26-year-old Turned $1,500 Into Millions.. Here's His Secret
Dropping Bombs
Brad Lea
4.9 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 24 February 2026
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode was sponsored by Cardiff & Red Max Events
LightSpeed VT: https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Dropping Bombs Podcast: https://www.droppingbombs.com/
Today's Dropping Bombs episode delivers raw entrepreneurial fire with Brandon Havrilla, the 26-year-old founder who's built multimillion-dollar empires from the ground up—no degree required.
From high school DJ gigs to experiential fabrication for Amazon and Amex, Brandon reveals the pivot points that built Red Max Events into six complementary businesses.
This conversation separates dreamers from doers—if a kid with $1,500 built six companies by 26, what's your excuse? Entrepreneurs, listen now. Your next move starts here.
🔗 Connect with Brandon
Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonhavrilla/
Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redmax.events/
Website: https://redmax.life/
Redmax Events: https://redmaxevents.com/
Watch the full-length video version of any Dropping Bombs episode here on YouTube.
Brad Lea is a self-made entrepreneur who turned small-town grit into a multi-million-dollar empire. With over 25 years dominating sales and leadership, he's mentored thousands to outsmart, outwork, and out win their competition. His top-rated podcast, Dropping Bombs, brings raw, game-changing insights from the biggest names in business.
LightSpeed VT is Brad's brainchild—the world's leading interactive training platform. It's built to make your team sharper, faster, and more effective, without wasting time or money. Whether you're a startup or a Fortune 500, LightSpeed VT is how you scale success and dominate your industry. Curious? Check it out:
https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Brad's also behind Closer School, the go-to program for mastering sales and closing deals like a pro. Want to 10x your income? This is where you start. His book, The Hard Way, lays out the brutal, honest lessons he learned building his empire—your blueprint to winning the game. Get it here: https://bradlea.com/product/the-hard-way/
This isn't just a video. It's a wake-up call. Watch it. Share it. Act on it.
Closer School: https://www.closerschool.com/cs
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Your parents loaned you $15,000, you turn it into millions. |
| 0:03.0 | Quite literally. |
| 0:03.6 | I was getting $20,000 wire transfers, no problem. |
| 0:20.9 | As a 17-year-old kid, all of a sudden, we start getting hit up from American Express. They wanted to throw a party out in Montauk. And I'm like, is this like, is this real? We did, you know, things for audible, things for Amex, for Amazon. I was a fucking why not kid. If anyone else could do it, why can't I? |
| 0:23.3 | That's what everybody should ask themselves right there. |
| 0:21.8 | I'm a big why not kid. If anyone else could do it, why can't I? That's what everybody should ask themselves right there. I'm a big risk taker. Where's that happens is I'm going to fall |
| 0:26.5 | back and go get a job. I'm also very big on knowing your worth and then adding tax. Don't be afraid |
| 0:32.1 | to charge what you're worth. You're only 26 years old and already freaking outdoing 60 year olds have been in business 30 years with no formal education. |
| 0:41.0 | What was the hardest lesson you had to learn where if you could go back and you wish you knew something? |
| 0:46.6 | I would say what it is, Brad Lee back again with another episode of dropping bombs today in the studio, folks. |
| 0:56.5 | I've got a real-life young entrepreneur, Brandon Havrilla in the house. |
| 1:01.2 | Welcome, buddy. |
| 1:02.2 | Thank you for having me, bro. |
| 1:03.3 | Folks, if you guys need a little inspiration, you're about to get some. |
| 1:07.7 | This dude's 26 years old, founder of red max events and experiential fabrication powerhouse |
| 1:14.4 | in the event industry which is cool because you know growing up dude i used to go to all the conventions |
| 1:20.4 | and then eventually i started just you know attending as a what do you call it um vendor and then |
| 1:27.4 | you know all the kick ass booze you know so you're the one that makes all those kick-ass booths. Yeah, we do all the behind-the-scenes stuff, which most people don't make that connection when they walk through. They're not thinking that that stuff comes from people, you know, somebody's got to make that. Someone's got to make it. someone's got to envision it. Do you have a design team and everything or do you just manufacture? |
| 1:47.6 | We do. So. people, you know, somebody's got to make that. Someone's got to make it. Someone's got to envision it. |
| 2:01.9 | Do you have a design team and everything or do you just manufacture? We do. So we have designers, 2D and 3D. We can do the whole process or we can pick up at any point in the way. So we have a lot of clients that are agencies and design agencies by nature. And so they come to us with things already vetted out and they just need us to bring them to life. And then we have others that give us a napkin sketch or an idea of, hey, this is |
| 2:06.6 | what I'm looking to achieve. And this is the footprint I have to do it. And we design from there. |
| 2:11.3 | So 26 years old, multi-million dollar business vertically integrating complementary businesses, which is like custom |
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