So Your Parent Said "No."

Chances are if you're reading this, you just texted me (or whoever accepted you for a position) that you couldn't accept the position because one, or both, of your parents, said you couldn't work here. I would encourage you to share this with them and read it yourself.

I’ve worked for Vector Marketing, the sales arm of Cutco Cutlery, for about seven years now, and for six of those years, I’ve had the pleasure of working in management. 

Over the last seven years, I have found it to be an extremely rewarding career. Mainly because our company really is a people-first company.

I’ve seen it first hand. It never gets old helping people develop soft and hard skills they will use for years to come, not to mention helping students make significant income and pay off loan debt. But in any great endeavor, there will also be significant challenges. One of those challenges is effectively showing parents the opportunity their students have here.

I am always challenged and disheartened when this text comes across my phone:

“I appreciate the opportunity but after talking with my parents I’m going to have to decline. It’s a really great opportunity and I would have loved to work with you but I just can’t make it work.” 

It’s really getting to the point where I feel like before I start my interviews I need to have applicants go and grab their mom and have them sit down with us. If you think I’m speaking with hyperbole, hear me. Over the last five years, I’ve noticed a really dangerous trend:

I don’t know who I’m interviewing anymore. The applicant, their parent(s), or both.

I’m honestly not quite sure why this trend is getting worse, but the point is that it’s not good - and I really believe it needs to stop. 

I remember my own story when I was accepted for a position here. My family was against almost every aspect of the position, but I really felt like this was an opportunity for me to claim some independence. I knew that if I didn't like it, I could just quit. But the important thing is any mistakes I would be making would be MY mistakes. I felt I needed to make them, not have my parents decide for me.

The cost of college has risen so precipitously that parents are having to help pay for school more than ever before. What this can translate to is that some parents have (and use) financial leverage to push/pull their children in the direction they feel is best.

And to be honest, it’s a valid argument. I really don’t fault the parents here. If I’m paying $5,000, $10,000, or even more per year for my student's education…I’m going to want to have some influence over how that investment is affected by outside forces.

However, I would like you to perhaps consider that while unconventional, we help students gain skills that will pay them for a lifetime; in both lessons learned and skills developed. Unfortunately, most degrees are not pulling the same weight they did 20 years ago. It takes more than a degree in today's market.

The top skills companies are looking for in today's market are mostly well agreed upon. Whether you're intent is to be a doctor, or you're going into sales, or you want to be a mailman, some of the most valuable skills companies look for are these:

1. Commercial awareness (or market related skills)

2. Communication

3. Teamwork

4. Negotiation and persuasion

5. Problem-solving

6. Leadership

7. Organization

8. Perseverance and motivation

9. Ability to work under pressure

10. Confidence

Wondering if your child can gain those skills here at Vector? In my experience working with hundreds of students over seven years, the answer is a resounding yes. Business skills? Check - more here. Communication? I mean, 90% of the job is speaking and dealing with customers both over the phone and in person. Teamwork? Yep, that too. Negotiation and persuasion? It is a sales job. 

I could keep going, but you get the idea. I mean, after all, we were listed by College Magazine as the #1 job for college students looking to gain valuable skills. We are the number one company in the United States in terms of how many students we work with annually. We were the National DECA Partner Of The Year. You can see more here about our impact on and with students.

But you may still be caught up on the idea that you don't want your kid selling knives. My mom and dad were in the exact same boat in July of 2014, when I started here.

If I can be honest, reducing what we do here at Vector to just "selling knives" is just about as accurate to reducing the six-figure degree that you and your child are paying for to "a piece of paper."

Obviously, both are gross oversimplifications. Now, what is the point of all of this? Why am I writing this? Well, chances are you've already made the decision for your child and that decision is probably final, no matter what I write.

But if I can at least offer an alternative perspective, allow me. What is the real opportunity cost of trying out this sales job (or allowing your child to) for a week or two? Not a whole lot. What is the cost of them not coming and trying it out? Well, nobody will know. That's the problem.

But I can tell you that every single success story I've had in the last six years (dozens and dozens) was only ONE parent's opinion away from not working here. It scares me that their stories could have never been, and it makes me sad for all the kids whose stories never were.

Katie M. - I accepted Katie for a position in 2015. A very shy high school senior who made over $10,000 working one summer, and gained skills that got her into a top private program.

Anastasia S. - I accepted Anastasia in 2018, a sophomore in college at the time, she's been with me for 1.5 years, made over $45,000 income selling knives since summer 2018, and is now running her own Cutco branch office as a senior in college (a degree which she will have paid off by July 2020).

Alex T. - I accepted Alex in June of 2018, in 3 months he sold over $50,000 in Cutco knives, making $17,000+, and used that money and skills gained to start a pharmaceutical company with some friends from NYU.

Stiles S. - After working with me over two summers, selling over $35,000 in Cutco, winning a scholarship through Vector Marketing, and using his experience and story he was accepted for a summer study abroad at the London School of Economics. They accept less than 10% of their applicants

Christina S. - Two summers working with me, Christina let me know last summer she would not be returning. The reason? She was accepted into a prestigious architectural design school after submitting a paper on why her experience differs from her peers. I could not have been happier to get that text.

John and Jane D. - Well, I don't know their story, because their mom and dad said "No."

You get the idea. Katie, Anastasia, Alex, Stiles, Christina, and many others might never have been. Were their parents skeptical? Without question, some even flat out said: "No, I won't let you work there." But they either 1) didn't listen and felt their mistakes were theirs to make, or 2) their parents were uncomfortable but let them move forward and experience it for themselves.

I reached out to a few of my colleagues and sales reps, to get their story about how their parents reacted. I asked them a simple question; "Please text me three things: 1) How your parents reacted, and if they were skeptical of this job, 2) How much you've made in the last year, and 3) How you would rate the skills you've learned here 1-10."

These were their responses.

From left to right, top to bottom: Anastasia (45K+ in career earnings), Nick ($76,000 personal in sales, now a branch manager in Tacoma as a college student), Jessi (Branch manager in Yakima while attending Gonzaga, over $70,000 in personal sales), Zane (Started with me 2 months ago, will be receiving a management promotion soon), Zack (Branch Manager in Wasilla, Alaska, started in 2019), Chloe (Started working with me 18 days ago. Yes, you read that right, Over $4,000 income in less than 3 weeks. Boy, how wrong her parents were), Daxton (Started last summer as a rep, now a District Manager at the age of 19 in Hilo, HI), and finally Ryan (Started in 2018, closing in on $100,000 in personal Cutco sales).

These offer just a small, but diverse, sample of some of our reps and managers. All have one thing in common: mom and dad either weren't comfortable, or they said: "not on my watch."

So what is my alternative perspective? Simple.

If you're a mom or dad reading this right now, and you've made it this far: I encourage you to consider the perspective that this job may be much better than it appears from the outside. Maybe instead of thinking about what could go wrong for your child (like Chloe's mom thinking she wouldn't find any clients), think about what could go right.

Nothing to lose and, probably, a lot to gain.

If you're a young adult reading this, and your mom or dad just said you shouldn't work here: this is potentially the first of many opportunities for you to both exercise independence and learn on your own. It's your life to live...even if they're paying for your stuff.

My mantra was always that I am the one who's going to have to answer the call at the end of my life, not my parents, so I'm going to live the way I want to while taking their opinion into consideration, but not taking it as gospel.

And if you're really feeling indebted to your parents, and feel that you need to repay it in this manner, simply the quickest fix here is to start paying for your own stuff. Your parents would probably appreciate it anyway. I would start by getting a job that pays well and is flexible around classes...hint hint, this one (and many other sales jobs).

One thing I have learned in my life is that we are always only ever one decision away from our life heading in a positive, or negative direction. Whether it be this decision or a different one, I hope you and others start making their own.

Good luck.