In this episode, we dive into the world of threat assessment, training, and indicators of violence with Bret Brooks, Chief Operating Officer of Gray Ram Tactical. Bret’s career in both law enforcement and the Army National Guard makes him the right person to guide us through everything from helping small businesses prepare for the FIFA World Cup and helping your employees stay safe by understanding how to de-escalate violence to understanding how to let go of excessive anxiety in our modern world.
Transcript:
Welcome to the Small Business Miracles podcast. My name is Jeff Randolph. This small business podcast is brought to you by EAG Advertising and Marketing. We’re going to talk about marketing. We’re also here to celebrate entrepreneurs.
Jeff: And the entrepreneur I have with me today is Brett Brooks. He’s the chief operating officer of Grey Ram Tactical. Welcome to the show.
Bret: Thank you very much. I’m super happy to be invited to come in here today.
Jeff: Yeah, well, you know, any chance you have to sit in front of a microphone is always a good time. I want to talk about, like, we want to get into the business and understand what the business is. But before we get there, could I get a little bit of the background? Because your credentials are really important to how we got here. It’s more than years you’ve been in law enforcement. You’ve had a -year and counting career with the Army National Guard. Where did this journey start and how did we get to today?
Bret: Yeah, great question. I look back on my life and wonder the same thing. How did I get here? What am I doing? Right. You know, when I was in high school, it goes back to that far back, believe it or not. But I wanted to be in the military. But then I decided I wanted to be in law enforcement. I thought, well, how do you do both of that? And so I decided to go to college, get a degree in criminal justice, and then move into the law enforcement realm while doing National Guard on the side, if you will.
Bret: All right. So I was able to kind of do the military and law enforcement together. And so I recently left full-time law enforcement after years. So that’s been kind of nice. But I’m still active in the military in the reserve capacity now, so years and counting. But this gives me now, being retired out of law enforcement, more time to work with Graham Tactical and do some of the training and consulting that we do.
Jeff: Well, let’s get into it. That’s a wonderful transition to get into Graham Tactical. Tell us, what do you do at Graham Tactical?
Bret: So we are a training and consulting firm. We’re different than most businesses because if you think about it, your average consulting or training organization, there’s a lot that is covered in that, but specifically we look at the safety and security things. So we look at everything from violence prevention and mitigation response, recovery, those types of issues, all the way to C-suite executive level coaching and leadership.
Bret: So one day I may be in talking to business executives and CEOs, and the next day I’m talking to frontline cashiers working in department stores. So it is a variety of stuff, but it’s all centered around safety and security for the businesses.
Jeff: Okay. And that goes across any industry or what does that look like?
Bret: Yeah, it really does go across all industries, whether that’s retail, manufacturing, warehousing, office space. It really is. Everybody has a part to play in the safety and security of their organization. So it really doesn’t matter the industry. Everybody has some ties to that that they need to be aware of.
Jeff: And the services that you’re providing, I’ve noticed training online. So you can show up and is that just anyone or is that a, you know, anyone could choose to take a training or is this really, I want to have you as an organization and we will develop training for you?
Bret: Most of our clients hire us to develop the training specifically for them. We do have training programs that are out there. Most of the ones like on the website and stuff are law enforcement based or military based. Those are kind of open in the sense for enrollment, so if you’re in law enforcement you could attend those because we talk about businesses a lot, but we also work with militaries, government agencies, law enforcement, and we’re really all around the world dealing with these organizations.
Bret: So a lot of those courses that are open for enrollment are more designed for law enforcement. When it comes to businesses, each business is unique. Each business has its own struggles and challenges and opportunities. And so what we do is really focus towards that particular business.
Jeff: Got it. And as far as like, I know you’re in transportation. Is there, if we look at an ideal client profile, who do you think that really needs the service today?
Bret: Yeah, you know, everybody needs it to some degree. But for us, our ideal client is more the small business. When you get really big businesses, a lot of times they’ve hired a security manager or maybe they’ve hired a security company. And that’s good. We still go in and we help them and we coordinate with them as well too.
Bret: So we have a lot of clients that are very large organizations. For me personally, I just really like to work with the small businesses because a lot of times they just don’t know what they don’t know.
Jeff: Right.
Bret: And so when you go in and say, hey, have you thought about A, B, and C? They’re like, well, no, that’s never crossed my mind. And by making them aware of it, we can take those proactive steps to prevent bad things from happening.
Jeff: I noticed that a lot of businesses, small businesses especially, it ends up being an event-based connection that they make, right? You don’t get an alarm system for your business until one day something happens where you realize I needed an alarm system for my business. Is there that catalyst that usually is something that makes people start to pick up the phone?
Bret: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And that’s kind of unfortunate. But a lot of times when people ask me about marketing and advertising, and I kind of relate it, this may sound a little gross, but to getting a colonoscopy, right? Nobody wants to do that. Nobody researches and looks through advertisements to find the right doctor. They always wait for something bad to happen. And then when something bad happens, then that… it’s usually a referral system.
Bret: And with us, it’s kind of the same way. There’s usually a catalyst. There’s this significant event that happens with the business. They realize, oh my gosh, we’ve got a problem. And then it’s a referral system. And then that’s when people reach out to us.
Jeff: So that one event probably caused you to pick up the phone and get in touch with you and solve that problem or at least prepare for the next time.
Bret: Yeah, absolutely.
Jeff: And then you walk the perimeter and uncover other issues.
Bret: Exactly. A lot of times it starts with something like a break-in, then we assess physical security, and then they realize they also need employee training.
Jeff: You present on indicators of violence. Can you give a high-level overview?
Bret: Sure. We talk about recognizing when someone is moving toward violence. There are seven biological triggers—human behaviors, not cultural. If you recognize them early, you can prevent escalation.
Jeff: That’s fascinating.
Bret: We look at verbal and physical indicators—body language plays a huge role.
Jeff: Let’s talk World Cup. Do you have a team?
Bret: USA.
Jeff: Fair enough.
Jeff: How should businesses prepare?
Bret: Increased population means increased risk. It’s about awareness and planning ahead—not just major incidents, but operational disruptions too.
Jeff: Like supply chain or staffing issues?
Bret: Exactly. Even something like a donut shop may not get deliveries due to crowds.
Jeff: That’s a great example.
Bret: Also, incidents are more likely outside stadiums—where businesses are.
Jeff: What’s next for Gray Ram Tactical?
Bret: Expanding globally but refocusing locally in Kansas City.
Jeff: Lightning round—ready?
Bret: Sure.
Jeff: Your book?
Bret: It’s about managing stress and learning what not to care about.
Jeff: Best advice?
Bret: Understand content vs. context.
Jeff: What do you wish you knew more about?
Bret: Admin—taxes, HR, legal.
Jeff: Small business miracle?
Bret: Expanding internationally.
Jeff: KC food?
Bret: Barbecue. Zarda’s.
Jeff: How do you celebrate wins?
Bret: Honestly, I don’t much—just move on.
Jeff: Where can people find you?
Bret: grayramtactical.com and grayramblog.com.
Jeff: Brett Brooks, thanks for being here.
Bret: Thank you.
Jeff: All right.