I am very happy to interview fellow YEC member and someone that lives in my hometown. I am happy to get to talk with Brad, and know entrepreneurship is live and well in Winnipeg!

YGG: We k

now you’re a “Young Go Getter”, but so our readers know, how old are you?

Brad: 23

YGG: Can you tell us the quick history about your business and what motivated you to start it up?

I started a computer store with my dad when I was 13. My father has always been an entrepreneurial inspiration to me and I was always interested in technology. I think he saw an opportunity to really get me motivated and start down the entrepreneurial path. I quickly picked up a lot of the knowledge necessary to running a business, working after school and on weekends. Of course, my first owners draw from the company at 14 was pretty motivating too.

YGG: What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

There were many things I have done that have helped my business grow to the point that it is today. One of them was reading the four hour workweek. That book changed my life. The biggest lesson I learned from that book was the 80/20 rule. I basically run my life off of that rule now. I looked over my books and noticed that 80% of my profits came from 20% of my customers and also that 20% of my customers were causing 80% of my problems. In addition to that, I noticed another trend, that the top 20% of my clients were all in the same industry. Focusing on one industry allowed me to really explore with automation and delegation. I basically went from working 20 hour days to 2 or 3 hours a day, allowing me to focus on other entrepreneurial interests. I also make more money now, which is great!

YGG: What has been your most effective marketing tactic or technique?

Most of my marketing comes from word of mouth. I develop awesome relationships with my clients and they never hesitate to recommend me to their peers. Again, picking a specific vertical market really helps with word of mouth marketing as everybody knows each other within the industry.

Another tactic that really works for me is breaking downtime and other problems into an actual figure. A simple explanation would be say an employee works on a computer 40 hours a week and he costs the company $20.00 / hour. 2 hours of downtime a week would end up costing the company $40.00. I found clients really respond to actual figures instead of fancy brochures or websites.

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I would like to introduce Devesh, I met Devesh last year and we quickly became friends large in part to our similar entrepreneurial mindsets. He also came on board to help me plan and execute nd Calgary which was an excellent success. But I will let him tell you in his own words about his journey!

YGG: We know you’re a “Young Go Getter”, but so our readers know, how old are you?

Devesh: 28

YGG: Can you tell us the quick history about yourself, and what drives you to succeed?

Devesh: I started my first business when I was 14, it was a comic book rental business that I started with a couple of friends who were also big on reading and collecting comic books, since then I have started multiple businesses in fashion, beauty, technology, education. I also worked for multiple Fortune 50 companies in different capacities for half a decade after my MBA from State Univ. of NY (Oswego). I started consulting a coaching small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs out of my technology business and realized that helping entrepreneurs succeed was my true calling, something that I enjoyed doing the most. Now, I help cubicle imprisoned aspiring entrepreneurs break out of the 9-5 jail and start their own businesses.

YGG: How did you get started in this business?

Devesh: As I mentioned I had been an entrepreneur before going for an MBA and traditional corporate job and even after working at many different companies in different capacities I always felt imprisoned, because I just couldn’t work and grow as I wished. I missed the freedom and fun I had as an entrepreneur. Following the instructions that came with “that’s just the way it’s always been done” flavor is what I’m allergic to. I have always been interested in meeting new people and talking and when I mentioned my job as a 9-5 jail at the networking events people started recognizing me as ‘9-5 jail’ guy more than my name, that how ‘Breaking the 9to5 jail’ was born, first a group, then a blog, now a book, blog and source of inspiration and information for aspiring entrepreneurs…

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It is fun to look and see what people that have been around YGG are now doing. There is quite a range of projects, but this one is actually really neat. Monica has been involved with YGG for quite awhile and now she is writing a fiction book. I have

a lot of admiration for what she is doing, because I don’t ever think I could undertake a creative venture like that. If you want to help siupport her writing please go to Kickstarter and help out in anyway you can. Enjoy the interview!

What inspired you to write your first book?

I’ve always enjoyed reading fiction and there were certain stories that I wanted to read that weren’t in existence. So I decided to write them myself. That was two years ago; I didn’t actually write one until this year. Even when you are inspired sometimes other things don’t align-time, other projects in your mix, or a clear path from point A to point B. Things finally aligned for me this year around March, and I’ve been writing the story ever since.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

There are probably lots of little messages, but no, I didn’t write it to teach readers a lesson. One topic that is explored is the validity of religion, and there are characters on both sides in the book. I also wrote a lot about killing, and the characters question whether it’s okay even in self-defense. There are arguments for both sides in the book. I think it’s better as the writer to not really take a side, but to let the readers explore and challenge their own beliefs.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I have a lot of favorite authors. Right now I really like Suzanne Collins who wrote a series called The Hunger Games. I like her use of cliffhangers at the ends of chapters. In non-fiction, I’ll always like Seth Godin. People complain that he only talks about really simple ideas but I disagree. The value of his writing is not necessarily in the ideas but in the way he makes implementing them sound easy.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Yes, that people shouldn’t write books for money. A lot of people want to write books but they never do, and the reason is that it’s so unprofitable. You can spend 400 hours writing a book and someone can spend five hours reading it. That’s not a good equation from the writer’s perspective. The book is priced at $10 or so, which is $2 for an hour of entertainment, from the reader’s perspective. That’s about right. But from the writer’s perspective, you can’t make a decent hourly wage, once you subtract printing costs, distribution costs, editing costs, design costs, and marketing costs, unless tens of thousands of people read your book.

So

writers mostly write for themselves and see the money as an added bonus (or at least I do).

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I wrote stories when I was young, like six years old. My interest in writing stemmed from my interest in reading.