Meet Brandon Long

We were lucky to catch up with Brandon Long recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

Being the only one in the room that looks like me is an ever-changing challenge. It would be an easier answer to this question if the challenge was always the same. Alas, it is not. One skill that I have focused on in order to be effective/successful in such situations is to be authentic.

I have worked on staying true to myself, no matter what. “Never lose Brandon” is what I repeat internally. Authenticity is something that is hard to deny. While not everyone in that room, who does not look like me, will connect; those who are meant to will. They will see the genuine human that I am and appreciate that. Whatever task I am there to do is done successfully when I show up intrinsically.

Another skill that I have used consistently is to listen. It is very important to listen, especially in a room full of people who do not identify with you and/or who do not look like you. Listening has given me the ability to see what the need or desire in the room is and then when I couple that with the skill of being my authentic self, I can confidently state my expertise.

This has all been learned (and still is tested) by doing. Being the odd man out, so to speak, isn’t easy in any setting, but listening and showing up as my true self has been an integral part of my being successful.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a brand new entrepreneur who was faced with a challenge of a career change when I was fired. I had worked in education for a combined twenty years. I had been at my last school for two years when I was abruptly fired and given no reason. In house, everything was going well and getting better. The higher ups had different ideals, and plans obviously. After I was fired, I grieved the loss and then asked myself what most people would ask, “What do I do now?”. I had always wanted to work for myself, but had never nailed down in what area. I did a lot of praying. A lot! Knowing that travel was something I was passionate about, I just had to figure out how to get paid for it. Through a lot of research, and a statement I heard on a Netflix show, wine travel was my answer.
Unique in itself, I knew it was going to be difficult to make it work. And it is. However, there was something else that kept coming back to me. It was something that I had done, really all my life, but was more evident while I was teaching. That something was inspiration. I knew that through my work, my travel and even through wine, I wanted, and was purposed, to inspire others.

The mission statement on my website ends with this, ” It is He’s Gone Grapes’ (hesgonegrapes.com) mission to inspire you to try new things, to encourage you to dream and go after them and to wish you to enjoy life and its processes.”. That is the ‘why’ for me.

The how, is through wine travel. Have you ever traveled a few miles outside of a busy city, to a rural piece of land, and seen hundreds of grapevines? Then you toured the beautiful grounds, talked to the winemaker and then slowed down to taste the nuances of the wine? It becomes less about the wine itself and more about the connection. Connection to the people, the land and the work. Then, you take a moment to reflect on all that you witnessed and you become more grateful, more empowered and more inspired to do something you have only dreamed of. This is what I get from winery visits. I share it in order to inspire others to have their own ‘wine’ experience, even if wine isn’t their thing. Go to that pickup basketball game in the park, just for the fun of it. Write that novel (which I am working on), paint that portrait or landscape, travel to that land which is foreign to you. Have your ‘wine moment’ by doing something you have dreamed of. Slow down and live in that moment.

As I grow in this business, which is fairly unique and sometimes lonely, I am offering to plan unique experiences. I plan wine tours where I reach out to the winery owner/manager and book the tour and tasting, while also negotiating special extras for the group. In addition, I plan the event from start to finish. From the meeting place and transportation to and from the location, to the schedule and options for the day. I do this locally in Tennessee currently but I am open to travelling to many other places. And yes, out of the country is absolutely an option! In addition, I plan to become a top-level sommelier. I want to grow my knowledge of wine (beer, spirits and sake included) so that I can pass it along and help others in this industry as well.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

One quality that has been most impactful in my journey has been perseverance. The ability to not throw in the towel because frustration, lack of growth/connection or any other challenge is a virtue. Patience is tough, but not giving up is tougher. When you choose to not give up, you choose to find success.

Another quality is authenticity. Show up as yourself. No matter what, show up as who you are. Now, who you are should be ever-evolving, but know who that is and show up as that person. I am a shy and introverted person and showing up as me is a challenge in and of itself. However, I strive to be the kind, encouraging and awkward guy that I have always been.

The last quality, which I consider a skill as well, is to ‘know what you don’t know’. Simply put, understand that you do not know everything, yet be willing to learn. Willingness to learn more about the wine industry, winemaking, entrepreneurship and more has served me well. I listen to people who have had successes and failures in areas that are so far from mine and have learned lots of valuable information. I don’t know it all, which opens me up to learning more.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

Travel! Without a doubt, I would travel to see as much of the world and its people as possible if I knew I only had a decade of life left.

When I began searching for the answer to “What do I do now?” after I lost my job, I had to find the answers to some ‘lead up’ questions. One of those questions was, “What do I love/ am I passionate about?”. That answer came quickly and it was travel. I have always loved to travel and have found much growth in doing so.

I have visited many places from the east to west coast in the United States including the territory of Puerto Rico, as well as a few countries in Europe. During my first trip to Europe, I came to the understanding that all people have a lot in common, such as working, education, food, family and more. This was intriguing to me because what we see in media depicts ‘foreign’ as something other worldly. However, people are people no matter where you go and we all have the same basics needs and a lot of times, desires. We all want to live, love and enjoy life. Traveling further enhances this ideal for me, while helping me to grow as a human and citizen of this world.

I like a quote by Mark Twain, which the expert traveler Joseph Rosendo reminds us of all the time, “Travel is fatal to bigotry and narrowmindedness…”. Twain goes on to say, “…and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.”. This is what travel does for me, opens my mind and causes me to see everyone as my fellow human. And honestly, I don’t think it is something I can live without. So, if I had one decade of life left to live, I would be as the air, in a constant state of travel.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hesgonegrapes.com
• Instagram: @Hesgonegrapes
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567849347842
• Other: Digital business card: https://popl.co/card/XH0aUoMt/1/dash

Image Credits

Brandon D. Long