Tom Brooks
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Tom Brooks

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I got lucky early on — admitted to Portland’s Benson High School, a technical trade school where kids went to learn how to actually do stuff. I found my groove behind a microphone at KBPS, the school district’s radio station. Broadcasting was electric, addictive, and way more fun than algebra. Was fortunate to work at great Stations in Portland like: KPAM, KXL, KOIN, KGW KMJK, KISN and KYTE. I stuck with it full time until I was 26 — basically until someone waved a paycheck at me that didn’t involve spinning 45s.
That someone was my dad. He ran a distribution biz for Safeguard Business Systems — a national outfit kind of like a franchise, but with fewer golden arches. We sold manual bookkeeping systems (yes, with real paper!) and trained small business owners how to use them. Remember those checks with the black carbon strip on the back? Yep, those were us. We worked with everyone from dentists to lawyers to hair salons and small contractors. One of my biggest clients for a couple of years? The Rajneeshees out in Antelope, Oregon. Never made it to the ranch (probably for the best), but they ran six corporations and flew everything into their Portland warehouse like it was Amazon Prime before Amazon existed.

By 1998, I had a brain spark: “Why can’t people just order checks online?” So I launched ExpressChecks, then ExpressTaxForms in 1999 — started with zero customers and built it to a national business serving 35,000+ small businesses (7,000 active) across the U.S. That little idea grew up and got acquired by Greatland Corporation in 2013. Not bad for a guy who started with carbon paper.

I was also an early adopter of Google Adwords (Advertiser aprox. #6400 — yeah, we were there before it was cool). Over 13 years, I brought in serious sales with average orders around 65 dollars. Moral of the story? Advertising works. Now I focus on video and reputation marketing — because if you’re not on YouTube, are you even in business?

That brings me to my latest project: AprofitableDay, a global business directory that helps companies boost their online presence and reputation. Businesses list themselves, maintain their own profiles, and we help them shine with 5-star review videos and systems for gathering customer feedback. Reputation isn’t built in a day — but use the right system every day, and boom: 5-star business.

Hard stats: Companies using video grow revenue 49% faster year-over-year. And 79% of consumers would rather watch a video than read a wall of text. So yes, your business needs a video. Yesterday.

And guess what? I still spin the hits on KISN Portland, the same oldies station that gave me my first break at 16. I’m on the air every Saturday from 9am–2pm as G. Michael McKay (cue the echo effect). 95.1 FM or GoodGuyRadio online. Because hey — you’re never too old to rock ‘n roll. LOL.

Oh — and since 2020, I’ve also been voicing audiobooks on Audible. Just search “Tom Brooks” — over 400 titles and counting. People are realizing that audiobooks aren’t just fun and a huge time saver — they’re also educational. Whether you're into crypto, investments, survival skills, or dating advice — I probably read it with a smile and a solid mic.
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