Consider Mentorship

Cement your legacy by paying it forward.

For the past decade, I’ve had both the honor and privilege to mentor people in the promotional products industry. Each had wildly diverse needs ranging from learning about branded merchandise to sales strategy, from creating social media content to understanding how to differentiate in a competitive marketplace. As you can imagine, this mentoring takes time, thought, and, most importantly, passionate engagement – and it’s time I’ve been thrilled to give.

So, why do I do it? Because it’s our collective responsibility to help the next generation of promotional products professionals excel in the industry. Our industry can be daunting to a newcomer: over a million sku’s, thousands of suppliers, multiple opportunities for failure during merchandise development and delivery, and the sometimes cliquish nature of relationships – all of which can be difficult to navigate.

We all have had mentors – mentors who were patient, kind, nurturing, and, at times, demanded excellence from us we didn’t realize we possessed. These people not only cared about the success of others but were willing to invest the time needed to nurture it. Our success is their legacy in the industry.

I both relish and savor the time I share with people I’ve had the pleasure of mentoring. And, truth be told, sometimes I think I get the better end of the deal. I’ve learned as much – if not more – from them as they have from me.

If you love to teach, coach, motivate, inspire, and revel in the success of someone who needs your help, please consider mentoring. I am fortunate to have been on the board of directors – a chef if you will – of PromoKitchen. At PromoKitchen, we have two pillars that form the foundation of everything we do, one of them being furthering mentorship in the industry. In fact, PromoKitchen completes over 100 successful mentor/mentee pairings this year. Getting involved is easy – all you have to do is click here.

As I said above, our collective responsibility is to pay it forward to guide the next generation of branded merchandise professionals on their paths to success. Honor your mentors by giving back to an individual who can benefit from your experiences. Success is best when it’s shared.