Brandon C. White - December 2020

Brandon C. White - December 2020

VOL. 7 · DECEMBER 2020

SUCCESS SECRETS

BRANDONCWHITE.COM · 320 CENTRAL AVENUE, HALF MOON BAY, CA 94019 · 415-429-1229

The Shutdown Your Business Actually Needs This Year DON’T GO INTO 2021 UNPREPARED!

“In the pre-COVID days, I’d suggest leaving your office entirely and heading to a coffee shop for this meeting, but let’s be real — you’re probably going to do this over Zoom.”

Some business coaches love to preach about the power of New Year's resolutions. Others are anti-resolution and claim that if you set January goals, you’re destined to fail. Personally, I have a unique resolution strategy, which I’ll share in next month’s newsletter. But before it's time for resolutions, I get a jump on the pack in December by conducting a business shutdown — and if you want to successfully grow your business in 2021, I’d suggest you do the same. The word “shutdown” has some negative connotations these days, but I’m not suggesting that you go out of business this month. Far from it! Instead, I propose that you pause the day-to-day business of your company for at least one day, potentially as much as a week, in order to meet with your team. Unplug from your constant stream of texts and emails, sit down with your partners or employees, and plan out the coming year. In the pre-COVID days, I’d suggest leaving your office entirely and heading to a coffee shop for this meeting, but let’s be real — you’re probably going to do this over Zoom. That’s okay! Where you meet is less important than giving yourself the time and space you need to update your business plan.

When you sit down to outline your company’s 2021, you should do more than just scribble your dreams on a piece of paper. Remember, these aren’t just goals; they’re plans. They should be very specific and preferably broken down into actionable steps. This might seem basic, but a lot of entrepreneurs get tripped up here. They write, “Reach $3 million in revenue in 2021,” for example, and think the box is checked. But they should be diving deeper and reverse-engineering those goals. “Reach $3 million in revenue” is the business equivalent of “lose 20 pounds” — it’s aspirational but not helpful. If raising your revenue is what you want, you focus on writing down ways to get there during your company shutdown — e.g., “land these five specific accounts,” or “expand our product line to these three new markets.” Ideally, at the end of your shutdown period, you’ll have a new 12-month business plan broken down by month. Then, you’ll stick to that plan unless you have an ironclad reason to deviate from it. I know all of this sounds painful. It takes time and energy to plan out a shutdown meeting, gather your materials and reports, and get your partners and/or

team on the same page. But I promise that in the end, it will be worth it. I learned that myself when I conducted my inaugural business shutdown. I was in my 20s at the time and running my very first business, but my board was experienced and they suggested the idea. It helped me grow Worldwide Angler into a thriving nationwide business. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I got sloppy and forgot to do shutdowns for a few years. But recently, a partner of mine who excels in operations reminded me how valuable the practice is, and we started the ritual back up again. It’s proven to be non-negotiable for us. So, take it from a guy who knows: If you don’t do a shutdown this year, in 2021 you’ll probably find yourself blowing in the wind. But if you do shut down and plan, it just might be the kick in the butt you need to succeed whether you are a soloprener or you have co-founders. Rest assured, it will be the motivation you need to hold each other accountable through the months to come. Either way, you’ll get to roll right past the “What will we do this year?” talk in January and hit the ground running. Where’s the downside to that?

BRANDON C. WHITE, FOUNDER

415-429-1229 | 1

ARE YOU READY FOR RAPID GROWTH? HOW BRANDON HELPED ONE STUDENT INCREASE HER BUSINESS TENFOLD What do breathing exercises, cleansing/fasting/food, cold water plunges, sauna ozone therapy with a HOCATT, hiking, biking, and skiing have in common? It sounds like a random list, but those are all activities guests can enjoy at my student Amber Guzman’s wellness retreats in Park City, Utah. Amber blended her high-performance sales and investment background with her life passion as a certified breathwork practitioner and 14-plus years of experience in personal development and social cycles to create her business, Cielo. Through Cielo, she offers a wide range of one-on-one and group wellness services and events. She created coaching and training to support people in recognizing the blocks that hold them back, releasing those blocks and rewriting the life scripts, thus creating forward momentum and formulas of success in all areas of life through the senses and nature. We first met in 2018. “Brandon is awesome. I hit it off with him instantly,” Amber says. “He has a personality that wants to help people. My business was a dream that sat on the back burner for 8 years. He instantly saw all the elements I was missing." Amber truly took my lessons to heart. When we first started working together, she had just two regular clients and had done a handful of events with a total of 6–8 people. But she was determined to turn Cielo from a hobby into a successful business. My courses helped her do that. “I love Brandon’s Build a Business program,” Amber says. “It helped me map out my business plan and my elevator pitch. It helped me home in on my target audience. It helped me build my financials, and really more than anything, it gave me confidence. I understood the big picture of my business, that I can do this! That in itself is what has taken it to the next level, and I’ve seen a lot of results since.”

Tactics for Making the Best Business Choices As a business leader, you’re likely well-versed in making decisions, but in the midst of a global health crisis, a political minefield, and environmental disasters, planning for the upcoming year is different territory for even the most seasoned business professionals. So, how do you make the right decisions for your 2021 plans? Start with these three steps. Decisions, Decisions

No. 1: Look at the >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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