I regularly have conversations with people about their journey to the work they are currently doing. Everyone who is an entrepreneur has a journey story. Whether or not you claim your journey or believe there is significance about your journey is moot. Every person who tries on some form of self employment was searching for something, desired something, saw something they wanted that was the catalyst to having their own business.
What was interesting to me is when individuals had begun the work they were now doing many years prior. Life, however, took these individuals elsewhere before bringing them back to “it”. Look at your own process to be where you now are. Your path, most likely, is circuitous linear or circular.
Aaron is one of these. This is his story.
I had lunch with a gentleman who is a scholar of financial products i.e. savings to life insurance to retirement accounts. He is passionate about people being set up to ride the waves of life. So the rainy day fund isn’t just something you think about it is something you actually have in place. Aaron is also committed to having long term client relationships. He sees himself as one player of a team each client should have. Other team members being your CPA, your attorney, your banker. He can and will set people up with a single product, like term life insurance. He is happier if he can be their coach for the financial game. What impressed me about Aaron was his candor about having to balance optimal product choices for the long term against the capacity his clients currently have. He will work with you whether you can put $20 or $5000 into savings each month. He is truly one of the good guys. The other cool part is his energy through out our lunch conversation. He truly loves all this financial crap. Stuff that shuts me down, and, I suspect shuts most of us down, he thrives on. I believe Aaron is doing what he is meant to do in life.
So I asked him how long have you been doing this? “Two years.” I thought, really? Just two years? “Tell me about that.”
Twenty years ago Aaron started out in the sales/agent role with a huge company. By choice. He was excited about and drawn to that position. The company’s philosophy was not at all about relationships. It didn’t align with one of Aaron’s core values. He did not language it that way, and, I’m telling you that’s what happened. So Aaron quickly moved away from that role. He worked in a variety of positions for this company, did well, moved up. Then in a string of CYA moves the company cut and downsized through out the organization. The entire team Aaron was working with was cut. After 18 years with this huge company Aaron lost his job.
As he went looking for the next job, he realized, he would have to start over. He would have to begin somewhere and work his way up again. No one was going to bring him in at the level and salary he had worked up to in 18 years. One of the options that presented itself to Aaron was a sales/agent position.
This time the company offering the job had a business mission that aligned with Aaron’s values. The agent’s portfolio was not valued on how many products sold. Instead on how many people served. Figuring he would have to rebuild in some form or other Aaron stepped into, actually back into, being an financial agent.
What I see in Aaron’s journey.
Like most really good stories, Aaron was denied the thing, the work, he wanted originally. This caused him to do other work. For 18 years he did a variety of jobs which enhanced his knowledge of business, people and money matters. Without the 18 year loop he would be a less effective agent. Also, and this is the really important piece, he has lived what he is promoting. Aaron has the insurances, savings, retirement accounts. He did the financial savvy parts so when life pulled the rug out from under him he was still standing.
Aaron knows the tenacity needed to stick with choices to build a financially secure future. He understands what it feels like to be kicked in the teeth. He will serve his clients with a clarity and passion based in authenticity.
Whatever your business, product, service; when you serve people from authenticity you are truly making the world a better place. Aaron is.
For Your Best Possible Self
Coach Christine Clark
Aaron Plaskas works with Financial Architects to contact him: Office 515-457-1276 ext 145, Email [email protected]