Conversations with Brayden Huff

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brayden Huff.

Hi Brayden, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
At a young age, I looked up to many figures who inspired and still inspire me today. My inspiration has been drawn from many places, whether from family or some of the country’s top CEOs. People who are where I want to be, attract my attention. It has helped my thought processes by never being satisfied, never giving up, never settling for average, and constantly questioning what someone else is doing and why. If we never ask those questions, we will never know the why of our purpose. I graduated high school, not even knowing what my purpose was. I felt I had the upper hand with job offers from two companies (to which I had never applied). I negotiated my worth and knew I could only choose one. I ended up picking the smaller company, Elements of Eden. I worked as an underdog for almost two years until the massive job migrations happened in early 2021, leaving a gap in the relatively small company. I then had to show value to my boss, soon-to-be partner, that I was worth it. I was never worried because I was always the first to show up and the last to leave. In the back of my head, playing over and over again, persistence pays off, and it did! At the beginning of 2022, the owner of EOE confronted me and asked if I’d like to take over the day-to-day operations. I went for it, taking a new position, and knew this was the opportunity I had been looking for. With the jump in responsibility came trust and a whole different spectrum of work. Instead of being an employee, I had to gain a different perspective when operating and dealing with a client. The new responsibility of seeing–this isn’t just another job that I have to clock in and out of. It’s the position requiring me to keep all projects’ cash flow positive and maintain an unreal consistency of service through all clients. I still work at EOE as a 50 percent partner to this day, and I thoroughly enjoy all the people I meet!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The hardest part has been getting the confidence to scale operations to another level and keeping track of what makes a record year. Analyzing efficiencies and inefficiencies and tracking weekly progress; are just a few things to look at when attaining that next step towards improvement. When running a business, there are many things to consider: how many employees are too much, current demand, and projected forecasts for the capital inflow. When considering the next phase of success, it is crucial to keep those questions in mind. Currently, we are in the process of building a warehouse and doubling the amount of company equipment to get another crew up and going. However, before we advance at rapid paces, we must nail down the process, service, and the people we are providing it to, who are our target customers. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in—your level of service and how it stacks up to the competition matters. If you trim life down to its most simple state, we are all learning from other people/companies. Much we know or understand has been given to us by someone else, like professors, leaders, friends, bosses, etc. Most we do in life is imitated, like how we watch our parents as kids or see a competitor operate. It makes you want to set the bar higher and mimic what “they” do, but maybe with a competitive twist. All that to say, we are all learning, and the best way to figure out a situation is to tackle it head-on and use common sense. Think critically!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a serial entrepreneur who spends time building strong solid company foundations before moving on to the next business. For example, I’m currently working with a landscaping company that has been in business for over ten years. However, it needs better improvements, such as more profitable cash flow, additional equipment, and better strategies to take it to the next level—That’s where I come in.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
To live as simply as possible and realize that it is just temporary. The more money that can be saved and put back into the business early on will put you further ahead than the company buying things that don’t help the bottom line. Don’t be afraid to try new processes and calculate if the time involved is worth the money saved to bring a particular operation in-house. I’d encourage anyone starting to think long-term, stay in your lane and focus on where you want to be. Never obsess over the day you’re living. Think bigger!

Contact Info:

• Website: elementsofedentn.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elementsofedendesign/