When Brian Elrod graduated from college, he wanted to work in ANY industry except for transportation and logistics, but he didn’t have much of a choice and he “couldn’t afford to be an entrepreneur.” After years of paying his dues, opportunity knocked and he started the Educational Outfitters franchise with his wife, Jamey. 

He’s bootstrapped three start-ups in the franchise and tech industries, two of which have appeared in Inc's 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies list multiple times.

In this episode, we talk about Brian’s journey in starting each of his businesses, the successes and failures, how “nothing happens in a straight line,” and why bootstrapping is better than having investors.

Brian is the co-founder and CEO of Text Request, a texting software that helps you connect with your customers (est. 2014). You can connect with him here. 

My Morning Cup is hosted by Mike Costa of Costa Media Advisors and produced by Madison McCann.