Takeaways – Life. Lessons. Learned.
Brad Howard
Brad Howard is a serial entrepreneur and online retail veteran with over a dozen successful startups throughout his career—and also a few flops. In 2021, he made a successful exit from his core business, Trend Nation, which he built into one of the largest Amazon private label platforms over the course of 15 years. Brad also won numerous local regional and national awards, including the 30 Under 30, and 40 Under 40 awards. He added multiple companies to the Inc 500 list and serves as Chairman of the Board for Channel Key, Managing Partner at Howard Family Ventures, and is a board member of a few non-profit boards including Jewish Nevada and Boy Scouts of America as a proud Eagle Scout.
Born and raised in Ohio, he and his family moved to Las Vegas in 2009 and made it their home with a very successful e-commerce business during a time when many other businesses struggled. His selling strategies are fascinating because they’re proof that you can learn by doing, make pivots when necessary, and do what you love even if no one else is doing it—like opening a claw machine arcade. Finding a trend, creating a niche, and knowing how to scale up have given him a significant lead in both online and physical retail spaces. But at the end of the day, Brad’s biggest focus is leaving the world a better place than when he found it.
Finding Opportunities From The Beginning
Brad’s entrepreneurial spirit goes back to his college days. He always had a knack for making money, until a close call with the law while selling fake IDs caused him to apply his skills to more legitimate business plans. His moral equilibrium was tested and shaped by his “scared straight” moments as a young man.
Brad’s passion for entrepreneurship remained strong, and despite multiple nice job offers, he decided to take the risk and started his first official business seven days after graduation—a truck-side advertising business. It wasn’t very profitable, but it provided him the opportunity to learn. Five years later, he co-founded the e-commerce business that went on to become one of the biggest selling platforms on the Amazon marketplace.
From a life changing exit, from online to brick-and-mortar, and pioneering experiential claw machines in Las Vegas, Brad is doing it all. In 2024 alone, he co-founded three companies. But his purpose is to add value and help the community grow and thrive at the same time.
Your Bucket List is Your Bank Account
For Brad, life is about living. Actually living! Family, travel, and enjoying your life while you still have mobility are just as important as building monetary wealth. He and his wife created their bucket list. They made it big. They share it with other people. And they are and start going after what’s important to them. It makes them vibrant. It amplifies their purpose.
Brad is adamant that each of us should create a bucket list, think big, share it, and live to fulfill it!
Takeaways From This Episode
- AI is here to stay, and every business will be disrupted, so it’s critical that you learn it.
- A bucket list is the new bank account.
- Semi-retire in the middle third of your life, while your kids are still young.
Watch the full Podcast episode to hear Brad’s gutsy story of entrepreneurship and the tips and lessons he’s learned along the way. Thank you for listening! Please subscribe to “Takeaways,” rate, and review wherever you get your podcasts.
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