1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 Tell me about your vision. 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,100 So my vision is that I found an event mindset 3 00:00:05,100 --> 00:00:07,400 to allow people to realize that anyone, 4 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:09,800 whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, 5 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:12,380 can be comfortable and confident at business networking 6 00:00:12,380 --> 00:00:13,700 and social events. 7 00:00:13,700 --> 00:00:16,880 And my vision is that an event is like Earth. 8 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,800 And by that, I mean you need the right amount of oxygen 9 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:22,800 in the room for any event to be successful. 10 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:26,000 And that requires a mix of introverts and extroverts. 11 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,880 And if you want to take the Earth metaphor a little bit 12 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,240 further, if you have a party or you have a business 13 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:34,360 or a networking event and there's 100 introverts 14 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:37,200 in the room, there's not enough oxygen in the room 15 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:39,280 and it can appear lifeless and there's not 16 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,080 enough room for oxygen for things to grow 17 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:43,680 and for life to happen. 18 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:45,800 If you have 100 extroverts in a room, 19 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,800 you wind up with too much oxygen in the air 20 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:51,600 and everyone knows what happens when there's too much oxygen 21 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:52,240 in a space. 22 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:53,720 Things tend to explode. 23 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:57,720 So I really, my whole vision for this 24 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,560 is to really empower everybody to bring their best 25 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:03,920 selves into an event and realize that there 26 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,640 is a place for them no matter how outgoing or not outgoing 27 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:08,800 you are. 28 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:13,560 Wow, that is a very unique way to put it. 29 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:18,640 That's very intriguing for me to know more about. 30 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,240 Rob, where did you think this vision come from? 31 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,760 So my vision came from two different tracks. 32 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,720 And I know I have a very different professional path 33 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:27,480 than most people. 34 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:31,320 So I spent my first 15 years in my professional journey 35 00:01:31,320 --> 00:01:35,480 as a technology sales and brand ambassador. 36 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:38,960 So I was in client facing situations pretty much 37 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:40,480 all the time on a regular basis. 38 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:42,600 I handled stuff on a national level, 39 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:45,680 on a regional level for the Americas, and a global level. 40 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:50,160 And about 15 years ago, I started moonlighting writing 41 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:55,240 as a social columnist for top philanthropic and nonprofit 42 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:57,240 fundraising events throughout the state of Texas. 43 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,880 And not just in Austin, where I live, but also Houston, Dallas, 44 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:02,200 and San Antonio. 45 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:05,000 And for about five years, I was doing both. 46 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,480 And I realized along the way that I 47 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:12,280 was going to a lot of really, really bad business meals 48 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:14,040 and a lot of really bad industry conferences 49 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:15,480 when I was in the tech industry. 50 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:16,960 To the point where in the last year 51 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:19,280 I was in the tech industry before I transitioned out 52 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,320 of it, I would often, if I had a meeting, say, in New York, 53 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:26,360 I would actually deliberately stay in Philadelphia or Boston 54 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:29,240 so I could take the train and literally not 55 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:30,680 have to go to that business meal. 56 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,000 So they really became that difficult for me. 57 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:34,960 So I transitioned out and I basically 58 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,840 became a writer full time going to all these different business 59 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:41,080 networking, social events, and galas. 60 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:43,000 Coming out of COVID, what I realized 61 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:45,120 was that so many people, even people 62 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:47,920 who were really good at events, were really rusty. 63 00:02:47,920 --> 00:02:50,160 And I also realized along the way 64 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:52,640 that there needs to be a mix, like I said earlier, 65 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:56,200 of introverts and extroverts to really optimize an event 66 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:58,840 and really it's the fusion of those two worlds 67 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:02,120 that have me create this vision of event mindset 68 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,480 so that me, as an introvert myself, I found 69 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:07,040 and I wouldn't have gotten invited 70 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,120 to 2,000 different events if there wasn't a place for me 71 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:10,760 as an introvert. 72 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,480 And that's where my vision came from. 73 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,360 Thank you for sharing that, Rob. 74 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,920 My next question for you goes around the same way. 75 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:23,400 What is your why of what you do? 76 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:25,600 What gets you out of bed every morning 77 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,000 that you are on the show and you do your writing 78 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:30,160 and all those things together? 79 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:31,880 Why do you do that? 80 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:33,720 I do my why because I want everyone 81 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:37,720 to realize that there is a place for them at any type of event. 82 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:40,680 And so often people have the misconception, 83 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:42,920 a lot of companies are very guilty of doing this. 84 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:44,280 There is an industry conference. 85 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:46,200 They will send the most extroverted person. 86 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:48,040 But if you're going to an industry conference, 87 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:50,200 the goal might be to gather intelligence 88 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,480 about your competitors or information about your clients. 89 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:54,960 If you send an extrovert, they're 90 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,840 going to be much less skilled or not have as many tools 91 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:02,040 as an introvert to obtain that really valuable information. 92 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:05,240 So my why is realizing that not the biggest 93 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:07,480 personality in the room is not always the best 94 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:10,440 person to be at an event. 95 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:12,040 And it really takes all different types 96 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:14,480 of personality types for an event to be successful. 97 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:16,800 And there are places in both a professional 98 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,480 and a personal context for people to private events. 99 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,200 It's just understanding who you are, 100 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:23,680 what you bring to the table. 101 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:27,120 And my why is really helping people understand and uncover 102 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,080 what makes them uniquely them so that they feel comfortable 103 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,440 at any event they're at. 104 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:33,280 Wow. 105 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:35,200 But it takes a lot from a company, 106 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:37,520 I'm assuming, to actually focus on these things 107 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:40,680 when sending people to events. 108 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:42,960 And I'm sure you face a lot of these challenges 109 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,040 or when you talk to CEOs or COOs or even people 110 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,080 in charge of these events. 111 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:51,160 What challenges do you face? 112 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:53,120 What holds you back in those cases? 113 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:55,960 Or what holds them back in those cases? 114 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:57,640 I think what holds people back is 115 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:00,200 that the biggest personality attracts the most attention 116 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:02,120 and that's what's necessary in an event. 117 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:06,440 And my biggest challenge is telling people 118 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,600 and telling corporate leaders that being noticed 119 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:11,160 is not always a good thing. 120 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:12,440 Sometimes it's a bad thing. 121 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:15,640 And yes, there is such thing, having a media background, 122 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:17,800 there is no such thing as bad publicity. 123 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,400 But if you're spending a lot of money 124 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:22,720 to send your employees to an event, 125 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,360 you want to get the most ROI out of it possible. 126 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:27,280 So you really have to stop and think. 127 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:29,600 And what I really do, especially with CEOs 128 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:32,800 and C-level people is, there have been studies done. 129 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:36,560 70% of C-level executives are introverts. 130 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:38,040 They're not extroverts. 131 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:39,800 So it's really kind of realizing, 132 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:43,280 well, you got to where you are as an introvert. 133 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:45,600 So you don't have to send the biggest personality 134 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:46,360 to get ahead. 135 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:48,480 As a matter of fact, at the end of the day, 136 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:50,880 a lot of times the introverts ultimately win at the end. 137 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:53,240 If you look at the data with the amount of CEOs 138 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:55,600 that are introverted versus extroverted. 139 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:56,960 Thank you for being here today. 140 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:59,440 I'm really happy that you tuned in to Vision Pros Live. 141 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,080 I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions 142 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:04,360 as these episodes continue to move forward. 143 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:06,040 This is going to get more and more fun. 144 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:07,880 We'll have more and more engagement as well. 145 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:10,000 We'll invite people to participate in the show. 146 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,360 And thank you for giving us your time and attention. 147 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:15,080 Have an excellent time building out your vision 148 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:21,360 and becoming a Vision Pro yourself.