Meet Brad Combs

We were lucky to catch up with Brad Combs recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brad , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

Throughout my school years, one thing was constant. I was a terrible athlete.

Playing baseball, I didn’t know I was left handed until I was about twelve. At 5’8″, I had a pretty good idea how far I could go in basketball.

But, my parents insisted I play one year of high school football. When I walked into the locker room for my first practice the whole room laughed at me. But, I went through practice that day and insisted on going back each day afterwards to prove to my teammates that cheap shots weren’t funny.

So, I went back and I worked. I didn’t enjoy any of it, I rarely played and completed one tackle in eight games. But, I learned that working improves the odds of generating results. It doesn’t always produce results, challenges are the only guarantee in life. But, I could keep going back and try to get better.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’ve recently had a change in my life. Someone I care about deeply has begun what will be the final chapter of life, This is the first time I have experienced this at such a personal level. At my age I have been very fortunate so far. But, Father Time is undefeated, and we have to deal with that at one point or another..

So, I’m re-evaluating choices I have made. I’m taking a step back from the kill or be killed business world, and focusing instead on the people I love and the people who love me. I never married, I have no children. But, I have a family that extends from Boston to Seattle and from San Diego to Miami. I lost track of that for a while, and while I will continue to work, I want to work on relationships for a while.

Capitalism is demanding, Business is demanding. Life is demanding. But, prioritizing is something I have not done enough. The next phase of my journey is to correct that.

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?

1. The first has been public speaking. In my opinion, public speaking the single most overlooked skill set and incredibly valuable. When you are able to confidently address a group, you are considered an expert on the subject. Whether or not that perception holds depends on actually knowing what you are talking about, but the door opens at the front of the room.

2. Accounting. I am fond of saying the names and faces change, but the stories are always the same. One of the commonalities is that entrepreneurs hate accounting. Nobody starts a business because they want to count beans. But, without accounting, you don’t know if you are making money. More importantly, you will never know why or what to do about the situation. Finally, since nobody likes it, and everyone needs it, sounds like an opening in the job market to me!

3. People. Another commonality is that when someone discusses personnel development, entrepreneurs tune out. Don’t be that person for thirty seconds.

You are only as good as those who surround you. Your own force of will can only take you so far, because no matter how hard you push, you are limited by the clock. You have 18 hours in a day (you sleep at some point), and that is the limitation. There is a workaround, and it is putting another 10 hours a day in the company. You don’t have it, but others do.

End of thirty seconds.

If you paid attantion, I hope you have learned something. If you did not, you will understand shortly why most businesses fail. It’s not access to funding. , It’s the ability to use it wisely and the ability to react more quickly than one person is able. If there is a line outside your door waiting for your approval, you will fail.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

I have a core group that I spend time with. They help me re-organize, re-energize and sometimes even get me to believe in myself again. These are people I would give my life to protect, and they would do the same.

One bit of advice. In your next meeting, if one person speaks and everyone else in the room nods their head yes, that’s a warning sign. If you are afraid to be the one person who would nod their head the other way, the company is toxic. Get out.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bradley.combs/
• Youtube: not applicable
• Yelp: not applicable
• Soundcloud: not applicable

Image Credits

This is a personal photo, the rights are my own and therefore granted.