{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Owl Have You Know","title":"A Veteran’s Mission to Simplify Home Buying feat. Todd Jones ’23","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2151,"description":"After many years in the mortgage industry, Todd Jones ’23 took a leap into entrepreneurship with a mission shaped by his own experience as a veteran and homeowner. Now the founder and CEO of Salute Mortgage, he’s working to help veterans make the most of their VA loan benefits and make the homebuying process easier for everyone.\n\nIn this episode of Owl Have You Know, Todd joins his cousin and co-host Brian Jackson ’21 to reflect on the leadership lessons he learned at West Point, what inspired him to build his own company, and how his Rice Business Executive MBA helped him see new possibilities. He also shares how AI and other emerging technologies could change the homebuying experience, the story behind a landmark $8.75 million VA loan with no down payment, and the personal values that continue to guide him as an entrepreneur.\n\nEpisode Guide:\n00:00 Meet Todd Jones\n01:02 Choosing West Point\n03:41 Leadership Lessons\n06:33 Serving Veterans\n10:17 Family Risk Mindset\n13:29 Founding Salute Mortgage\n15:50 Why an Executive MBA\n17:22 AI\n20:25 Homebird and NestGuide\n25:13 Record VA Loan Win\n28:45 Future of Salute Ecosystem\n30:27 Chasing Big Challenges\n32:16 Veterans Event and Wrap\n\nThe Owl Have You Know Podcast is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.\n\n\nEpisode Quotes:\n\nTodd’s leadership lessons from the military \n04:27: You have to learn how to follow to be a good leader. And a lot of leaders, people who envision themselves as leaders, don't necessarily understand that point. But if you don't know what you're looking for, if you don't know what it looks like to follow correctly, then how can you know as a leader if people are executing on your plans correctly? There needs to be a humbleness in that regard. Learn how to follow first, and then learn how to lead. And then ultimately, once you get out of the academy, and you're a young officer, you're responsible for people who are way older and way more experienced than you. The rank gives you...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/TJ_bP9v1zp60qvMRjx8jTuTiOVRFDdgjR-9C4xy2Tmg/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzE1ODMyLzE2MDM5/OTczNzQtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}