Spying on two continents at once

I recently spoke with a Kiwi (aka: New Zealand national) intel peer to compare business notes since leaving the spy world. Greetings Everyday Spy, I recently spoke with a Kiwi (aka: New Zealand national) intel peer to compare business notes since leaving the spy world. After 18 years in military intelligence (MILINT), he went on to open a corporate leadership training start-up based in Christchurch. He wanted to give small and medium-sized businesses in New Zealand an immersive leadership training experience that simulated military and intel work in the field. He was well connected with former special ops and intel types all over Oceania, and he had a passion for building leaders. Being field intel brothers, FVEY (aka: ‘five eyes’) partners, and fellow spies-turned-entrepreneur, our conversation was fun and fruitful. We talked about business metrics, the joy of helping great customers, the pain of managing @$$hole customers, and the awesome brotherhood that comes from understanding intel. His young start-up had already doubled his government salary. My business was getting close. But we both loved the freedom and independence even more than the money. One of the topics we kept coming back to was the shocking lack of high-quality, credible, impact-driven intel content available to the public. Spy entertainment is easy to find - books, movies, even shoddy TV shows! Ex-spooks from MI6 and CIA pop-up regularly as cable TV news pundits, Washington insiders, and National Security experts. But he and I knew that most intel ‘experts’ over the age of 60 had been out of the ops-game for nearly two decades. They had to trade in gadgets and guns for lunch breaks and career progression so they could cover college tuition for their 2.5 kids. And then when it didn't, they had to turn to memoirs and keynote speeches to fill the gap. Even though we knew our intel content gave both of us a massive business edge, the public servant in both of us was still disappointed. Because we knew we couldn’t do it all. We couldn’t reach everyone that wanted or needed the skills we were trying to teach. Even if we could, the reality of business is that those that pay get prioritized before those that do not. In his world of MILINT simulations and my world of HUMINT simulations, only a small group of customers will ever experience the life-changing power of ‘Information Superiority.’ Just like only a small group of citizens ever get trusted to steal secrets to secure their nation. We agreed that the best we could do was to keep pushing ourselves and our businesses further every day. To give our customers knowledge and experiences they will never forget. To deliver incredible value that outperforms and outpaces the knock-offs, phoneys, and frauds out there trying to make a buck without delivering real results. And to do it all like a spy... with a cool head, a steady voice, and a killer’s intent. Godspeed, #EverydaySpy P.S. - CIA gives you the absolute best mental and physical edge in the world. [Unleash your potential with proven skills that give you control over the world around you!]( Follow @EverydaySpy on Social Media! [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Andrew Bustamante, Founder of EverydaySpy.com, is a former covert CIA Intelligence officer, decorated US Air Force Combat Veteran, and respected Fortune 500 senior advisor. Learn more from Andrew on his Podcast (The Everyday Espionage Podcast) and by following @EverydaySpy on your favorite social media platform. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Don't want to receive these emails anymore? [Unsubscribe]( Everyday Spy, 101 Marketside Ave. Suite 404 PMB 318 Ponte Vedra, FL 32081