Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Pham.
Hi Brad, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I like to say I’ve been in business from an early age. My parents owned a sewing shop and taught me that if I want something, I have to WORK to earn it. So as a little kid, I worked at their shop and my mom would pay me 5 cents for every small bag that I could fill with buttons. My first business started when they took me to the grocery store to buy me $2 mixed candy bags and then I would sell each candy for 10, 20 or 30 cents a piece to the kids at the playground. Then in middle school, I sold used video games. If there was a video game my friends weren’t playing anymore, I would ask them if I could have it, create for-sale flyers and then sell it. I was kind of like a Gamestop.
In high school, I started a CD making business. Students would request CDs or mixtapes with their favorite songs or artists, I would burn the music on blank CDs and then sell it for $20. I made serious money from that. So, you can say that I learned early on about my earning power. When I turned 18, I dropped out of high school. I just wanted to work, but I wasn’t getting hired. I applied everywhere- Kroger’s, Macy’s Gap, Banana Republic.. Eventually, a friend introduced me to the financial services industry as an independent contractor. As a contractor, you were able to start and build your own business.
Since then, I’ve worked in financial planning, insurance and investments, learning all aspects of finance. But even as an independent contractor, I was still lacking freedom. I spent a decade and a half working for someone else and helping them fulfill their dreams. A lot of politics came into play, promises were broken, there was a lot of disappointment from people I thought were true business partners and I was told to lie to keep my struggles quiet. I had to ask myself, “is this really going to be my future?” The last thing I wanted to do was be a sellout to my principles. When I was 34 years old, I realized I had the opportunity to control my future, so I started the journey to open my own company, Our Infinite Company. I got here through a lot of mistakes, determination and focus, eliminating negativity, focusing on the goal, self discipline, repetition, sticking to the fundamentals and having fun.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Haha no. The journey of how Our Infinite Company came to be and overcome had countless struggles. Starting up a company while my spouse was pregnant is the first. Only one month after starting up Our Infinite Company (OIC), I had a newborn baby. I had to learn how to cultivate enough, being an entrepreneur and unexpectedly becoming a father at the same time. Funding was a big problem. I thought I had everything planned because we based our funding off our investments and savings, which I thought was more than enough. There were issues with carrier contracts, issues with software, issues with our previous officeholders. I was thinking everyday “Are we going to make it?” At the end of 2018, we almost had our license revoked. In less than 24 hours, we gathered all the necessary paper work here in Dallas, drove over three hours to Austin, resolved all the issues and then drove back to Dallas just to make sure our business could keep running the next day. That was definitely one of the most stressful days for our company. We were misled by companies who told us that we can offer certain products, which led to us having to sit down with federal agents. That wasn’t fun. Luckily, they saw that we didn’t do anything wrong and we didn’t get in trouble.
Fast forward only two years later, we, along with millions of other companies, worked through surviving the outbreak of COVID-19. Prior to COVID-19, our company was prepared for a recession, but none of us were prepared for the pandemic. Finding a true work-life balance as CEO of a start-up company is already daunting. Finding that balance during a worldwide pandemic? Nearly impossible. I love challenges and there will be times I want to quit. There will be times that I fail. It’ s hard to endure, but I honestly love it. I love business. It’s like a relationship- it’s not always going to be love and happiness, but the upside helps the downside. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and I probably will continue to make mistakes because that’s how you learn. In my opinion, the journey should be loved more than the destination. And then, it’s about teaching people not to make the same mistakes. Which now, I see those mistakes as gifts that I can use to help others to have a better financial understanding in their day-to-day lives.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Today, Our Infinite Company is one of the fastest growing privately held financial services companies. We were founded in the summer of 2018 by a group of leaders who came together, wanting to do something DIFFERENT. With our business model and financial platform, we empower people through financial education and entrepreneurial mentorship. I wanted to start a business built on principles, beliefs and growth, rooted from the experiences I had in my upbringing. Regardless of your skillset, your past success or failures, I believe everyone has the potential to do something great and with OIC, we give that vision to achieve your dreams to someone every single day. You can’t control the future or the economy, but you can control how your life will look 5 to 10 years from now as an entrepreneur. What sets us apart from others? The people. Every company has their own personality and uniqueness and OIC is definitely unique. I’m proud to say that our company is one big family. Majority of our partners are family and friends, I consider our Officers as my brothers and sisters, my cousin is part of Accounting. When you have that relationship and connection of understanding within your organization, it creates a more humbling and genuine experience.
The company is led by a 36-year-old where in most companies of this industry, the CEOs are in their 40s or 50s. I am also a field leader, so I think I can bring a young, diverse way of thinking to revolutionize an old, traditional industry. I think people want to discuss their financials with someone who can relate to them and their needs. As CEO, President and Founder of the company, I do everything. My job is to find solutions to a problem and also find solutions to a problem before it happens. If someone doesn’t want to do something, I’ll do it. I do it and it shows through my actions that if I can do it, anyone can do it. If that means I have to clean, I’ll clean. If that means I have to sell, I’ll sell. I share that characteristic with most other CEOs. Everyone knows the job isn’t going to be done unless you do it. It’s lonely at the top, but it’s okay! What sets me apart from others is that I am willing to take risks to gain reward. I’m willing to be aggressive when others aren’t. I’m willing to take risks because at the end of the day, it’s about the goal. If you focus on the goal, then the risk will be rewarded. I’m more secured being unsecured.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I always thought Dallas was the best city because the opportunities that are given here. In my opinion, it’s central to the entire United States of America. It’s home. It’s a friendly city. I travel a lot and I can never see myself living elsewhere. I love this city. It’s a yin and yang. I love the tons of opportunities and growth, but I hate the traffic. Hahaha
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ourinfinite.com
- Instagram: @thebradpham, @ourinfiniteco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bradpham
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ourinfiniteco
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OurInfiniteCompany
Image Credits
Credits to Our Infinite Company and Time Traveler Pictures
