“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don’t have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills.-” -Liam Neeson in ‘Taken’.
Although I do not have quite the same skill set as Liam Neeson exhibited in that film. I do have several valuable qualities that can further your company, should you choose to hire me. I am very passionate about making valuable connections and I put a lot of stock into cultivating important relationships everywhere I go. We live in a world where interpersonal connections are so valuable and the need for a strong tribe is more present than ever. In many situations, your network can make or break an experience, a deal, or an effective process. Thankfully, with the access to so many different forms of communication, these connections do not require as much time as they did to create and maintain in the past. The process of building a strong network of capable people is where I come in.
1. Sales and Grit
When you build your own business, you learn to become kind of a jack of all trades. I learned what worked or what didn’t very quickly. A large part of making the business remotely successful was getting interested customers, then getting them to come back every week. Since N.O.V.A. started my team and I have had to engage those inside and on the borders of the airsoft community. I’ve gone to comic-cons and handed out cards, shot live videos from the field, and built external groups to bring more people into different brackets of expense within the sport. In all of this we grew our page from zero likes to 300, and about 125 customers on rotation every season (20-25 alternating people each event). This is mostly from word of mouth locally and very organic Facebook advertising. I was largely involved in customer service, maintaining the hype and the reasons for its validity. It’s not just about pulling people into an event, but about giving them something that they want that improves their lives. That’s really what I’m passionate about, getting people things they need/want in order to improve their lives.
This is mainly why I am thrilled to work for you and get your product out to hungry customers. I want to help build your network of clients that will want to recommend, interact, and stay connected with your company long after each sale.
2. Reliable
I have encountered many situations that have needed flexibility or someone who is reliable. It’s rare that I work a consistent schedule whether its based on different days to show up during the week or different hours during each day entirely. When I was 18 working a chair factory I clocked in consistently and completed each task to the satisfaction of my zone leader so often that he gave me several gift cards throughout the year I worked there. Even though the schedule made us come in early and changed up to three times throughout the week, I was still able to perform well in my given position.
I believe that it is imperative to any job to show up on time, and see it all the way through. Like when I was 16 working as a dish washer (disher for short) at an event center. The role of a disher was not glamorous by any means, and you had to be on the ball when asking for work slots every month, then you had to stay on it when actually showing up. I worked this job for about a year and three months, and through that time I was given responsibility over the rest of the dishers and for the closing check list that had to be completed every night.
Aside from being able to just roll with the punches of scheduling conflicts, I was able to consistently complete all the duties required of my positions and even take leadership responsibilities of the other people in the same area as me. I complete my tasks until total satisfaction is reached, and I diligently work towards each end goal.
3. Holding Paradox
“Consider the common situation of a leader who needs to convince their followers that, while the team is experiencing significant challenges and there is a very real risk of failure, ultimately the team will prevail”- ‘Holding Paradox, The Last Safe Investment’
In short, holding paradox is understanding different points of view and combining them to meet realistic goals.
I take this concept into every situation and it enables me to be a more competent leader. This helps when communicating in a professional environment, to help subordinates understand superiors, and unify the group or company with a common goal. Holding paradox inside of a business is necessary because the truth must constantly be conveyed in a way everyone can understand even when coming from different perspectives. I have used my ability to hold paradox to help a leadership group inside of my church called LeadTeam (yeah I know very original), where I was able to talk people through their problems, see each side in their arguments, and develop a positive actionable outcome. Inside of this group we also built interest around events and rallied students together to accomplish goals set by the church. We accomplished goals like sending teams to Guatemala and Belize as missionaries by assisting them through fundraising and social media support/outreach.
Additionally, holding paradox has helped me to reach out and communicate with different groups inside my last workplace in order to bring understanding and unity. During my last days working at a chair factory, I had the opportunity to ask some questions at the company-wide meeting that was lead by our CEO which prompted the CFO to meet with me afterward. I was able to hold paradox in the form of views from both the CEO and the workers on the floor. During my conversation with the CFO, I was able to nail down reasons for certain company actions and develop a plan to better profit both parties. This really helped me appreciate my time spent there, knowing that I not only did quality work but made a positive difference for my fellow employees even after I left the company.
