William Branum

Founder and CEO of Naked Warrior Recovery, a CBD company focused on the recovery of veterans and first responders. He is a retired Navy SEAL with 26 years of service.

He has served on both traditional SEAL Teams, taught as a SEAL Sniper Instructor and served on Teams that specialized in undersea operations, who’s missions must be approved by the President of the United States. He led major combat operations ranging from protecting the interim Iraqi elected officials to Direct Action missions in Baghdad and across Ambar province.

After retiring from the military in 2018 he realized that he was suffering from physical and psychological symptoms that negatively impacted his well-being and quality of life. Migraines, severe anxiety, chronic pains, difficulty focusing, difficulty sleeping/falling asleep, and depression are some of the symptoms he struggled with on a daily basis.

Like so many others, he used alcohol & prescription drugs to mask the symptoms he had. Then he discovered CBD and it changed his life. It had such an impact on him he started Naked Warrior Recovery to bring the highest quality products to the market and to teach the GET NAKED! Mindset.

Where did the idea for Naked Warrior Recovery come from?

I am a retired Navy SEAL. The predecessor of today’s Navy SEAL were Underwater Demolition Team Members. They were known as Naked Warriors.

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

I start my day the night before. I figure out what the top 3 things that need to be done the next day and I write then down and may start them the night before so its not a cold start in the morning.

I wake up at 6am. Make coffee and drink at least 18 oz of water within 10 minutes to start rehydrating my body and brain from the night before.
Check email for any fires. I generally do about 3 podcasts a week between 800-830am. Then I start knocking out those top 3 things that I started the night before. I workout around 4pm, dinner at 6, family time, bed by 1000pm

How do you bring ideas to life?

I would say this is a dangerous question. If you are trying to grow something, in this case my company Naked Warrior Recovery, I have to maintain my focus on growth so ideas are oftentimes distractions. But when I get new ideas, new ways to grow, I discuss them with my business coach to see if they make sense first and then ways to implement them.

I’ve spent my entire adult life in the SEAL Teams. We had a culture of problem solving and being unconventional. I use the same mental models to come up with ideas that I may implement.

What’s one trend that excites you?

People are growing more open to CBD and other hemp derived products.

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

Calendar mastery. If it’s not on my calendar then it is not a priority. There are so many things we can work on everyday. Most of those things don’t really matter. They don’t help the company grow or me grow as a person or leader. If something is important it will go on my calendar. If it’s not important it doesn’t.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Never become complacent. The times I have had massive success are the times I was struggling to figure it out. It didn’t matter if it was in leadership positions in the SEAL Teams or becoming an instructor. The times I didn’t have that struggle because I thought I knew what to do are the times I had massive failure. All because I became complacent. If you are never complacent, you will always be hungry to learn and get better.

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

BUD/S Basic Underwater/ SEAL Training is easy. Now, It’s not “easy”, because it is physically and mentally demanding. But I say it is easy because you only have 2 decisions to make every day. 1.Quit or keep going. 2.Keep going and be mediocre or keep going and be AWESOME.\

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

Figure out Why you are doing what you are doing and always keep going back to that Why.

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

Build a brand behind the products I am selling. There are 100 Bazilian CBD companies out there. Every street corner and gas station has a CBD something. What sets them apart from one another? Do you trust the brand?

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Other than massive debt and not knowing what I’m doing and having to figure it out as I go, yes that is probably the failure. The way I overcame it was to ask for help. I hired business coaches to help me navigate the world of entrepreneurship. They have decades of lessons learned from their success and failures so I don’t have to make the same mistakes they have made.

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

Create an applicator to apply topical CBD products to your back (like a back scratcher) so you don’t have to rely on someone else applying it for you, because you could be alone.

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

My last flight. The price difference between comfort and 1st class was about $100. It’s always better to fly first than coach.

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

Google Drive. I have access to spreadsheets, calendars, docs, and power point from the web and don’t have to pay a subscription for Microsoft service. Plus it gives me a place to store everything and I don’t forget where I put a file on my computer.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Winning by Tim Grover

What is your favorite quote?

GET NAKED! NAKED stands for being your authentic self and take off your ego. NAKED also stands for:
N-Never Quit
A-Accept Failure
K-Kill Mediocrity
E-Expose Your Fears
D-Do the Work
My other favorite quote is from “Man in the Arena” by Teddy Rosevelt

Key Learnings:

• I avoid complacency at all costs. I never stop learning and never stop trying to get better.
• When I don’t know how to do something, I hire a coach. They have already learned 10,000 ways not to do something and the one way to do it right. I make the investment and time collapse my learning.
• The most powerful way I increased my productivity was by mastering my calendar. If it’s not important enough to add to my calendar, it’s not important enough to spend time on.
• The best way I have learned to compete in a saturated market is to build a brand that people want to be a part of. No matter how saturated the market is, there is always room at the top.