Welcome back to Leading Voices – an AMSGazette series where CEO Jim O’Farrell sits down with local leaders to discuss their approaches to leadership and what drives them forward.
This installment features Freddie Kim, founder and CEO of MilSpec Talent, a recruitment firm that matches businesses with experienced veterans. Kim has been at the helm of MilSpec Talent since founding it in 2018, but that’s not his only venture. He is also a co-owner of Richmond, Virginia-based Caliber Equipment and co-president of the veteran nonprofit Strong Gray Line.
Right off the bat, Kim said, “I enjoy being underestimated.” As a boxer and four-time National Collegiate Boxing Association All-American titleholder, Kim is no stranger to facing a challenge, getting knocked down—and getting back up. As someone who has founded and navigated the complexities of multiple businesses, he tries to treat every hurdle as a learning opportunity.
When it comes to his view of leadership, Kim says much of his outlook was shaped by his time in the Army. As a young captain in the Green Beret Special Forces Assessment and Selection course, he recalls going on runs and ruck marches where soldiers were given only a starting place and time — no indication of how long or how far they would trek. What they did know was that their superiors were closely watching their performance, character, and attitude.
“They tell you, ‘You are always being assessed,’ but they give you no feedback. So, throughout the course, they don’t tell you you’re doing well. They don’t tell you you’re screwing up,” Kim explained. Now that he leads teams of his own, it’s clear the lessons from the Army have followed him into the business world.
“When you’re going through chaos, all eyes are on you,” he said. “You are always being assessed. How do you react? How do you talk? How do you problem-solve and come up with a course of action?”
Even though Kim spent much of his life in physically demanding environments, he is also acutely aware of the soft skills essential to his leadership style — building rapport with his staff, understanding people’s perspectives, and leading by example.
“I think that’s a key part for leaders: being that calm and composed leader who may not know everything … but is able to work through things together,” Kim said. “And if you show those values … I find that many people just gravitate towards that and they start adopting that as well.”
Setting a good example also means examining his internal monologue and the doubts that naturally arise when taking big leaps. In 2025, Kim was part of the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families’ inaugural CEOcircle cohort. At an event for the group, his friend and fellow entrepreneur Rudy Cazares gave a speech that has stayed with him ever since.
Cazares argued that self-doubt as a leader is not merely a personal issue, but an act of disrespect toward those who have placed their faith in you, urging the crowd to see it as something that affects the teams they lead. Kim took that message to heart, working not only to inspire his staff to do excellent work, but also to turn that lesson inward as well.
“Be kind to yourself — and more than that, don’t trash-talk yourself … It’s all in what you believe,” Kim said. When encountering any obstacle, he looks for a way forward or a silver lining, because “there will be moments of doubt.”
“Too many people believe in me and I’m grateful for that. I don’t want to let them down,” Kim said. And Kim’s success in achieving that goal may be one reason why he does so in his many other endeavors.
Stay tuned for more conversations like this in upcoming issues of AMSGazette!
Written by Shani Laskin