Bradham Brothers — Part 3: The Timing

Bradham Brothers, an HVAC and electrical company in Charlotte, N.C., is going through onboarding with ServiceTitan. With 50 employees and about 20 trucks in the field, taking on a new software can be a challenge. This company took ServiceTitan along for the journey. 

Part 3: The Timing

The Carolina summer can—and often does—make an early appearance. Pete Bradham, president of Bradham Brothers, Inc., knows that, having grown up in the family business in Charlotte, N.C.

That makes the late-May timing of his go-live with ServiceTitan, the cloud-based software solution for the trades, a concern. And, in some ways, a regret.

“I would definitely find a better time,” Bradham said. “I missed it by basically a month. I would have started a little earlier in our season, just so I would have more time to focus solely on ServiceTitan.

“This time of year is when we start gearing everything up.”

‘It is a little overwhelming’

And with go-live date six weeks away, Bradham was feeling the strain. But he was also buoyed by two things he is -- optimistic and hands-on.

And he said he knows part of the stress sits at his desk, literally.

“It is a little overwhelming, and it could be just because of my situation,” Bradham said. “One, I like to take a lot of the lead on all of it. Plus all the other aspects of everything else that's going—with the (television) commercial, with work, with just spring coming.”

The Covid-19 pandemic, even as it eases, added a layer of difficulty and made it more difficult to hire. Bradham has had to focus on that, too.

“I kind of like to have my hands in everything,” Bradham said, “which is a curse and a blessing.”

But as always, Bradham said he expects his upbeat nature will carry him, and the staff, through the change. General manager Kelly Dowdy, who shares an office with Bradham, believes, too. And he sees it every day.

“I'm optimistic,” Bradham said. “Like Kelly says, nothing's really bad to me. ‘Oh, it'll be OK.’ That's what I always hear.”

One possible change in approach

Optimist or not, is there anything Bradham would change if he could start over? Yes, he said. “I would definitely change the approach of when I did it, as far as timing and with workload,” Bradham said. “And I'm hesitant to say it, but I would probably share the responsibilities a little more with other people in the company, so it wouldn't be all waiting on Pete.

“I've got people who definitely have plenty of experience to do it. You can't take this challenge on by yourself.

“I would probably change that a little bit, but I don't regret doing it that way, because that's just the way I like to do it.”

“Right back to the ‘Pete says it's all going to be OK’ thing,” Bradham said. “I don't ever say it's going to be bad.

“Kelly, he's optimistic, but just a notch behind me.”

Dowdy listened to the conversation, then offered an optimistic assessment. Mostly.

“I'm ready to go,” Dowdy said. “I mean, I'm like Pete, though. I wish we were about six weeks earlier. But that's OK.”

One way or another, Bradham said, it will all work out.

“I feel comfortable with it that we'll be ready to go,” Bradham said. “But if we have to hold off a month or something like that, I'm OK with that too.”

Now, if they can just get the technicians into the Academy …

UP NEXT: Onboarder Nora Bishop helps Bradham Brothers understand what’s possible.