Episode Overview
Above and Beyond LLC is a heating-and-cooling operation. However, when owner/CEO Jason Brady took over and decided to rebrand, everybody said the company logo made it look like they were roofers.
Next thing you know, Above and Beyond went pink with its marketing and branding. Now, as sales climb, the once-tiny operation just did its first million-dollar month–and has 23 pink vans out on the roads in Edmond, OK.
Brady credits the company’s success on: Being able to pivot from mistakes. Having a diverse team in management. A willingness to reach out for help with questions he can’t answer on his own.
“I’d heard of people doing these million-dollar months, and I just thought that I don't know what it takes to get there,” he says.
On further review, he realized he needed to have the right team in place, have the right culture, and empower people.
Brady points to a sign on his wall that reads: “I would never promote a man who has not made mistakes, and big mistakes at that. Otherwise, he is sure to be mediocre."
That sums up his philosophy.
“All my guys know we're going to fail,” Brady says. “We're going to do something wrong, but we're going to take care of it. We're going to make a bad decision, and we're going to learn from them, and we'll make better decisions.”
The Above and Beyond management team is diverse and includes several women as well as individuals from non–service-trade industries, such as hospitality workers.
“They've helped us see, and to find, a lot of areas of improvement,” Brady says. “Ways to be more profitable. Ways to decrease costs. Ways to make employees happier. It's a whole different mentality from outside of the industry.”
In addition to hiring people who think differently. Brady says he also benefits from being open-minded about taking advice from coaches and mentors.
“I’m willing to listen to people tell me, ‘Hey, you can do this better this way,’” he says. “And being willing to hear how bad I suck at some things and owning that is necessary for improvement.”
Jason Brady recently joined ServiceTitan’s Jackie Aubel as part of Season 8 of the “Toolbox for the Trades” podcast, which included Brady’s thoughts on:
(5:17) Why failure is vital to sustainable growth
(11:27) Personality types and their role in leadership
(22:15) Hiring leaders from outside the trades
(28:44) How diverse leadership empowers employees
(31:50) Sharing frustrations with industry peers
To hear more stories from the trades, subscribe to Toolbox for the Trades on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or anywhere you get podcasts.
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