From Billion Dollar Success to Redemption: The Journey of Jeff Martinovich, USAFA ‘88
Apr 7, 2025
“On my way to work every day, I talk to God. Just help me be this incredible person — spread love and empathy and compassion, but also help me to lead a life of significance, that I make this huge impact on other people.” – Jeff Martinovich USAFA ‘88
Jeff Martinovich is a seasoned business advisor, entrepreneur, and U.S. Air Force veteran with a background in finance, leadership, and strategic growth. A former Gulf War officer, he went on to build a billion-dollar investment firm, gaining firsthand experience in high-performance leadership and navigating complexity under pressure. After a highly public legal battle that reshaped his views on resilience and integrity, Jeff now channels his experience into helping leaders grow with purpose and clarity.
As a partner at ASH Business Advisory, he works alongside fellow Air Force Academy grads to support early-stage and mid-market companies through capital, executive support, and operational strategy. He’s the author of When Not If, a Forbes Books bestseller on leading through adversity, and speaks nationally on business growth, accountability, and principled leadership. Today, Jeff is focused on helping entrepreneurs lead with confidence, scale intentionally, and build businesses that make a lasting impact.
In this episode of the SABM podcast, Scott chats with Jeff about:
From Billion-Dollar Firm to Prison: Jeff’s journey from leading a billion-dollar investment firm to facing incarceration.
Turning Time Into Opportunity: How Jeff studied law behind bars and earned early release from a 14-year sentence.
Purpose-Driven Business: Helping small companies grow through Ash Business Advisory.
Hard-Earned Wisdom: Authoring two books to share lessons from failure, redemption, and rebuilding.
Championing Founders: Jeff now mentors entrepreneurs, offering strategic guidance to help them grow with clarity and integrity.
Timestamps:
01:00 Jeff’s Background Before 2012
02:07 The Crazy Story Begins
05:38 Surviving Prison and Helping Others
08:50 Life After Prison
12:39 Lessons Learned and Business Ventures
15:55 The Power of Sharing Stories
23:02 Ash Business Advisory and Success Stories
29:18 Jeff’s Books and Writing Journey
36:26 Final Thoughts and Call to Action
Connect with Jeff:
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A special thank you to Jeff for joining me this week. Until next time!
-Scott Mackes, USNA ’01