"Keep your eyes on the prize, not the disruptions."
Kim Brady is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, 2x author, and business coach behind Kim Brady Business Coaching. She has recently published “Get Stuck In! – Lessons from the Pitch to Build Your Business” and is a co-author on a collaborative project titled “Forever Athlete” – a collection of stories from high-level performers in both sport and life.
She helps people orchestrate the blueprint of their life and business on their own terms and she wants you to “Get Stuck In!” to Live Your Life Out Loud!™
Her areas of expertise include small business start-ups, transition from sport, team building, leadership development, and LGBTQ+ advocacy.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Kim Brady: Hi there-I’m a California native and soccer lover. I played soccer at Cal Berkeley on a 4 year DI scholarship, and then moved to Michigan to complete my master’s degree to become a family therapist. After 7 years, I left my field and moved to Colorado to start over again and got into business sales with various companies.
I constantly felt like something was missing, and was miserable working for Corporate America, so I quit my job without a parachute and built a residential housekeeping business from scratch and took in my adult nephew to help him get started on his career. After 10 years, I sold my company in 2020, and began my own business coaching practice. My business and life coaching has morphed into helping other athletes manage transition from their sport into a new career/business and that is what I do now. Help others launch into a new path and manage change.
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Kim Brady: Wow, so many changes have occurred since I sold my company in 2020 and started Kim Brady Business Coaching. The biggest change is learning to embrace change. Very few of us manage change well, myself included. Even if that change is by choice. I think the past few years have taught us that we need to stay deeply connected with our loved ones, embrace change, and trust that you will find a way through difficulties. Honoring that we all have them and then trusting your skills and connections to help you through. Thriving is based on relationships. Business is about relationships. The stronger they are, the better you will fare. Be kind. And don’t give up.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Kim Brady: Don’t focus on the pandemic, but focus on the results you want. Keep your eyes on the prize, not the disruptions. We have to face our difficulties or our difficulties will overwhelm us. And reach out for help. There are people willing and able to help you no matter what industry, or what problem you are facing, you do not have to do it alone.
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Kim Brady: I started my new business in the middle of the pandemic. The biggest change is having to come from within–not the industry. I have to get better at what I want to do and who I want to serve. It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, you have to adapt to something: processes, systems, technology, rules/regulations. Learning to adapt as quickly as you can while sticking to your core values is what matters most.
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Kim Brady: Seek out alternative forms of funding before you are in dire straits-that is for anyone. It’s easier to gain capital when you are in the black vs. being in a panic zone. I am grateful that I sold my company just before the pandemic closed the world and that preparation allowed me to manage the past two years better than others. Begin with the end in mind–exit strategies should always be thought about, especially when things are going well, so that if things shift, you have a plan of attack to get out.
It took over 9 months to sell my company-Had I not taken that step to get out when I did, I would not have been able to sell the company. I also want to improve my income streams and believe we should all have multiple sources on income, revenue, or monetization strategies for when the next big economic downturn arises.
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Kim Brady: To get out more and to see more clients face to face. I miss meeting people and engaging with a handshake and a smile. I am far better at being front facing and out from behind a computer screen, so the past few years have been tough.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Kim Brady: Too many! Sometimes 4-5 hours a day.
The majority of executives use stories to persuade and communicate in the workplace. Can you share with our readers examples of how you implement that in your business to communicate effectively with your team?
Kim Brady: I prefer to share stories of employee and clients success as opposed to my own. I find that I am very relatable because I have a large wheelhouse of experiences but also because I love learning about others and sharing the common themes we all have. The human condition is very real and the personal is professional. I love learning about people and think that its always people who make business successful.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Kim Brady: Getting out from behind a computer and tackling real world problems face to face. We still require human contact, communication, and trust. Its so easy to be angry at someone from behind a screen when we lose tone, facial expression, context etc. Shaking someone’s hand, listening to their concerns, and genuinely giving a warm smile can help reduce conflict. We have to learn how to be better at communication and recognizing its more about listening than it is speaking.
In 2022, what are you most interested in learning about? Crypto, NFTs, online marketing, or any other skill sets? Please share your motivations.
Kim Brady: I am wanting to improve my marketing efforts to gain more clients. I’m still new in the space I am in despite being in business for 12 years now. I want to get better and conveying my value and services across social media with the goal of hiring someone to help me with my marketing efforts.
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Kim Brady: I left the sales career I was in because of a toxic boss – so this is nothing new. But what is new is that the workers are not wanting to climb the corporate ladder anymore or just don’t see themselves in a path for growth. Workers are sick of being treated as a means to an end with massive salaries going to 10 people at the top of a 10,000 person company and they want a piece of the pie themselves.
The biggest difference is do these people have what it takes to wear all of the hats to build their own business, or can they find an organization (such as a small business) that has a more personal touch and bigger connection? We all point fingers at others and can easily blame someone else for our leaving. But its not the leaving that matters–its the growth it takes to not have a repeat scenario in the next chapter. That’s on the individual.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Kim Brady: The ability to be a charismatic leader. I’m an extremely passionate person and I go deep with people. I don’t have a superficial bone in my body, so I can be quite shy in a room of people despite doing public speaking! I would love to improve my ability to connect with more people and find ways to help more and more people be successful in their goals. It fills me up t see people succeed and I just need more folks to know I am here to coach them.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Kim Brady: I have so many goals in 2022! – I want to gain 50 clients, 12 speaking engagements, and sell 1000 copies of my books – these are massive goals, but why not aim high?
I also want to take some time to travel and meet some of my clients face to face! More connection will yield better results. And I want to laugh more, listen to more music, read more books, and take some time to enjoy the ocean where I live.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Kim Brady for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Kim Brady or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
