VOL. 1 · JULY 2020
SUCCESS SECRETS BRANDONCWHITE.COM · 320 CENTRAL AVENUE, HALF MOON BAY, CA 94019 · 415-429-1229 HOW 2 PHILLY CHEESESTEAKS CHANGED EVERYTHING My First Date With My Wife, Ivette
People give a lot of credit to entrepreneurs for running their businesses single-handedly. But in my years as a businessman, I’ve realized there’s one person at the entrepreneur’s side who often gets overlooked: their romantic partner. Personally, I’m not sure I’d be sitting where I am today without my wife, Ivette. I might’ve still been an entrepreneur, but my business and my life would be very different without her helping and supporting me every step of the way. I met Ivette largely by chance. Though we both earned our undergrad degrees at Washington College in Maryland, we didn’t date until years later, when I went back to school to get my master’s in psychology. We re-met for the first time in a local bar. I used to meet a friend of mine there on Tuesday nights after class, and one night, Ivette happened to be there, too. She’d stayed in our college town of Chesterfield to work for child services and ended up joining us to raise a glass. I could tell right away that she was very different from me, and that difference was intriguing — we hit it off, and it wasn’t long before we picked a time for our first date. Looking back, I think a lot of those differences came from our childhoods. I grew up in Maryland, mired in an East Coast mindset. It was a very traditional, conservative place, and I always joke that living there was like living in one of the original 13 colonies. I never really felt like I fit in. Ivette, in contrast, grew up in sunny California — a place that I thought of in
terms of Silicon Valley, surfers, and the skateboard scene. She had very different ideas about what life could be like. At age 14, she moved 3,000 miles across the country to boarding school to ride horses. When she told me that, I was floored by how much courage it must have taken! She still has that fierce adventurous spirit, and I’m just as impressed by it as I was on day one. That disparity is probably why when Ivette told me over cheesesteak sandwiches on our first date that she didn’t want kids, it rocked my world. Up until that point, I’d always
Ivette and I took this picture as we walked out the door of our house in Easton, MD, leaving to drive across the country to our new house in Half Moon Bay, CA, after selling our first company.
house in California, and that’s where I’m writing this newsletter from today.
assumed that I’d do what everyone else did: get married, have two kids, teach them how to play lacrosse, and send them to the same high school I went to. When Ivette challenged that norm, it was a pivotal moment for me. It stopped me in my tracks, and I thought, “Wow, maybe there’s more out there.” Dropping that bomb on the first date takes a lot of guts, too. Even though I didn’t really “get” Ivette yet, I knew I wanted to spend my time figuring her out. Twenty-four years later, I like to think I’ve made some headway! We didn’t go the traditional route, but we’re fine with that. It took us 14 years to have our courthouse wedding, and instead of having kids, we ended up with four dogs, a cat, and a rescue horse named Casey. After we sold our first company (which I started on Ivette’s LC 475 computer), we bought a
If you’re going to be an entrepreneur, one of the most important things you can do is find a partner who is on your level. Luckily, Ivette is just as curious and career-driven as I am. She’s very competitive, and she’s never afraid to call me on my b.s., so the bar is very high in our house! Ultimately, I think our relationship has succeeded because we each have our own lives. We trust and respect each other as individuals but recognize that we’re even better together. Every day, we wake up and choose to continue being partners — and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
415-429-1229 | 1
Growing Your Business? Change the Lightbulbs HOW SMALL SAVINGS CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE
If someone asked you to name five types of small businesses, odds are “traveling magician” wouldn’t make it onto your list. That said, magicians are entrepreneurs, too, and they need just as much business planning advice as tech geniuses, lawyers, and dentists. When magician Vince Charming connected with Brandon in 2017, he was able to adapt our plan successfully. “One of the things that really made me trust Brandon’s advice is that he had built a business with an exit strategy, which means he was able to scale up the business and sell it. That made me confident that this was a proven method,” Vince says. “Of course, I’m not copying directly what he’s doing himself because business is different for everybody, but I felt good about the fact that he was established and it was qualified advice.” Since he started working with us three years ago, Vince’s business has changed and diversified. In 2018, he formed an LLC and added an additional form of business insurance under Brandon’s guidance. This helped him settle into his niche serving the college and corporate market, the former with larger stage shows and the latter with close-up magic displays. With Brandon’s help, Vince realized that his business is “a vitamin, not an aspirin,” meaning it’s a luxury, not a necessity. That helped him reshape his business plan and position himself for success! “Businesses sell three things: services, information, and products, and I was only selling services, not capitalizing on the other two,” Vince explains. “Now I’m starting to sell goods. I have products available online, and I sell them in the back at a table after the shows to make a little more money. It’s not where the bulk of my sales is, but it is supplementary cash. I haven't started selling information yet, but that will be more like a PDF or video download of me teaching a trick because some of my clients like to learn magic, too.” Vince travels all over the country performing magic and has ambitious plans for growth. We can’t wait to see what trick he pulls out of his hat next! To learn more about Vince and his business, visit VinceCharmingMagic.com. A STUDENT SUCCESS STORY Meet Vince Charming, Brandon’s Most Magical Student
Sometimes, a little change can go a long way. Walmart illustrated this perfectly when the megachain decided to switch to using more energy-efficient lightbulbs and cheaper floor wax. Those two simple substitutions have cut the company’s annual costs by $220 million. Of course, with thousands of stores nationwide, even the smallest savings will have a multiplying effect for a corporation like Walmart, but this lesson can still be applied by small-business owners looking to grow. As a business owner, it can be tempting to lose yourself in the big picture. Milestones like helping more clients, launching new marketing campaigns, and opening another location are the exciting investments that really get a CEO’s blood pumping. But beneath each of these major decisions, there are many minute changes that could save your company time and money. What standard operating procedure (SOP) needs to be made more efficient before you bring on a larger client load? Which social media site will give you the most bang for your marketing buck? How much more will you be spending on toilet paper with two locations? It’s tempting to overlook the minor details, but tackling these inefficiencies could save you more than you expect. If you aren’t one to pore over every expense report and crunch the numbers, you’re not alone. The good news is that most likely, there are members of your team with the perspective and knowledge to help you out. This is especially true when it comes to day-to-day operations. Employees are great at noticing redundancies in SOP, underutilized spaces in the office, and other areas where money may be wasted. Empowering your team to speak up when they notice these money-saving opportunities can do wonders for your bottom line. Saving a few hundred dollars per year on things like lighting and floor wax may not sound impressive, but that’s money you can put toward improving your employee retention, customer experiences, and marketing effectiveness. In today's competitive market, even the smallest changes can give you a vital edge.
2 | BRANDONCWHITE.COM
3 OLD-SCHOOL TIPS FOR CONCENTRATION Lessons From the Monks
Even before technology started taking over our lives, human beings had trouble focusing. Not even medieval monks had it easy in the distraction department, at least not from their perspective. According to University of Georgia associate professor Jamie Kreiner, 15th century monks regularly worried that they weren’t giving their studies and prayers the focused concentration they deserved. Today, with smartphones constantly buzzing in our pockets, we can all relate to those problems. Luckily for us, those ancient monks figured out a few timeless strategies to aid their concentration. Next time you’re struggling to write a business plan because you have 1,000 emails sitting in your inbox, consider these tips.
— families, properties, businesses, day-to- day drama — not only to erode their sense of individual entitlement but also to ensure they wouldn’t be preoccupied by that stuff in their professional lives of prayer,” Kreiner writes in “How to Reduce Digital Distractions: Advice From Medieval Monks.” You don’t need to go quite that far, but giving up some things (like distracting apps) could help narrow your focus. WORK IT OUT According to Kreiner, monks often supplemented their studies with physical labor. “They found it easier to concentrate when their bodies were moving, whether they were baking or farming or weaving,” she writes. Occupying the body frees the mind, so for a modern twist, try brainstorming while you run, mow the lawn, or do the dishes. IMAGINE THAT To stay zeroed in on a story or memorize a chain of facts, ancient monks would imagine a series of vivid,
Me standing in front of the Buddha at the Po Lin Monastery in Hong Kong while working on my MBA at UNC Chapel Hill studying abroad at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, circa 2005.
related images or even capture them in art, with each image or section of an image corresponding to a fact. Kreiner uses this approach with her own students and says it makes critical thinking “feel less like a slog and more like a game.” All three of these strategies can aid your concentration, but none of them will eliminate mental interruptions entirely. As Kreiner puts it, “Distraction is an old problem, and so is the fantasy that it can be dodged once and for all.”
KEEP IT SIMPLE In order to keep their concentration pure, monks turned to
renunciation. “Monks and nuns were supposed to give up the things that most people loved
THE BEST GRILLED SUMMER VEGETABLES
Inspired by DinnerAtTheZoo.com
"IF EVERYTHING'S UNDER CONTROL, YOU'RE GOING TOO SLOW."
INGREDIENTS
• 1 tsp salt • 1/4 tsp pepper • 1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning • 1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced • 2 lbs assorted vegetables, trimmed and halved
carrots, and yellow squash are great on the grill)
• 5 tbsp olive oil • 2 tbsp lemon juice • 1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped
–Mario Andretti
(asparagus, mushrooms, red onion, red bell peppers, baby
DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic. 2. Brush vegetables with olive oil and place in a large bowl. Top with lemon juice and seasoning mixture. Toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes but no longer than 2 hours. 3. Prepare the grill at medium-high heat. 4. Grill vegetables in batches, cooking 3–5 minutes on each side until browned and tender. (Carrots will cook longer, 6–9 minutes per side.) 5. Remove from the grill, sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot.
415-429-1229 | 3
BRANDONCWHITE.COM 2020 320 CENTRAL AVENUE HALF MOON BAY, CA 94019 415-429-1229 JULY
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
SUCCESS SECRETS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
How 2 Philly Cheesesteaks Changed Everything The Money-Saving Methods Most Entrepreneurs Overlook
PAGE 1
PAGE 2
Meet Our Most Magical Student
3 Ancient Tips for Concentration
PAGE 3
The Best Grilled Summer Vegetables
PAGE 4
Should You Skip Your Workout if You’re Sick?
Have you heard? I have a podcast! Check out the latest episodes of "Build a Business" on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher, and subscribe for new content every week.
SHOULD YOU SKIP YOUR WORKOUT IF YOU DON’T FEEL WELL? Why Some Exercise Is Beneficial When You’re Sick
Getting sick is terrible, especially if you’re trying to stick to a consistent workout routine. You may think sickness means more rest days — but in fact, depending on your symptoms, continuing to exercise could be a good thing. While it may seem like common sense to avoid exerting yourself too much when you’re feeling under the weather, the effects of exercising while you’re sick are a bit more nuanced than you think. If you’re sick and trying to decide if you should try to get a workout in, assess where you feel your symptoms. Are they only above the neck? Or are they above and below the neck? Symptoms of a head cold, such as a runny nose, a mildly sore throat, and some congestion, shouldn’t keep you from exercising. At the very worst, you might just have to cut back the
intensity of your workout. If you usually go for a run, try decreasing the time of your run or going for a walk instead. There’s actually evidence that exercise can help alleviate symptoms located above the neck when you’re sick. For instance, walking and jogging can help clear up congested nasal passages. Many runners will attest to the fact that their workout actually helps them feel better when they’re sick. There’s also evidence that yoga can boost your immune system and ease aches related to sinus issues. Saying “om” might even help too, as one study found humming could actually aid in opening clogged sinuses. If you have a fever or any type of stomach problem, however, you should skip your workout altogether. And if your workouts
Me leading the pack on Thursday night races workout
seem to exacerbate your sickness, take a break until the sickness subsides. That said, it’s nice to know that it takes more than a little case of the sniffles to throw off your workout routine!
4 | BRANDONCWHITE.COM
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs