May 1, 2022
“Being the leader of a business is sometimes a lonely spot to be in whether you’re leading 10 people or 1000 people. The ability to have someone else to lean on and ideate with, to have conversations with and to think about the next steps with is really important. The more you understand about yourself, the better and more effective you will be as a business owner.”
- Jeff Evenson (USMA ‘90)
Jeff Evenson (USMA ‘90) has owned multiple businesses since 2008 and has successfully launched, or purchased and scaled, several multi-million-dollar companies. Along the way, he’s experienced virtually every good and bad element of business, including startup, rapid expansion, purchase, sale, and franchise, which taught him countless valuable business lessons. Today, Jeff invests in, or buys companies, with an aim to scale them up and retain them. His goal is to create $1 billion in generational wealth for military veterans and their families over the next 25 years through his new venture, the Thayer Gate Project.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The story behind Jeff’s new venture, the Thayer Gate Project
- Why Service Academy grads make great business leaders
- Why acquisition is a great path to entrepreneurship
- What the general capital requirements are for acquiring a business
- How to find the right acquisition opportunity for your situation
Jeff also shares who his ideal partners and clients are and why personal services and manufacturing companies provide great acquisition opportunities. We also discuss why business acquisitions aren’t as risky as people think, why approaching acquisitions the right way is the key to success, and why starting a business from scratch isn’t always the only route to entrepreneurship. We enjoyed hearing Jeff’s thoughts on how teamwork and collaboration are essential when scaling a business and can’t wait to see what he accomplishes through the Thayer Gate Project.
Connect with Jeff:
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Special thanks to Jeff for joining me this week. Until next time!
-Scott Mackes, USNA ’01