer and independent health and life insurance broker who's building a path for veterans into ranching; gdeleon@usabg.net; usabg.com/gdeleon) checked in from his tractor and reminded us that one critical illness can derail a business owner's dreams.
 

The asks turned into real-time help. Mike V is gathering contacts in cold storage, especially on the East Coast, for a client building what he calls "Airbnb for pallets of frozen goods." Deb Plennert (founder of Precision With Honor Bookkeeping; deb@pwhbk.com) offered to post it to her bookkeeper group's Slack, Kathy has a contact on the end-user side, and David has a friend in cold storage in Plant City, FL. Mike Forrest asked for veterans groups to test ALMA. Deb is getting him her American Legion post commander, David passed along a contact at Veterans Counseling Veterans, and I'd add that any of your local VFW or American Legion posts are good candidates. Mid-ask, Mike got a text inviting him to present ALMA at the Georgia Senior Living Association in Atlanta on October 29. Deb asked him to bring some of her one-pagers for the elder group home crowd. Deb also asked Jake two good reverse mortgage questions. Jake explained that most of his current clients still carry mortgages, that cash flow is the number one reason they come to him, and that more than half the people he talks with are veterans. He's also connecting a contact who started an Airbnb for veterans with Alicia, Mark and me.
 

Mark Spenelli (VOB Incubator veteran building Nature's Edge Group, an RV campground and glampground that serves veterans and first responders and helps rural veterans with housing stability; natures.edge.glampground@gmail.com) is looking for partners interested in veteran housing. The plan and the cash flow model are solid. What he needs is partners who can help acquire the land, which is remarkably affordable: 40 acres in Tennessee for $249K. Deb is introducing Mark to Lauren for economic development and to a contact looking to redirect tax dollars. Kathy suggested using AI and LinkedIn to find economic development leads, and David added a tip: get to know your county commissioners, because they can earmark funds for projects. Frank is looking for referrals to engineers, scientists and IT people who give presentations, and Kathy, the self-described "geek goddess," is already thinking through her Rolodex for him.
 

Afterward I noticed in the chat that Kelvin Ching (Kelvin Ching and Associates, a Hawaii-based financial advisor focused on tax-free retirement planning; kchingandassociates@gmail.com) had chimed in on the cold storage thread to say he'd just been at Unicold here in Hawaii. Glad you were listening in, Kelvin!

To close, I shared a quick VOB update. Our Community News page is where this recap, and every previous one, lives, and you can post your own news there too. Our new event calendar is live, and we'll start filling it in next week. Building slows down for a couple of days this week because Shankar, who built our website directory, is visiting Hawaii and I'm showing him around the island.😎🤙
 

Don’t forget to check out the 3 new Course on the Course page, and the several podcasts that play embedded right on our own VOB podcast page. If you and/or want to post your own podcasts or course reach out to me. We definitely want more. 👍 
 

Everyone is encouraged to complete their free VOB member profile. I can see that several people have registered but have not yet finished setting up their profiles. If anyone runs into difficulty completing their profile, adding a business listing, posting Community News, or navigating the site, please reach out — I'm happy to help.
 

Thanks again to everyone who attended, shared, asked, offered, and connected. This is exactly what we want the VOB Roundtable to be: veterans and supporters helping each other find the people, tools, services, and opportunities that move missions forward.
 

Mahalo, 
Kevin 🍍🇺🇸

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VOB Roundtable Recap — Tuesday, October 13, 2026

This week's Roundtable had a little bit of everything: new faces, a big push on our social media, a lot of good talk about putting AI to work, and several offers of help for veterans that I'm excited to follow up on. Thank you to everyone who showed up and shared.
 

We kicked off with our new social media push. Alicia Nordman (social media manager and short-form video specialist, and VOB's social media lead; socialmedia@vobnetwork.org; aliciassocials.com) walked us through it. We launched Instagram, YouTube and TikTok on Sunday alongside Facebook and LinkedIn, and we were already close to 1,000 views. She shared our Linktree so everyone can follow every account in one tap. She also asked for short, steady 4K clips (your garden, a hobby, local scenery, your dog) that haven't already been posted on your own accounts. Folks can upload straight from their phones through the content portal on our website, right under the Roundtable Zoom link. Bill Haase (author of Our Mindset on Money and co-host of the Garage Talk podcast; bill@billhaase.com; garage-talk.com; moneymindsetmedia.com) asked about YouTube thumbnails, and Alicia's advice was simple: make a good one, write a strong caption hook, and never try to outsmart the algorithm with engagement bait. The most powerful free thing any of us can do is hit save (the bookmark icon) on VOB posts and watch them twice.
 

The proof that it's working showed up right on the call. Andrew Martinez-Alegria (Marine Corps veteran and HR consultant focused on talent development and employee retention for small and mid-sized businesses; andrew@soundtalent.co; soundtalent.co) found us through our LinkedIn page. Andrew served in the Marines from 1999 to 2008, and after a layoff late last year he's now building his own consultancy. His mantra stuck with all of us: "Don't self-select yourself out. Make the other side say no." Deb immediately wanted to connect him with Brian Nichols of Veteran Hiring Solutions. Shaun Penrod (Navy veteran and fractional CMO at Boundless Connections Marketing; boundlessconnectionsmarketing.com) welcomed him in the chat, and the two are setting up time to talk.
 

We also welcomed Cricket Wheeler (Program Director at Recovery Shot, a Ventura County nonprofit offering free golf therapy for veterans; cricketwheeler@recoveryshot.org; recoveryshot.org), who came as a guest of Nikki Gianni (retired Air Force officer and former federal contracting officer, now The GovCon Architect; nikki@govconarchitect.com; govconarchitect.com). Recovery Shot's veterans program pairs clinics with a pro at the Seabee Golf Course in Port Hueneme, and graduates get 24 free rounds with a buddy at Spanish Hills. Their 5th Annual Healing Through Golf Tournament is Monday, October 26 at Spanish Hills Club in Camarillo. They're looking for sponsors to send foursomes of veterans, and I've posted the flyer on Community News. 
Nikki also shared that she's uploaded a free recorded class to our course platform, and she passed along a couple of tools she's using: AppSumo for lifetime software deals and FuseBase for client dashboards.
 

From there the conversation turned to AI, and nearly everyone had something to add. Kathy Swanson (founder of Integrated Marketing Werx and host of the Automating By Design video podcast; kathy.swanson@mktgwerx.com; mktgwerx.com) shared that she's been automating marketing for over 30 years. She's now using AI to build Thrive Here, an app that brings people together for small in-person dinners and coffees, and she's documenting the whole build on video, "messy stuff" included. Mike Forrest (founder of ALMA, a voice-first AI companion app for seniors and veterans; mike@almamyfriend.com; almamyfriend.com) called in from the road. He told us he'd built a personal AI assistant this week that handles his scheduling, meeting prep and morning and afternoon briefings, and he offered to show anyone how. Frank DiBartolomeo (retired Air Force Lt. Col., speaking coach and author of Speak Well and Prosper; frank@speakleadandsucceed.com; speakleadandsucceed.com) described a National Speakers Association session with an "AI Dream Team" member who runs an entire business on AI agents, and he invited anyone interested to email him. Bill added that NotebookLM turned his book into a 33-minute AI-hosted podcast that, in his words, knew the book better than he did. The thread running through all of it: the answers you get are only as good as the questions you ask.
 

On the support side, Raymond Nahem (newly licensed social worker and certified grief educator focused on veterans and military families; rnahemtherapist@gmail.com) introduced himself. Raymond has completed military-culture training through the Star Behavioral Health Providers program, and he wants to offer virtual group sessions for veterans. He was clear that he came to connect, not to promote: "It's not about the money." Deb Plennert (founder of Precision With Honor Bookkeeping and Gold Star spouse; deb@pwhbk.com), who invited Raymond, offered him a crisis-line pipeline for his clinical hours. Deb also told Kathy about the Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce, which is free to join and is pushing to get military spouse-owned businesses recognized as their own business class.
 

Deb had three more things to share. The first was Mark Spenelli's (Army veteran building Nature's Edge, a veteran-centered glampground and housing community; natures.edge.glampground@gmail.com; naturesedgeglampground.com) housing stability project, which needs $250,000–$400,000 to secure the land. If you know a funder passionate about veteran housing, point them to Mark, Deb or me. The second was STAAJ for veterans (staaj.com/veterans), a visibility platform where veterans can showcase their businesses. Its merch store supports suicide prevention and crisis-intervention nonprofits. The third: Deb is taking on new bookkeeping clients and wants to add five more by year-end.
 

Bill gave us an update on the GLP-1 series he and PJ are producing on Garage Talk. It's a look at the economic and social effects 5, 15 and 30 years out, with the 30-year episode dropping this week. Bill also helps authors get published and distributed in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, without the ego-driven upsells authors usually get.
 

David Mohammed (Army veteran and founder of Mo-Blind Solutions, an AI automation consultancy; david@mo-blind.com; mo-blind.com) was juggling two calls but still contributed plenty in the chat. He's teaching a free class on building a professional portfolio website on GitHub (Thursday, October 15 at 6:30 PM ET). He's also looking for test users for two apps he's built: a dispatch-and-invoicing tool for trades businesses and a lot-inventory tool for car dealers. Richard Moyers (business profit coach at Business Profit Max; rich@businessprofitmax.com; businessprofitmax.com) shared an idea for discounted coaching for VOB members, which I'm reviewing now. His motto fits this group well: "Focus on revenue feeds ego; profits feed the family." Mark Miracle (Marine Corps veteran and fractional sales leader with Sales Xceleration; mmiracle@salesxceleration.com; salesxceleration.com) was with us from the start; he was one of the two Marks on the call. Michael Mayoral (Army veteran and financial advisor with Florida Financial Advisors; michael.mayoral@floridafa.com; floridafa.com) checked in through the chat ("Happy to be back!") before heading to a meeting.
 

VOB update: Our incubator veterans are now spread across 23 states, and the wider VOB network reaches 39 (counting DC). I'll be sending everyone the Linktree  and posting it to Community News. Please follow us on whichever platforms you use, save the posts you see, and send Alicia your video clips through the content portal.
 

Everyone is encouraged to complete their free VOB member profile. I can see that several people have registered but have not yet finished setting up their profiles. If anyone runs into difficulty completing their profile, adding a business listing, posting Community News, or navigating the site, please reach out — I'm happy to help.
 

Thanks to everyone who showed up, spoke up, and made an introduction this week. Every new face and every connection made here helps another veteran-owned business move forward, and that's what the Roundtable is for.

 

Mahalo, 

Kevin 🍍🇺🇸

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5th Annual Healing Through Golf Tournament

At this week's VOB Roundtable we met Cricket Wheeler of Recovery Shot, a Ventura County nonprofit doing great work for veterans through golf.

 

Their Recovery Shots for Vets program is completely free. Veterans dealing with PTSD, injury or other service-related challenges get clinics and on-course play with a PGA HOPE pro at the Seabee Golf Course in Port Hueneme. Graduates then earn 24 rounds with a buddy at Spanish Hills Club. No golf experience needed.

 

Their 5th Annual Healing Through Golf Tournament is Monday, October 26 at Spanish Hills Club in Camarillo, and proceeds fund these programs. If you're in Southern California and like a good cause with your golf, this one is worth your time. Sponsoring a foursome is also a great way to send four veterans out to play.

 

Scan the QR code on the flyer to register or sponsor, or visit recoveryshot.org.

🍍🇺🇸

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VOB Is Now on Social Media — Here's How You Can Help

VOB Network now has social media accounts, and Alicia Nordman has them up and running. Here's the short version of how our community can help put VOB in front of more veteran business owners without spending a dollar on ads.

 

Why we're doing this:

 

VOB exists to help veterans grow their businesses. Done right, social media produces a huge amount of free brand awareness and recognition, but only if we follow the rules the platforms set. They reward real people building real community, and they bury anything that looks salesy or spammy.

 

As these accounts grow, VOB can promote incubator members' businesses for free, along with businesses from our board and supporters. Every follow, save, and comment from you widens the reach for every veteran business we spotlight. This is a community effort, and it works best when all of us show up.

 

1. Follow us. Every account is in one place: linktr.ee/VOBNetwork. Follow us on the platforms you already use. You don't need a Linktree account, so skip it if it asks you to sign up. You also don't need your own YouTube channel to subscribe.

 

2. Engage, and hit Save. When a VOB post shows up in your feed, like it, comment, and share it. Most of all, tap the save or bookmark icon. Saves tell the platforms our content is worth showing to more people.

 

3. Donate some raw video. We need b-roll, meaning short clips of everyday life: the beach, your garden, cooking, coffee, fishing, your dog or cat. Anything military is a bonus. The rules:

  • Film in 4K at 30 fps in good light.
  • Send it raw and unedited.
  • Only send clips that have never been posted anywhere.
  • No guns, alcohol, or tobacco.
  • No sales pitches or business names.

You can upload straight from your phone here.

 

4. Try a trend. Alicia put together a list of easy video ideas. Most need little or no talking and take about five minutes. If you want to do a short talking-head video, send your script to socialmedia@vobnetwork.org before you record.

 

5. Let us amplify you. Send your social handles to socialmedia@vobnetwork.org so Alicia can tag and collaborate with you. If you put up a conversational, community-building post of your own, send her the link and she'll engage with it and repost it.

 

Mahalo, 

 

Kevin 🍍🇺🇸

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VOB Roundtable Recap — October 6, 2026

This week's Roundtable covered a lot: a lively debate about AI assistants and data privacy, three first-time attendees, and plenty of people offering introductions before anyone asked. It was another reminder that the best part of this group is how quickly people show up for each other.
 

We started with AI. Mike Forrest (founder of ALMA, a voice-first AI companion for seniors and veterans; mike@almamyfriend.com; almamyfriend.com) told us he'd just set up an AI assistant that briefs him on his email twice a day. Alicia Nordman (social media manager and short-form video specialist with Alicia's Social Media; alicia.nordman@gmail.com; aliciassocials.com) is a fan of the same tool. PJ Ewing (founder of Chief Marketing Outsource and co-host of a weekly finance podcast with Bill; pjewingnyc@gmail.com; chiefmarketingoutsource.com) urged everyone to think twice before handing over their inbox. Bill Haase (author of Our Mindset on Money and founder of Money Mindset Media; info@moneymindsetmedia.com; moneymindsetmedia.com) summed it up: these tools are built to acquire information. That led to stories about prices changing on TVs and airline tickets once a store or airline knows you're looking. Consider yourselves warned before you book holiday travel.
 

Then Deb Plennert (founder of Precision With Honor Bookkeeping and part of the QRF Up team; deb@pwhbk.com; qrfup.org) properly introduced Mike. He's 92 and a serial founder who has never worked for anyone else. In 1984 he started a company that found absent parents for agencies around the country. It grew into one of the first background-check companies, and he sold it in 2001. His new venture, ALMA, does three things:

  • It eases loneliness with a memory that builds over time, so it can bring up something you said weeks ago at the right moment.
  • It handles reminders.
  • It watches for scams using 215 fraud patterns drawn from Senate, House, AARP, and federal agency reports. It won't call something a fraud. Instead, it makes you pause and reach out to someone you trust, because urgency is a scammer's biggest weapon.

University of Central Florida students are testing ALMA now. It will be free to every senior and veteran, and Mike is aiming for 750 active users by the end of the year. He's also volunteering as a business mentor at a VA hackathon in Tampa next month.

The room responded fast:

  • Nikki Gianni (the GovCon Architect, Air Force veteran and former federal contracting officer; nikki.gianni@gmail.com; nikkigianni.com) wants to connect Mike with her son, a nursing student who cares for a 98-year-old man.
  • Alex Snyder (financial planner working alongside an estate planning law firm; amsnyder@ft.newyorklife.com) posted contacts in the chat and offered his network of older clients and their adult children.
  • PJ shared that he recently watched his 85-year-old father lose $4,500 to a phone scam. He offered to introduce Mike to Peter Gordon in New York, whose firm manages finances for older adults.
  • Alicia added that UCF's tech program is top tier.

I'll make introductions to Mike for anyone who wants one. That's exactly why we're here.

Our second new Mike, Michael Mayoral (Army veteran and financial advisor with Florida Financial Advisors; michael.mayoral@floridafa.com; floridafa.com), came to us through GB De León. His practice is comprehensive: wealth management, retirement income, legacy and estate planning, Medicare, and benefits like 401(k)s and health insurance for business owners. Business owners are where he's most drawn. He helps them answer questions like these:

  • What happens to the business if something happens to you?
  • How do you pass it on without a huge tax bill?
  • How should you structure a sale?

He also has a publishing deal for a book on financial education. Bill introduced himself for Mike's benefit. He has 40 years in finance, 20 in the Chicago trading pits and 20 on Main Street, and then "ran away from the compliance department" to write his book. He's now bringing that work to prison and parolee programs, military groups, community colleges, and the Financial Therapy Association. Bill and Alex both offered Mike their time.
 

Nikki also talked about her own work. She helps established businesses in professional services, construction, and the trades win government contracts. She's involved with Sierra Delta, which gives veterans grants of up to $3,500 to train their dogs, and a new cohort starts tonight. She and a colleague are collecting stories for a book about veterans and their dogs, so reach out to her if you have one. The dog theme sparked a fun tangent from PJ: his sister's documentary Folktales, about teens learning dog sledding at a folk school in Arctic Norway, is now on Netflix. Years ago she also filmed a CNN Heroes segment on volunteers who train dogs free of charge, and PJ is going to dig up the link.
 

Benefits and planning came up from two more directions. Val Ayers (Army veteran and founder of Pathfinder Readiness LLC; help@pathfinderreadinessllc.com; pathfinderreadinessllc.com) came as Nikki's guest. Val spent 15 years combing through DD-214s, first for his Reserve unit and then at the Durham VA. He's now built a business that helps veterans gather their records into one organized digital package, complete their paperwork, and get buddy statements written. He works alongside VSOs so veterans get the hands-on support the free system often can't give in time. Alex offered him an introduction to a contact in Texas and a list of veteran service officers across Massachusetts. Nikki's business-coaching note for Val: raise your prices.
 

Lisa Galloway (Guardian Financial Partners and Director of Operations for RebootVA Networks; lisa@rebootva.net; gfinancialpartners.com; rebootva.net) shared her Guardian Wealth SOP. It's built for veterans who have income, benefits, and savings but no strategy connecting them: it finds the gaps, the priorities, and the next steps. Lisa invited me to this morning's Reboot VA Networks meeting. It was great meeting new people and catching up with founder Shane Hicks (not to be confused with our own board member Clay Hicks, founder of H7). Reboot VA Networks connects businesses, veteran-owned or not, that want to serve veterans.
 

Deb also gave a QRF Up update. The app is free to download from the website. It has a crisis line backed by 988 and wraparound care, including housing help, and users control their own data. QRF Up partners with Excello Housing to get unhoused veterans into homes, especially in Florida, and Deb wants to connect with Val. On the bookkeeping side, she's taking on a few more clients before year end so their 1099s go out on time and their books are ready for tax season. She also shared a fun fact from Bill and PJ's podcast: GLP-1 drugs pushed Weight Watchers into a full restructuring, and lighter passengers are cutting airline fuel costs. Bill's reply: it isn't bringing airfare down.
 

Deb is still looking for an angel investor with $250,000 to $400,000 for a Kentucky campground that would house veterans and offer recreation. That ties right into what Mark Spenelli (Army veteran developing Nature's Edge, a veteran-centered RV park and tiny-home community; natures.edge.glampground@gmail.com; naturesedgeglampground.com) is building. It's a strong model because the RV side funds the housing community. 
Deb also thanked Alicia for the LinkedIn posts she made featuring Deb's cat. Alicia put out a call for B-roll of everyone's pets, since animal content is gold on social media.
 

Lisa Bowers (founder of Office Allies; lisa@officealliesllc.com; officealliesllc.com) closed the loop on a hiring ask from a couple of weeks ago. She got nearly 50 applicants, and about 30 came from this network. She has hired one person and is about to make a second offer. Lisa also works with Steadfast Home for Vets in Indianapolis on getting unsheltered veterans housed, which is how she and Mark first connected. She even interviewed Mark's wife, Nicky, for her open role. Alicia and Nikki have already traded emails about a VOB social media campaign, and they'll pick that back up once the family's college move settles down.
 

On the VOB side, a few updates:

  • Job board: It's live while we finish some final tweaks. From your dashboard, go to Resources → Jobs in the left-hand panel to post a listing. I asked Lisa to test-drive it and send feedback, since our tech lead Shanker makes improvements constantly. Resume posting for veterans comes next, before we do a full launch announcement.
  • Courses: Ed Jarecki (Jarecki Business Coaching & Concepts; ed@jareckibcc.com; jareckibcc.com) has already uploaded his course, The Startup Architect, to the platform. We worked through the last details last night. It covers the foundations for new small businesses: strategy, vision, plan, customer focus, value proposition, marketing, sales, and AI, at a price that's easy on the pocketbook.
  • Content uploads: Use the content link on our website to send photos and video straight from your phone without compression.

Mike Forrest slipped back in at the end to say he's fascinated by this group and plans to attend next week.

Everyone is encouraged to complete their free VOB member profile. I can see that several people have registered but have not yet finished setting up their profiles. If anyone runs into difficulty completing their profile, adding a business listing, posting Community News, or navigating the site, please reach out — I'm happy to help.

Thanks again to everyone who attended, shared, asked, offered, and connected. This is exactly what we want the VOB Roundtable to be: veterans and supporters helping each other find the people, tools, services, and opportunities that move missions forward.
 

Mahalo, 

Kevin 🍍🇺🇸

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