Ernie Bray

August 23, 2017

I Didn’t Know I Would Become An Entrepreneur In College

Ernie Bray

August 23, 2017

When I was in college I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do when I graduated. I studied Sociology with a emphasis on Institutional Analysis but nothing during this time got me excited about business. I watched fellow classmates gain degrees in accounting and business and had taken some of these courses as well but they were dry and boring

Ernie Bray

August 17, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Success, Think

5 Tips for Conquering the Stress of Success

Ernie Bray

August 17, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Success, Think

Among other responsibilities that come with being the boss is gracefully handling the inevitable pressure.

Ernie Bray

August 8, 2017

Entrepreneurship, Inspiration, Motivation, Success

4 Entrepreneurial Secrets My Kids Learned With A Lemonade Stand

Ernie Bray

August 8, 2017

Entrepreneurship, Inspiration, Motivation, Success

We all hear stories of the “Lemonade Stand” as the rite of passage for the budding young entrepreneur. I’ve never mentioned this idea to my kids and the funny thing is they figured it out on their own and came to me with their idea.

Ernie Bray

July 28, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Startup, Think

5 Essentials to Successfully Manage a Telecommuting Workforce

Ernie Bray

July 28, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Startup, Think

Fourteen years ago we started our firm based on a distributed workforce. At the time, there was a huge stigma around organizations that allowed employees to telecommute or work primarily from

Ernie Bray

June 27, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Sales, Success

3 Ways to Compete with Large Rivals

Ernie Bray

June 27, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Sales, Success

The story of David vs. Goliath is a well-worn metaphor of the “little guy” overcoming great odds to defeat a larger opponent. In my experience, however, this story is more than a source of inspiration.

Ernie Bray

June 9, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Motivation, Think

4 Secrets to Making Your Company a Happy Place to Work

Ernie Bray

June 9, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Motivation, Think

Business is dog-eat-dog. It’s about the pursuit of profits above everything else — a pitiless Darwinian exercise in which the strong survive by treating their workers like medieval serfs.

Ernie Bray

April 7, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Sales, Success

5 Mindsets to Help You Reel in Major Accounts

Ernie Bray

April 7, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Sales, Success

Small firms can -- and do -- land large clients. So, if you're small, leverage your small wins and provide the customized service the big fish can't match. Some of my fellow entrepreneurs suffer from an inferiority complex.

Ernie Bray

April 4, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Success

Leaders Are Always Learning

Ernie Bray

April 4, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Success

Are leaders born or made? I’m not going to debate the topic, but one thing I have learned through my years is that true leaders never stop learning. When it comes to leadership, everyone has his or her own notion of what leadership looks like.

Ernie Bray

April 3, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Startup

10 Habits of Highly Ineffective Entrepreneurs

Ernie Bray

April 3, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Startup

In the 28 years since Stephen Covey published The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, his advice has helped millions of people improve their professional lives—from presidents and CEOs to the owners of “Mom & Pop” shops.

Ernie Bray

February 23, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Startup

The Reality Of Building A Business

Ernie Bray

February 23, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Startup

Nobody likes to talk about it but the reality of starting a business and building a company is that it’s simply not for everyone. If you knew the truth of how hard it is, you’d probably run away fast as you can.

Ernie Bray

January 7, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Think

Three Great Books I Recommend

Ernie Bray

January 7, 2017

Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Think

One of the most important things to remember is, you never know enough. The moment you think you know it all is the moment you fail because you’re frozen. You stop growing, stop learning and you become stagnant.

Ernie Bray

December 7, 2016

Business, Career, Entrepreneurship

Six Signs You Are An Entrepreneur At Heart

Ernie Bray

December 7, 2016

Business, Career, Entrepreneurship

You have a hard time accepting the status quo. The status quo may be just fine at times, but often progress is stalled as new ideas are quelled when people are not willing to push

Ernie Bray

December 2, 2016

Business, Entrepreneurship, Investors, Startup, Success

5 Ways Shunning Venture Capital Made Me a Better Leader

Ernie Bray

December 2, 2016

Business, Entrepreneurship, Investors, Startup, Success

Today too many startup entrepreneurs dream and seek the VC-funded path of least resistance. At the same time the media lavishes “credibility” to such companies that are either unproven, unprofitable or both.

Ernie Bray

November 23, 2016

Business, Entrepreneurship, Motivation, Success

5 Intangible Keys to Business Success

Ernie Bray

November 23, 2016

Business, Entrepreneurship, Motivation, Success

As a group, entrepreneurs tend to prefer the tangible to the intangible. To launch and grow successful businesses, they usually favor facts and statistics over “squishy” personal growth strategies and leadership development programs.

Ernie Bray

May 9, 2016

Business, Entrepreneurship, Investors, Startup

Bootstrap Your Company To Success

Ernie Bray

May 9, 2016

Business, Entrepreneurship, Investors, Startup

I don’t blame business owners for dreaming of becoming unicorns. Who wouldn’t want to receive a massive cash infusion and become a respected “player” literally overnight?

Ernie Bray

March 9, 2016

Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership

Leading From The Front

Ernie Bray

March 9, 2016

Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership

One of the most important tasks as the leader of an organization is to inspire and motivate your team. How can you do it? Lead from the front.

Ernie Bray

July 5, 2015

Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership

Power Up Your Business!

Ernie Bray

July 5, 2015

Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership

Recently I was asked, "How do you maintain so much drive and energy in your business?” I thought about it for a moment and realized that for me, it is finding enthusiasm and excitement in the entire process which includes building relationships, strategizing, igniting the competitive spirit,

Ernie Bray

March 10, 2015

Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Startup

Inspiring Your Team At Work

Ernie Bray

March 10, 2015

Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Startup

Having an enthusiastic team of loyal employees who look forward to doing their job should be the goal of every employer. As a business owner who has built a successful national firm from the ground up, I believe it's truly the people who a make a company.