The company itself was started by a very charismatic guy named Brady, whose 3 month Thailand trip in 2005 turned into a life-changing 8 month experience. He, like me, was from Edmonton, Alberta: the "frozen tundra", as some of us call it. He felt more at home at Thailand than he ever did in Edmonton. For me, this was a huge selling point on why I needed to work for him - we both had the same feeling, that traveling felt more comforting than actually being in the city you were raised in.
Brady's love for Thailand was so strong that he felt he had a message to deliver. Have you ever experienced something so profound that you feel a responsibility to inform the people you care about? I think there could not be a stronger foundation for a business than the passion to improve people's lives through something you believe in.
Since 2005, Brady has grown from a young traveler to a full-fledged entrepreneur; building a business from the ground up, all surrounding his passion for travel. The tours now run throughout the year, in Thailand, Bali and the newly launched destination, Brazil. His business and its success has grown organically through his fostering of relationships with the people he's met through his work and globe-trotting. Brady has told me himself that he has not really stopped traveling for the last five years; I find this to be profound as the success of his business has continued to grow.
It is through my involvement with the company that has given me the insight to why his business is a success. The following integral pieces of his business model have allowed LBW continue to grow, while Brady still maintains a traveling lifestyle:
1. The aforementioned foundation of the business: Passion to improve people's lives through something you believe in (in this case, travel)
2. The business owner fostering relationships through all walks of life
3. Hiring employees with the same fundamental beliefs, especially in the early developmental stages of the business
4. The owner's embodiment through lifestyle of the business culture he is fostering: Life Before Work
Through this experience comes a strong sense of inspiration, as Life Before Work is an example of the procurement of a successful business model through hard work, but more importantly, integrating your personal beliefs into your professional life.
Life Before Work: It's that simple.
