We were lucky to catch up with Brad Namdar recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brad, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Thats a great question. A lot of times people don’t realize where their work ethic comes from or how it was developed.
In my experience, my drive, ambitions, successes, and life lessons I have learned have developed my strong work ethic. My work ethic is also derived from the countless unique life experiences, challenges, events, and people that I have met and learned from along the way.
I also believe I have been blessed to have a diverse work resume, with diverse experiences, challenges, and have believe the experiences I have had from a young age continues to increase my drive and work ethic.
Regardless, if I am consulting a athletics program, working on manufacturing home decor products, or working on a presentation for a new venture, the various life experiences I have experienced along the way has developed my work ethic.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I have had the opportunity to be involved in a variety of projects, business ventures, and helping provide opportunities for others in the past. One of my companies, Namdar Decor, was carried in over 300 retail stores, 11 countries, and was carried in luxury retail locations, such as Neiman Marcus.
In 2018 I created an art label that featured and provided opportunities for countless local artists to have their artwork purchased at the gallery and home decor art sectors. Our art house was featured in multiple Formula 1 USA Grand Prix races, was carried by Horchow, and was contracted for various commercial art projects.
I also had the privilege of serving the State of Texas as a Governor Appointee, focusing on helping promote volunteerism, and supporting local non-profits in Texas.
The recent experiences cited above have given me the opportunity to help many businesses (both small and large) in a variety of sectors, and consult businesses in how to grow, market, and scale their businesses and brands.
One of the most recent projects I was involved with, was when I was asked in January of 2023 to become the new General Manager for a NPSL (semi-professional soccer) program located in Denton, Texas – with its season beginning in May of 2023.
This was no easy task; as the GM I was responsible for all facets of club operations, in conjunction with club ownership.
It was a lot of pressure coming in January, knowing the amount of work that needed to be done, and I was the only Front Office staff member, but, with the support of the team’s ownership, fans, other GMs in the league, and our conference, I am proud to say in my first season as the GM, we set multiple attendance records at our matches, obtaining recording-setting numbers in sponsorships obtained, trade sponsorships obtained, community outreach events, created the first-ever accredited internship program in the club’s history, among many other successes.
I believe that my past experiences not only in soccer but in life, my business network, civic network, and understanding of how public funding entities work vs. private entities, mixed with my strong work ethic, allowed me to be an effective GM in my first year accomplishing what we accomplished.
What’s next for me? We shall see, I plan to be involved in things that I am passionate about, will help people, and look forward to giving whatever is next 100%.
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?
Three areas where I would advise folks early on their journey to focus on (from my experience) to be successful are as follows:
#1 ) – It is important (especially after the pandemic) to realize we are in a different global economy that is extremely diverse, competitive, and data driven. Have a strong online presence, try to learn and have a basic understanding of how different online marketing strategies work, the power of e-commerce, and don’t be intimidated by the internet.
#2 ) – Don’t give up due to others being haters. One thing I can promise you, if you are a small business owner, aspiring entrepreneur, or someone that is trying to “earn the spurs”, you will have haters no matter what. Remember that you can’t please everyone, and some people can be haters, jealous, make things up, or try to throw you off your game…just don’t give up.
#3) – Try to know as much as you can about the marketplace you are entering in. Preparation is key. There will be a time when you will be put to the test to see how well you know the industry you want to enter in, and the more prepared you are, know the challenges, and even more important, know the “niche” opportunity to be successful, can be the biggest game changer in your life.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
One of the biggest areas of growth and improvement I have had in the last 12 months has been to focusing my time on working on projects, working with people, and various initiatives, that value not only my time, but also the energy I put into the various projects I work on.
That is something that was very hard for me to learn/practice many years ago. I would take countless meetings that I often knew they may not pan out the way I wanted them to, or I would try to bend over backwards to make a deal, often at my expense for the opportunity cost.
While some opportunities you need to take to prove yourself, at a certain point you have to know your value, know what you bring to the table, and that your biggest asset in life is your time. Never forget your value and never forget what your time is worth, when considering the opportunity you are seeking.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.namdardecor.com
- Instagram: @bradnamdartx
- Facebook: @bradnamdar
- Twitter: @bradnamdar
Image Credits
Image credits not applicable
