"IRON" Mike Steadman and his journey as a Black Veteran Entrepreneur

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” - Martin Luther King Jr. (quote at the beginning of Chapter 2 of Black Veteran Entrepreneur)

1/ One of the best things about the military is it can provide a sense of community & camaraderie. Many of my closest friends are those that served in the military whether they were US Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Air Force, etc…and some of them have the following skin tones: white, black, yellow, brown, etc…and some of them have 2 arms, 1 arms, and some have 2 legs, 1 leg, and no legs.

"IRON" Mike Steadman is a fellow veteran that I admire and have gotten to know better over the past two years. Mike recently published “Black Veteran Entrepreneur” with Alana M. Abernethy🌿. It is an excellent book as he shares his story and startup advice that is applicable not just for Black veteran entrepreneurs but any entrepreneur:

- Mike's journey from being raised by a single mother who worked multiple jobs to raising him and his sister to making it into the United States Naval Academy (imho he should have gone to United States Military Academy at West Point but no hard feelings! Lol). Mike’s single minded pursuit of getting into and graduating from the Naval Academy: “I was determined to attend the Academy. My mom and I sat down and came up with a plan for the next two years. I took the SAT six times, lost fifty pounds, and worked with tutors at Texas A&M.”

- Mike has NEVER shied away from the hard path: championship boxer, Marine infantry, Afghanistan, and startups: “[At the Naval Academy I earned] three national championships, two Most Valuable Boxer awards, and became captain of the Navy boxing team and graduated with the coveted Zembiec Award in acknowledgment of fallen Marine Corps Wrestler Doug Zembiec, an award given to graduating midshipman in recognition of indomitable warrior experience exhibited through sport.”

- Mike and I both agree on this: “Network and community is everything. You can’t succeed without it.” I’m glad the military veteran network & community have connected us.

2/ I’m humbled that Mike agreed to be the moderator at the Military Veteran Startup Conference where he’ll be talking with other fantastic Black Veteran Entrepreneurs: Charlynda Scales 💪🏾❤️🇺🇸, Kenneth (Ken) Sutton, & Keenan Beasley. Mike is an amazing ambassador for all veterans. I've attached a photo of him from last year's event (MVS22). RSVP here for MVS23: https://lnkd.in/gVNjDrZw

3/ Please consider supporting Ironbound Boxing, Mike’s nonprofit. The Ironbound is a neighborhood in Newark, NJ, one of the toughest cities in the country. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gGMM4d9A

4/ Learn more about Mike's book: https://lnkd.in/gPdN62_b

#veterans #military #startup #entrepreneur #mvs23