01/24/2018
Nearing the end of our trip of a lifetime, and we had two distinct, interesting meetings with two companies based in San Francisco!
Our first company today was W2O, and we met with Aaron Strout, the Chief Marketing Officer for the company, and his confidence combined with his interactive setup for the meeting made this meeting particularly exciting for me. He asked us about what our first concert was, and he and I happened to have the same one, which really said something for me about my maturity level when I was much younger.
Anyways, some of the main takeaways that I got from him were his remarkable stories and living proof as to how effective networking truly is. He gave us some great examples from his own life as to how networking has paid off for him, and how helping others (i.e talking to us) can also be a learning experience for him. He said that if he weren't learning every day in his job, he would not still be at W2O. He talked about how one's work, energy, and dedication can noticeably decrease if one is not doing something they are passionate about. Aaron used several effective metaphors, including "scratching an itch", meaning doing something that really makes you feel good, or fills a void in your life, even for a short while. He mentioned changing jobs as soon as you feel the need to satisfy another itch (as long as you are making a difference). Another good metaphor that he mentioned a couple of times was dating. You don't just jump into a marriage, a long-term commitment, without going on a date and getting to know who you are with first. Therefore, connecting with others and learning as much as you can about your work is always a good idea. Making career decisions in key parts of life, before having kids, during the early years of marriage, is also key. Lastly, we talked about work-life balance, and how for him, the two are very connected, and his work definitely drives him forward.
We then walked to Little Italy, where, after a while of wandering, found a little restaurant that has great Italian food, where I had yummy meat/cheese tortellini with white sauce! Definitely one of my favorite dishes in San Francisco.
After lunch, we met at Kiva with Jules, where we learned about Kiva as a nonprofit organization that does micro-financing for people that need funding that they cannot get from banks because of a lack of credit history, too small of a loan amount, or lack of access to a bank. They definitely sold their mission to me, and I felt very connected to their mission (although Luther College already is), and anyone can loan money with a 97% return rate, meaning that money will eventually be paid back to me with no interest. The borrowers take this money and use it to fund schooling, agricultural work, or something else that can help them make a living (often in third-world countries). 2.7 million people receive funding from 1.7 million people, and over 1 billion dollars have been loaned.
I think what impressed me most about their company was their workplace! It was so open with lots of chatter, filled with fun desktops and work spaces. They had a dog that casually cruises the workplace, offering a smile to people as this puppy walks by. I felt very welcomed there, and I felt the people there were passionate about their work and were happy to be there! Probably some of the nicest people you will ever meet.
Going to eat tacos for dinner now! Looks like we have two destinations for tomorrow, one being Apptelligence!
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