Making Boss Moves With Brandon Edwards of Bayou City Operations
Photo courtesy of Bayou City Operations, LLC
Brandon Edwards is the owner of Bayou City Operations, LLC, a multi-services company in Katy, TX, doing business as Bayou City Fingerprinting, specializing in notary, loan signings, fingerprinting, FBI background checks, and FINRA electronic submission.
I had a great meetup with Brandon at his office and learned so much about how his business came to fruition. While notary, loan signings, and fingerprinting was not his first choice, Brandon eventually stepped into his true calling.
Now, he’s making boss moves to push his business forward and he’s not slowing down by any means.
The Epiphany
I was greeted with a smile as I pulled up to the office. Brandon’s energy is much like the all around cousin in your family. You know that cousin. The one that makes you laugh and the same one that everyone wants to be around. He’s just a cool dude.
Photo courtesy of Bayou City Operations, LLC
Brandon’s professional and educational background is in the healthcare industry, with experience as an emergency room CAT scan technologist.
Technology consumes his professional life, and it’s continuing with the services he offers at Bayou City Operations. But he soon realized that the medical field wasn’t his purpose in life.
“I initially went to school for physical therapy at Southwest Texas State, which is now Texas State University, in San Marcos. My bachelor’s is in athletic training with an emphasis on pre-physical therapy,” said Brandon.
“I was planning on attending grad school to get my physical therapist license. But as I was doing my externships I said to myself, ‘I don’t think this is my calling.”
Upon graduation, Brandon’s thoughts were, “Man, I don’t even want to do physical therapy.” I curiously asked, “What made you not want to do physical therapy anymore?”
“During externships, I lost my job in San Marcos,” he explained. “I moved back to Katy because I got a job at a hospital.
While I was working at the hospital, I met some radiology techs and that lead me to completely switch my focus to becoming a radiology tech. But, I knew I wouldn't be in this field forever either.”
“Interesting,” I said. “So, what was the turning point for you and when did you realize that you didn’t want to pursue radiology any further?”
“When I was a student,” he replied.
“I remember seeing a radiology technologist. She was about 60 to 70 years old and she was barely walking. She limped as she pushed the portable x-ray machine. All I could think was, I’m not gonna be at this age doing this. That was my sign and it’s always been in the back of my mind.”
A Man With A Vision
Brandon credits his sister, affectionately known as T, for giving him direction and guidance in starting his business. He didn’t know what type of business he wanted to pursue, but he was armed with a vision.
Brandon and T. Photo courtesy of Bayou City Operations, LLC
“I had been thinking about starting a business for some years, but never knew exactly what I wanted to do. I went to T and said, ‘I need to do something that I can do on my own, where I don’t have to rely on anyone else. At this moment, I don’t want to go back to school full-time. So, I need to find something.”
“What did your sister say?” I chimed in. “She said, ‘Why don’t you just get your notary and you can start like that.’”
“Did you know what a notary was?” I asked.
“Yeah. I knew what it was, but I didn’t totally understand. So, I did some research.”
Brandon went on to explain how notary work peaked his interest:
“One day, my sister and brother-in-law were in Walmart. The bank was closed during that time and somebody said, ‘Aw man, I need a notary.’
My brother-in-law said, 'My wife is a notary. Let me go get her.’ My sister told me that she makes extra money that way.”
“I said, ‘For real?’ So, once I found out that she made money from being a notary, it sparked my interest even more. Then, my sister told me that if I do loan signings, I can get quite a bit more money.”
With the information he gathered, Brandon was set. But he wanted to make sure he was ready to start his start up.
Brandon’s Approach to His Start Up In A New Industry
Photo courtesy of Bayou City Operations, LLC
Oftentimes, we see and hear stories about entrepreneurs starting businesses in familiar industries. For Brandon, this wasn’t the case. He was walking new territory.
Because he was entering the world of notary and he was starting his start up, he quickly began to locate resources to help him learn how to be a notary public.
“In March of 2018, I started doing research. I mean, I’m all on YouTube and the Texas Secretary of State’s website,” he said. “It was information overload. But as I’m learning it all, I finally decided that this is what I’m going to do.”
It’s crucial to be skilled and knowledgeable about the field you’re entering when starting a business. You must be an expert in your business. This is what separates a legit business owner from a hobbyist.
As we can see, Brandon was on his way.
After the investigation phase, Brandon took it a step further and received formal training and education as a notary.
“I enrolled in a notary class because, in Texas, there’s no formal training. You have to learn on your own. There’s a little handbook you can read, but it doesn’t teach you how to be a notary. It just tells you what you can and can’t do. ”
So, I signed up for this class with the Notary Coach, Bill Soroka. There are some other courses out there, but I chose his. He’s an awesome guy. I’ve had a chance to meet him twice.”
“Wow,” I said. “Did you take any other courses?”
“I also took some courses with the National Notary Association, which is the headquarters of notaries” said Brandon. “Then, I practiced as much as I could with family members and friends.”
“Hold up. So you really practiced on family and friends?” I said while laughing.
Brandon also laughed and said, “Yes.”
“If I go in front of somebody, I want to know what I’m doing so they know that I’m a professional.”
But with your family though? “Yes, all the time,” he said. “We’d be on family vacations and I’ll say, ‘Hey, I got a loan package for you. Let’s practice.’”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Talk about family support and the will to succeed. “Yes,” he exclaimed.
“I’m pretty obsessive like that when it comes to learning a craft, art, or something that I’m interested in doing. I go all in.”
Once Brandon officially launched Bayou City Operations, there was no turning back. “The launch date was May 31, 2018. I got a call and got my first signing. Ever since, I’ve been doing signings and general notary work as well,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Bayou City Operations, LLC
“How has it been going so far?” I said with a smile.
“This is perfect for me and my personality. I get so excited about it. It’s exciting, you know? Meeting people is more my thing.”
Brandon has a great personality. Like I mentioned earlier, he’s just an all around good-hearted person.
I asked, “What’s it like in comparison to the healthcare field?”
“The health field is a stressful environment and it wears down on people,” he said. “I’m a happy-go-lucky person. So, working in the emergency room and seeing all this and dealing with people’s drama everyday, it tears you down some.
So, I said, ‘I can’t do this.’ It’s not good for my spirit and my soul.
“I wish I had started this business earlier, but everything happens for a reason.”
Brandon’s right, everything happens for a reason. But who’s to say that he would’ve had the same level of support he has right now, had he started his business earlier? His business is right on time.
A One Man Business, Backed By An Entire Family
I’m always curious to know how businesses get their names. Sometimes, after talking to the owner, I can figure out where the name came from. This time, it wasn’t so clear.
So I asked, “How did you come up with the name, Bayou City Operations?”
Brandon quickly responded, “I was thinking of a name that wasn’t too specific because I wanted it to be a multi-services company. Also, Houston is known as the Bayou City.
It’s also a national and global type name. Since we operate in multiple services, that’s how I came up with it.”
“It’s cool that you have so much support. Many entrepreneurs start their business alone, which is common,” I said. “But you have a built in level of support with your family.”
Brandon replied, “Yeah. My sister steps in and help. I have my cousin and grandmother that I’m training.”
“Wait. Your grandmother?” I was so puzzled that I was looking like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Yes, my grandmother, he said.” This is her desk. It’s so cool. We’re just family oriented like that. We’re a close knit family and we’re always together. So we help each other out.”
“Man,” I said. “Your journey is just beginning and you’ve already accomplished so much.”
“But it’s been a good journey,” he said.
“The support from my friends and family has been amazing. I’ll just continue to accept the blessings the Lord has given and be a blessing to others as well. This is how I’ve gotten to this point.”
Photo courtesy of Bayou City Operations, LLC
Finally, I asked, “So, what would you say to someone that wants to start a business but is hesitant to take the leap?”
“You gotta do it,” Brandon said. “There’s a lot of people that I’ve tapped into and watched over the years that inspired me to step out on my own. It’s been scary too.
“But if you really wanna go where you wanna be, you gotta step out on faith and make it happen. You’re not gonna get there without trying. Everything is not gonna work out the first time.”
Bayou City Operations’ motto is, We are always here for you. So, whether you need a notary public, fingerprinting (ink and livescan), background checks, or FINRA electronic submission, schedule an appointment with Bayou City Operations.
If you can’t stop by the office, no worries. They also offer mobile options to bring their services to you. Contact Bayou City Operations at 832-464-5671 or by email bayoucityoperations@gmail.com.
