"A company's culture can be a large part of what attracts candidates to seek employment at the organization and keeps current employees satisfied with their job"
Stephen Nalley is the founder and managing partner of The Black Briar Hotel Group and Black Briar Advisors. Black Briar is a uniquely positioned full-service real estate investment company that specializes in the acquisition, financing, and management of distressed hotel and resort assets.
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Thank you so much for giving us your time! Before we begin, could you introduce yourself to our readers and take us through what exactly your company does and what your vision is for its future?
Stephen Nalley: My name is Stephen Nalley. I am an Entrepreneur, veteran, and author. I am the founder and managing partner of Black Briar Advisors. Black Briar is a full-service real estate investment company that specializes in the acquisition, asset management, and turnaround of distressed hotel & resort assets. Prior to beginning my professional career, I honorably served in the United States Army as a Light Infantry Squad Leader with the 10th Mountain Division.
NO child ever says I want to be a CEO/entrepreneur when I grow up. What did you want to be and how did you get where you are today?
Stephen Nalley: When I was in grade school, I wanted to be a Major League Baseball Player. When that door closed another one opened. I shifted my passion to business and developed a level of enthusiasm that was much stronger than my love for baseball. I started in the healthcare arena and moved into real estate after about 10 years. My early success came in my ability to turn-around distressed real estate ventures and fix problems that no one wanted to fix. My motto has always been that “I can not be outworked” and mindset is always on how do we get things done.
Tell us something about yourself that others in your organization might be surprised to know.
Stephen Nalley: That’s a great question. I was an average student in high school. I was predominantly a “C” student. It wasn’t until I started college that I began to take academics seriously. I believe the difference was maturity, but also my identification of what I really wanted and why I wanted it. I did not have that in High School, back then it was all about baseball.
Many readers may wonder how to become an entrepreneur but what is an entrepreneur? How would you define it?
Stephen Nalley: A textbook definition is a person who organizes and operates a business or business, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so. However, I see an entrepreneur as an investor who invests in themselves. I get asked all of the time if I invest in the stock market and/or Crypto. My answer has always been consistent — I do not bet on other companies to succeed or fail, I put everything that I have on me to succeed every time.
What is the importance of having a supportive and inclusive culture?
Stephen Nalley: A company’s culture can be a large part of what attracts candidates to seek employment at the organization and keeps current employees satisfied with their job. A diverse workplace means that the workforce includes employees from different demographics like age, ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic background. However, it’s important to support diversity by forming and celebrating an inclusive culture that promotes individualism, respect, and appreciation among everyone at the organization. Having a supportive and inclusive culture will not only help you attract solid people but is also vital to helping you retain them.
How can a leader be disruptive in the post covid world?
Stephen Nalley: A disruptive leader is someone who is always looking for better solutions and ways to establish new processes and wants to make an impact on the business as a whole. Being a disruptive leader requires that you have the courage and conviction to step out of your comfort zone. It is not an exact science, but here is how I would recommend that entrepreneur’s approach being a disruptive leader in the post-Covid world. You need to develop a disruptive mindset, establish new structures and processes, be transparent and over-communicate, establish accountability and identify opportunities for the future.
If a 5-year-old asked you to describe your job, what would you tell them?
Stephen Nalley: It is funny, but my kid’s friends ask me this all of the time. I tell them that I buy hotels and I make them really nice so families can come and stay there when they go on vacation.
Leaders are usually asked about their most useful qualities but let’s change things up a bit. What is your most useless talent?
Stephen Nalley: I love music and listen to every genre from Jazz to Hip Hop. I can think of a song to fit any situation or at least change the lyrics of one to fit. I do it automatically without even thinking. It only takes me a second and is completely pointless.
Thank you so much for your time but before we finish things off, we do have one more question. If you wrote a book about your life until today, what would the title be?
Stephen Nalley: I actually do have a book out called “Relentless Pursuit: The Foundations and Principles that Winners are Built On.” It is not an autobiography, but it is about my life and the principles that I live and succeed by.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Stephen Nalley for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Stephen Nalley or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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