: Listen in as Hugh describes his military career, including BUDS (Basic Underwater Demolition School) to become a Navy SEAL  03:52: Why Hugh transitioned out of active duty by 2005  05:19: Giving back to his country is what pulled Hugh toward different opportunities  06:37: Post-active duty transitions included director of international training, program manager for three different programs in Afghanistan, running a team of intelligence analysts, and co-founder of Kopis Mobile  08:55: Opportunities that found Hugh and opportunities that Hugh found  10:13: Degree of ambiguity to work through, but familiarity of personal and professional network helped solidify opportunities multiple times after leaving active duty  11:25: Kopis Mobile is a software engineering firm with a broad selection of services  12:00: How Hugh’s experience as a SEAL helped him transition into Kopis Mobile  15:10: The specialness of Patriot Point and how Hugh came to be involved   19:42: Hugh’s advice on working on full-time jobs and spreading yourself too thin  20:54: It’s okay to say no sometimes so that you can provide the best you to whatever you’re committing yourself to  21:34: Hugh’s advice on transitioning from the post-military life  22:54: Don’t be afraid to fail because it can be a learning and growth opportunity  23:52: Gene’s business tip: Figure out who your U.S. representative is because they represent about 750,000 voters. Connect with them because they are responsible to look out for your interests. As it relates to your business, they can make introductions, but they need to know about you and your company. Reach out to them and get to know them.      CALL TO ACTION    If you’re interested in learning from others with respect to federal acquisition, budgeting, funding, or if you’re working for a defense company in particular, you can benefit from The Big Top. It’s a place where like-minded professionals come together and share non-competitive information that is of mutual value. You can ask questions, get direct access to Gene, and learn from others so that you don’t have to learn through the School of Hard Knocks. Go to genemoran.com/thebigtop.biz.    Get all the resources from this episode on genemoran.com/e9.    Connect with Gene on linkedin.com/in/genemoran/  or visit genemoran.com.     Connect with Hugh Middleton on linkedin.com/in/hughmiddleton/.