SCAMMED Out Of $48M (What Your Bank Isn't Telling You)

Dropping Bombs

Brad Lea

Business, Bradlea, Success, Mentor, Coach, Advice, Money, Strategy, Training, Entrepreneurship, Therealbradlea, Entrepreneur, Comedy

4.8 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2025

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

LightSpeed VT: https://www.lightspeedvt.com/

Dropping Bombs Podcast: https://www.droppingbombs.com/

In this no-BS episode of Dropping Bombs, I sit down with Bronx-born builder and battle-tested entrepreneur Brian Abbey, a man whose life story reads like a blueprint for grit, failure, and redemption. From emancipating himself at 15 and becoming a father at 18, to scaling a general contracting company to $48M before losing it all in one signature — Brian brings the raw truth behind success, loss, and ultimate ownership.

Brad and Brian dig into what really went wrong, the hard lesson in fractional lending, and why personal accountability is the key to rebuilding stronger. They also unpack Brian's book "You Are the Choices You Make", his take on modern construction management, and why most general contractors are doing it all wrong. If you're an entrepreneur, builder, or someone who's been knocked down and needs a playbook for getting back up — this one's for you.

🔗 Resources

Brian Abbey's Book: You Are the Choices You Make (https://a.co/d/9AVG3ef)

Brian's Instagram: @absolutetruth_24

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	You were cranking.
0:01.0	48 million in revenue. And then all of a sudden, one wrong signature. Bam. Correct. Did you lose at all or most of it? There is nobody that knows me. Doesn't shake their head and say, how in the hell that that happened to you? Because the mob's after them. Yeah. Youriad it. You should have shut your pie hole.
0:22.1	Don't do crime with me.
0:22.7	Okay?
0:38.6	Don't do any crime around me. Don't tell me about any crimes you've done. Because if I have to go to prison for your dumb. I'm telling on you. Can I tell a little bit of a real story, but it's kind of gross? Yeah, go ahead. What it is, Brad Lee, back again with another episode of dropping bombs.
0:42.6	Today in the studio, folks, got a real treat for you.
0:46.0	Brian Abbey's in the house.
0:48.0	What's cracking?
0:48.9	What's going on, Brad?
0:50.1	Folks, you guys ever heard of an old school G from the Bronx?
0:55.4	That's Brian Abbey.
0:57.3	Appreciate that.
0:58.0	Now, get up on that mic real close so they can hear you.
1:01.6	By the way, you can move it.
1:02.7	It's nice and loose.
1:04.2	Just get comfy.
1:05.3	I'm comfy.
1:06.7	See, this dude, by the way, if you guys know people from New York,
1:13.5	emancipated himself at 15 and basically was a father by 18, then hustled into real estate
1:22.0	and built a general contracting business that hit about 48, 48 million in revenue.
1:28.8	But ultimately one signature, one deal cracked you right in the old.
1:37.1	On onions.
	...

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