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Todd Brown: Turning an Accident into a Million-Dollar Opportunity
A motorcycle accident left Todd Brown paralyzed from the waist down. But it also inspired a business idea. Today, his 180 Medical is one of the nation's fastest-growing medical supply companies.
Posted 7/ 20 10 at 2:15 PM | Entrepreneur Spotlight, Sales, Management, Leadership, Starting a Business, Home-based Business, Health, Insurance
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Todd Brown always wanted to own his own business. He started out managing a restaurant, and eventually opened his own. An avid athlete and motocross rider, Brown seemed to have his life on track.But then he was injured in a motocross accident in his mid-20s, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. To his doctors' surprise, Brown always stayed positive -- so positive that they eventually asked him to become a mentor to other people with similar spinal cord injuries.
While talking to the other patients, Brown noticed a common problem: finding the right supplies for those with spinal cord injuries. So about eight years ago, he decided to start 180 Medical, which sells urological catheters and other medical supplies.
180 Medical has a customer-first policy: All phone calls are answered by real people at his company. "We want our patients to feel they're the most important person in the world to us," Brown says. "We want to treat them like they're our mother, our sister, our brother, our dad."
Today, Brown is married with four children, and 180 Medical is one of the fastest-growing medical supply companies in the nation. In April, he formed a partnership with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, committing a portion of 180 Medical's proceeds to spinal cord injury research.
With the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act this month, AOL Small Business talked to Brown about the accident that helped spawn an entrepreneurial adventure.
Where did you get the idea to start 180 Medical?
Basically, I was hurt in a motorcycle accident in 1994, resulting in a spinal cord injury. I had some problems getting equipment and supplies locally, so I started my own company out of my garage. There wasn't anybody local who knew anything about the supplies. I just saw a big need there.
How has your injury helped you grow as an entrepreneur -- and as a person?
How has your injury helped you grow as an entrepreneur -- and as a person?
I think it makes you thankful for what you have. Because a lot of times, people can kind of look at the situation and think they've got it bad, because you're in a chair and you can't do what you used to. But you can always find people that have more difficult situations than you do. So you just need to be thankful for what you have and keep on going and keep on working.
So you were an entrepreneur from the start.
I always wanted to be more than just a worker. I wanted to be as involved as I could possibly be from the beginning to the end.
Your company really focuses on customer service.
We are very, very big on customer service. Let's say you call about your cell phone bill and you have to go through multiple prompts before you ever talk to a person. What we try to do is give you the best customer service that you could possibly get. So you're going to talk to a live person.
How has your focus on customer service helped your company, while keeping your employees passionate about what they do?
How could someone learn from your experiences creating and running 180 Medical?
Also, get a good support network around you to help you do it, because sometimes when you're trying to do it on your own, it's a very lonely thing. If you're having a hard day, they can actually pick you up and help you. I've always believed in surrounding yourself with people that are as motivated as you are and that want to work hard.
Entrepreneur Spotlight
Name: Todd Brown
Company: 180 Medical
So you were an entrepreneur from the start.
I always wanted to be more than just a worker. I wanted to be as involved as I could possibly be from the beginning to the end.
Your company really focuses on customer service.
We are very, very big on customer service. Let's say you call about your cell phone bill and you have to go through multiple prompts before you ever talk to a person. What we try to do is give you the best customer service that you could possibly get. So you're going to talk to a live person.
How has your focus on customer service helped your company, while keeping your employees passionate about what they do?
We talk about it a lot. We look at it on a daily, weekly, monthly basis, and we're always trying to express to our workers how important it is to take care of those patients. But also it comes down to the people that you hire. So we also try to do the legwork on the front-end to try to make sure we're hiring people who are compassionate and caring.
How could someone learn from your experiences creating and running 180 Medical?
You have to find something that you're passionate about doing, because you're going to spend the majority of your day at work, and if you don't have something you like to do, it's going to be difficult to be "all-in." So if you find something you're passionate about, it doesn't become work anymore.
Also, get a good support network around you to help you do it, because sometimes when you're trying to do it on your own, it's a very lonely thing. If you're having a hard day, they can actually pick you up and help you. I've always believed in surrounding yourself with people that are as motivated as you are and that want to work hard.
Entrepreneur Spotlight
Name: Todd Brown
Company: 180 Medical
Age: 42
Location: Oklahoma City
Founded: 2002
Employees: 138
2009 Revenue: Undisclosed
2009 Revenue: Undisclosed
Website: www.180medical.com
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
good article
This is truly a anazing story, ALL THE BEST TO HIM AND HIS FAMILY! Baobammmo, WHY IS IT THAT EVERY SITE THAT YOU GO ON YOU HAVE TO LEAVE A COMMENT ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BOY FRIEND AND WHERE YOU HAD MET?? EVERYONE IS GLAD THAT YOU HAD FOUND LOVE AT AGELESSMA TE! NOW IF YOU WOULD JUST GET ON WITH YOUR LOVE LIFE!! IT IS REALLY GETTING OLD!! I' AM SURE WE WOULD ALL LIKE TO HERE YOUR COMMENTS REGUARDING ANY STORY, JUST LEAVE YOUR LOVE LIFE OUT OF IT PLEASE!!
What an inspiring story! Those of you promoting your businesses disguised as comments......shame on you. Post something on Facebook, YouTube or Twitter. Not here. Totally turned off by what you are selling.
This man is an inspiration to all of us. We all experience setbacks and failures. Instead of giving up, we need to find another path to success. Just because our first dream goes bust doesn't matter. Find another dream and aim for it.
I have never seen anyone with so great faith. I think Todd is an inspiration to us all. God Bless you always, Todd, and keep up the good work.
His circumstances are amazing in and of themselves. The fact he THEN built a successful company with such a great customer service attitude (more uncommon these days) is equally as amazing. I would love to meet him.
being someone with a dibilitating injury, bilateral knee replacement, and a heavy equipment mechanic, i welcome comments about others that have found a way to continue to be a contributer to society. thx guys. I'm going to watch some videos.
Mary Ann, who would believe you? you have a problem focusing. We are trying to encourage someone to hang in there. This is not the employment office, okay?.....focus....focus
He is an amazing person, with great faith and a heart of gold!!! And his family is very PROUD of him and what he has done for so many people!!! We love ya!!!!!
What an aw inspiring story. A man determined to find an answer - got one - and is helping others with similar problems. Go for the brass ring!!
LOL, no big surprise there now is there? LOL
Lou
www.real-anonymity.at.tc
Todd, great mantra. We can't always control the experiences we'll go through but we can control how we look at them and use them after the fact. Very inspirational. Glad you're counting your blessings.
Dave
http://bit.ly/c5NoPy
Gee ...Does this mean i get to talk to that stupid person from overseas ?
Or someone who really needs a job like an AMERICAN ? Just wondering and giving a heads up to all you companies that think you are giving us GREAT service ! Just a clue for all you people that THINK you are on top of the customer service base ,... Which by the way is wayyyyy off base!