Conrad Brian Law is an award winning speaker, author and entrepreneur. He has presented nationally and internationally on such topics as entrepreneurship, technology, education, career advancement, diversity and finances for colleges and other organizations. Conrad retired from the federal government in 2009. He also worked as a small business consultant for the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAP) programs with the University of Maryland in College Park. Conrad is the CEO of Applied Learning Solutions, a management consulting firm specializing in e-learning. His company provides consulting services and instructor-facilitated online training systems for a variety of industries.
Throughout his careers Conrad has travelled many paths by reinventing himself to pursue his dreams. Our limitations are a figment of our imagination. The only limitations we have are the ones we let others impose on us. To understand him better here are a few of the paths followed in the journey we call life. Life is the journey, not the destination.
The Dreamer
At an early age Conrad was told that he could be anything he wanted to be and do anything he set his mind to. He believed it for a while. In the 4th grade he learned that his elementary school honored the best and the brightest 6th grade boy and girl during graduation and decided that he would be that person. He was, but someone else was selected because his teacher was trying to protect him from disappointment by exposing it to him at an early age. As a result, Conrad cried like a baby and decided he didn’t want to try that hard and be disappointed in that way ever again. Later, when Conrad was ready to graduate from high school, he contacted that teacher to let him know that what he was trying to do was understood as part of an assignment indicating your favorite teacher. When the teacher realized who he was talking to, he asked Conrad was he the Senior Class President. Conrad said no, I’m the Vice President.
In Junior high, Conrad tried out for the 9th grade basketball team at the private school he attended. He was so terrible he was humiliated into quitting the team which didn’t cut anyone from playing. In the 11th grade back in public school he play JV basketball on a team that didn’t have cuts and where most of the varsity had graduated the year before. As his love of basketball grew he had a dream of playing college basketball. At five foot, five inches and about 110 lbs soaking wet it didn’t seem likely. He applied to North Carolina State University because one of their top players was about the same height. Not the brightest reason for applying to a college. He ended up going to a small college in southern Maryland; St Mary’s College. There he practiced hard and long then tried out for the basketball team each year. The first year he could only dribble with his right hand and was the last person cut from the team. Each year he improved, played intramural basketball at the college and played in the county recreation league but was still cut from the college team. My junior year his team won the intramural championship and his county team won the county championship. By his senior year friends and family asked why he kept trying out when it was obvious that the coach thought Conrad was not college material and they suggested that he stop wasting his time. He did make the team his senior year of college and played well.
Conrad accepted the fact that playing college basketball was something he might not achieve, but he wanted to make sure that he did everything in his power to accomplish his goal. Most of us accept the life that is presented to us and are not willing to fight for the life that we want.
The Motivator
As a student of human potential Conrad has felt obligated to let others know how powerful they truly are. In the workplace and with their family, there is so much potential that exists but most of us don’t know how to tap into it.
Conrad was able to tap into this unlimited potential to advance his career in the federal government. His first four years he was employed as a clerk though his BA degree qualified him for a professional position. In thirteen years he was able to advance ten grades to the level of a branch chief when most of the individuals that were clerks when he started out were still clerks or had left the government. From conversations had by all it was known that no one wanted to stay a clerk. It was at this point that Conrad began helping others advance their careers through workshops, trainings and mentoring programs that he participated in.
The Trainer
Conrad became a trainer for adult education programs in local colleges, universities and other programs. He has taught on a wide variety of topics that continues to grow.
The Professional
Once Conrad became a professional by government standards he developed a wide variety of skills. He was a Senior Research Economist responsible for publishing articles on research based on industry studies conducted by his office. He was then promoted to a Quality Analyst where he developed skills for Process Improvement by identifying and removing defects in processes. When a memo crossed his desk about the agency deciding to put personal computers on everyone’s desk to help them with their work, he purchased one and got a head start learning how to use this tool. After learning quite a bit he changed his career once again and became a Computer Systems Analyst.
The Technologist
Though his job only required that he knew how to use the computer, Conrad learned how to build and repair computers, how to network them together, how to program them and how to design computer applications with them. Eventually he was promoted to an Information Technology Project Manager position.
The Consultant
Combining all of the skills together Conrad became an internal consultant in his agency and a management consultant to corporations and private industry. Business Analysis is the closest discipline where his unique combination of skills come into play. Project Management is about completing a project on time and within budget, but Business Analysis is about making sure that you do the right project to begin with.
Conrad is currently pursuing engagements as an international consultant to provide his out of the box research and analysis approach to solving international problems in emerging countries. Recently he has been working on projects in Rio de Janiero, Brazil; San Juan, Puerto Rico and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Speaker
As a requested workshop presenter, Conrad decided to spend time on the craft of speaking by joining International Training in Communications. Here he studied the art of communication and improved his speaking ability. He received multiple awards in speech competitions and has decided to take his speaking career to the next level.
The Realtor
Conrad is a licensed real estate agent working with residential and commercial buyers and sellers. His specialty areas include commercial property purchases for small business owners to use as part of their exit strategy when they decide to retire and alternative purchasing strategies for multi-family and senior options for homeownership to keep the American dream of buying a home alive.
The Entrepreneur
Conrad has always been an Entrepreneur. It has always been part of his DNA. In elementary school he sold Olympic Greeting Cards. In junior high school he cut grass and shoveled snow. When he started his career in the federal government he decided to either go to college for a business degree or start a business to learn as he goes. He decided to start a business so that he would either be successful by the time he retired or leave the federal government to manage his successful business. He actually did both. Once the revenue from his business was more than what he made working for the federal government, he took an early retirement. Three months later his contract with the government was cancelled for the convenience of the government.
After working as a small business consultant with Maryland’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network Conrad decided to focus on his e-learning projects providing instructor-facilitated online training in a variety of industries. Conrad has also taught a month long online Entrepreneur Boot Camp for 60 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada and the Virgin Islands since 2010.
Applied Learning Solutions is Conrad’s management consulting company and all of his activities are related to that organization. Conrad is a speaker, author, consultant, trainer and entrepreneur. He speaks to youth groups, adults, government and corporate audiences.
The Family Man
Conrad is married to Amina Jones-Law, his wife and business partner. They have three wonderful grown children; Alec, Toussaint and Taylour. They also have two grandchildren Gabrielle and Maya.