A Million Reasons

Not only have we built several multi-million dollar companies, we’ve managed to sell them off, and also acquire a few along the way. We’ve literally made millions of dollars in the sign industry over the years with extremely small teams, limited resources and we faced not one but two economic downturns. What’s more important is that we continued to grow by double digits throughout these economic recessions of 2008-2009 and 2014-2017. Success is not just luck… it’s a formula. We’re living proof that success is repeatable, but more importantly it’s teachable!

I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire life. In fact I started my first company when I was only 13 years old called KelTek Computer Services. Even in my early teens I had the foresight to apply for a business permit, create marketing materials and products & services price lists. With the help of my auntie, I got my first bank loan for a new laptop and printer. It wasn’t long before I was earning thousands of dollars per month while still attending high school, providing computer tech and web design services from my home office. Little did I know that I had a knack for growing successful companies.

By the time I was 19 years old I had finished college for computer software development and worked for a few short years as a programmer for several high profile corporations including the Alberta Justice Department, TELUS Geomatics and ATCO Pipelines to name a few. But ultimately I had a passion for creativity and the ‘9-5’ cubicle life was not for me. I left my high paying office job for a career of my own.

I came across a small embroidery and screen printing business when I was 23 years old, and with money I had saved along the way I bought it. As newly-weds my wife and I jumped in head first, learning the business in only 3 short weeks from a retiring couple, and with little-to-no experience we quickly turned a mom-and-pop shop into a 7-figure business. Within our first year we had taken the business from $380,000 in sales to over $1,000,000. It didn’t take us long to realize we would need help to sustain the rapid growth we were facing, and that’s when we decided to hire Brendon Rayner (who now manages the Banff Sign Company).

When I was 28 years old I co-founded a company called 310-SIGN with Brendon Rayner, focusing on regulatory and traffic signs online. We took on a fantastic investment partner, Grant Meadows, who brought ‘smart money’ to the table, a combination of capital and business mentorship. Within the first year of launching 310-SIGN we rocketing to over $1,000,000 in sales while still operating another multi-million dollar business. And within 4 years our start-up company was acquired for 7-figures.

Along the way we’ve made tremendous mistakes. Catastrophic mistakes. But we learned from them. And now we’re teaching others how to avoid critical pitfalls. We’re spreading our knowledge of how to make your company stand out amongst the rest; How to build a winning strategy that guides your company through the thick and thin; And how to have fun doing what you love while still making a healthy profit. We have a million reasons why our workshops can help you grow your professional skill-set and increase your chances of success in the sign industry.

I look forward to getting to know more about your business and ambitions!

-Kelso Brennan