Brian Montes

Compliance advisory for fintechs, banks & CUs | CEO at RADD_LLC · Founder NorthboundAdv | Building systems that scale.

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

@collinsworth55 Depending on what you do for a living, playing golf is not a hobby.

It’s part of the business game.

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

With our first full day at sea, heading to Alaska, we took a sushi making class.

Under the sushi etiquette category, we learned it is rude to break apart the nigiri. If you don’t want the rice, order sashimi.

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

@LexisH0546 On a Royal Caribbean cruise right now, headed to Alaska!

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

@buddy7 Just half?

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

@Tony_Catalina 100%

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

The closer I get to the start of our family vacation, the more things fall into the category of “that’s an after vacation problem to fix.”

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

@pathfinder17m Pizza Bianco?

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

@ChrisLandauUSA That would be Singapore.

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

@FinPhilosopher Someone making in the mid $100’s is not working 2-4 hours a day…

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

@jennyrozelle It’s good to hear this was nothing more than maybe an oversight on her uncle’s part.

Good lesson on the importance of knowing your rights and being vigilant about it.

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

First international business trip and I checked all my luggage. I went to Taiwan and my luggage went to Europe.

I had to buy a week worth of clothes in Taiwan (none of which fit right). My luggage made it to Taiwan after I arrived home in LA.

Ever since then, I’ve used a carry-on.

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

@ThatEricAlper Naptime

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

@jennyrozelle Congratulations to Opal!

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

I started my career at age 25 with a Fortune 500 company. I figured a large company would have everything figured out.

Two years in and I took a role in supply chain management. The company immediately sends me to Taiwan to meet with existing vendors and find new manufacturing partners.

I expected training and support as I stepped into the role. Instead, I got;

- A round trip ticket from LAX to Taipei
- A hotel reservation at the Hyatt Taipei
- And a phone number to call when I landed in Taipei.

Until this moment in my life, the furthest I’d been outside of the U.S. was a family trip to Vancouver.

But I boarded my flight and headed to Taipei. I used my international calling card when I landed and was promptly picked up by one of our suppliers.

I figured everything out and spent the next ten years traversing Asia, managing a large supply chain and supplier base.

A huge component of success is just being able to figure stuff out.

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

I secured the community bank engagement today.

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

“Can we jump on a call before our 2pm call?”

That was the message a bank COO sent me yesterday. I immediately knew what she wanted to discuss.

“Brian, I received your proposal. Your fee is double that of the other proposals. I really want to award you this engagement, but not at double the cost. If you can rework the proposal, we can work together.”

Without a strong relationship with the COO, my proposal would have gone in the round file. No phone call. No second chance. Just silence.

We reviewed our scope vs the other scopes and discovered they were not “apples to apples”. It justified our fee structure and gave me the opportunity to discuss changing the scope to align with the banks budget and their updated project requirements.

I expect we will be awarded this engagement on Tuesday.

Let’s see….

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

When I interview future employees, I look at their future potential more than their past accomplishments.

Past success doesn’t always equal future success.

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

One of the most important questions I can ask as a leader:

How can I help you?

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

@eCommKen Great way to have the team fall asleep.

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

@jarydesign Had this same conversation the other day.

Not all business is good business.

Some client have to be fired.

[Brian Montes @brianm2]

I have colleagues and friends in Sri Lanka. The haz mat situation in Garden Grove, CA has officially become international news.