We recently connected with Brady Bates and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Brady thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

A few things come to mind:

First, I’m intentional about not inflating prices based on a clients income. A surprising number of businesses and people I’ve encountered will raise prices strictly based on the clients tax bracket. We focus on high end residential work, which exposes us to plenty of wealthy clients. That said, I’ve made an intentional effort to keep my pricing consistent. My price is my price regardless of the clients income or status and someone making $50k a year will pay the same as someone making $1 million a year.

Secondly, I try to be intentional with who God has placed in front of me. It can be easy to get caught up in the hustle of work and the everyday grind. As a believer, I believe it’s crucial to minister to those placed in front of us whether employees, clients, or the workers on a job site. My ultimate calling as a believer is to share the love and hope of Jesus with all who I encounter. This may be the simple act of just listening about a coworkers life or just choosing a positive attitude and showing love towards other tradesmen and women we encounter. It is not always convenient or “efficient” to take time to be intentional, but it’s invaluable for the Kingdom of God and sharing His good with others, even if in small doses and acts of kindness and love.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

So I started welding back in University as an independent study. I went to Lipscomb University and majored in Studio Art with a Minor in Missions. Welding hit a cord and I had a knack for it. I had no intention of starting a business and honestly had no intention of pursuing welding as a career until after University.

I did an internship in Nairobi, Kenya the summer of my Senior year to further my missions experience and understanding. I worked for an organization called Made In The Streets who run a boarding school in the heart of Nairobi. They minister to homeless street children through the boarding school, which gives them a primary education, teaches them about the love of Jesus, and provides them with an education in a trade in order to empower them to secure a job after graduation.

Long story short, they were about to start a welding program, which I planned to help get off the ground. After returning from Kenya, I went to welding school at Tennessee College of Applied Technology with the intention of taking my learned skills and knowledge back to Kenya to help them start the program. While this was the hope and plan, things changed and it didn’t end up happening.

While I was still in school, I began doing side projects for people to gain experience. This started to gain traction and when my plan to go to Kenya changed, I ended up pursuing my career in welding. It was certainly not the plan and has been a wild journey full of highs and lows.

As far as what we do, we focus on high end residential and commercial fabrication. We typically work on custom projects and specialize in welding steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, copper and other metal work. We’ve do everything from furniture and railings to custom instruments holders and staircases. We take pride in making one of a kind products that will bring our clients and their families happiness for years to come.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Well, I started in my parents driveway with a $15 Harbor Freight grinder and a borrowed welder from my University for my first project. As the business grew, I would slowly accumulate equipment and tools one project at a time. One project may help pay for a new grinder while the next may help me get a saw. It’s taken years to get to where I am, but it all started with a cheap $15 grinder and now I have a whole rack of 12 + grinders (amongst other tools) that cost a bit more than that haha.

I had no intention of starting a business and honestly I have learned as I’ve gone. I’m not a textbook example of how to do things by any stretch, but hopefully this helps relieve some of the pressure for someone who feels like they have to have all of the answers. Ultimately, God has been faithful in getting me to where I am today one step at a time through both the good and bad times of running a business.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

As mentioned before, this was a total side hustle that turned into a business unexpectedly. I kept gaining traction with my work and getting more and more jobs through word of mouth. I didn’t market myself, but really didn’t have to thankfully. My clients shared my name and have helped get me to where I am today.

Moving from my garage into a portion of warehouse space that I rent was a big milestone. I worked out of my garage for the first 3 1/2 years of the business before moving to a larger space. Another major milestone was hiring an employee. Both of these were scary prior to taking the plunge due to the financial commitment and responsibility, but have been invaluable to growing the business and alleviating pressure from me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.batesweldfab.com/ourwork
• Instagram: @batesweldfab