Type Of Business:
Sign and lighting company
Major Product/SVS:
Sign and lighting sales; Design: Manufacturing: Installation; Sign maintenance
Hobbies/Sports:
College football, especially Alabama; Camping and lake activities, including boating; Spending time with her family
Affiliations Awards:
MSSA; American Sign Association; National Federation of Independent Business; Better Business Bureau
Charity:
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Number Of Years In Profession:
26
Number Of Years In Current Position:
7
What Does He/She Attribute Success To:
She attributes her success to her husband's sales background. He has taught her everything that he could about the sign business while working at her side. She attributes the business' success to their repeat customers and dedication to customer satisfaction.
Why did you become involved in your profession or industry?:
She became involved in her profession because she had confidence in her husband's business plan and wanted to use her experience in sales to help him succeed.
Extended Bio Profile:
Ms. Brady became involved in the sign business because she was impressed by one ambitious, determined, and fearless man, Mr. Forrest Scott Brady. Mr. Brady started Advance Sign and Lighting with one small, used bucket truck and the conviction that everything would work out. After he and Ms. Brady married, she quit her sales job to join the company. Her confidence was well-placed, and the couple proved to be a good team. It wasn't long before their company began to grow. Now, after seven years of working together, Advance Sign and Lighting has four trucks and 10 employees, including Meighan Ellis, who is very much like her father. While Mr. Brady focuses on designs, quotes, scheduling, and hiring the right employees, Ms. Brady is responsible for sales, marketing, and managing the financial side of the business. Although Ms. Brady finds that working in a family business can be challenging, she feels that it is well worth the effort. The biggest lesson she has learned is that "you have to go with the flow and not be afraid of change." She and her husband have made many changes and continue to learn and change as they grow. Each year their goal is to improve in as many ways as they can, so that their customers' businesses can succeed as well as their own.
Position Responsibilities and Duties:
Overseeing the overall operations of the business, including finance; Processing the paperwork needed for permits for all of the cities they work in; Handling payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable and sales; Supervising eight people; Meeting with customers and discussing their options
Awards/Honors:
Best of Pelham, United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (2008)
Where Will You Be In 5 Years:
In five years, Ms. Brady and her husband intend to experience continued growth in their business and hold more national accounts.