What’s Your Passion? The Origins of Faith2Influence
Tell me about your first sale. Where were you? Who was your customer? How did it feel when you closed the deal? Remember the thrill?
If you already have an answer, you’re probably a salesperson. You’ve been hooked. Few people become “sales hobbyists” – you either love sales or you hate it. Like painting, it’s a craft you have to hone and practice. The idea of forming relationships, pursuing a deal, and providing value to your customers is what gets you up every, single morning.
I remember my first sale.
At 18-years-old, fresh out of high school, I was living in Wisconsin and needed a summer job. It sounds naïve now, but my strategy was to open a newspaper to the classified section. I flipped through the black and white pages until one ad in particular stuck out to me – a sales position selling Cutco knives.
I landed the job and started calling everyone I knew. I was pumped. I called my family members, friends’ parents, and neighbors. Eventually, I booked an appointment with an old woman on my block. Her name was Mrs. Setum. I remember physically shaking as I knocked on her door. I didn’t know what was going to happen. She patiently listened as I pitched her on a set of Cutco knives (the best knives in America if you didn’t know).
And then… she said yes.
She wrote a check and that was that. I was ecstatic. I drove home and there in my driveway I pumped my fist in the air. Once. Twice. Three times. I’d made a sale! It was my first time experiencing the thrill of a closed deal, and I knew sales would be one of my life’s true passions.
A lot has happened between that summer and the founding of Faith2Influence. You can hear more about that in Episode 1 of the F2I podcast.
But I tell the story of my first sale because I feel that same thrill when I host Faith2Influence retreats. It’s what I was created to do. I believe God put me on this planet to create an empowering community for men who are passionate about God, family, and business. These are things that matter in all places and in all times.
Sadly, our society tells us to choose. You can either have a happy family or a successful career. If you want to make a good salary, you’ll have to put your faith on the backburner and cut a few corners. Faith2Influence says no. As men, we’re called to be passionate about each of these areas of our lives: God, family, and business.
Faith2Influence also wants to help you find your personal passion. What are you called to do in your career? What activities make you feel the most joy? Personally, I love sales. But maybe you love starting businesses, maybe you develop great products. We want to help you step into whatever that is.
I believe men can have the most meaningful level of community with those who are aligned both in their faith AND their business aspirations. I believe men should grow in relationships as fathers, husbands, and community leaders.
If you feel called to it, let’s develop faithful leadership together, let’s master sales together, let’s give together, and let’s build powerful community together as we become everything God created us to be.
