Growing up, Vance Hilderman dreamed of being in the Naval Academy. He passed all his tests with flying colors, but had less than perfect vision. Because of this, he was told he could only be a navigator. Vance denied the offer and followed his dream of going into aviation elsewhere. Today Vance serves as the CEO and CTO of AFuzion, the world’s largest aviation and safety-critical services companies.
Pursuing degrees in both Computer Engineering and Business, Vance had already had 4 failed businesses before he got it right. His 5th attempt grew into the world’s largest outsourced aviation avionics software development and certification company. He says the failed attempts taught him one valuable lesson: start with more money. He’s since started a few more successful businesses.
What You’ll Learn:
Favorite Quote:
“Boeing sells more aircraft in a month than Hollywood does movies in a year.” -Vance Hilderman
Luke Layman has an incredible resume that includes piloting A-10’s, and then a commercial airline, before becoming an entrepreneur and investor. For as long as Luke can remember, he knew two things: He wanted to fly jets, and he had an entrepreneurial spirit. Taking his first solo flight at 16, Luke utilized ROTC to begin his pilot career. From the T-6 to T-38, and finally the A-10, Luke spent 10 years as an active duty Air Force pilot before transitioning to the Reserves and joining Delta Air Lines. Just 3 or 4 years in, Luke found he was losing too much time with his family. He knew it was time to stoke his entrepreneurial side. He looked into everything from buying into a franchise to starting a coaching business. Through it all, he learned some keys to success that he’s now sharing with others. What You’ll learn: How Luke developed the confidence needed to step into his coaching role. Where the scarcity mindset comes from and how to not get stuck in it. How to not overthink business. What a ‘Pinch Hitter Course’ is. Favorite Quote: “It’s a fine line between arrogance and self-confidence.” — Luke Layman
Joining Jeff is the host of the Real Business Owners podcast and owner of Easier Accounting, Trevor Cowley. Growing up poor, Trevor learned early on that if he wanted something, he had to figure out how to go and get it. He would fish lost golf balls out of the bushes, polish them up, and sell them back to the golfers to make a little money. He didn’t realize it at the time, but he was on his way to being an entrepreneur. Trevor says he was so eager to have the title of entrepreneur that he threw money at dumb opportunities. His first real venture into entrepreneurship was investing in a trucking company that failed.
He’s had more failures than successes, but he says it’s all a numbers game. With a few of his businesses doing well now, Trevor believes all the failures were worth it, as they taught him invaluable lessons. He’s learned to pivot when needed and has built his confidence. Ready to learn something new and broaden his horizons, Trevor decided to give flight school a try. His next big goal is to one day own his own aircraft.
What You’ll Learn:
Favorite Quote:
“So many people let their emotions make their decisions for them.” - Trevor Cowley
Jeff is speaking with Brandon Melendez, a fellow pilot he met while training at American Flyers. Growing up in Queens, NY, Brandon says that aviation was never in his family. His love for flying came from video games and from a young age Brandon knew what he wanted to do. Brandon’s grandfather was the one to tell him about an aviation high school that offered regular academics alongside aviation courses to give you a head start. It was a perfect fit for Brandon that landed him a job at Delta the same day he picked up his diploma. With his first aviation job as an aircraft support mechanic, Brandon knew he would someday work himself up to pilot.
Brandon was so impatient to get his pilot's license before he really had the money to do so, that he did it in bits and pieces. Looking back, he says it actually ended up taking him longer and costing him more. Either way, now with his private pilots license, Brandon was on top of the world. He remembers it being a time of creating memories as he did Hudson River tours for friends and frequented aviation restaurants. Brandon went on to earn his commercial pilot’s license and become a certified flight instructor. Having recently crossed the 1000-hour mark, Brandon has applied to regional airlines and accepted a job offer.
What You’ll Learn:
Favorite Quote:
“Sometimes it's hard when you're on this journey, you forget to self reflect on your accomplishments.” – Brandon Melendez
Aaron Dabney is on today to share his journey in the aviation business. Aaron always saw aviation as blue collar, as many men in his family had been military pilots or crop dusters. Aaron first decided he wanted to be in aviation in high school and enrolled in Texas A&M before transferring to Baylor University for college. It was when he met his now wife that Aaron second guessed becoming a pilot and being gone a lot of the time. He instead became an admission's counselor at Baylor and recruited a young man who had a plane he wanted to make some money off of. This is what got the wheels turning for Aaron on the possibility of being a flight instructor. Aaron got certified to do just that and had his first paying customer by August 2009.
In the Fall of 2013, Aaron went out on his own as a flight instructor. He says the number one thing he learned was that as a small flight school, he needed to set himself apart. He came up with the brand of ‘teachers first, pilots second’. He prided himself on having the experience to back up his teachings. Another lesson was that there’s always going to be a rainy day as a business owner. Small business is very much a two steps forward, one step back kind of dance. Accepting that early on can save you a lot of heartache.
What You’ll Learn:
Favorite Quote:
“Aviation is a very monkey see, monkey do business.” - Aaron Dabney
Welcome to the Leaders of Aviation podcast with your host Jeff Lively. Jeff is a certified pilot and the owner of Lively Aviation. Through his journey, he’s heard countless stories that he feels need to be shared with the aviation industry. This inspired him to start the Leaders of Aviation podcast. He hopes to give a voice to some small aviation businesses.
Being born into an aviation family, Jeff has it in his blood. He’s passionate about the industry and sharing what he knows. Through this podcast, he’ll interview other aviation small business owners and aviation personnel to not only be inspired by the triumphs, but to learn from the setbacks. Tune in to hear his story and a little about what's to come.
What You’ll Learn:
Favorite Quote:
“We want to inspire the current and next generation of aviation enthusiasts.” - Jeff Lively
