welcome to a scrap life a podcast solely focused on the hustlers Grinders operators and business owners who live and breathe the scrap metal industry every day here is your host Brett eart what’s going on everybody um I’m kind of excited about this interview you know as I Branch out the scrap live podcast I started a um what I like to call the generational courage part of it and it’s probably my favorite topic as of late it’s something that’s probably hit home more since I’ve had my own kids I’m trying to get get them raised up and try and give them uh some guidance um but the the generational courage podcast is is just about you know people that have taken their business from one level to the next whether that is first generation third generation and they’ve they’ve kind of they’ve found some courage within they’ve kind of created the opportunity and and this podcast with Brandy harlo I met Brandy at a luncheon we had kind of connected on LinkedIn but we met at a luncheon down in Houston for the amm steel and scrap conference and I got sat across the seat

from her and we just started talking and we instantly hit off and I was like oh I I said I think Brandy and I have a lot in com I’m super stoked to get Brandy har on here from South Post South Post o recycling down in Houston Texas thanks for taking the time out Brandy I know you’re super busy thanks for having me Bron like I I think we share uh the generational interest in time that’s so I’m looking forward to the conversation yes I mean as soon as you told me you were uh you know your your dad had started the business that’s correct right and that you were my dad and mom started the business as kind of 5050 owners what year was that 1994 we just celebrated 30 years about a month ago that’s awesome that’s awesome so is the dad is your dad still involved is he your mom still involved you know my dad retired he retired um during Co 2020 and that’s a story in and of itself um my mom is still working with us and she is anxiously trying to get out by the end of

this year there you go so when I think about my mom and dad the division of work was my mom was the CFO she was accounting and did a lot of the book work um behind the scenes and my dad was by operations kind of deal deal with people um we were a tradition we were a small small family business um you know Aunts Uncles my grandparents were involved when I was a kid um just a through family family business and um um but I remember you know the transition my grandfather was kind of the CFO and and doing the book work and kind of and my mom then had kind of became trained and that was kind of her her job for a long time and it was much harder for us to quote unquote retire my mom than it was my dad my dad’s like all right you got it I’m out you know so is that the case for for you guys is is it is has it been a little bit more difficult for her you know there a there’s a lot of overlap there you know I would there

is a lot of similarities um my dad was definitely operations head of operation um for a long time too you know I would say the head accountant you know um he you know he had this saying nobody going watch your money like you watch your money um we do know that they’re CFOs and things like that and so that was primarily his role um and just kind of setting the vision at that time and taking it to what he had kind of it my mom on the other hand we have she had the title of DP of administration but I really look at it as a catch all that either you don’t have anybody yet else in that role that you can trust or or something that really hits her sweet spot so for us that is she’s overseeing kind of our facilities you know if you will if there’s a general contractor if we’re doing a build out of this facility I know it sounds crazy but she’s kind of the GC on that um if we’re buying new trucks if we’re buying new equipment she’s the one that’s working with our banks

to kind of refinance it okay on our people front you know if if we need to look at anything different on salaries and we do have a head of HR um but she’s so she’s kind of like this this catch all so I can agree that that her role I think is going to be one of the most challenging to backfield and honestly we’re looking at it that’s possibly two to three different roles yeah so it’s like a something she’s like very attention to detail that’s it you you hit the N I say she should have been an attorney or or literally a general contractor because she has this kind of creative Knack about her and my dad is kind of the Visionary you know he is the everybody works hard in this family you know it’s just that’s just it’s a part of the fabric it’s like you you better be excellent um and you better be awesome and and awesome doesn’t mean necessarily the best at everything but you better be awesome yeah so when you say like you say everybody works hard in this family yes I would assume that that’s

part of where your work ethic has has came from it came from you know from probably when you’re just a youngster I would assume yeah you see it you know you see it at a young age so 9094 I was in high school when they they launched the business and um I just I saw the blind from day one yeah I start Grind from day one you know um there was seven days a week of work for my dad specifically for many years um for a couple decades to be honest you know seven days of work was just um I saw sacrifice early on you know or delay let’s call it delayed gratification you know sometimes people think sacrifice and they just they think it’s you know the lowest of the lowest of the low but o over time I saw and I see it as delayed gratification it’s like we would delay this now so that we can Aspire or achieve something much larger and more impactful later um so I saw that very early and then the other thing Brett was just um they both really had a act for taking care

service service service to our customers service to our employees making things better and so I do think I think when you see those things you know growing up and for me it was a teenager you know I wasn’t I wasn’t you know I was a teenager so I was kind of coming into my own at that time so you you meshed that together and there’s just uh there’s this whole nature nurture I definitely saw it I think there two things I take from that you know I heard it said one time and especially in in the you know small mediumsized business environment with with especially with owner operators right it was I heard it said whoever can hold their breath the longest can win right and so that goes to that delayed gratification of whoever can like not take money out of the business and pour it back in then you you got a chance to win on a bigger scale than somebody who’s taking distributions and taking money out because that’s really all the fuel that you need that’s that’s the fuel you need to stoke the fire and if you’re taking wood

out of it all the time it’s going to burn but it’s just not going to burn like it could if you were just to keep keep pressing right and so when you say that about your dad and that’s really what it takes for to start any business whether it’s in a recycling business in industry or you know manufacturing of widgets like it it takes somebody that’s willing to to basic to sacrifice just delay their gratification for a little B longer because we all see those stories of people that start a business they make a little bit of money year one or year two and they they’re buying a boat they’re buying the nicest biggest house and next thing you know they’re like they can’t sustain it or they have a rough economy for a couple years and you know they they’re tapped out and so you know and I think of all the you know it’s awesome to see your parents work hard and and treat people right and it’s also awesome for a kid to see their parents delay gratification you know I mean I we have this conversation with our kids regularly

you know um that play sports with kids other kids that are definitely financially well off whatever else and they’re dad why don’t you do this mom why you got to do this and we’re like ca we’re building something right and I tell them I said we’re building something right now and I said we done building I said there’ll be a time I said but right now we’re building and I said that’s what it takes you know to do something great is you got to you willing to put the effort in time to build something you do and I think that that will go a long way in terms of what they see but it also links back to and it’s okay if it takes us longer in life to sometimes catch lessons I’m sure like like me I can look back at things and and you look at things and hindsight you like I get it I get it and what comes with that too is a different level a heightened level of appreciation and gratitude um I I think as as we mature in life because your kids can then look back and

it’s not today because I think yours are young you know 10 15 20 years from now and they will recall you say hey we were building and ideally be able to look back and say you know what I I want that same SP you know or for me you know it’s very I was very clear that I was not interested in riding on a celil and I was I you know there’s this whole thing from a faith-based perspective you know you go from glory to glory and part of that is taking the foundation that’s been built and then building on that you know building on that and then letting letting that be a blessing to many others you know that go then that tier one you know blessing or that tier one sacrifice and delayed gratification you can take it to another level and have a much more exponential impact which I think is the beauty of so it goes from delaying the gratification to then knowing how to treat people right and I think people you know say oh you can treat your people or treat your customers good right but I

think that the foundation of of anybody treating their customers that starts with treating your own your own people well right because if they feel well taken care of they feel you’re you’re taking care of them then they’re gonna they’re going to reciprocate to the customer you got it to the vendor and but I think people like get it twisted like no what just the customer is always right not really like I genuinely believe like your people if they’re good and you trust them and they they’re good decision makers they’re right and then they’ll go and take care of your customer if you’ve taught them the correct way and it sounds like that’s uh part of your upbringing as well with your dad and mom you you got it I mean like I say I mean so far we are C from the same clock you know I have a say I have a say in here I said you take care of the people who take care your business um and it goes back to what you said take care of the people who take care of your business and um and it’s not

a perfect thing because there’s all humans are humans but in general if people feel like they’re treated fair if they feel like that they have a lie if they feel like you know it’s it’s not all about you the business owner but it’s about them their family um them being excellent You’ be surprised what you get you know um but on the same coin I would tell you the people peace for us is one of our ongoing challenges and opportunities and I am constantly reminded day in and day out is it’s your people that’s going to get you to the next level it’s a the biggest opportunities usually are you know your biggest challenges right and I think that’s where you know I was in um Portland in that area last week traveling for work and you know we talked to some people up in uh the long Washington area and they’re like one our biggest challenges here is there is a lot of industry but it’s it’s a challenging work environment to find people you know and with you know Oregon Washington being fairly liberal states you know they there’s a lot more

freebies available there’s a lot more assistance available so you combine that with you know a pretty good job environment as far as what’s what’s available then you you create kind of a tough hiring environment and tough to keep tough to keep people um or get them in the door sounds like you know from talking to them and and that is a big challenge but then it also is a great opportunity if you can get a solid group of people to you know to help you build your business and I think that we fight that battle and and I don’t know it’s it was feels like I’m sure Co helped you know soak that fire a little bit but people have been fighting that battle for a while um but I think that that’s that’s really where I I tell our guys you gotta kiss a lot of frog to find a prince right like at some point yeah you just gotta get through and and give them a shot and see what happens and if they don’t work out you got to be willing to move on to the next one until you can

get that core people on the bus and then then you’re going yeah no yeah I mean you you nailed it it’s a process you know we uh I went back I’ve recently gone back to re read or listen to Via audible I call it an oldie but goody book and that’s good to Great by Jim Collins I just listened to it like probably a year ago again yeah yeah it’s it works it still works I think he he put it out early 2000s but to that point you know he was talking about one of the key factors the early factors is um having the right people on the bus in the right seats you know being being very clear and and needing the right people to be disciplined people you know in those seats and so anyway it we don’t even have to presume is that necessary I think I think it’s required and there’s not a perfect answer you know we go through even if I think sometime people are surprised with a multi-generational business that they would be processes and rigor in place for hiring people but Brett you know we’ve

we’ve played not played around but we’ve used assessment tools we try to do multi rounds of screening to really try to eliminate the cost Factor you know it costs a lot you know that it take time to train people to bring them on board for them not to work um and work out and so uh even within a multi-generational business I think it’s important to have that level of rigor to try to get the right people in the right seats if you will those are your biggest growing campaigns I think with with your people I remember my dad um when I started fulltime 04 I had graduated undergraduate and I came to work and um and we had been operating there was a yard I wanted to buy and we had just had we had a main yard in calwell and then a little Feeder yard in Mountain Home and I was like I really want to buy this yard I want to grow and he’s like well who’s going to run it that’s going to be your biggest challenge you know at that time I think we had about 202 20 five

employees total about size of our business and so once he that was like one of the first things he taught me was who’s gonna run it who’s gonna do it right you you you’re not going to move to um Idaho you’re not going to move there if you’re not going to be there who’s going to be there right which is how so many family businesses grew back in the days they had an uncle or cousin or sister or brother they said hey that one’s Source go get that one you know but in our case I had one sister she was a school teacher she had no interest so it’s like I was going to have to go you build a network of people to build and grow and so that was probably one of the biggest lessons my dad taught me early was you need people if you want to grow your you know your business and and because you’re only one person and you you can only do so many things and so you’ve got to have you got to enlist help but the right the right help right so it’s not just

getting them on the bus like J says it’s also getting them in the right seat yes on the bus which is just right yep and then retaining them that’s still that’s still our biggest opportunity here you know people you can debate do you build your high you know your top bench or your lower bench you know for us we built our mid level and and our lower bench and I think um which is good to make sure was solid to make sure that we can move materials in and out of here effectively take care of the customers but as it as it relates to growth and sustainable scalability I’m personally finding um that I need people with different talents different skill sets but also people who believe in our vision you know who believe in the the values that we have so to your point they it’s not only it’s it’s not only a person it’s a good fit from a mult multiple levels a skill set a value perspective a vision perspective um to sure that they can be a part of the scalable growth that we’re going after exactly so you’re I

mean obviously you’re you’re growth-minded right so that’s a big big part of it and what do you think has pushed you and made in you know because you could have done like we T talk about we talked about previously you could have just said yeah my dad mom started business it’s a good business you know we do x amount and all I gota do is just keep the wheels on the bus and I’ll be fine you know I’ll have a good I’ll have a good living but there’s something that somebody some inside of you something that somebody put inside of you you know and taught you along the way that said no I don’t want to just settle for you know whatever I can whatever people are willing to give me I’m gonna have to go the next the next level and what is that where do you think that came from you know I um as I think about that there’s a couple of things that I think drive and then I can kind of back into where it might come from I think that there is desire I think that the

for me what drives me is possibility and then over time probably the last eight to 10 years there has been this whole notion of impact personal impact personal big imp so you know what what drove it you know I like I said I spent the first 12 to 15 years prior to coming into this business um working for Fortune 100 companies you know and um great places great companies AOS space entertainment retail and I loved working in those environments um and in H typ I learned a lot but what I probably struggled with is that I couldn’t have the impact that I wanted to it just wasn’t big enough you you know did it make a difference yes but it just wasn’t big enough if I want to make change it was like turn the ship you know friendship and so I think what what changed it for me so if we just start with the desire she’s I do believe that there are people that are in our lives that water seeds that were already planted and for me it was that seed with water you know my my dad had you know

mentioned five to eight years prior to me deciding to come into this industry hey Brandy at some point I’m going to want to retire you know and like like several multi-generational possibilities people like yeah I don’t want to do that uh long story short this poach he said what about this and that kind of sparked that desire right and that and and so it was the seed that was there and for me it was I want to continue to have a make a difference you know I want to continue to do awesome things so I think that that was one um the second thing and we were talking earlier you talked about traveling you talked about traveling and seeing different what people have going on and different different uh facilities and different diversification opportunities for me it was through conventions and through those conversations um and through reading that I was able to see possibility I said you know what we can we can go from one level to another and that doesn’t drive everybody but for me that drives me it’s you there’s this internal like you know what we we can

do more you um and then like said the last piece for me was the impact you know I quickly saw and you and I were talking earlier that through this industry and through family business we could have multiple layers of impact you know you know it’s not only do we support the families of the people who work here and that’s that’s an impact thing um but we’re in an industry and we’re offering services and we’re part of a connection that directly has an environmental impact that feels awesome and then as you take this bigger breath you know I think that we I think about Generations you know I’m not looking just at the next quarter I do believe that that’s a benefit of fan business you you looking at the Next Generation you know you’re looking at the next 50 to 75 years and to me that that those things drive me what do they I heard it I heard another quote that I really like they said you die two deaths right when you die and then than the last time they speak your name right and so whether it’s your company’s name

your individual name like once they stop talking about you and you’re officially gone right but if you have if you can impact so many people’s lives whether it’s through building a business whether it’s through you know employing a bunch of people and giving them careers and giving them opportunities they may not have thought possible right and then being able to give back your community or whatever I think that’s truly the the the way for me that it that I really I enjoy right because yes you could buy so many things I’ve heard you know I I know people that have done very well financially and they once you buy all the stuff you wanted to buy what then you’re like then you go then what do I do next right and so once you get that out of your system and then you’re sitting there and you sold your business you don’t have you know the the people that you have all the connections with and they don’t they don’t need you you don’t need them on a day-to-day basis they’re like that truly is one of those feelings which is why

people decide okay I better go start another business right and so I think you have to take that into consideration when you’re deciding whether you want to sell or retire or whatever um and and which is probably why for my mom it was a little more difficult um my dad he was he had been doing it for a long time and he was like I’m good I’ve I’ve I’ve done my part like I’m out I think I retired he was 55 you know he’s like at 55 I’m good you know um yeah but for me what drives me is the ability to make an impact somehow some way right whether it’s to build something that most people never would have thought was possible to I mean I work with all my friends I mean and I think you start out as just kind of we work together and then you they rely on you you r on them all of a sudden you feel like you can build you know a little more of a relationship and you know like they become your your best friends right your tribe your people and I think

that part of it for me is what keeps me gets me up every day and makes me excited to go to work but that really is my wife but I got that from my dad my dad was a people person he loved helping people being around watching people do things like that was his his thing and so I know where I got that that was from my dad I love it I I absolutely love it you you hit on something um and this this would be my bow on it I I have learned over the past 11 years that I think entrepreneurship I think business um can be a vehicle for good um I also have learned and I’ve gotten really clear that I don’t think business should be the only thing that defines us are the the businesses that we’re in I think we have to have purposes why um connection and Community even outside of this because I do think that that is a part of the sustainability plan but in a different from a different ways that’s that’s how we get to I get to 55 and I can step away

like your dad because then I I move into other levels of purpose and I don’t completely maybe abandon this but it’s not the it’s sou second not the only thing that defines me am I proud of it absolutely can we continue to make a difference here absolutely but I think it’s just the diversification process you know of being an entrepreneurial is to have multiple wise and and our purposes and make sure that there are something that is rooted outside of just things and that’s my my probably my biggest weak point right there like the thing I struggle with and will be my next whatever whatever that’s going to be my next thing is trying to figure out what is going to be something outside of my day-to-day work luckily we our business is Diversified um you know we have other businesses so I’m able to step out of say scrap recycling materials whatever you want to call it and move on to say our storage business or our pipe business or truck whatever and I can like escape from that but it’s still very work related right and so I my my

thing is and my wife um and I had this conversation a lot she’s a school teacher as well and and I’m like there will be a time when like when I’m gonna have my thing that whether a charity or something that I really really want to get behind I think that’s where I will divert some of my attention and probably money yeah to right just because it’s something that you’re passionate about it is it is and I you know I guess thinking about how family businesses start things start small and I think sometimes we think that the next thing or the branch has to be so large and Monumental and I guess I’m of the belief where it’s just kind of like I can start small I can I can start small with something while we do that you know so for you whatever that is you know if it’s adopting a school in the context of what you do now if that’s what you’re passionate about and then that starts to kind of get some fire or ignited under it I just I think we can our Focus always needs to be our

Focus you know with the what the part is and I think as we kind of put those people process systems culture value in place you can kind of look a little bit to the other side and still be on track you know you can you can reach your hand out to to serve or give and still run this race and then you keep getting that going and you can reach another hand you know and Dabble in another area so and so it’s a process I don’t I don’t think everything has to be as big you I agree it’s like how you start anything right your first work first whatever it is your first book whatever that it’s you have to start somewhere it doesn’t have to be everybody’s afraid that that it’s not going to be some grandiose deal there just has to be somewhere to start and we have a couple Charities that we really like um that we support and I and I heard it somebody’s telling me the other day they said okay you know when you not to me but I they were talking to um in somebody else in

different context essentially they said you know there’s no doubt in your lifetime you’re going to have the ability to write big checks to whatever Char you want but wouldn’t you rather be able to write some of those checks even if they’re smaller today and be able to see them be put to work versus say towards the end when you can just write bigger ones you know versus you know spreading that out and enjoying it during process and that’s probably what hit home for me okay that makes sense and that part of it comes from my mom and my dad watching them both be very charitable with the community um very other Charities gos they used to put on and put a lot of effort and time into um and so I know that that’s kind of I’ve seen that work and I’ve seen it you know live Living Color yeah do you get that from your where do you on your end do you get that from your mom from your dad where do you where that from very much uh when So within the business and even outside of the business so I

would say outside of the business you know our family has has always believed in the principle of tithing you know and given given back you know to what we call our where we get fed you know um from a faith-based perspective Ive but then in the context of business you know when I came in it was funny it’s funny how things change um my dad always gave to it was if it was the local Little League team if it was the school that need that not the school but the church that was focused on building a leadership program in house if it was the church down the street you know that needed something and I came in and this is I I would say a first generation the second generation thing I said Dad this is great you know and I want us to keep doing this um but there’s no focus and he’s like what do we need Focus for we just give and and I said you know I love that I love that spirit and and so what I’ve done is I kept the core of that bread and then

I said we I’d like to see us refin it I like to see us have some Focus areas so we took so I I’ve always seen that power given and so I took that in terms of saying okay we’re going to focus on stem or science technology engineering M um and we’re going to partner with a local school that is only five miles away from us so that’s that’s one one area the second thing is I personally um sorry personally passionate about women and women that have been in either domestic abuse or their single moms and so we said we’re going to focus with a woman’s Center here in the area so that you know that was another um I personally and that’s not everybody’s route have benefited from higher education and so then we said okay we’re going to identify school and then we’re going to provide establishement you know to students to go you know to that school um and then the last one for us is I believe that Sports I I I cheered and I cheered at a Collegiate level um so athletically and I believe that Sports teaches a

lot I think it teaches about teamwork I think it teaches about grip and hard work and perseverance um but I also believe that sometimes people I think fors can create exposure you know I mean they if these if these teams can travel if they can go see so we we support a local um football team that wouldn’t have access and so I’ve taken to your question I’ve taken the spirit of what he was doing and I just kind of put a framework around it and it also helps us think yes to the right things you know and be focused and it helps us to penetrate deeper you know in my opinion you know we’re like we’re focused we’re focused here this is where we’re going to focus uh the last area I would say that was a learning curve for me um having come out of corporate America is when I came on board BR Brett I wonder if you experien that um my dad would hire at that time folks that nobody else or folks would rarely give a chance to they are now called second chance you know but this was there

it wasn’t called second chance just was just called ex-criminals like where I criminal yeah you know what like nobody got a there’s no politically correct term for it it was just like people out of jail that need a job you got it and so he would hire those people and he would hire them and got a lot of loyalty out of it and and for a while it was a good chunk of our Workforce and and I when I came on board 11 years ago I said we got to hire some different people you know we got long story short what I will say is I see the beauty in both you know I see the beauty in reaching out to what are now people who need a second or third or fourth chance but also rounding that out with people you know that that don’t have that background you know that bring a different skill set or experience and so it’s taken all of those pieces and then we’ve I’ve rolled that into what I call our second gen platform and so you’ve been full-time there since what what year what

year did you start 2013 yeah so in matter since 2013 you’ve kind of grabbed the bull by the horns say and just kind of ran with it right I mean what have you I mean what’s kind of your biggest what do you feel that you know some of your biggest accomplishments since 2013 to today are yeah you know um and I’m and I’m fortunate that they’re there’s not I know there’s family businesses or there’s a multitude of people involved and I think that that’s a beautiful thing in it com with challenges um for me it was it was me you know it was me coming in and and so there’s a couple things for us I think we’ve been able to physically expand you know um literally physically expand and it was something um my parents had more property when I came on board my dad said I have no interest in growing this brand if you want to grow it you can take the property you grow so it’s been that physical expansion the second thing is diversification and for us is diversification materials diversification of the customers we serve I mean for

many years I mean we we Ser we were mostly retail you know I I’m not a fan of the term pedlers I know it’s it’s Legacy in our industry but I I think retail sounds more dignified and so but we were that’s who we served primarily and uh I remember because your location was conducive to that it was conducive to it but that’s also what you know what my dad did he was a previous he was an aluminum buyer okay and he he bought ubc’s you know and you know where the bulk of those came from and okay so that’s what that’s so he serviced that population really well along with TR um so it’s been the expansion of that the second and third and there’s there’s more I would say the team like literally building a team um that puts us in a position to scale to grow sustainably bigger and to have a larger impact and so those are a couple of things that I feel very supported on and I think have been a game changer for us in the past 10 years so when I think about those successes for

you and I think about what this podcast is about right which is you know we’re trying to give our kids courage I you and I both see this eye eye in the fact that I’m not trying to give my kids money I’m trying to give them motivation hunger courage to go lead their take their path wherever they wanted to go and to build their own life right I people ask me all the time you know they have between you know 250 people and they’re like 250 employees roughly and like so are your sons gonna take it over because I don’t have any brothers and sisters in the business my family’s mom and dad are gone I don’t have any cousins or anything like that it’s just me and a group of friends that I’ve built over the years when we run it and I say you know honestly I don’t really care that much because I just don’t and I’ve had this conversation with my dad I said hey you know if the boys are not interested um I’m going to sell all of right and he goes I know he goes I’m good

with it he goes your deal you I said I just want you to be aware like yeah I’ve made it known to them like hey I can sell it just as easy as I can provide you a uh you know an opportunity but either way like all I’m providing you is just an opportunity and the rest is is on you right so that’s always been my focus and and um I’m excited to see what they do but I think about you you know you in your situation and I think there’s somea some lessons in there when you to take to take away from your mom your dad and what gave you the courage to push on and create those successes you just discuss is there two or three of them off the top of your head that really hit home that you’re trying to pass on to the next generation yeah you know I was thinking about courage and then just kind of the the transition I um as we think about youth or the Next Generation if that is a desire and I actually think it’s required even if you don’t have biological

family let’s just say you wanted to pass it on to some employees Etc I I think there’s a couple of things for me you know I I think I have I’ve always felt supported I’ve always felt supported and support if I want to jump out and try something I’ve been encouraged to do it and even when it hadn’t worked you know Nelson Mandela has this this saying and I recently heard this is you either win or you learn as opposed to win or you lose and I think that level of support around that principle has helped me with courage throughout my lifespan you know say the courage to fail the courage to try and the courage to fail like I those are two of my big ones like you have to have the courage to try and you have to have the courage to fail because you need them both right they’re both GNA happen they will they will and and I and and so I think that that was really I think that that was really big for us okay um was big for me grow it’s even big for me now you

know you know my dad kind of functions as a pseudo coach um and the and the thing that goes with andent I would say is there’s a word now that’s called empowerment but but what that is is is belief in like you go do it you go do it you’ll figure it out you know make it happen and so I think that those things apply toward anybody you know and I think that though and it’s not the only thing but I think that those those do build courage um the last I was just say is mindset you know um I recently heard you know if you get on the stage and you get on a stage to show up it’s okay if the person that you think that you’re performing for does not pick you but you don’t know who’s in the audience you don’t know who’s in the audience that might pick you for the next thing so I say that because I think that that it’s a frame of mind it’s a frame of mind to say you know what it’s okay I I can bet I can go up for bet

I can give it a try you know I can be strategically methodical and so I would like to see those same things in the people who want to be a part of this you know who want to take it to the next level because those aren’t just traits that you have to see in your biological kids if you will or your your biological family for all intensive purposes but don’t we want to see those characteristics and the people who work with you know and for them yeah absolutely yeah because you’re trying to generate courage across the board right not just for your own kids I mean it but once you start doing it and you made me start thinking I never really thought that hard about it until I had my own and I okay now I’ve got another level of responsibility it’s one thing to have some financial responsibility and some you know but all sudden you get different level of responsibil okay I got there’s that’s figure out and that’s when it probably would to hit me the most and so it’s when it really got my wheels turning and also really

owned my focus a lot more I I will say like that changed the focus for me it was like okay now I can see why my parents worked so hard right you know and I can see why because they whether they knew it or not I was watching them right I was watching them bust their butts I was watching them pour money back in that they didn’t have back into the business to do the next thing you know take risks courage to take risks that most people would say I’m not risking that right I mean there’s a whole there’s a whole um thing about your dad and his and what it took for him to from an aluminum buyer to start his own you know his own company like that takes a certain amount of courage to jump off that edge and okay I think I can do this on my own you know absolutely I think about stuff like that I want my kids to see me take chances I want them to see me get up in the morning and go to work every day right I want them to see that

and and I get the byproduct of doing it right so it’s kind of a I mean we both get the yeah you know as you were talking Brett I thought of one other thing too um as we as we as we maturing it over you know those same traits I think are needed in the partners and the people we choose to do life with you know let’s just that we we have a spouse you know we have a partner whatever people’s references I I think in order to achieve the things and grow and scale the way that we need to and to see those behaviors you have to have a there has to be a supportive team otherwise otherwise your teams will not even be a deterrent action if if the if the if a business or the ventes kind of tear a family apart I can actually see it having the opposite impact you know so I think about my parents and like I said this business had been has been 5050 um and I think it needed both you know in this case you know my mom was supportive of my dad

doing it you know both people decided they were going to roll up their sleeves you know and and step into their areas of strength you know there was agreement that collectively we would have delayed gratification imagine if you have one person that’s all about delayed gratification and the other is like I want it now it it ain’t gonna happen we know that right and so as you were talking I was just I was remind Ed of the level of Courage that’s needed between partners you know just between partners the level of alignment that’s needed um in order to show your kids if you know if we’re talking about kids the things that you really want them to see and for them not to run away from it because they like the dysfunction Y no I mean and you both of us coming from a family business where our moms and our dads were like integral in making everything happen from the day to day you know that there’s a lot of tough conversations on a daily basis weekly basis some in front of you some behind closed doors exactly I think it’s real yeah

it’s it’s very real it’s a very I mean it’s a super interesting topic to bring up just because I don’t know if your husband is in business um mine is not my wife is not right so she’s just like I said earlier she’s a school teacher and I actually appreciate the balance that that brings and the fact that I am allowed to probably push and charge a little bit harder um than maybe she would be comfortable with but she’s very supportive right and and the fact that she grew up with two School teachers as parents yes and she gets to and she’s always wanted to be a school teacher her whole life and that’s what she’s wanted to be and that’s what she is I had a lot of people ask me well is Lindy gonna come into business I’m like no like she’s doing exactly what she and we her and I have had the conversation of do do you want to be a stay-at home mom do you wanna she’s like I want to be a school teacher I’m like then be a school teacher like go do your thing right

because then when both people are chasing their thing that’s what makes you know when you come home and you’re like hey this is some of the best the best time the best conversations we’re both really doing what we want to do I love that I couldn’t agree more I couldn’t agree more my husband’s in the media and production space and um our conversations at the end of the day are are very stimulating because we can we can both share and we can both encourage and I think we’re both in our and we can both support each other operating from our areas of in interest and passion and strengths and there’s nothing wrong clearly we both come from spaces where our our parents work together but this too works this to yes um yeah from a support you know either way but both people got to be bought in they got to be committed like I think that’s the that’s the key and that’s the key I think to the Next Generation I think I’ll end on that is I think the next the next Generation I I it’s not a must have but it’s

important to have two parents that are involved I think they they both moms give a different level than the dads they different things and that’s part of the next generation is both sides need to be committed to giving the kids you know not what they want but what they need I absolutely agree I absolutely agree I love it and I think um the opportunity is for kids to see that there is value and strength um in people bringing different things to the table different things to the table and and it’s not one is better than the other but I think about it in terms of just life and Society recognizing that people will have different gifts and they will have different strengths and they will have different app uh abilities and why not Embrace that why not Embrace that and let people step into that I love it I’m gon to end on that Brandy you you crushed it awesome awesome thank you for everything it was a great conversation I mean we could talk about the price of copper aluminum but this one is a lot more fun to me because you actually

we get a good feel for just for everything you know that it takes to do what you do on a daily basis and and it’s not easy but you make it look easy you know one day at a time BR thank you and keep keep the strap life going I love it I will I will thank you Brandy take care have a great day