Ep.62 Military Discipline Meets Entrepreneurship: Kiel Harton’s Approach to Leadership and Growth

1/ Ever heard of a "customer service business disguised as home inspections and pest control"? That’s how Kiel Harton describes his company—and that's just the start of his unconventional journey. 2/ Kiel Harton didn't even consult his family before joining the military. Literally walked into a recruiter’s strip mall, asked for a medical job, got redirected from the Marines to the Navy to the Air Force office—and finally landed in the Army.3/ His assignment: Fairbanks, Alaska. Picture negative 70 degrees. Your car won’t even start unless plugged in—to a pole. Extension cords snap. “Life is what you make of it,” Kiel Harton says; mindset is everything. 4/ Returning from service, Kiel Harton saw his friends making bank in real estate, so he pivoted from chemical engineering at LSU to selling homes. His secret? If someone else could, so could he. That first year: nearly $100k earned. 5/ But the entrepreneurial path wasn't about the money. "[If you're just in it for cash, it's not worth it. Get a job and crush it there.]" Kiel Harton's true driver: creating good careers for others and building community from the inside. 6/ Flash-forward: Kiel Harton franchised his company (HDMK), grew to 10 locations, and once did 820 inspections in a year. Yes, that’s about 3-4 every single day. Sleep? Optional. 7/ How did military leadership shape him? “[Early on I was] very direct, very hardcore, not a lot of empathy.” Years—and many books—later, his philosophy is, “Meet people where they’re at. Ask. Listen. Understand.”8/ Hardest lesson? Friendships don’t always translate to business partnerships. Closing a company felt like failure—and losing identity. His advice: When it’s time to pivot or even shut down, it’s not quitting. Sometimes, that’s the bravest move. 9/ What’s next? Disrupting Jamaica(!) where nobody does inspections. After a two-year battle with red tape, Kiel Harton's opening the first franchise there—and building tailored inspection software for the industry. 10/ Wisdom from Kiel Harton: “Everybody abuses the time they have. If you have an idea—just DO it. Don’t put it off.” Grit, growth, serving others—and not being afraid to break new ground (or freeze a little in Alaska). Follow for more real-life journeys from the front lines of entrepreneurship!