Bryan has been working in the printing industry since he was 17 years old. He has held every title from print operator, to install, design, and company president. He loves working in print because he likes to see big ideas come to life on a big scale. Bryan graduated from the University of Utah in Business and received his MBA from Louisiana State University. He loves to travel with his family and has been to over 30 countries with them. He loves to be in the ocean and has swam with whales, sharks, sea lions, manta rays, and whale sharks. Any place near an ocean is his favorite place in the world.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
All my activities revolve around my 3 areas of focus – winning/growing strategic accounts, opening new locations, and acquiring new businesses. I try to devote some time of each day to these three areas. I always know that if what I am doing serves one of these 3 areas, then it is a good thing to do.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I love to make something out of nothing. It is very rewarding to see your idea turn into reality.
I am a big believer in planning your work and then working your plan. Before I do anything big like open a new location, I make a detailed plan of all the steps it will take to accomplish. This includes timelines, people involved, contingent steps, etc. Then I just work my way through the list and meet the deadlines. Accomplishing something big is much more about consistent effort than anything else.
I love what I do because my work is so visual. I like to be able to point out projects my company has done and tell people that I did that.
What’s one trend that excites you?
One thing that excites me is that so many of our customers in the service industry are being bought by private equity firms and growing at a rapid pace. This results in more opportunities for my company as they grow and professionalize their image.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I travel a lot. When I am at work, I give 100% effort and focus. It is mentally taxing and tiring. So, I like to take frequent trips – even just for a day or two – to recharge. This helps me bring my “A” game every day.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I think my younger self did a good job. I probably wouldn’t give too much different direction.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
When you are an expert, operating off of gut/emotion/intuition is better than operating off of numbers and data.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Consistency is key to life in general – and especially business. Show up every single day and put in the effort to get the results.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I don’t get overwhelmed. I am able to manage a lot at once – in fact, I prefer to have a few things going on at once.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Don’t keep doing things a certain way just because that is the way it has always been done. Most people are content to keep a broken system rather than push for change. Entrepreneurs seek broken systems and fix them.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I once thought we could save money by turning off the air conditioning over the weekend. The first weekend we tried it, all of the servers overheated and burned out. The replacement cost was significantly more than the savings from not having the AC on.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I am a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints (Mormon). We do not drink coffee.
I always thought that a hot chocolate coffee shop would do well in the Intermountain West where there are many members of my faith. Think Starbucks but with hot chocolate variants for $7/cup.
Seeing the explosion of soda shops just helps to confirm that this would be a good idea. People in my religion are tripping over themselves to pay for overpriced drinks daily.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I use AI a lot. Google Gemini is my go to tool.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
Taking a tour to swim with Whale Sharks in the wild in La Paz, Mexico
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
My favorite books are The Silo Series by Hugh Howey. I love to read science fiction because I like to think about how the world could work and what the future might be like. Honestly, the value I get from it is just escapism – but it is good to let your brain take a break.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I just rewatched all of the Harry Potter movies with my kids. I grew up as the books and movies came out and now I get to enjoy seeing my kids discover the magic. It is a lot of fun.
Key learnings:
- Consistency is key
- Find a broken system and fix it
- Reward yourself with pizza