After a lot of learnings and some success we ultimately had to close up the business as it was not making enough money to support us. Instead of feeling defeated I look at taking what i learned and seeing if I could apply those skills elsewhere. A friend of mine was in the Sales industry selling photocopiers to companies downtown Toronto and thought I would be a good fit. From that opportunity I learned a ton! More importantly I knew I loved sales and that has now taken me to many different roles from. Business Development manager to a Manager of people, to the Director of a National Sales team. Currently I have transitioned back into an individual sales professional selling software to companies for a company called Salesforce.

What is your educational background?
I graduated from the University of Guelph with a BCOMM and a specialization in Hospitality.

What are your daily responsibilities?
I currently help business solve complex issues with the help of software and technology. I call on new and existing accounts and act as a consultant on their digital transformation journey.

What hurdles did you face?
When I was in my last role as a Director of National Accounts I would ask people if they had a chip on their shoulder. (chips are good, they provide motivation as long as you do not quit because of them). My chip came while I was at Canon which was my first real corporate job after University. A senior person in the company shadowed me for a day of cold calls and meetings. Once we were done I asked him how I did. He said that I had a long way to go to get better and that he didn’t believe I could be a top performer at the company. That provided the fuel I needed to work harder than everyone and blaze my own path. For the next 4 years at that company I was a top performer each and every year. I never ever even to this day forgot that persons words and use it to motivate me constantly.

What advice would you give the 15 year old version of your self?
Always Be Coachable! I remember being 15-18 and I remember thinking I was an adult and knew everything. I knew I didn’t know everything but i also thought there wasn’t many people who could teach me too many new or insightful things. Boy was I wrong. Your objective is to see people that are have or are doing what you want and find out as much as you can as to how they got there. With social media today there are endless ways to research or reach out to these people and learn. But when you get your chance to learn from people don’t just hear them LISTEN, ask questions. 1 word, phrase or sentence may change your life. Always be curious.

Impossible is Nothing & Discipline is Freedom