Running several companies at once is tough, but running them well is even harder. But in St. Louis, one business owner has figured out a way to do both. By sharing resources and talent across his construction, signage, concrete, QSR and seafood companies, Brad Burns turned what started as a one-man contracting operation into a thriving business group. His unconventional path from working out of his basement to managing multiple successful companies shows how creative thinking about business basics can lead to some pretty impressive results.
Building from the Ground Up
Brad’s entrepreneurial journey began with a contracting company that would later earn recognition on the Inc. 5000 list, ranking at number 750. “The first year in business with the contracting company was probably one of the roughest ones I’ve ever had,” Brad recalls. “I made a lot of mistakes that first year, but I learned from those mistakes and those things never happened again. It’s almost like you paid to get beat up a little bit that first year.” Those early lessons proved invaluable as Brad expanded his business interests. Within five years, he had launched a commercial signage company that worked in tandem with the contracting business, followed by a residential concrete company that now also handles pool construction.
Expanding into New Markets
What sets Burns Holdings apart is its innovative approach to business management. Rather than operating each company as a separate entity with its own administrative staff, Brad developed a shared services model that maximizes efficiency and reduces overhead costs. “What we did was build a shared services type model,” Brad explains. “Everyone who’s a W2 employee from all the companies became an employee of the holdings company. Instead of having one bookkeeper inside of each company, we built an accounting group at the holdings company level that just bills down as needed. We share overlapping costs that would be redundant across operations, marketing, and other functions.”
This structure has proven particularly valuable for launching new ventures. “It allows us to get these other companies that we’ve added in the past year up and running faster without necessarily having to take on a bunch of overhead,” Brad notes. “We can delay the cost of that overhead until we get profitable or start generating enough revenue to where it makes sense.”
Empowering Teams for Success
Brad’s leadership philosophy centers on empowering his team members to take ownership of their roles. “I empower everybody to do their thing,” he says. “When I’m interviewing people, part of the conversation is, we’ll train you on how we do things, our workflow, the processes, your job description for three to five months. After that, you should be able to hit the ground running.” This approach extends to how he views job descriptions and responsibilities. “Your job description doesn’t define everything – it’s not like your checklist. It’s more like a guide for these are the things we must have,” Brad explains. “We’re a group of small companies so sometimes we got to step outside those lines and pitch in where we need to.”
Long before remote work became commonplace, Brad had built his companies with flexibility in mind. “When I first started the contracting company, I was working out of my basement. Everybody was spread all across the country because we were a national company working across the US,” he recalls. “When COVID hit, we were already ready for it because we had literally just moved into our new office, but before that nobody worked in the office. Everybody was remote. So everyone had company provided home office setups ” This forward-thinking approach to technology and workplace structure has allowed Burns Holdings to attract top talent regardless of location. “You can’t expect the greatest resources in those markets to be only in St. Louis,” Brad points out. “We have people in Minnesota, Detroit, Nashville, Cincinnati, and a few other places around the country.”
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
For those looking to make their mark in business, Brad emphasizes the importance of hands-on leadership. “Just get in there and get dirty,” he advises. “Do not ever be afraid to lead by example. One of the things I did early on was, I would go out to these job sites when we first started a little over 10 years ago, and I would do everything I could to work as hard as I possibly could.” Brad believes this approach sets the tone for the entire organization. “If they saw me doing it consistently and I asked them to do it once, it probably wouldn’t be a huge deal,” he explains. “You can’t be afraid to jump in and do whatever you got to do to make it successful.”
Through Burns Holdings, Brad has created a business model that not only promotes efficiency and growth but also fosters a culture of accountability and mutual respect. As he continues to expand his portfolio and explore new opportunities, his emphasis on shared resources, clear expectations, and leading by example provides a blueprint for modern business success.
To learn more about Brad Burns and his companies, check out his LinkedIn profile.
