By: Joshua Finley

Brad Burns’ path from humble beginnings in rural Missouri to serial entrepreneurship is a story of perseverance in the face of adversity. Despite setbacks and uncertainty, Brad leveraged his relentless drive, relationship building skills and fearless mindset to find success.

Now guiding an empire spanning construction, signage, concrete and more, Brad aims to create opportunities for others and shift the paradigm in his family.

Overcoming Early Life Challenges

Brad grew up in a 900 square foot home in rural Missouri, he grew up from humble beginnings with a foundation of support and love that taught him the critical skills of hard work, determination, integrity and grit. As he shares, “Growing up, we didn’t have a ton. We weren’t a wealthy family, but there was a tremendous amount of love and support that I always felt.” Fueled by hopes for a better future, Brad was driven from a young age.

He set his sights on being the “Henry Ford of his family,” elevating their circumstances through entrepreneurship and education. After being the first in his family to graduate college and obtain a Master’s degree, Brad gained critical experience in commercial real estate and business turnarounds that continue to serve him to this day. Despite gathering skills, his path ahead would be defined by uncertainty.

Pivoting in the Face of Hardships

In 2008, Brad’s career in commercial real estate finance was uprooted by the recession. He reflects, “I had to do some pivoting. Worked in an architecture firm for about a year and a half. They had some challenges with their projects getting funded.” Facing another shakeup, Brad moved to commercial contracting, only to be let go shortly after. At a crossroads once again, former potential clients that he had tried to onboard at his last firm reached out for support on small projects. Brad seized this opportunity, slowly building a general contracting firm from the ground up.

Brad’s perseverance was fueled by his childhood goals, sharing, “When I was younger, I didn’t want to be in a situation where not having enough money hindered our ability to just have opportunities in life.” Through years of 20-hour workdays and financial uncertainty, Brad guided his company past the $5 million revenue mark, proving his naysayers wrong through relentless determination.

Photo Courtesy: Brad Burns

Creating Opportunities for Others

Brad possesses a unique ability to identify capable people and empower them to step into entrepreneurship. A pivotal moment was discovering the talents of a college friend while completing a challenging sign installation job.

Brad reflects: “It took a little bit of convincing for him to leave the family print shop, but we got to a point where it was necessary to have a heart-to-heart conversation with his dad.” They co-founded Vizex, a signage company that now generates nearly $7 million in annual revenue.

Brad has repeated this process across industries like concrete, seafood, and franchise restaurants. He provides eager partners with infrastructure and resources, helping them overcome fears and obstacles in taking the leap  into entrepreneurship. According to Brad, “I brought to the table the back-of-house part of the business”—the accounting, insurance, and corporate structures that complement the technical skills of his partners.

Inspiring the Next Generation

Brad aims to impact others on his entrepreneurial journey. He serves on the board of Junior Achievement, delivering financial literacy and business programs to youth. He also is the Board Chair of Haven House, helping traveling patients and families in need. Most importantly, Brad strives to lead by example for his five children. As he shares, “You always want something better for your kids.” He works to give them opportunities while instilling the importance of effort, knowing success often “comes from adversity.”

Brad wants to equip others to pursue their dreams by embodying perseverance and relentlessness. His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is simple: “No matter what you’re doing, if that’s your goal and that’s your dream, just follow it until there’s just nothing left there to follow.” By rejecting discouragement and fearlessly chasing ambitions, Brad believes anyone can achieve what once seemed impossible, just as he did on his path from rural Missouri to serial entrepreneur.

To learn more about Brad Burns, visit his LinkedIn profile here.

Published by: Martin De Juan