Brad Thomas’s company Evercast, which sells a media software that allows creative professionals to collaborate from anywhere, grew more than 10x during the pandemic. But he hasn’t always seen such success.
He has a picture on the home screen of his phone that helps him never forget where he’s come from. It’s a photo of one of Brad’s investors and friends signing a check for $350,000, simply because he believed in him.
The check was to help save Evercast, a Phoenix-based tech startup that Brad co-founded with two others. A major investor backed out at the last second and Brad had no idea how he could make up for that money. As a last ditch effort, Brad went to his friend Rick, who’d already invested half a million, to beg for more. Without that $350K, Brad wouldn’t be able to pay for his basic necessities and the company might go under.
But Rick told Brad something he would never forget. He’d had invested in Brad, not in Evercast. Rick believed in Brad, so he pulled out his checkbook and signed the check right there.
Turns out, Evercast’s biggest growth ever was right around the corner.
Brad has learned a lot from building companies, especially from building and growing Evercast. But one of the most important lessons Brad’s learned as an entrepreneur is the importance of believing in your product.
You have to believe deep down in what you’re doing, Brad says, in order to have the confidence to ask someone for money. Otherwise, it’s just stealing.
Brad’s company grew 10x during the pandemic, but he knows that isn’t the case for everyone. His biggest piece of advice? Don’t ever give up. There’s always a move to make.
In this episode, Hamid talks to Brad about things like Evercast’s success over the past year, the intense fear entrepreneurs experience and his advice to overcome bumps in the road.
Watch now or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.