Darren Conrad: Life as an Entrepreneur
Every tale of success in the entrepreneurial world starts with a goal. Darren Conrad, now a successful
entrepreneur in the retail bedding industry, had one goal in mind when he graduated from college and
bought his first house- to get out of debt. This is a goal most people can relate to in today’s society and,
like most young adults, Darren wasn’t sure what direction he wanted to take to conquer his dilemma.
Considering the current state of the job market and economic price inflations, debt has become
increasingly common across the United States. Darren had just bought his first house right out of college
and had a new mortgage on his plate to deal with. A friend of his had been persistently seeking his help
selling mattresses in the retail industry. Initially this was not what Darren had envisioned for his life but
he pursued the opportunity out of necessity. Little did he know, life as an entrepreneur was what he had
been looking for all along.
“It’s not really the mattresses I love,” said Darren. “It’s the fact that the business IS you. You control your
own time, make your own schedule- I got to create a business around the business.” Over the years,
Darren has founded four separate retail business chains and now works with Retail Service Systems
(RSS) as their Executive Vice President and CMO. “(Now) I’m in the business of teaching people how to
run their own business using mattresses so that they can control their own time and income and so that
they can control their life while providing quality products at a discount.”
Darren hosts many training seminars throughout the United States. The seminars are centered around
the retail bedding industry but can be applied to any entrepreneurial scenario. Darren enjoys this aspect
of his job the most because it allows him to travel and help others learn how to gain success the way
that he did. Being an entrepreneur means that you are your own boss so every positive and negative
step you take with your business directly affects you. In his seminars, Darren emphasizes the importance
of surrounding yourself with people who share the same goals as you.
“It’s important to surround yourself with a good team full of people who share a common vision with
you,” said Darren. “But it’s more important than just having a team to rely on. You have to keep up your
relationships with those people and keep your team growing constantly.” Darren started out with just
one friend on the entrepreneurial path to success. With time, he has created multiple successful
industries within the retail bedding industry filled with people he knows share the same vision as him.
Though he became an entrepreneur out of necessity, Darren now feels that he is exactly where he was
meant to be all along.
