Leadership, discipline, and preparation are at the center of effective risk mitigation. On The Horse’s Mouth: Be Teal with Tom McManus, Nathan Waits, Founder and CEO of Black Tier Executive Protection, brings a grounded perspective shaped by military service, professional MMA, executive protection, and business ownership.
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Black Tier Executive Protection is a veteran-owned private security, close protection, and risk mitigation firm serving high-profile clients, corporate clients, public figures, and UHNW individuals throughout Florida and internationally.
Meet Nathan Waits, Founder and CEO of Black Tier Executive Protection
Nathan Waits leads Black Tier Executive Protection with a focus on professionalism, readiness, and trust. As Founder and CEO, he has built a company around work he genuinely enjoys while continuing to push forward through challenges and setbacks.
For Nathan, success is not defined by financial growth alone. He describes success as building a respected reputation, overcoming adversity, and creating opportunities that positively affect clients, teams, and communities.
What Black Tier Executive Protection Provides
Black Tier Executive Protection specializes in security services designed for clients who require discretion, planning, and a high standard of situational awareness. The firm’s areas of focus include:
- Executive protection
- Secure travel
- VIP event security
- Estate protection
- Threat assessment
- Close protection and risk mitigation
In an environment where safety concerns can be complex and fast-moving, executive protection is about more than physical presence. It requires planning, communication, discipline, and the ability to remain calm under pressure.
Lessons in Leadership, Discipline, and Preparation
Nathan’s background includes military experience, professional MMA, coaching, executive protection, and work connected to a nonprofit assisting federal agencies and local ICAC detectives in organizing sting operations against sex trafficking organizations and child predators. Across those environments, he points to teamwork, communication, and discipline as essential to achieving goals successfully.
Staying Calm Under Pressure
Sports have played an important role in Nathan’s personal and professional development. He credits athletics with teaching him discipline, adaptability, accountability, and the value of staying calm under pressure.
Coming from a professional MMA and coaching background, Nathan learned that preparation, teamwork, and mental resilience are what separate average performance from elite performance in both athletics and business.
Continuous Training as a Standard
To improve performance, Nathan emphasizes continuous training, structured routines, physical fitness, scenario-based preparation, and learning from every experience. These habits are especially important in executive protection, where consistency and readiness can make a meaningful difference.
Practical Takeaways for Business Leaders and Clients
Whether someone is managing a company, planning a high-profile event, or evaluating personal security needs, Nathan’s approach offers several practical lessons.
1. Preparation Builds Confidence
Strong outcomes rarely happen by accident. Structured routines, advance planning, and scenario-based preparation help reduce uncertainty and improve decision-making when circumstances change.
2. Communication Strengthens Security
Effective protection depends on clear communication between clients, teams, and security professionals. The more aligned everyone is, the easier it becomes to identify concerns, plan logistics, and respond appropriately.
3. Discipline Creates Consistency
In security, leadership, and business ownership, discipline helps establish reliable standards. Consistency matters when clients are trusting a team with their safety, privacy, and peace of mind.
4. Resilience Keeps Leaders Moving Forward
Nathan identifies one of his biggest career achievements as building his own company around work he enjoys and continuing to push it forward despite setbacks. That kind of resilience is a valuable reminder for entrepreneurs and leaders in any industry.
A Veteran-Owned Firm with a Mission-Driven Mindset
Black Tier Executive Protection is veteran-owned and led by a CEO who connects his work to service, discipline, and responsibility. Nathan’s perspective reflects a broader understanding of protection: serving clients with professionalism while building opportunities that can positively affect teams and communities.
That mindset is especially relevant for executives, public figures, and organizations seeking security partners who understand both the operational and human side of risk mitigation.
About The Horse’s Mouth: Be Teal with Tom McManus
The Horse’s Mouth: Be Teal with Tom McManus features conversations with leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals who bring meaningful stories and practical insight to the Jacksonville community and beyond.
Nathan Waits is scheduled to appear on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 12:00 PM at Buzz TV News, located at 1611 San Marco Blvd in Jacksonville, Florida.
Conclusion
Nathan Waits’ story reflects the discipline of a veteran, the resilience of an entrepreneur, and the preparation required in professional executive protection. Through Black Tier Executive Protection, he continues to build a company rooted in readiness, trust, and service.
To learn more about Black Tier Executive Protection and its executive protection, secure travel, VIP event security, estate protection, and threat assessment services, visit Blacktiereliteprotection.com.
For more conversations from The Horse’s Mouth, visit horsesmouthtv.com.
