1332: The Anti-5-Year-Plan: Why Planning Too Far Ahead Will Kill Your Startup w/ Andrew Mathewes

Ever feel like you have too many ideas and not enough focus? Andrew Mathewes is here to show you why that might be your greatest strength. In this episode, Andrew shares his incredible journey of leaving a high-profile role at the National Civil Rights Museum to launch not one, but two completely different businesses simultaneously: Jehl Consulting, a tech consultancy for nonprofits, and Stomping Grounds, a massive brick-and-mortar play space for families. This episode is a masterclass in turning personal problems into powerful business ideas, leveraging AI as your strategic partner, and understanding why building community is the ultimate growth hack. Andrew’s story proves that the skills you’ve gathered throughout your career are more connected than you think, and they can fuel a multi-faceted entrepreneurial life that is both profitable and fulfilling.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessThe Anti-Focus Method: Discover how running two seemingly unrelated businesses (tech consulting and a brick-and-mortar) can create a powerful synergy that makes you a better strategist and CEO.Solve Your Own Problems: Learn how Andrew turned his frustrations as a dad of two toddlers into Stomping Grounds, a community-focused business that solved a real-world pain point he experienced every weekend.Bizanthropy 101: Uncover the strategies used by multi-billion dollar nonprofits like St. Jude to run their mission-driven organizations with the ruthless efficiency and marketing savvy of a top for-profit company.Why a 5-Year Plan is a Waste of Time: Embrace the power of "discovery-based planning" and a "test and learn" approach to stay agile and responsive in an uncertain market.📝 About Andrew Mathewes Andrew Mathewes is an entrepreneur who thrives at the intersection of data, technology, and community. After a distinguished 15-year career serving major organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the National Civil Rights Museum, he took the entrepreneurial leap in a big way. Instead of choosing one path, he launched two: Jehl Consulting, which helps nonprofits leverage technology for greater impact, and Stomping Grounds, a 1.4-acre family-focused eatery and play space in Memphis. Andrew’s unique perspective comes from his ability to speak the language of both tech nerds and business leaders, making him a powerful connector and problem-solver.🎯 Andrew’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs “I wouldn't be anywhere without a mentor. So if you're young in your career, if you're just stepping out to be an entrepreneur... I can't urge you to do that enough.”📢 Memorable Quotes“When everything is so uncertain, it's actually imprudent to plan that far ahead. And instead, you stay in test and learn mode.” – Andrew Mathewes“I could not have done it without where the tools are today in terms of AGI and ChatGPT. Doing this completely different business, I've never run a restaurant… I can just pull out my phone and run a deep research report.” – Andrew Mathewes“Both [businesses] are rooted in community and rebuilding... that impulse to go back to knowing our neighbors a little bit better.” – Andrew Mathewes🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Jehl Consulting’s websiteVisit Stomping Grounds’ websiteConnect with Andrew on LinkedInFollow Jehl Consulting on LinkedInFollow Stomping Grounds on LinkedIn

In this episode, fractional CMO and founder of Garde Haus Marketing, Cristin Padgett, breaks down the art and science of building a predictable, scalable marketing engine. She explains why relying on "vibes" is a surefire way to waste time and money, and how to shift to a data-driven, systematic approach. This episode is a masterclass for any entrepreneur tired of inconsistent results. You'll learn how to leverage AI for more than just content creation, focus on the metrics that actually matter (like customer acquisition cost), and build a growth system that attracts customers and investors alike. Cristin’s unique ability to blend creative storytelling with operational rigor provides a clear roadmap for turning your vision into a revenue-generating machine.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business⚙️ How to build a scalable, repeatable marketing “engine” instead of relying on one-off tactics that don’t produce consistent results.📊 Why you must ditch the “vibes-based” marketing approach and embrace a data-driven, scientific method to find and attract your ideal customers.🤖 The untapped power of AI for systematizing your marketing, improving timing, and automating workflows—saving you dozens of hours a year.💸 How to identify your marketing “North Star” metric (Customer Acquisition Cost) to ensure every dollar you spend is driving real growth.🧪 A framework for effective experimentation, knowing when to pivot, and why failing fast is critical for long-term success.🤝 Why marketing isn’t just about lead generation—it’s about creating a frictionless customer experience that drives conversions and retention.🧠 How to stay curious and continuously peel back the layers of your data to understand what’s working, what isn’t, and what to do next.📝 About Cristin Padgett Cristin Padgett is a fractional CMO and the founder of Guarde Haus Marketing, a strategy-first consultancy that helps early-stage and venture-backed startups build predictable growth systems. With a rich background working with giants like Palo Alto Networks and innovative startups, Cristin excels at the intersection of creative storytelling and operational excellence. Her expertise lies in transforming big ideas into scalable, investor-ready marketing engines that drive traction, credibility, and revenue. Cristin brings a unique, data-driven perspective that challenges founders to think beyond tactics and build a truly sustainable business.🎯 Cristin’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Stay curious. That is how you succeed." Cristin’s most powerful advice is to maintain a relentless sense of curiosity. It’s the driving force behind understanding your data, your customers, and your market.📢 Memorable Quotes “You shouldn't create a marketing strategy based off vibes. Let's put it like that. Don't just go off vibes. There's an art and a science to this.” – Cristin Padgett“Fail, fail often and fail fast... the longer it takes you to figure out you're going down the wrong path, the more it's going to cost you.” – Cristin Padgett"Marketing is an engine, and you need to develop the structure around it in order to create a scalable, repeatable engine.” – Cristin Padgett🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Garde Haus Marketing’s websiteConnect with Cristin on LinkedInFollow Garde Haus Marketing on LinkedIn

As the new year approaches, are you tired of setting the same old resolutions that fizzle out by February? It’s time to stop making wishes and start building a strategic roadmap. In this Solo Sunday episode, Brian pulls back the curtain on his completely evolved annual planning process — a powerful 6-layer framework he’s using to design his best year yet in 2026. Forget spreadsheets and simple goal-setting. Brian walks you through a holistic system that starts with who you need to become and ends with designing a life that fuels your business, not the other way around. This is the exact process for turning big ambitions into an actionable, quarter-by-quarter execution plan.✨ Why This Matters for YouThis isn't just another planning episode. This framework is designed to create alignment and momentum:It forces you to start with identity, ensuring your actions are aligned with the person you need to be to succeed.It connects your offers directly to your revenue goals, revealing gaps and opportunities in your business model.It helps you move beyond tactical chaos by defining high-level strategy before you get lost in the "how."It breaks down an entire year into manageable 90-day sprints, making big goals feel achievable.It integrates your life with your business, preventing burnout and ensuring your company serves your ideal lifestyle.📝 Key TakeawaysBrian breaks down his annual planning into six distinct layers that build on one another:The Identity Layer: Who do you need to become to achieve the results you want? It all starts with embodying the identity of the person who has already succeeded.The Offer Layer: A strategic look at your products and services. Do they align? Do they support each other? Do they create a clear path for your customers and your revenue goals?The Themes Layer: What are the 3-5 guiding principles for your year? Think "leverage over labor" or "visibility over obscurity." These themes act as your compass for every decision.The Strategy Layer: Before tactics, you need strategy. This is where you make the big-picture decisions about your focus, market positioning, and key milestones for the year.The Execution Layer: Translate your strategy into a concrete plan. This is where Brian maps out his quarterly focuses, turning a 12-month vision into 90-day actionable chunks.The Life Design Layer: Your business must support your life. This layer ensures you intentionally plan for health, relationships, rest, and creativity, building a sustainable foundation for success.🚀 Put It Into ActionThis week, grab a notebook and do a "6-Layer Audit" for your upcoming year:Identity: Who is the version of you that effortlessly achieves your goals? Write down three traits they embody.Offers: List all your current offers. Is there one you need to cut, evolve, or create to hit your goals?Themes: What’s one theme that feels absolutely essential for you this year?Strategy: What is the single most important strategic milestone that would make this year a massive success?Execution: What is the #1 focus for you in the first 90 days of the year?Life Design: What is one non-negotiable personal habit or activity you will protect this year?🔗 Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the show so you never miss an episode.Want to share your plan or ask Brian a question? Send him a personal email at [email protected] with Brian on Instagram @imetbrian.Share this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who is ready to make next year their best year yet.

Tired of the screen time battle and the overwhelming number of single-use gadgets for kids? This episode tackles the "iPad kid" epidemic head-on with Dhruv Chadha, founder of Ahmi. Drawing from his experience building hit products at Blackberry, Microsoft, and T-Mobile, Dhruv shares how his personal journey as a father led him to create Ahmi—an all-in-one intelligent device that serves as a monitor, sound machine, nightlight, and learning hub. This conversation is a masterclass for any entrepreneur on how to identify a deeply personal problem, validate it with rigorous customer research, and make the strategic decision to build a cohesive hardware and software solution in a fragmented market. Tune in to learn how technology, when built with intention, can support development instead of competing with it.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessThe "iPhone Moment" Strategy: Learn how to identify a fragmented market filled with single-solution products and create one cohesive platform that does it all.Why Hardware Matters: Understand the strategic decision-making process behind building a physical product versus just an app, especially when user behavior (like kids swiping away) is a key factor.From Pain Point to Product: Discover how Dhruv turned his own parenting struggles with routine charts and learning tools into a scalable business idea.Customer-Led Development: Hear how interviewing over 50 parents was crucial in defining Ami’s core features and validating the market need before a single unit was built.AI-Powered Personalization: See how Ami uses AI not as a gimmick, but as a tool to create personalized learning experiences for children based on their unique interests (like counting with cars instead of apples).📝 About Dhruv Chadha Dhruv Chadha is the founder of Ahmi, an intelligent device designed to help parents raise confident, capable kids in a tech-saturated world. With a rich background in consumer technology, Dhruv has been at the forefront of the mobile revolution, building smartphones at Blackberry and Microsoft. He later led the software development for T-Mobile's Sync Up Kids Watch, which became the #1 selling kids' smartwatch at launch. As a father himself, Dhruv combines his deep technical expertise with a personal mission to create technology that enhances early childhood development rather than distracting from it.🎯 Dhruv’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "If you have a passion for an area and the drive to do it, you can. Just jump in and go do what you're passionate about, and if you see a real problem and you can quantify it, I think it's worth pursuing those problems."📢 Memorable Quotes"We're not here to replace the parent. We're here to help the parent and actually bring the child and parent closer." – Dhruv Chadha"I really call this the iPhone moment of parenting tech. There is so much tech for parents right now, but they solve like one problem at a time, and they don't work cohesively." – Dhruv Chadha🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Ahmi’s websiteVisit The Connected Childhood PodcastConnect with Dhruv on LinkedInFollow Ahmi on LinkedInFollow Ahmi on Instagram

Justin Steele, a former Google.org director who oversaw $700 million in grants, found himself on the other side of the table as a non-profit founder struggling to afford fundraising tools. Instead of accepting the status quo, he taught himself to code with AI and built Kindora, a Public Benefit Corporation that makes professional fundraising tools accessible to all. This episode is a masterclass in scrappy innovation, demonstrating how any entrepreneur can turn a personal "thorn in your side" into a viable business. Justin shares his incredible story of building an MVP in just two weeks from his living room, offering a powerful lesson in leveraging AI as a superpower to solve real-world problems, build a mission-driven company, and scale your impact without waiting for permission.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🚀 How to use AI as your personal software developer to build an MVP, even with zero coding experience.💡 The step-by-step process of identifying a personal pain point and transforming it into a scalable business idea.💰 A fundraising strategy for early-stage ventures: why a high-volume, targeted approach to small grants can be your rocket fuel.⚖️ How the Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) model allows you to legally balance profit with social impact, protecting your mission as you grow.🛠️ Why being the "painter" closest to the problem gives you an unmatched advantage in developing effective solutions and products.🤝 The power of partnership and how a co-founder can provide the courage and confidence to turn a prototype into a real company.📝 About Justin SteeleJustin Steele is the co-founder and CEO of Kindora, a Public Benefit Corporation making professional fundraising tools accessible to every nonprofit. With a background that includes directing $700 million in philanthropic grants at Google.org and degrees from Harvard Business School, Justin combines big-company experience with startup grit. His journey began when he founded his own nonprofit, Outdoorithm Collective, and discovered the very tools meant to help him were financially out of reach. This inspired him to leverage AI to build a better solution from scratch, giving him a unique and powerful perspective from both sides of the funding table.🎯 Justin’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs"Grab your paintbrush and start painting with these AI programs."📢 Memorable Quotes“I would just gut check it. I don't want to know... is this worth my time to do more due diligence or not? And I just literally had the AI do that 10,000 times.” – Justin Steele"As a founder, you know, you're supposed to put out products that you're embarrassed by... if you're not putting stuff out that's early prototyping, then you're probably hanging on to it too long." – Justin Steele"I have yet to try something and hit a wall where I'm like, 'Oh, I actually can't build the thing.' It's a superpower. It gives everybody a massive edge and we should all be in these tools. It's like jumping into an Iron Man suit." – Justin Steele🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Kindora’s websiteVisit Outdoorithm Collective’s websiteConnect with Justin on LinkedInFollow Kindora on LinkedInFollow Outdoorithm Collective on LinkedIn

In a world buzzing with AI, how do you cut through the noise to make decisions that actually grow your business? This episode features Bobby Thompson, the founder of WUNN Labs, who is demystifying the world of data for entrepreneurs. Bobby breaks down how the information you already have—from sales calls and emails to CRM entries—is a goldmine waiting to be tapped. He explains how modern AI makes it possible for any business to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data to gain a competitive edge. This isn't a high-level theoretical chat; it's a practical guide on shortening your innovation cycles, solving problems faster, and building a well-oiled machine that moves with speed and clarity. Tune in to learn how to harness data to build a smarter, more agile, and more successful business.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🚀 Why your qualitative data (emails, call transcripts, Slack messages) is just as valuable as your quantitative data, and how AI can finally make sense of it all.💰 How to identify and eliminate the 20% of sales efforts that are going nowhere, effectively boosting your revenue without increasing your workload.🧠 A framework for approaching AI: Start with your biggest business problem, not with the technology, to find the right solution.⚡ How to shorten your business cycles from years to months (or months to weeks) by making better, faster decisions backed by real data.🤝 Why AI won't replace entrepreneurs but will empower smaller, more agile teams to compete with monolithic companies.📈 How to move beyond simple dashboards and get the full context behind your data to make decisions you can feel confident about.📝 About Bobby ThompsonBobby Thompson is the founder of WUNN Labs, where he is building the infrastructure for better human judgment in an AI-driven world. With a background as a data scientist and a former Chief Product and Technology Officer, Bobby has spent his career at the intersection of data, design, and decision-making. He got disillusioned with the slow, expensive cycle of traditional data science and saw an opportunity with AI to create a shorter, more effective bridge between data analysis and real-world business action. His unique perspective helps entrepreneurs move past the hype and use data to build truly intelligent and efficient companies.🎯 Bobby’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs“It's the golden era for ambition. Be ambitious. You could do so much more than you could before, and so the people that try and are resourceful and ambitious, they're going to have a lot of success.”📢 Memorable Quotes"If we keep accelerating faster without better decisions, we're just going to kind of end up in weird places as businesses." – Bobby Thompson"The bigger question should be what are your biggest problems that you're actually trying to solve?... And then it's just, AI to solve that thing specifically." – Bobby Thompson"I do think you're not going to need as many monolithic companies, which I actually think is cool, especially for a podcast about entrepreneurship. There's going to be a big boom of smaller companies." – Bobby Thompson🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit WUNN Labs’ websiteConnect with Bobby on LinkedInFollow WUNN Labs on LinkedIn

Ever feel like you have a brilliant business plan, but something mysterious always gets in the way of executing it perfectly? This episode is your answer. Dominique Samari, a former attorney turned strategist and healing arts practitioner, pulls back the curtain on the invisible forces—the hidden organizational and leadership patterns—that sabotage our success. This isn't just another strategy session; it's a deep dive into building a business that is not only successful on paper but is resilient, collaborative, and truly impactful in practice. Dominique shows us how to bridge the critical gap between a great idea and a profitable reality by focusing on the one thing that matters most: human connection.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🚀 How to identify the fear-based patterns in your leadership that stifle creativity and growth within your team.🤝 Why "healing-centered leadership" is the next evolution for building resilient, high-impact organizations that thrive in complexity.💡 A framework for bridging the critical gap between a brilliant plan and successful, real-world execution.🧠 How to quiet the loud voice of your intellect to finally hear and trust your entrepreneurial intuition, even when it doesn't make logical sense.🤖 A balanced perspective on using AI as a powerful tool without losing the human connection that truly drives your business forward.📈 The secret to building "relational infrastructure" from day one to create a culture that fuels, rather than fights, your strategy.📝 About Dominique Samari Dominique Samari is an experienced attorney, strategist, coach, and healing arts practitioner who masterfully blends analytical strategy with a deep understanding of human dynamics. With over 15 years of experience leading planning and training efforts for organizations, including rebuilding rule of law infrastructure in Afghanistan, she has a unique global perspective on what makes teams succeed or fail. Through her companies, Kin Consultant Group and the tech platform Kin Universe, she helps organizations increase trust and strengthen the connections needed to turn ambitious plans into tangible success.🎯 Dominique’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs"Don't wait until you have cultural problems—design for relationships from day one."📢 Memorable Quotes “My intellect is like, ‘well, that's crazy making.’ And then I take the steps, follow my intuition, and it's f*cking magic.” – Dominique Samari“[Intuition] is always there. It's always ready for us to use, but you have to chip away the things that get in the way of you accessing that.” – Dominique Samari“Culture eats strategy for breakfast. You can have the best ideas, the best strategy but if you aren't building a culture that can actually execute that, then it's all for naught.” – Dominique Samari🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Kin Consultant Group’s websiteVisit Kin Universe’s websiteConnect with Dominique on LinkedInFollow Kin Consultant Group on LinkedIn

Ready to stop letting fear dictate your entrepreneurial journey? In this episode, Brian sits down with Théa Watkins, an impactful coach with 27 years of experience as a global business leader. Théa shares her incredible story of leaving a secure corporate career to build a business around her passion: helping people and organizations realize their full potential. This episode is a masterclass in overcoming the mental hurdles that hold entrepreneurs back. You'll learn why embracing discomfort is the key to growth, how vulnerability can become your greatest leadership tool, and the practical steps to build unwavering self-belief so you can finally feel the fear and do it anyway.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessThe Power of "And Thinking": Discover how to reframe daunting challenges by acknowledging that fear and excitement can coexist, giving you the fuel to take massive action.Unlocking Team Potential: Learn Théa's facilitation strategy for building deep trust and collaboration by creating a space for intentional vulnerability.Fly Higher, Not Lower: Understand the powerful metaphor for why playing small is more dangerous than aiming for your biggest goals and how to build the courage to soar.From Corporate to Entrepreneur: Hear the unfiltered story of making the leap and the specific actions that turned a passion for inclusion into a thriving consulting business.The 10-Second Mindfulness Hack: Learn a simple Positive Intelligence technique to quiet the "fight or flight" response and create the mental space needed for strategic thinking.Vulnerability as a Leadership Choice: Uncover what vulnerability actually looks like in a business context (hint: it's not about sob stories) and how saying "I don't know" can make you a stronger leader.📝 About Théa Watkins Théa Watkins is an impactful coach and expert facilitator with over 27 years of international experience as a business leader in the financial services industry. After a long and successful corporate career, she took the entrepreneurial leap to found Théa Watkins Consulting. Today, she channels her passion and expertise into helping individuals and organizations realize their full potential through the principles of inclusion, transforming team dynamics and empowering leaders to build more effective, respectful, and high-performing environments.🎯 Théa’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Feel the fear and do it anyway... and never stop believing in yourself."📢 Memorable Quotes“Nothing is achieved in life without some struggle and some level of discomfort. That's where the growth and the evolution happens.” – Théa Watkins“Excitement is an emotion or has the same physiological impact on your body… as fear.” – Théa Watkins"Vulnerability is a key leadership choice in today's world... it's part of showing your humanity." – Théa Watkins🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Théa Watkins Consulting’s websiteConnect with Théa on LinkedInFollow Théa Watkins Consulting on LinkedInFollow Théa Watkins Consulting on TikTok

In this episode, Brian sits down with Dom Kwong, the engineer-turned-CEO who is revolutionizing personal mobility with Damon Motors. Dom shares the inside story of how he’s tackling one of the biggest challenges in transportation—motorcycle safety—by applying advanced technology and data analytics in ways the industry has never seen before. This episode is a masterclass in innovation, showing how personal experience can fuel a world-changing business idea. For wantrepreneurs and entrepreneurs, Dom provides a powerful blueprint for identifying massive market gaps, adapting proven tech from other industries, and building a mission-driven company that creates something the world desperately needs (and thinks is incredibly cool).💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessHow to turn a deeply personal problem into a scalable, tech-driven business.The strategy of adapting proven technology (like automotive sensors) to innovate in a completely different industry.Why data and context are the keys to creating next-level value and insights for your customers.A lesson in market adoption: Why "safety" by itself doesn't sell, but integrating it into a cool, desirable product does.How to build a demonstrator product to prove your concept and open up massive licensing opportunities.Why literally becoming your customer is non-negotiable for developing breakthrough products.The financial models, like subscription services, that can lower the barrier to entry for mass adoption of new technology.📝 About Dom KwongDom Kwong is the CEO of Damon Motors, an electric motorcycle company on a mission to make personal mobility safer for everyone. With over 25 years of experience in hardware engineering and manufacturing, Dom has led global teams at companies like Intel and developed groundbreaking products, from the world's first sports heads-up display to smartphones. He holds numerous US and international patents and brings a unique engineer's perspective to solving complex, real-world problems. Dom's passion is driven by his firsthand experience as a motorcyclist, giving him an unparalleled understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the industry he is transforming.🎯 Dom’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and EntrepreneursYou must understand the problem you are trying to solve by putting yourself directly in your customer’s position—not just in their shoes. To truly innovate, you have to live the pain points and experience the world exactly as they do.📢 Memorable Quotes“The problems that we try to solve are the ones that we experience firsthand.” – Dom Kwong“The rider is always in control... because you're in control, that gives you greater confidence of your surroundings and that makes you safe.” – Dom Kwong“Motorcyclists develop motorcycle technology. That's it. You know, full stop.” – Dom Kwong💡 Actionable TakeawaysLook at adjacent industries for inspiration. Identify proven technologies that you can adapt to create a breakthrough in your own field.Don't just sell a feature (like safety). Integrate your core value proposition into an aspirational product that people desire for its overall appeal.If you lead a team, ensure they are deeply connected to the customer's experience. If they aren't, find ways to immerse them in it.Embrace "imposter syndrome" as a tool to stay humble and continuously listen to your team, your customers, and your industry.🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Damon Motors’ websiteConnect with Dom on LinkedInFollow Damon Motorcycles on LinkedIn

Ever get that feeling of "senioritis" in December? The days get shorter, the holidays get closer, and the temptation to mentally check out and just "drift" until the new year is real. But what if that drift is costing you your momentum for next year? In this Solo Sunday episode, Brian pulls back the curtain on why the most successful entrepreneurs use this time not to slow down, but to decide. Inspired by a powerful conversation with an upcoming guest, Brian breaks down why the opposite of drifting is deciding, and how the choices you make right now are what truly set the stage for a breakout year. If you want to start 2026 ahead of the pack instead of playing catch-up, this episode is your catalyst.✨ Why This Matters for YouThis isn't just another end-of-year reflection. It's a strategic advantage:Gain a Competitive Edge: While everyone else is coasting, you’ll be making the key decisions that create unstoppable momentum for Q1.Take Control of Your Future: Your results in six months are a direct consequence of the decisions you make today. This episode shows you how to be intentional about it.Escape the "New Year's Resolution" Trap: Stop waiting for a magical date on the calendar. Brian shows you how to use the natural rhythm of this month to build your future self, starting now.Turn Downtime into "Up-Time": The natural holiday slowdown isn't a time to drift; it's a gift of space to think, strategize, and decide without the usual daily noise.📝 Key TakeawaysNext Year Starts Now. The entrepreneurs who crush it in January and February didn't get lucky; they used December to make pivotal decisions.The Opposite of Drifting is Deciding. Drifting is passive; deciding is an act of creation. You must consciously choose to decide on your direction, identity, and actions for the year ahead.Success Has a Delay. The life and business you have today are the results of choices made long ago. The decisions you make this week will determine where you are months from now.Decide Who You Will Be. The most important decision isn't just what you'll do, but who you'll be. Define the identity of the person who achieves your 2026 goals, and start living as them now.Decide What to Leave Behind. Making powerful decisions also means choosing what habits, mindsets, and projects are not coming with you into the new year.🚀 Put It Into ActionThis week, use the gift of this "slower" season to make one powerful decision:Where in your business or life are you currently "drifting" instead of deciding? Acknowledge it.Make one concrete decision about who you will be in 2026. What is a core trait of that identity? (e.g., "I am a founder who executes without hesitation.")Decide on one thing—a habit, a project, a mindset—that you are officially leaving behind before the new year. Write it down and commit to it.🔗 Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the show so you never miss an episodeConnect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrianShare this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs to stop drifting and start deciding📣 Special Thanks and Shout Out to a Brilliant Creator!A huge thank you and shout out to Andrew Safnauer for the incredible conversation that inspired this episode! Brian was so fired up after their chat about the power of decision-making that he knew he had to share the core message with you. You'll get to hear the full, amazing interview with Andrew on December 20th in episode #1336. Get ready, because his story and mindset are going to blow you away