093 Betting on Yourself: How Kathy Hildreth Built a $950 Million Company

Got Your Six with Tony Nash

Jan 16 2023 • 22 mins

6ers, to bet on yourself is the ultimate act of self-creation and personal accountability. It means you are staking your claim in the world. It is putting yourself on the line and telling the world you are willing to pay the steep price of success, to blaze new trails and chart a new territory. Mind you, this is a daunting task, but the rewards are great because as you do, you’re not only creating a better life for yourself but also for the people around you.

This week, Tony Nash is joined by Kathy Hildreth, a US army veteran, who co-founded a Texas aviation maintenance company M1 Support Services in 2003. M1 Support, whose main client is the U.S. government, had an estimated $950 million in revenues in 2021 and specializes in maintaining military aircraft. She blazed a trail as one of the first women to graduate from West Point in 1983 and has since soared to new heights with a Master of Education from Georgia Southern University. Recognized as one of America's most successful and self-made businesswomen by Forbes since 2019, she continues to shatter glass ceilings and pave the way for future generations.

You'll discover that becoming a successful trailblazer in your field requires building your experience bolt by bolt and developing your skills and abilities. You need patience, discipline, and the willingness to face failure and rejection. But through those years, you will gain a deeper understanding of yourself, your values, and your priorities.

As a result, you’ll understand that you need to bet on yourself because it is the only way you can truly take control of your life and create the future you want. It means having confidence in your abilities and taking risks, and sometimes going against the norm. It is recognizing your own unique set of skills and experience and using them to advance and pursue your dreams.

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  • 00:38 - How Kathy combined her technical skills from the army with business acumen
  • 04:42 - You have to bet on yourself
  • 07:10 - Building a mission-first company with veteran workforce
  • 08:43 - A good peer pressure system that encourages everyone to level up
  • 10:29 - Set your priorities and focus on the most important
  • 11:33 - Do your best every day, no matter what the task is
  • 12:15 - Some failures are a gift in disguise
  • 15:27 - How she deals with personality-dependent customer approach
  • 16:52 - What she thinks of the veteran workforce
  • 18:30 - Never fall for false assumptions. Sometimes people need to be steered in the right direction

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Here is how to connect with Kathy Hildreth:

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