Meet Brad Rooks | Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brad Rooks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brad, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The most important decision I’ve ever made, let alone for my business, was my decision to follow and give my life to Christ. That one decision in 2005 has led to fulfilling many dreams since.
 

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Knotted Threads was born out of a dream to start my own clothing company in 2008. I was just laid off from a job, I was hopeless and not sure where to turn next. The next six months after the layoff, I started learning, graphic design and designing T-shirts. Of all potential places to sell, I would dream about having my T-shirts displayed at the boardwalk on the beach in Myrtle Beach. I would connect with different professionals to understand more about the business and what it would take, and as quick as that dream came, I was offered a position to come back to the same company, and I took it.

I worked for this company for total of 16 1/2 years and advancing in rank and learning many different skills along the way. Skills that I didn’t know would be crucial or beneficial to the success of our business. Starting in management, I had the opportunity to learn the complexities of managing people, expectations, and outcomes. The face-to-face confrontations, and uncomfortable situations, taught me how to handle a wide variety of scenarios.

After management, I moved into a more analytical and data driven role where I helped build out and connect data across the company. This provided more visibility into the day-to-day of the operations and helped with high decision-making.

From there I moved into process improvement where I went through the different departments of the company and identified waste, redesigned the process, and developed Standard operating procedures (SOP). This was Also, my entry into having my hands into the creative side of the business. I was able to facilitate and direct the look and feel of the company with a rebrand and a fresh new look.

I was then promoted to Senior Director where now I had a creative team, and we are supporting the creative vision of the company.

At the time, my brother Aaron had a screen printing company, and I was always so intrigued because he was actually doing something that I had a dream of doing. We were talking one evening in 2021 and he talked to me about this new process that was making its way into the states. The process had a smaller form factor than screen printing, was A new technology that was super exciting to learn, and I saw it as way for me to walk towards that a little bit.

On March 7, 2022, my wife and I decided to create a business and see what we can do. Our original plan was to build the business for a few years while working our side jobs and then the business could sustain us, moving into full-time roles. Through what I can only describe as the hand of God, our business took off from day one. We landed our first real client Legacy Decks within a few months of establishing, and we were off the ground.

Chris, the owner of Legacy Decks, has played such a huge role into where we are as a company. His kindness, grace, and approach to life and business, has completely shifted my thought process as a man, husband, father, and leader.

Like most things, our preparation and our reality didn’t align. My wife Tyler came home in October 2021 to be home more with our kids and support the unexpected growth of our business.

On January 23, 2023 I was spending my quiet time with the Lord, expressing my dreams, desires, and frustrations. I asked for a clear answer on whether to move full-time into our business or to stay in the current role I was in. The answer came quickly. Within 24 hours, I was laid off, and that 16.5 chapter of my life was over with that company. Talk about an answered prayer!

In March of 2024, we celebrated our two year anniversary as a company!

Running a business and trusting in the Lord fully for everything that comes in has been a such a wild ride. I’ve experienced anxiety on level that I didn’t know or understand as well as peace in a level that I didn’t know existed. Running a business is not for the faint of heart, it is One of the most challenging and fulfilling things I’ve ever done.

We didn’t start our business to be just another customer apparel shop in the area. Our process is versatile, innovative, efficient, and reliable. We can do things printing digitally that would be so challenging in a traditional method. We’re excited to be on the cutting edge of this technology.

While our technology is cool, our focus is on providing the best customer experience in our industry. We do this by elevating ideas that come into our inbox, protecting the due date, communicating efficiently, and doing what you say you’re going to do.

We are more interested with creating lasting relationship, then processing transactions.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We moved from Concord, North Carolina in 2017 so we have had many of these weekends. We usually always start with a trolley ride downtown and go See Falls Park. We then will stop by spill the beans on our way out and walk downtown while eating ice cream and enjoying the scenery. We would pick a time to walk the swamp rabbit Trail, visit unity Park, and hit some of our favorite restaurants.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be the man I am today without a strong woman behind me. My wife, Tyler is my rock and my WHY.. Nothing is really worth doing without her and my corner.

Website: Knottedthreads.Com

Instagram: Knottedthreadsofficial

Facebook: Knotted Threads

Yelp: Knotted Threads