No Excuses Series: Planning Ahead

Recently, like two days ago I had a chat with my daughters about their upcoming summer jobs. I was talking to one of my friends about it at lunch and he said summer jobs? My kid is still worrying about getting their classes set for the school year…it’s only September and you are worried about a summer job! Beside she has no idea what she wants to do. I said Jim if your kid hasn’t lined up something by Christmas break she is probably out of luck. The good jobs, jobs in the profession they are looking at are filled a few months after school has started.

Both my girls had great internships last summer in their respective industries but I told them this summer is far more important because this is your last summer before your senior year and this is the one that could lead to a full time job.

In case some of you have been under a rock for the past two years the economy is at its lowest point since the great depression practically. Nobody I know was alive then so I can’t even imagine what it was like. But I can see firsthand what we are faced with now. Making sure you have a job is top priority. About six months ago my girls had a few friends over for the weekend and of course I asked then what their plans and goals were and most of them giggled and said I wish I knew. I asked them what they were thinking about what interested them again they giggled and said they didn’t know.

There are certain things parents should start talking to their kids about at an early age, lessons are like a language the earlier you start the more ingrained it will be. Sharing was my first priority as I had twins so we had a rule if you didn’t share it you lost it…it took them a total of one week to grasp the concept. The second thing I taught them was about smoking not only was it something that could harm them but all the people around them. It was the easiest, quickest way to ruin your life. The third thing was what interests you? From art to music to sports to animals what are the things in life that light your fire. As they got older I said start to think about professions that match your interests you will be far more successful and much happier if you are doing something you enjoy.

Your first job certainly won’t be your last but the work ethic you develop will follow you and last a lifetime. Work hard, work late, work often, as the saying goes nothing pays off like hard work. When you finish reading this blog make a list of your interests see what jobs coincide and start sending your resumes out for next summer or if you have graduated well I shouldn’t have to be telling you this.


Bill Barnett
CEO



No Excuses: Going Away to School.

For me there was never a second choice, I grew up in Los Angeles, went to all the USC football games I never even applied to another school. So when my kids were born almost 20 years ago we started the process, they went to their first game when they were two, they had SC clothes and hat’s, birthdays and parties. It was a fore gone conclusion that this is where they were going to go, to carry on the family tradition.

The best laid plans, as they say! It was a beautiful fall day in October when our kids were juniors in high school and we decided to go to the USC - University of Arizona football game in Tucson. Unfortunately it was one of those perfect days, warm, kids as beautiful as could be in shorts throwing the football around on their grass walkway, the new architecture glowing in the sun. Two hours later one of my daughters proclaimed this is where she wants to go. Being as closed minded as I was I naturally thought she was talking about SC as we talked to some fellow Trojans walking by. My wife quickly corrected me by saying no honey she means here U of A.

About two months later my other daughter who was obviously the one that would keep the tradition going said dad I have decided I want to major in Apparel Merchandising I said great honey, she said that IU had the best program for that and that she wanted to visit…I said I Who? “Dad I want to go away to college and Indiana had the best school for what I want to study". So just kill me now, one kid at Arizona and one kid at IU and we were done having kids!

Now both kids (twins) are juniors in college and couldn’t be happier, they are no longer our little girls (yes they are) they are young women who can think and do for themselves. I can safely say that going away to school was the best thing they have ever done. They have learned to deal with the elements and I don’t just mean the weather. How to get from point A to point B without a car, how to kill a cock a roach in their room , how to take care of yourself when you aren’t feeling well and how to deal with problems when your parents are not around.

One of them will be travelling to Florence for her semester abroad and the other will visit while she is there. They both are entrenched in their career paths one in apparel merchandising the other in casting and both are on schedule to graduate on time. I couldn’t be happier or more proud of my kids and that’s because I learned to listen to them. I let them follow their own passion and intuition. Not everything always works out as well as this did and there have been road bumps along the way and several sleepless nights but when it’s all said and done they did it themselves and they now know they can handle what life has to throw at them. My grandfather always use to say, catch a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.  My kids have learned how to fish and to think I didn’t even want to get them a fishing pole!


Bill Barnett
CEO



No Excuses Series: Passion

I was always an average student, I had areas that I excelled in of course but on a whole I was a very average student. I enjoyed what I enjoyed; history, English, sports, student government but I couldn’t stand math and science. I did my best but you can never fit a square peg in a round hole. So instead of swimming upstream I went with the flow. I majored in PR/ Journalism at SC with a business minor because I knew I was going to need at least elementary business skills and man was I right.

I have been fortunate enough to have run several companies and sold a few along the way but do you know what one skill has served me the best throughout my entire career? Not my ability to understand a profit and loss sheet or my ability to craft a speech…it is my sense of passion….my enthusiasm. Life is a competition and I have come up against people much smarter than I, more experienced than I, sometimes more qualified but never more passionate.

If I am interviewing someone for a position the first thing I notice are their eyes are they there because they just need a job or are they there because they want this job. In sports we have a saying, are you playing to win or not to lose. I want people that are playing to win. I want commitment; I don’t want clock watchers or people afraid to work on the weekend. I want people who want to get the job done, who want to succeed and it’s hard to succeed without passion. When I interview I want to know that this job is exactly what you want that it means everything. If I don’t see that, whether it’s true or not you can bet there will be someone right behind you that will feel this way.
Whatever it is you do in life, no matter what it is you do in life have passion. Have enthusiasm for your job, your friendships, your hobbies, your kids, your relationships, passion is the secret of life and without passion you will never get the most out of life.

Bill Barnett
CEO



No Excuses Series: Communication

About two months ago I was asked along with about a dozen other alumni to speak to the students at my fraternity. I was/am an ATO and went to USC. It was one of those great afternoons, I gave up my tennis for the day something I don’t do easily but when my close friend and CFO of our company by the way, comes calling you drop what you are doing and say yes.

He asked people in all different industries with different experiences and levels of expertise to sit on panel’s to talk about planning for the student’s futures. I thought it was a great idea, I don’t think our universities or college’s offer enough practical experience courses as it is so when this opportunity came up I was first in line to say yes. The first thing I noticed was how smart some of these kids are and how intuitive their thinking was, to set the record straight I would never get into SC today my grades or scores probably wouldn’t even warrant consideration. But as the sessions progressed I also realized the tremendous lack of interpersonal skills most of these students possessed. A few things hit me as the day went on, first most of their handshakes were not firm, second several students didn’t look at you in the eye when we were talking one on one and third their curiosity level and ability to think ahead was almost nonexistent.  As smart as most of these students were when it comes to things like formulas and codes statistics and social media, that’s how inept some of them seemed with regards to in-person interaction. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the fact that I only received six thank you notes, all email none hand written from the 60 kids that attended. This was especially disparaging since we were brothers from the same fraternity who could be a direct conduit to their first job. I told the students, having two kids of my own exactly the same age as them, that written and verbal communication is what will set you apart. Most of you are very bright, all basically on a level playing field but the ones that speak up; ask questions, show passion and follow up are the ones that will get the job and rise to the top. For better or for worse this generation is easy to separate. Six months ago the wife of a very close friend of mine who recently died asked if I would take her son to lunch and talk to him about his direction in life. He was 21 years old and was transferring schools because of his father’s death and to be closer to his mother. We spent about 90 minutes together talking about his feelings, some stories about his dad and where he wanted to go. I told him I would do whatever I could to help him with phone calls, reviewing his resume whatever he needed. Other than the thank you he said at lunch I hadn’t heard back from him until yesterday asking if he could borrow something for a camping trip.

The ones that will be running companies one day are the ones that know how to pick up a phone not just a blackberry the ones that can write a hand written note not just a text, the ones that can present themselves in front of a audience not just write a proposal and email it. Parents are every bit as responsible especially when kids are young, to promote communication the way we did when we were in high school, when you get a present send a note, when someone goes out of their way for you show appreciation. Obviously today’s technology and perspective is faster, more efficient and more direct but never forget we are people who have emotional touch points and the more points you can touch the faster you will reach the pinnacle especially when you are the only one doing them.

Bill Barnett
CEO



No Excuses Series: Start of New Blog Series

When I started MYCOLLEGEi with my business partners and friends I had the intention of giving students a voice. As most of you know if you read the “about us” section the idea came to me when my twin daughters graduated high school and were applying to colleges. I was amazed and disappointed at how difficult and logistically challenging it was to get a face to face interview. I have always felt without the interpersonal interaction schools are not getting the true reading on an applicant. I for example would never hire anyone before meeting them, how can a school hire someone which is essentially what they are doing when they accept them without hearing their voice. I understand most colleges and universities are grossly understaffed  therefore the process of meeting each student for 30-40 minutes is a difficult one but we feel we have come up with the perfect solution through our video interview platform.

Since starting MYCOLLEGEi I have been asked to speak at colleges and universities about the college application process, my opinion about this generation, today’s technology and most importantly the new approach to communication.

This blog will be the first in a series about teenagers, schools, parents, jobs and life lessons. It will talk about the small things you can do to stand out and get ahead. As I always tell my kids, your job interview process begins with your first handshake, your first thank you note, the first time you look someone in the eye when you are talking to them. Please join me after Labor Day for my new weekly series “No Excuses”
We will plan and explore your future together.

Bill Barnett
CEO