Brian Moran on Success, Skills and the 20s Mindset

By Audrey McCarthy and Gavin Zivoder

The National Millennial and GenZ Community is an organization established to solve problems and dispel negative myths and misconceptions about younger millennials and GenZ.

Meeting Moran
On Sept. 23, the NMGZ Community held a speaker event with Brian Moran, founder of Small Business Edge.

During the virtual meeting, Moran shared key insights on career growth, leadership and personal development. 

As a Marquette University journalism graduate, Moran initially pursued sports writing before exploring roles in advertising, publishing and sales.

Guided by his parents, whom he calls his biggest mentors, Moran emphasizes learning from experience, especially setbacks.

“You haven’t experienced corporate America until you’ve been fired,” Moran said.

The 20s Mindset
For those in their 20s, Moran stresses networking, asking smart questions and learning from mentors. 
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He encourages guarding your time, forming a five-year plan and sometimes saying no to opportunities that don’t align with long-term goals.

Moran also differentiates tangible skills, like math or software proficiency, from intangible skills, such as enthusiasm, adaptability and teamwork. He emphasized the importance of intangible skills because they make candidates stand out.

“The only security you’ll ever need in your life is between your ears,” he said.

Moran categorizes employees into four leadership types: actively engaged, engaged, disengaged and actively disengaged. A strong leader, he says, strives to understand what motivates team members to be actively engaged contributors.

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