We recently connected with Brad Herda and have shared our conversation below.

Brad, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I have been blessed to work with many privately/family-held blue-collar businesses. In 2007, or 2008, one of my suppliers at the time, a second-generation sheet metal fabricator, was met with an ultimatum from his union employees, he was to either pay them or they would go on strike.

This owner was one of the best guys I have ever met. He was 100% customer-focused, and he would do whatever was needed to keep the customer happy. In saying this, he also was not a fan of conflict. In the 8 years or so of being his customer, if we saw one price increase, that would have been a lot.

I am confident he spoke with his accounting partner, financial advisors, and maybe even his bank. In the end, he closed the business and sold the assets. Those jobs were lost, the legacy ended, and a really good company folded. The business owner then left his family behind in search of work across the county.

Let’s be honest who is going to hire a second-generation business owner to be on their team, not many because they would see him as a threat. For 11 years, he was repeated from his family, looking to make a living to make it to retirement.

He did not have someone looking at the business through a different lens in his corner. Looking at margin erosion, pricing structures, and getting over the fear of losing a customer because he was making money.

There are too many other owners in the same situation, and having been blessed in my career to develop a broad and deep knowledge of so many topics, there is an opportunity to disrupt the status quo and have a different ending.

My mission is to positively impact 1,000 blue-collar families in the next 5 years. By supporting owners to be better owners, leaders, and partners to their customers and suppliers.

This one family business has had a bigger impact than many will know.

Brad, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been blessed since I started working as a sophomore in high school to be the person that was the person people went to for answers. It was not uncommon for people to say, go ask Brad, Brad can you train this person, Brad what do you think. Having the influence as a person not through a title has created an awesome career path for me.

I have worked in automotive parts, forging, and heavy industrial manufacturing. I have been fortunate to have been through 3 ERP implementations, 2 ISO implementations, outsourcing 1,000,000 man hours, and involved from design to delivery of the last 7 walking draglines. The largest mobile earth movers on the planet. Being the guy to walk the floors, solve the problems, and ultimately ensure the customers were happy, was challenging, and I would not have it any other way.

I have seen what people’s hands and minds can create from steel, and it is exciting. And has led me to ensure that we have businesses able to support Generation Z and generations beyond.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Like many entrepreneurs, we came from a corporate world. When I started, it was exciting, and I had the energy and capital reserves not to worry too much. The first eight months, woo hoo, this is fun, then comes months 9-15 where it is “oh shit,” the money is starting to run out; what is the backup plan. You begin to have doubts, apply for jobs again, and have the head trash conversation with yourself on what did I do to my family…

Now it is time to get serious (months 18-24). This is when I found my magic.

I asked myself why I could be the “A” player for others, not myself. I put my business owner hat on and put together a high-level org chart. Me as the Owner/CEO, with me as CFO, COO, and VP of Sales reporting to myself. It seems weird until you have that conversation with yourself. I would have fired myself as VP of Sales 6 months sooner if I was still in corporate, and that was a turning point for me.

After I fired myself several times, I then decided that I had to be me to be successful and build on who I am, not who I thought others wanted me to be. This became clearer as I listened to Jen Sincero You Are A Badass. Becoming my authentic self was the day my business changed.

The conversations became easier, the pressure became less, and more importantly, the revenue began to show up in different ways.

Now into year six and would not have changed the path as I learned a precious lesson every entrepreneur needs to learn. We all say, let’s not re-invent the wheel, and yet almost everyone does!

How did you build your audience on social media?

I do not have a huge following by any stretch of the imagination, and what I have created is a very large silent following. I will admit my call to action is weak; however, I have been able to position myself as the expert, have people like me, and then when it is time for a conversation, they know they can contact me.

I have been told I have been used as an example within my organization. I am consistent each week, I show up, I make time, and I am intentional with my time.

Engagement changed when I decided to take professional images of myself and use them in my posts. Using video once a week to share my thoughts in an unscripted way has created a following.

The biggest thing is to be consistent and use tools like Canva to create templates and scheduling tools like Buffer or PostoPlan. Be consistent on your days as well. If you post Testimonials on Tuesday, do that every Tuesday. Having a second post that may be relevant to the day is okay.

Also, be wise about what times you post. Each platform is different for peak times; however, if you stay consistent and add value, your people will begin to look for your material.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vfbsolutions.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FocalPointCoachBrad/
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/brad-herda
• Twitter: @CoachBrad537
• Other: bradherda.focalpointcoaching.com blue-collar-bs.captivate.fm