Shaun Nestor Brands

Founder

Vertical Reel

Hello! My name is Shaun Nestor. I am blessed to be able to help passionate entrepreneurs and brands create a system to build the business of their dreams.

I am the co-founder and digital marketing strategist at Vertical Reel, a creative agency that helps real estate professionals go Further, Faster. Specifically, we provide high-quality photos and video of properties to help agents sell their listings faster - and for more money.

If you are a real estate professional wanting to stand out in a crowded market, I'd love to connect with you. Drop me a note: hello@verticalreel.com or www.verticalreel.com

Co-founder & Digital Marketing Specialist

Kickstart Kings

I oversee the online marketing strategy and growth plans for our clients. I've spent 15+ years in the world of online marketing. In that time, I have helped literally hundreds of businesses around the world use the power of the web to grow their audience. Now, with an incredible set of partners and team members, we can scale the "Why" behind a business' existence. That, paired with award-winning visual creative, tells a story and increases the impact of a brand.

We help you go Further, Faster.

Social Media Strategist

Never Mind Marketing

I am the lead consultant and founder of Never Mind Marketing -- the agency's agency.

I train and help agencies who want more and are willing to work to achieve it. If you are struggling to get paid what you’re worth, manage client projects, or have a failure with internal processes, I would love to chat.

Advisor for Agencies and Independent Consultants

Engage Marketing Group

Help clients use social media and internet marketing tools to engage with their customers.

Honorary Director of Strategic Technology

Forza Coffee Company

Online marketing, consulting, and coffee drinking

Director of Marketing

Grounded Coffee Company

Grounded Coffee Co. is a locally-based 24-hour drive-thru espresso franchise. Staying true to its Pacific Northwest home, you can expect to find expertly-crafted espresso drinks served by our caring staff of certified baristas. We take great pride in maintaining a consistent product in the short amount of time you have in your busy day.

Owner & Executive Director

Three Doors North, LLC

Marketing and project management for a privately-held real estate investment firm

Owner

StormFront Development Group, LLC

Founded a web design firm that provided quality web and graphics solutions for small- to mid-sized business. By offering superior products, we were able to save our customers nearly 50% over competition

Founder, Website Design Consultant

Jacob Madison Marketing+Media

Senior member of the Board of Advisors for Jacob Madison Marketing+Media, a full service marketing and design firm.

Board of Advisors

Hi! I'm Shaun. As an entrepreneur and first responder, I understand the value of utilizing the unique skills and experiences we've gained in the line of duty.

Through my program, 'Beyond The Badge', I help other first responders create sustainable and profitable businesses to share their knowledge and expertise within the private sector. My background in law enforcement, paired with my experience in marketing and business management, enables me to guide first responders through the process of turning their passion into a successful venture.

From communication and crisis management to threat assessment and team dynamics, I believe that first responders have the potential to make a significant impact in the private sector.

Join me in turning your experiences into something meaningful.

***

I welcome new connections with interesting folks, however, if you are lame and immediately spam me with an automated message after we connect, I'll report you and block you.

What if the scariest part of leaving law enforcement isn’t leaving at all?

I’ve spoken with dozens of officers approaching retirement or wrestling with the decision to step away. Almost every time, the same theme comes up:

They’re not afraid of losing the job.
They’re afraid of losing themselves.

The uniform, the badge, the lingo—it becomes part of your identity. It shapes how you walk into a room, how you introduce yourself, even how your family and neighbors see you. When that disappears, it can feel like you’ve been erased.

But here’s what I remind them: you are not the badge.

The patch is a chapter, not the whole book.
The real story is the skills you carry:

- Decision-making under pressure.
- Calming people in chaos.
- Teaching rookies what the academy never covered.
- Leading a team when resources were thin.

Those skills don’t retire. They translate.

The problem is, most of us never learned how to reframe them. We’ve been trained to see them as “just part of the job.” But outside the walls of policing, those very skills are rare and valuable.

I’ve built a business around that truth. And I’ve watched others do the same—turning years of service into workshops, coaching programs, online courses, and consulting gigs.

Not because they wanted to make a fortune. But because they wanted to keep serving, keep teaching, keep contributing—without losing themselves in the process.

So here’s the question I’d ask you:
If you weren’t defined by your job title, how would you define yourself?

Answer that, and you’ve just found the first clue to what your life beyond the badge could look like.

Shaun Nestor

Police Sergeant | I help police officers find purpose and profit beyond the badge

What an incredible passion project! Well done, sir!

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This week, I’ve been thinking about how much of our “teaching” in law enforcement is really just talking.

We lecture, correct, explain, and fill every silence.

But the best instructors I’ve seen talk the least. They ask, observe, and let their students fill the space with reflection.

That’s not a soft skill — that’s tactical patience.

It’s also the foundation of effective coaching.

I’ve watched seasoned officers turn chaos into calm—sometimes with nothing more than the right words.

That’s not luck. That’s communication under pressure.
The same skill that defuses a suspect can inspire a team, teach a class, or coach a leader.

Cops underestimate it. Businesses crave it.

3 ways to turn specialized police knowledge into opportunity:

1. Consulting: Policy reviews, expert witness work.
2. Teaching: Courses on investigations, tactics, or compliance.
3. Writing: Guides, articles, or curricula for agencies.

That “routine” knowledge is currency outside the badge.

I once met an officer who was incredible at calming people down.
In the middle of chaos, he could lower voices, slow breathing, and create order.

When he retired, he thought those skills wouldn’t matter anymore.
Now? He runs workshops teaching corporate leaders how to handle conflict.

Same skills. Different audience. New career.

Step 4: Create Your First 5 Posts
Don’t overthink it. Use this formula:

- A story from your career (what happened)
- The lesson learned (why it matters)
- The practical tip (how someone else can do it better/faster/safer)

Write 5 of these. Post them. Done.

Hint: People don’t care about fancy graphics. They care about YOUR experience.

I remember the first time I taught a class to officers from outside my agency.

I realized something: they weren’t paying for slides, or even for information.

They were paying for shortcuts—the lessons I had already learned the hard way.

That’s when I understood: people don’t want information.
They want wisdom.

After 20+ years in policing, leadership isn’t just something you did—it’s something you lived.

- You coached rookies.
- You managed conflict.
- You developed future leaders.

Those are the exact skills organizations pay for in leadership development, executive coaching, and team training.

Officers: Don’t downplay what you’ve already mastered. Package it.

The job will end.
The skills will remain.
The choice is yours: let them fade, or turn them into your next chapter.

5 ways your communication skills translate beyond the badge:

→ Teaching workshops
→ Coaching executives
→ Keynote speaking
→ Writing curriculum
→ Media analysis

If you’ve briefed a squad at 0600 or testified in court, you’re already trained for this.

Every shift was a case study in problem-solving:
✔ Weighing risk vs. reward.
✔ Balancing law, policy, and judgment.
✔ Making calls with incomplete information.

That is the same skill set companies hire consultants for—whether it’s crisis management, risk assessment, or leadership training.

The world outside policing isn’t short on problems. It’s short on people who know how to solve them.

You don’t need 10,000 followers to start.

You only need 10 people willing to pay for your first workshop.

Big difference.

Would you arrest someone without paperwork?

Then why are you running your side business without systems?

Even a simple Google Sheet with names + payments is a start.

Cops don’t just enforce laws. They:

→ Navigate city politics.
→ Build partnerships with schools.
→ Run outreach with nonprofits.
→ Calm communities in crisis.

That’s stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution at the highest level.

The very same expertise organizations hire consultants to teach.

In the knowledge economy, trust is worth more than tactics.

Inside a department, your credibility is your badge number, your reputation, and the work you’ve put in. Outside the department, it’s built differently. People don’t know your career stats—but they’ll trust you if you’re consistent, transparent, and real.

The world is flooded with “experts.” The ones who stand out? They tell the truth, show their process, and deliver on promises. That’s how you get hired, not by padding a resume.

Tactical step: Ask yourself: If a stranger landed on my profile today, how would they know they can trust me? Start by sharing one story that demonstrates your experience and integrity. Small signals of trust add up to real currency.

Don’t tell me you’re an expert. Show me the scars.

The most convincing teachers don’t promise perfection—they show the lessons they learned the hard way. Students, clients, and agencies aren’t buying your marketing—they’re buying your proof.

That proof might be:
- A story about when you failed and what it taught you.
- A testimonial from someone you trained.
- A clip of you teaching live.

Perfection is boring. Proof is powerful.

Tactical step: Pick one lesson you learned the hard way and share it publicly. Not to glorify the mistake—but to prove you’ve been in the fight and come out wiser. That’s what people want to learn from.

Think of the last time you coached a younger officer and saw the “light bulb moment.”

What lesson did you teach them?

Now imagine if you recorded that story on video today and shared it. That’s content.

Step 5: Make an Offer
Don’t build a course yet. Start small.

Offer a live workshop or webinar. Example:
- 90 minutes on “Testifying with Confidence”
- $47 per seat
- Delivered on Zoom

Why live?
- Fast to launch
- Forces you to practice
- Gives immediate feedback

Post Idea: “I’m running a live training for officers who want to improve their testimony skills. Comment if interested.”

That’s your first sale.

Knowledge is the only product that grows more valuable the more you give it away.

Think about it: your gun has limited rounds, your patrol shift has a fixed number of hours, but the lessons you’ve learned over 20 years on the job? Those multiply when you share them.

Every time you explained a policy to a rookie, walked a victim through their options, or testified in court, you were already teaching. The only difference is the setting. In policing, it came with the uniform. In the knowledge economy, it can come with an invoice.

Tactical step: Write down three things you’ve taught over and over in your career. That’s your “starter pack” of products. Package one as a workshop, a guide, or even a LinkedIn post. Your knowledge is your first asset.

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