Tim Longhurst is one of the world’s leading authorities on innovation and corporate strategy.Guys, this is a Flattering article written by Futurist Tim Longhurst.
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BRAD SMITH: DIRBING IT UP.BRAD SMITH. 24 years old. Driven. Balanced. Straight talking. A mind for finance. A head for business. A heart for personal development and growth. His gratitude - to his parents - to the teacher who handed him the first book he enjoyed reading - is palpable.His determination to succeed - from building tiny businesses, trading options on the stock exchange, designing a motorbike and having it manufactured in China, setting up a finance company AFTER the global financial crisis - is a picture of passion, confidence and determination.Through my inner-city eyes, he looks like someone who's ready to swear his head off, get drunk at a party and possibly even trash a neighbourhood. Instead, this vegan teetotaler is invested in his friends, his fans, his family and his business. He has a passion for "Braaap", the motorcycle company he founded, that is driven in part because of the positive role bikes played in his upbringing, and his vision of people also benefiting from this passion.Another inspiring friend, Sam Cawthorn, introduced Jason Fox and I to Brad on Tuesday night... The conversation that night, and the trip to Brad's "Think Tank", was a real eye opener.Brad's "THINK TANK" is above the massive Braaap Frankston showroom. Filled with clothing, motorcycles, mini Brads with caps turned backwards, and a ramp 'out the back' that leads to a jump for tricks and a foam pit that guarantees soft landings.Brad lives his life as if he's surrounded by foam pits for soft landings. But a few stories he tells indicates that he knows the bitter taste of a mouth full of dust... He's just learned a trick so many of us are yet to master: getting back in the saddle and opening up the throttle.The "Think Tank" (we were advised we'd be 'bowing to the whiteboard' - a ritual from which we were spared this time) is a room lined with whiteboards ready for anyone to DIRB it up... DIRB (Do It Real Big) is a word that is close to Brad's heart. On this occasion we didn't rely heavily on the Think Tank for our day - we spent most of it in his local cafe where he is treated as if he's the Mayor of Frankston. I suspect that life will see us return to the Think Tank for a session at some point, or at least, we will channel the spirit of the Think Tank in future sessions.As a teenager, Brad flew to China hoping to find a factory to build his bikes... Problem was, he had no money. He wanted 'vendor financing' - he'd pay a premium because he was putting no money up front. Many said no, but despite the financial limitations of Brad's offer and the obvious cultural and language differences between Guangzhou business owners and a Tasmanian teen, he made it work.When the bike businss took off, retailers around Australia wanted in. Soon though, Braaap-owned stores popped up, with some retailers miffed that a wholeslaer had turned competitor. No problem... Brad just bought any remaining bikes back for the price that had been paid by the retailers.Braaap motorbikes are the only bikes in the world with a lifetime warranty. To get that warranty though, you MUST register with the company. Meaning Braaap have a direct and - in the main - ongoing relationship with every rider.As part of his sales program, Brad's team teaches free riding lessons to all - he knows those lessons will turn some enthusiasts into owners... Welcoming new people into the Braaap family.Brad is obsessed with growth - it's how I met him, really. Because Brad is hitting the ground revving as a professional speaker. Apparently occasionally he opens his keynote by arriving on stage on a Braaap bike. "Fire wardens hate me" he grins. It's unorthodox, but that's the guy's charm. He might not look like the picture of success, but where it counts, he puts in the effort and the time. His appetite for growth and personal development has seen him sign up to Anthony Robbins' Platinum Partnership, where he goes skiing with Tony and hangs out with other millionnaire - and no doubt, a few wannabe - entrepreneurs. It's that kind of access and connection that keeps Brad driven and his sights set high.To arrive at Braaap headquarters - a former Telecom phone exchange - is to see the scale of Brad's daring and shrewdness of his business accumen. "It's a huge place" I note (besides the "Think Tank", the 7 or so other offices upstairs are empty - it's a massive premesis). "Yeah!" Brad enthuses. "I called the real estate agent and literally offered half what they were asking." Apparently the landlord wasn't thrilled, but a smiling Brad explains that having the guts to make a low-ball offer sometimes pays off. He got the building. Written all over Brad's story is one of the fundamental life lessons: "If you don't ask, the answer's always no!".When the GFC hit, a major finance company pulled out of the market, threatening Brad's business... Many Braaap motorcycles are bought on finance. So Brad considered his options, and decided that when the going gets tough, the tough set up a bank. Brad now has his own finance business, specialising in lending to customers who his larger competitors are too antiquated to serve. "They want 2 years straight with one employer, 2 years fixed address and a landline phone number. That's just not how our generation live! So I moved in". Brad's finance company is represented on Facebook by a fictitious character named "Ken Ride". If a customer wants finance, they add Ken as a friend so their relationships can be noted and Brad's bank have people to contact if the customer goes AWOL. There is not an obstacle Brad is not prepared to jump.So, at 24, he's the founder of a motorcycle business, a champion rider, a sponsor of other riders, an importer, wholesaler and retailer. He's got a tribe of riders who he supports as both a passionate leader and advocate. He's got a finance business and take the time to develop himself as an entrepreneur and human being.He's now hitting the world of speaking, and given the amount of inspiration I've taken from him in the first 24 hours, I know he's going to make a big difference in the lives of many. I'm really looking forward to hanging out with him again and hopefully sharing the platform plenty of times ove the coming years.Here are the key lessons that I've learned from chatting with Brad over the past day:-DIRB IT UP - Do It Real Big! It takes 100% investment to run a massive operation, just as it does to run a modest one. If you're going to go hard, make it count.-Be unreasonable - never stop asking for Big Things. If you don't ask, the answer's always no. You never know what's going on in the mind of others.-Start with your passion - and build a tribe - you will find it an endless source of enthusiasm... And the energy will be contagious.-The more belief, confidence and vision you have, the more you have to share, inspire and ignite in others. Brad knew that "if he built it, they would come" - but he took the time to do the numbers and prove to others that this was a vision worth buying into.-Invest in yourself - It's obvious Brad has invested much of his time in reading books - personal development, business, biographies (which he describes as, "a life's worth of wisdom - absorbed in three days!"). He's not afraid to fly to a conference or a meeting of minds anywhere in the world if he believes it will keep his inspiration tank full.-It's not the years in your life - it's the life in your years. What he's achieved at 24 is impressive because the vices that slow so many down have not been a trap for Brad.-Build the systems that allow a business to exist without you. As we sat in a Frankston cafe, 100m away his team were meeting for their regular GAS session - a meeting that ensures the business is on track to hit its targets. "Shouldn't you be at the meeting?" I asked... "No - they know what they're doing. If it relied on me, it wouldn't be a business."-"Are you anxious that your success as a speaker will take your focus of the business?" I asked. "Not at all" he smiled. There are so many moving parts - I can't be across it all anyway... Sometimes you've just got to back your team and know that you've built a business with processes that work.
