In the latest episode of the Veteran Led podcast, John Berry welcomes France Hoang, a military veteran turned tech entrepreneur, who shares how collaboration and AI have shaped his remarkable career.
France’s journey from Special Forces officer to CEO of boodleAI is a masterclass in perseverance and innovation. He unpacks essential lessons on managing failures, leveraging technology, and fostering leadership.
In this blog, we’ll explore France’s insights on building effective teams, adopting a resilient mindset, and thriving in entrepreneurship by combining technology with ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
Get ready for a powerful journey into the world of AI and collaboration.
France Hoang’s early life and military service shaped his dedication to leadership and community.
Escaping the fall of Saigon in 1975, he was raised with a strong appreciation for the opportunities in the U.S.
This sense of purpose guided him to West Point and eventually to a distinguished career in the Special Forces, where he honed his leadership philosophy.
France’s family was airlifted out of Saigon just before it fell to communist forces in 1975.
They resettled in Tumwater, Washington, where he grew up appreciating the opportunities provided by the U.S. military.
The desire to give back to the country that saved him became a lifelong mission.
France pursued his dream of service by graduating from West Point and joining the Army as a Military Police officer.
He later transitioned to the Special Forces, where he led missions in Afghanistan. His leadership in peacekeeping and combat cultivated skills in strategic thinking, team management, and perseverance.
Transitioning from the military to entrepreneurship was a bold move for France Hoang.
Driven by his passion for service and excellence, he tackled new challenges with courage.
Overcoming the fear of failure and embracing risk, he co-founded successful law and technology companies, using the same discipline and strategic thinking he had mastered in the military.
France’s decision to leave the security of his military career wasn’t easy. Initially, he declined an invitation to join a tech startup due to fear of failure.
Realizing he was letting fear hold him back, he accepted the challenge. He embraced failure as a part of growth, learning to navigate new territory confidently.
France’s early days as an entrepreneur were fraught with challenges like finding funding, building a client base, and learning new skills.
Without an MBA or entrepreneurial background, he learned through trial and error. His adaptability, discipline, and willingness to seek mentorship guided him in overcoming these hurdles, leading to success in his new ventures.
France Hoang’s diverse career spans law, technology, and special operations.
From co-founding a successful law firm to leading strategic missions in the Special Forces, he embodies versatility.
By combining his expertise in law, business, and leadership, France achieved a rare blend of professional accomplishments that paved the way for his entrepreneurial journey.
France co-founded a successful law firm, representing clients in complex legal matters. He leveraged his strategic thinking and leadership skills to cultivate a strong team of legal professionals.
His firm grew quickly, gaining a reputation for delivering exceptional results while maintaining high ethical standards, which was crucial to their long-term success.
After a break in service, France recommissioned as a Special Forces officer and deployed to Afghanistan. He took on leadership roles that required quick decision-making and managing complex missions.
This experience shaped his ability to lead under pressure and tackle challenges with strategic insight, skills he later applied to his business endeavors.
Navigating setbacks is a critical skill in both military and business environments.
France Hoang learned that accepting mistakes and leading with vulnerability fosters trust and resilience in teams.
He believes setbacks are not endpoints but stepping stones toward growth, helping leaders improve through honest evaluation and by encouraging open communication.
France recognizes that mistakes are part of the entrepreneurial journey. By accepting them and learning from each failure, he creates a culture of continuous improvement.
He emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility, being transparent about errors, and using them as opportunities for reflection, ultimately making his team stronger and more adaptable.
Leading with vulnerability involves being honest about challenges while maintaining optimism. France shares his anxieties and challenges with his team, fostering a culture where transparency is valued.
By balancing openness with strategic thinking, he reassures his team that setbacks are temporary and provides a clear path forward to tackle issues together.
For France Hoang, collaboration is a cornerstone of success.
He emphasizes building teams that work well together and creating an environment where innovation thrives.
His leadership style encourages mutual respect and shared vision, empowering individuals to contribute their best and pushing the entire team toward creative problem-solving and high performance.
France believes in nurturing a collaborative team culture that encourages open communication and idea-sharing. He sees each member’s strengths as vital to the group’s success, empowering them with autonomy and resources.
By fostering a sense of ownership and accountability, France cultivates teams capable of navigating challenges with confidence and creativity.
France’s leadership approach revolves around clarity, trust, and encouragement. He involves team members in decision-making to create a shared vision while providing purpose, direction, and motivation.
By emphasizing each member’s unique value, he builds a supportive environment that inspires confidence and strengthens the team’s commitment to reaching collective goals.
France Hoang founded boodleAI to empower teams through artificial intelligence and data collaboration.
His vision was to harness AI to help organizations identify opportunities, solve problems, and achieve their goals.
He built a platform that integrates AI with human expertise, enabling companies to work smarter and foster innovation in unprecedented ways.
France’s vision for boodleAI was to bridge technology and human collaboration. He recognized that AI alone could not solve complex problems, so he designed the platform to integrate seamlessly with human decision-making.
This combination provides teams with insightful data that enhances their strategic planning and aligns their goals with actionable outcomes.
Collaborative Innovation
BoodleAI promotes collaborative innovation by uniting data, people, and technology. It provides organizations with the tools they need to work cohesively and leverage AI insights efficiently.
France’s platform simplifies decision-making processes, allowing teams to identify opportunities, refine strategies, and enhance productivity while ensuring ethical use of data and technology.
The rise of artificial intelligence is transforming industries at an unprecedented pace, and France Hoang is at the forefront.
He recognizes AI’s potential to revolutionize how businesses operate.
His work with boodleAI demonstrates how the technology, when used ethically and strategically, can unlock productivity, reshape processes, and enhance human capabilities.
AI is impacting every industry, from finance to healthcare, by optimizing operations and improving data analysis. France sees it as a game-changer for businesses looking to stay competitive.
By implementing AI solutions, organizations can streamline workflows, predict customer needs, and make more data-driven decisions that result in better outcomes.
France advocates for a strategic partnership between humans and AI. He believes that by combining human intuition with machine learning, businesses can achieve greater efficiency and creativity.
His approach focuses on using AI as a collaborative tool that augments human potential, empowering teams to think bigger and act more decisively.
France Hoang emphasizes that creating solutions through AI requires setting high standards.
He advocates for achieving A+ work by combining technology with human expertise and addressing challenges directly.
At boodleAI, he leads his team in developing tools that help businesses tackle problems with precision, ensuring their solutions are innovative and meet the highest quality standards.
France maintains that AI alone provides B+ quality work, but A+ results require human input. He believes AI should be an enabler, not the entire solution.
Businesses need experts who can refine AI-generated results, adding the strategic thinking and creative problem-solving necessary to elevate the final product to exceptional quality.
Creating innovative AI solutions involves facing challenges like data quality, user adoption, and ethical concerns. France tackles these head-on at boodleAI by emphasizing data accuracy, providing comprehensive onboarding for clients, and maintaining high ethical standards.
He encourages transparent conversations on challenges to build trust and promote responsible AI implementation.
France Hoang believes in promoting ethical standards within AI development and business practices.
At boodleAI, he has built a company culture that emphasizes excellence, transparency, and integrity.
By leading with these principles, he ensures that their AI solutions serve clients’ goals responsibly while encouraging ethical collaboration across the entire industry.
Maintaining excellence means setting high standards and adhering to them consistently. France encourages his team to strive for quality and precision in every project.
He recognizes that rigorous testing and ongoing assessment are vital for delivering outstanding results, ensuring that boodleAI’s solutions are reliable, accurate, and built on strong ethical principles.
France stresses the importance of ethical collaboration between companies, clients, and stakeholders. He prioritizes transparency in data collection and the responsible use of AI technologies.
By fostering honest communication and aligning objectives, he ensures that all parties work toward mutually beneficial goals while upholding the highest ethical standards.
France Hoang offers practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: embrace grit and develop strong networks. He acknowledges that setbacks are part of the journey but emphasizes that resilience and adaptability are crucial for success.
Building connections and learning from others’ experiences can provide invaluable support, helping entrepreneurs navigate challenges with confidence.
France believes that embracing grit is fundamental to entrepreneurship. He advises entrepreneurs to recognize that setbacks will happen and that perseverance is key.
By maintaining focus on their goals, being adaptable, and learning from failures, entrepreneurs can cultivate the resilience required to overcome challenges and turn obstacles into opportunities.
Developing networks is essential for gaining mentorship, advice, and opportunities. France encourages entrepreneurs to engage with supportive communities like the CEO Circle.
Networking provides access to like-minded individuals who share insights, experiences, and valuable resources, ultimately creating an environment where collaboration and mutual growth can flourish, benefiting everyone involved.
Through his varied career, France Hoang has learned valuable leadership lessons that guide his business philosophy.
He emphasizes best practices such as leading by example and empowering teams while avoiding common pitfalls like inconsistency and micromanagement.
By sharing these lessons, he aims to inspire leaders to build supportive environments that encourage collaboration, trust, and growth.
France encourages leaders to adopt best practices like listening actively, leading by example, and creating a shared vision.
He believes in empowering teams by giving them autonomy while providing guidance. These practices help build trust and engagement, ensuring that everyone feels motivated to contribute to the group’s success.
Avoiding leadership pitfalls requires awareness and a proactive mindset. France warns against inconsistencies in vision, which can lead to confusion and frustration.
He also advises leaders to avoid micromanaging, as it stifles creativity and growth. Instead, he advocates for providing clear direction while giving team members the freedom to find solutions independently.
France Hoang envisions a future where artificial intelligence transforms how businesses grow and collaborate.
He recognizes the vast opportunities for growth in sectors that adopt AI responsibly.
As AI technologies evolve, France believes it’s crucial to prioritize ethical practices to ensure that these tools empower people while driving innovation and productivity across all industries.
AI presents immense opportunities for growth by enhancing productivity and uncovering new business insights. France sees AI as a tool for expanding markets, improving customer engagement, and automating repetitive tasks.
By embracing AI strategically, businesses can access innovative solutions that boost efficiency and help them stay competitive in rapidly changing industries.
Responsible AI development requires prioritizing ethics, transparency, and inclusivity. France emphasizes the need to address concerns like bias, privacy, and misuse.
He advocates for collaboration between developers, policymakers, and end-users to create guidelines that ensure AI is used fairly and effectively, safeguarding both individual rights and organizational interests.
France Hoang’s journey from Special Forces officer to AI entrepreneur exemplifies visionary leadership.Â
His belief in collaboration, ethical practices, and resilience has shaped boodleAI into a powerful platform that empowers teams with innovative technology.
By sharing his insights on building networks, navigating setbacks, and harnessing AI’s potential, he inspires leaders to embrace new opportunities.
France’s unwavering commitment to responsible development and community support demonstrates that with passion, vision, and grit, anyone can build a positive and impactful legacy.
BoodleBox, created by boodleAI, prioritizes collaboration to create personalized AI experiences for teams. It simplifies teamwork with GenAI by providing a secure platform that connects people, bots, and knowledge.
With BoodleBox, teams adopt AI faster, produce better work, and collaborate more efficiently through GroupChats combining top AI models, custom GPTs, and shared documents.
Learn more at boodlebox.ai.
The Veteran Led Podcast is dedicated to exploring the powerful leadership lessons learned in the military and how they apply to business, entrepreneurship, and community leadership.
Hosted by John S. Berry, CEO of Berry Law and a former active-duty Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army, this podcast draws from the depth of military experience to offer insights into building successful teams, executing effective strategies, and achieving excellence in various endeavors.
The Veteran Led Podcast is a resource for anyone interested in understanding the impact of military leadership principles in the civilian world. It offers a straightforward look at how discipline, teamwork, and strategic thinking learned in the armed forces can lead to success in business and beyond.
Listeners can find the Veteran Led Podcast on major platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Podtail, and YouTube.
For more information about the podcast, Berry Law, and the veterans who make up their team, visit BerryLawFirm.com.
Our monthly newsletter features about important and up-to-date veterans' law news, keeping you informed about the changes that matter.
