Meet Bradley Musika

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bradley Musika. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bradley below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Bradley with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I grew up in Corolla in the 90’s and 00’s, which gave me a very unique childhood. 20-30 years ago, Corolla (really, the whole Outer Banks) was such a different place than it is today. We’ve always relied on seasonal tourism in our local economy, but back then, that was my family’s main source of income. We had 4-6 months out of the year where we could turn as much money as possible to get us through the winter. I remember being in elementary and middle school and spending everyday on the beach with my parents, who owned an umbrella/chair rental service. I’m sure that sounds amazing to people who didn’t grow up at the beach. The whole, “wow, you went to beach everyday” thing. While it was great at times, it was also hard work. I know that’s where my work ethic began – somewhere in the hot sand of that Buck Island beach access slinging chairs and umbrellas, fighting black flies and afternoon storms.

Honestly, it really hit me in middle school. While most of my friends were going surfing or hanging out at the pool, I spent majority of my time learning how to work hard in its most literal definition. Beach rentals start early, and I’m pretty sure that’s where I learned my love for coffee as well. I’d be out at the “stand” as we called it, opening up while the first renters would sometimes be lined up and ready to beach it for the day. You’d be amazed at how many umbrellas and chairs I could carry long distance before we got the beach quad. If you want a six-pack, work as a beach rental attendee for the summer (if the lifting doesn’t work, the sweating will!). Not only did I learn about physical labor, but I learned how to talk to people from all walks of life. I was 12-15 years old, and I had probably met and carried on more conversations with adults in three months than most kids did in years. (Yes, I’d definitely sneak in some good surf sessions in between rentals).

When the beach days were over, I usually made my way to a restaurant to either dish or make pizza. My parents owned a couple of spots short term, and the restaurant life is just as hot, sweaty, and stressful as the beach rental business. Talk about long days! When high school came along, I was finally old enough to work for the local towns as an ocean rescue life guard. Ocean rescue has been and will always be a huge passion of mine – it’s one of those things that you can’t turn off, even if your six-pack is now a dad-bod. The work ethic you learn in ocean rescue is comparable to few other things in life. You learn responsibility for yourself, your team, and those you’re rescuing (which often are people you’ve never met). You learn a respect for the elements, most specifically the ocean. Between PT (physical training) and long, at times anxiety ridden shifts, you have laid out your emotions and your life on that beach multiple times in a day.

I spent all of my teen years working hard for myself and my family. When I was 20, I made a decision that changed my life and impacted my work ethic more than any other decision I’ve made. I moved to Puerto Rico with $500 to my name, and I didn’t know a soul. I wanted something different for myself, and obviously, I was chasing good waves as well. The five years I spent in Rincon and San Juan put all of my hard work to the test. I made some of the most impactful relationships and memories; however, I faced the same hardship of long beach days and restaurant work (and you can bet the summers in PR are way hotter than North Carolina). As my fifth year in PR wrapped up, I knew it was time to “grow up” and come back home. And that’s exactly what I did – I went back to the place where it all started, and I started something new.

Fast forward to now, I have what I’ve been working towards my whole life: a family, a home where I grew up, and a pool/spa company. I would have never been able to achieve these things without those first lessons in work ethic is a child, and every lesson that knocked me down along the way. As a young business owner in Outer Banks, I still have a long way to grow and I’m still learning what it means to work hard every single day. A good friend once told me about Outer Banks, “This place is what you make it. It can be the best place on Earth, or it can be hell.” I’m living that truth every single day.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I own a Pool/Spa Maintenance and Repair company in Outer Banks, North Carolina. We focus on maintenance and cleaning services for rental and private homes, as well as a variety of repairs, equipment installations, and spa (hot tub) replacements. While this job has its hard days, I love it. I’ve always been a very math and science driven individual, and pool technician work provides plenty of problem solving in those departments. People usually laugh when I say it, but pool technicians are just recreational water chemists. Every pool or spa is like a new experiment, and we have to find the tools and chemicals to get it balanced and safe. I’m also a “process person”, meaning I love when there is a streamlined process for everything. I built a custom rig in the back of my truck to hold my chemicals and tools a specific way that helps streamline my daily services, and even built in a system to charge my tools throughout the work day. If there’s an improvement that can be made an existing pool tool to make it work more efficiently or faster, you can bet I’m in my garage tinkering and testing it. Our brand is all about quality service and communication – we treat our customers like family. You can’t help but want to join our #DirtyWaterSucks movement.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Work ethic has had the biggest impact on my journey. I wouldn’t be who I am today had I never learned the lessons in hard work and hardship. Second to that, learning how to talk to people has helped navigate me through professional and personal situations all around the world. Just being able to hear people and talk to them with genuine response has created lasting relationships, and even helped get me through some hard work experiences. A little grace still goes a long way in the world. Lastly, understanding my worth has been the newest skill that I’m honestly still working to develop, but has had a huge impact on my journey. In all my years of hard work, travel, and life experiences, understanding and standing by the value I bring to my work is by far the hardest thing I’ve learned to communicate to others.

If you’re just starting in a career, especially in the service industry, keep your head down and don’t let distractions keep you from your goals. You’re going to be pushed and you’re going to make mistakes, but instead of finding excuses for your failures, take the lesson learned and right the wrong to find success. Give people grace, and don’t underestimate the value you bring to your work and your brand.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

A few years into my career, I had bounced around between a couple of pool companies and landed with a guy who has hands down provided the largest impact in my career. He understood my work ethic, and even the areas where I needed improvement personally and professionally. He taught me majority of the knowledge that I apply to my work in pools and spas today, and even in the last couple of years when I had expressed wanting to step out on my own, he supported and pushed me to be the best pool technician I could. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Eric.

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