Brandon Long

Brandon Long is a career entrepreneur, focusing on leadership development and the strategic growth of marketing firms. Formerly a resident of Grass Valley, California, he now lives and works in Denver, Colorado, where he started his first company in 2014.

Over the course of his career, Brandon has provided a variety of professional services, including location management, training and development, business and personal, client retention, market research, and expansion.

From his new home in Denver Colorado, Brandon has worked with marketing firms across the United States, successfully managing multiple clients, while coaching others on business strategies, before partnering with nonprofits in 2019.

Brandon holds consulting roles for multiple companies and their clients. In his personal life, he is known for chasing spikes of adrenaline. In particular, he enjoys mountain biking, rock climbing, and snowboarding in the front range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Where did the idea for your career come from?

When I was in high school, I ran a mobile automotive detailing company. When I moved away from home, I applied for automotive detailing jobs to get my foot in the door, so I could keep running that business. I ended up being hired by a marketing company that had me traveling all over the country, learning sales, marketing and training and, through that experience, I became interested in the marketing industry.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

There’s a pretty consistent schedule every week, though most of my days are spent consulting. We have financial consulting calls; we have hiring and recruiting consulting calls; and we have leadership development consulting calls. Outside of these calls, I spend a lot of the time physically in one of our marketing locations, dealing with the marketing and sales training at the location. This type of schedule is pretty consistent Monday through Saturday.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I think media, branding, and advertising. The fact that somebody can make a million dollars in a year recording themselves doing crazy things is exciting. Just how many options there are to be successful nowadays.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Definitely physical exercise. Being able to naturally clear my head through physical output.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell myself to pay more attention and to focus more on being a student of life, rather than being a student of whatever you’re currently going through. If you’re learning through every situation and outside of work, that’s where the growth comes from.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Your mentality is everything. I think it’s hard to hear for a lot of people, but, at the end of the day, you choose where you work, you choose where you live, you choose a lot of the things you have. So, if you want to change something, make a different choice.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I call it a brain dump. I have to put everything that’s in my mind on the whiteboard or write it down on paper. Every day.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Spending time with coworkers outside of the workplace. People care more about stuff when they know you care about them outside of work.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Whatever you do, do that one thing 100% until it’s complete, before you move to the next thing. Overall, close the book on the things that you start, that’s especially the case in today’s environment. There are people trying to run five businesses at once, but all five businesses are struggling because they can’t put 100% into each business.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I spent a hundred bucks the other day on a personal trainer. He invited me to his facility and trained me for the day. My biggest relief is exercise. I work hard, but I can work harder. So having someone else in my corner to hold me accountable is huge.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Google Drive has all of our training materials, all of our tracking, all our key performance indicators, and it’s very neatly organized. It’s easy to find things. We use that for pretty much everything.

What is your favorite quote?

“Your personality is your personal reality.”

Key Learnings:

• Mentality is everything and fundamentally shapes your success;
• Physical exercise is essential to health and happiness;