Ron Shaich spent roughly two decades building Panera Bread into nationwide behemoth, ultimately selling it for $7.5 billion in 2017.
The Panera co-founder, 69, credits that success to a simple practice, which he did — and still does — once per year, he tells CNBC Make It: writing a "pre-mortem."
Between Christmas and his December 30 birthday, Shaich dedicates a day or two to visualize himself at the end of his life, he says.
He writes a news story, obituary or journal entry from that hypothetical future, looking back on his own endeavors, listing only the most important accomplishments.
Then, he maps out how to get from his current state to that future version of himself.
Persons:
Ron Shaich, Shaich, Reddit, Alexis Ohanian, it's, I'd
Organizations:
behemoth, CNBC