Most people ask me how I got this job. My answer is always that it isn't really a job at all. I have volunteered to go do this. It is what I have always felt I was meant to do. And then they follow it up with, yeah, but how did you end up here? For that, we have to track back to March.
As Director of Business Development for the Chamber, I sit it on several of our "Networking Groups". These are teams of professionals that get together on a weekly basis to help one another solve routine business issues, offer advice on marketing, and give business referrals and leads to one another as a way of growing their prospective businesses. It works pretty well if the individuals on the team understand how to create the close relationships that lead to this type of benefit. I mean, personally, if I don't like you, I'm not going to recommend your service or product to anyone who's opinion I care about, right?
So, at these meetings, I often throw out some of the sales and marketing training I've received over the past few semesters at ole Macomb Community College. Mostly I dole out social media marketing tips as they tend to be easy-to-use and virtually free in most cases, so perfectly ideal for the small business owner who doesn't have much of a marketing budget. It has increased my position in the groups as more of the business professionals look to me as somewhat of an expert and are more inclined to recommend me to their friends! Win-Win for everyone!
As it happens, one of the participants, Greg Vishey of Vishey Home Inspections http://www.a1-homeinspection.com/ asked me if I would come and help him with a few of these websites and in exchange he would treat me to a frosty beverage. He gave me the grand tour of his home, showed off many of the improvements he's made over the years. We talked about many of his projects as a project engineer. The man is a consummate professional. His tag line is "I look for trouble and I always find it." and he does! He is a home buyer's best friend! If you know of ANYONE that is looking to buy a home, or looking to buy an investment property, you MUST call Greg and let him give the property the once-over. It will be the best few bucks you've ever spent! Ok, so that might sound like a commercial, but after seeing what this man is capable of, I can't imagine anyone not having a reason to get to know him!
Our conversations ran high and low of many topics. He is a very knowledgeable guy. We got his business Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In accounts up to snuff and headed off for some food and drinks at the Shores Inn. During our conversation Greg asked me what he could do to help me be more successful at my job. I thought about it for a second and realized that I didn't want to become more successful at my job. I had always considered the job at the Chamber to be temporary, but while I was busy slaving away full-time at work and full-time at school, I hadn't really put a lot of front-end time into preparing to pursue my dreams. In fact, I was so sure I was never going to achieve my real dreams that I had settled myself to the idea of moving to the West Coast (where I've always wanted to eventually retire to) and was content with the idea of finding some menial sales job there, too.
So when I told him I didn't want to be more successful as my current job, he asked me what my dream was. I told him he would probably think I'm crazy, but I've always wanted to work in the orphanages, particularly in Africa. For as long as I can remember, I have always seen myself doing this kind of work. If only I had a Master's Degree, I could find a job with an NGO and finally start living the dream! But I was just weeks away from finishing my associates degree, so I didn't really see that in my future.
Greg asked why Africa. I said well, I've just always felt pulled in that direction. I recall seeing an animated movie when I was young called "Hugo The Hippo". It was a strange tale but the seed was planted. Someone needed to do something for the poor orphaned African children that were starved and neglected. Now, how I got that out of this story at such a young age is beyond me. Maybe it was the influence of Peter Pan and Little Orphan Annie, but having lost my mother at the age of 9, I suppose I have always felt endeared to their plight.
So, because Greg is a wunderkind of a problem solver, he asks me if I've ever considered Haiti instead? I replied that I had not discounted it. He informed me that his Alma mater, Gilmore Academy, in Ohio, was putting together a mission trip to Haiti and that may be one way to get me there. He said, but better than that, did I know of Mitch Albom's mission in Haiti? Maybe there was potential for me to get in touch with Mitch and perhaps leverage some of the network I've developed at the Chamber to help him with his mission and in return, maybe Mitch could help me.
In fact, Greg said, better than that, why not work something out where we create a network of Macomb
So we formulated a plan. He would draft a letter introducing me to Mitch. He would send this letter through multiple channels and we would keep networking our connections until we got close enough to Mitch to pitch the idea. I immediately began a Twitter and Facebook campaign letting everyone know what we were doing. I figured the more ways this gets into the universe, the more likely it was to land on the right ears.
So the end of the semester comes, I graduate Magna Cum Laude as Most Distinguished Graduate and get to deliver the commencement speech. During my speech, I voice that I have this desire to be doing aid work in Haiti by the end of the year. I begin to tell everyone that I have an interview tentatively scheduled with Mitch for the end of May. A few days later, Greg has lunch with another participant of our networking group and reveals his plans for me. That gentleman calls him back in a day or two and tells him that Mitch is going to be the speaker at their Gratiot Avenue Business Association meeting the following Tuesday. He invites Greg as his guest. Greg takes the opportunity to introduce himself to Mitch and hand him a copy of the letter he had drafted. He asks Mitch to look it over and give him a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Meanwhile, I've gotten my picture on the school website, as well as an article in several local newspapers. My 15 minutes of fame are burning brightly and I begin the daunting task of sending my resume out to dozens of NGOs. I go about my business attending events and signing up new members and dreaming of actually getting to do something really meaningful with my life. That Thursday, I come out of a meeting and turn on my phone to realize I have several voice mails waiting. One text is from the girls in the office telling me to keep my phone on because Mitch's office will be calling. I almost faint! I check my voicemail and it's Mitch's assistant asking me to call!!! I almost drove in to the river!!!
I was on my way to pick up a check from one of our members, Pat Hill, the owner of Bohdi Seed Yoga and Wellness, and a new dear friend. When I got there I shared my news and we jumped up and down and squealed for a few minutes while I tried to compose myself. I got back to the office and went into the other room and returned the call. I had never felt so excited and nervous as I did dialing that number. Not even when I spoke at commencements in front of over 2,000 people!
My nerves settled as soon as Kerri answered the phone. It was as if she was a dear aunt or neighbor I'd known all my life. We laughed and chatted and she asked me a little about my desires and my background. By the time I hung up the phone, it was as if I already had the job! She had mentioned that she was going to give my number to Mitch so he could call to make lunch plans with me. But then she called back in 10 minutes and said he was busy, could I just check my calendar and see if I was free the following Tuesday at 3 to meet him at Hogans in Bloomfield Hills. Was I free? bwahahahaha! As if! I would have cancelled my wedding to make that lunch!
Glory be to God! That was by far the best Memorial Day Weekend of my life! On that Monday my son moved back home so I was a bit too busy to really contemplate what I was doing. That Tuesday morning, I was so excited I left the house wearing two different shoes!
The drive out to the restaurant was long, slow, and full of orange barrel jockeying. It gave me time to really collect myself. I was the picture of calm when Mitch arrived. We talked about the mission and what type of work has gone on there. We talked about my extensive and illustrious background. We talked about what I wanted to do and why. He remarked that it just so happens that he had a desire to have an American on site and my experience and background made me uniquely qualified for the role he had in mind.
At the end of the meeting, he asked if I could fly down for a weekend and see the operation and then we could talk more after that. I agreed that would be ideal and off to the races we went!
Well, that's enough for tonight. Golf Outings start early and I'm still only 50% over this sinus/allergy/bronchial whatever.
Stay tuned for a message from our sponsor:
As Director of Business Development for the Chamber, I sit it on several of our "Networking Groups". These are teams of professionals that get together on a weekly basis to help one another solve routine business issues, offer advice on marketing, and give business referrals and leads to one another as a way of growing their prospective businesses. It works pretty well if the individuals on the team understand how to create the close relationships that lead to this type of benefit. I mean, personally, if I don't like you, I'm not going to recommend your service or product to anyone who's opinion I care about, right?
So, at these meetings, I often throw out some of the sales and marketing training I've received over the past few semesters at ole Macomb Community College. Mostly I dole out social media marketing tips as they tend to be easy-to-use and virtually free in most cases, so perfectly ideal for the small business owner who doesn't have much of a marketing budget. It has increased my position in the groups as more of the business professionals look to me as somewhat of an expert and are more inclined to recommend me to their friends! Win-Win for everyone!
As it happens, one of the participants, Greg Vishey of Vishey Home Inspections http://www.a1-homeinspection.com/ asked me if I would come and help him with a few of these websites and in exchange he would treat me to a frosty beverage. He gave me the grand tour of his home, showed off many of the improvements he's made over the years. We talked about many of his projects as a project engineer. The man is a consummate professional. His tag line is "I look for trouble and I always find it." and he does! He is a home buyer's best friend! If you know of ANYONE that is looking to buy a home, or looking to buy an investment property, you MUST call Greg and let him give the property the once-over. It will be the best few bucks you've ever spent! Ok, so that might sound like a commercial, but after seeing what this man is capable of, I can't imagine anyone not having a reason to get to know him!
Our conversations ran high and low of many topics. He is a very knowledgeable guy. We got his business Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In accounts up to snuff and headed off for some food and drinks at the Shores Inn. During our conversation Greg asked me what he could do to help me be more successful at my job. I thought about it for a second and realized that I didn't want to become more successful at my job. I had always considered the job at the Chamber to be temporary, but while I was busy slaving away full-time at work and full-time at school, I hadn't really put a lot of front-end time into preparing to pursue my dreams. In fact, I was so sure I was never going to achieve my real dreams that I had settled myself to the idea of moving to the West Coast (where I've always wanted to eventually retire to) and was content with the idea of finding some menial sales job there, too.
So when I told him I didn't want to be more successful as my current job, he asked me what my dream was. I told him he would probably think I'm crazy, but I've always wanted to work in the orphanages, particularly in Africa. For as long as I can remember, I have always seen myself doing this kind of work. If only I had a Master's Degree, I could find a job with an NGO and finally start living the dream! But I was just weeks away from finishing my associates degree, so I didn't really see that in my future.
Greg asked why Africa. I said well, I've just always felt pulled in that direction. I recall seeing an animated movie when I was young called "Hugo The Hippo". It was a strange tale but the seed was planted. Someone needed to do something for the poor orphaned African children that were starved and neglected. Now, how I got that out of this story at such a young age is beyond me. Maybe it was the influence of Peter Pan and Little Orphan Annie, but having lost my mother at the age of 9, I suppose I have always felt endeared to their plight.
So, because Greg is a wunderkind of a problem solver, he asks me if I've ever considered Haiti instead? I replied that I had not discounted it. He informed me that his Alma mater, Gilmore Academy, in Ohio, was putting together a mission trip to Haiti and that may be one way to get me there. He said, but better than that, did I know of Mitch Albom's mission in Haiti? Maybe there was potential for me to get in touch with Mitch and perhaps leverage some of the network I've developed at the Chamber to help him with his mission and in return, maybe Mitch could help me.
In fact, Greg said, better than that, why not work something out where we create a network of Macomb
So we formulated a plan. He would draft a letter introducing me to Mitch. He would send this letter through multiple channels and we would keep networking our connections until we got close enough to Mitch to pitch the idea. I immediately began a Twitter and Facebook campaign letting everyone know what we were doing. I figured the more ways this gets into the universe, the more likely it was to land on the right ears.
So the end of the semester comes, I graduate Magna Cum Laude as Most Distinguished Graduate and get to deliver the commencement speech. During my speech, I voice that I have this desire to be doing aid work in Haiti by the end of the year. I begin to tell everyone that I have an interview tentatively scheduled with Mitch for the end of May. A few days later, Greg has lunch with another participant of our networking group and reveals his plans for me. That gentleman calls him back in a day or two and tells him that Mitch is going to be the speaker at their Gratiot Avenue Business Association meeting the following Tuesday. He invites Greg as his guest. Greg takes the opportunity to introduce himself to Mitch and hand him a copy of the letter he had drafted. He asks Mitch to look it over and give him a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Meanwhile, I've gotten my picture on the school website, as well as an article in several local newspapers. My 15 minutes of fame are burning brightly and I begin the daunting task of sending my resume out to dozens of NGOs. I go about my business attending events and signing up new members and dreaming of actually getting to do something really meaningful with my life. That Thursday, I come out of a meeting and turn on my phone to realize I have several voice mails waiting. One text is from the girls in the office telling me to keep my phone on because Mitch's office will be calling. I almost faint! I check my voicemail and it's Mitch's assistant asking me to call!!! I almost drove in to the river!!!
I was on my way to pick up a check from one of our members, Pat Hill, the owner of Bohdi Seed Yoga and Wellness, and a new dear friend. When I got there I shared my news and we jumped up and down and squealed for a few minutes while I tried to compose myself. I got back to the office and went into the other room and returned the call. I had never felt so excited and nervous as I did dialing that number. Not even when I spoke at commencements in front of over 2,000 people!
My nerves settled as soon as Kerri answered the phone. It was as if she was a dear aunt or neighbor I'd known all my life. We laughed and chatted and she asked me a little about my desires and my background. By the time I hung up the phone, it was as if I already had the job! She had mentioned that she was going to give my number to Mitch so he could call to make lunch plans with me. But then she called back in 10 minutes and said he was busy, could I just check my calendar and see if I was free the following Tuesday at 3 to meet him at Hogans in Bloomfield Hills. Was I free? bwahahahaha! As if! I would have cancelled my wedding to make that lunch!
Glory be to God! That was by far the best Memorial Day Weekend of my life! On that Monday my son moved back home so I was a bit too busy to really contemplate what I was doing. That Tuesday morning, I was so excited I left the house wearing two different shoes!
The drive out to the restaurant was long, slow, and full of orange barrel jockeying. It gave me time to really collect myself. I was the picture of calm when Mitch arrived. We talked about the mission and what type of work has gone on there. We talked about my extensive and illustrious background. We talked about what I wanted to do and why. He remarked that it just so happens that he had a desire to have an American on site and my experience and background made me uniquely qualified for the role he had in mind.
At the end of the meeting, he asked if I could fly down for a weekend and see the operation and then we could talk more after that. I agreed that would be ideal and off to the races we went!
Well, that's enough for tonight. Golf Outings start early and I'm still only 50% over this sinus/allergy/bronchial whatever.
Stay tuned for a message from our sponsor:
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