Shaun Bradley has lived the American dream. He went from selling peanuts at Green Bay Packer games as a boy, to Naval Academy graduation and service in the U.S. Navy as a young man. He then co-founded and served as CEO of Bradley-Morris, Inc. (BMI). Shaun is known as a Founding Father of the modern military recruiting industry, which in its various forms has now placed tens of thousands of veterans into positions in American industry – all at no cost to them. BMI was honored at the White House as one of the top small businesses in the country. The company opened in 1991 in a 250 square foot executive suite in Atlanta, Georgia, and grew to become a multi-location, multi-state operation, placing over 15,000 veterans with annual sales eclipsing $15M. It became one of the largest non-franchise staffing firms in the United States.
After retiring from BMI in 2007, Shaun added book author to his list of accomplishments when he published Small Business Veteran: My Journey from Lambeau Field to the White House. Today, Shaun serves as a Vistage CEO Peer Advisory Board Chair, where he facilitates the important discussions and learning necessary for sustained success among a larger network of CEOs, executives, and business owners. His Vistage role provides Shaun with the opportunity to do what he loves most—building and maintaining valuable and rewarding relationships.
Contact Information:
Email: shaun.bradley@vistagechair.com
Mobile: 678.777.7142 (please leave a message)
Show Notes:
In this episode, Tim and Taylor welcome Vistage Chair Shaun Bradley to the podcast. In a lively and interesting conversation, Shaun shares the differences between military and small business leadership, the challenges facing today’s small business owners from talent shortages to tax increases, the importance of CEO peer groups, the role of the small business leader, and lessons learned selling peanuts.
In this Episode:
• What Matters to Small Business [0:03:14] • From Naval Officer to CEO [0:04:33] • Military verses Small Business Leadership [0:07:28] • Small Business Challenges in 2021 [0:10:12] • Who was Successful During COVID [0:12:15] • Becoming a Vistage Chair [0:15:30] • The Role of the Small Business Leader [0:20:18] • Becoming an Author [0:25:42] • Rapid Fire [0:30:21] • Contact Information [0:34:29] • Take Aways [0:35:26] • SBM Announcements [0:36:50]