The Journey That Got Me to Saskatchewan Part 2

  Arpit Maden
April 20, 2022

This story has two parts - part one was published last week!

Part 2: Canada – Humble Down  |  2020 & Fighting

Amazon – Vancouver, Canada, Warehouse Associate

Amazon warehouses are as big as a couple of football fields and oh boy, they are massive. They were hiring everyone because of the rise in online shopping. There were massive Amazon orders that needed to be fulfilled. 

The working conditions didn't matter. Before Amazon, I didn't have a job. I needed something to do and I took it. I had a solid 4-day schedule of 10 hours a day, which required me to pick stuff from different sections of the warehouse for customer orders. It was a humbling experience to put in actual physical labour, walking 15 kilometres a day to fulfil orders and ensure that the world remained as functional as possible. Working in a flashy corporate environment and then getting to the raw reality of life was a shock, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me as it tamed my ego.

I made two friends at the warehouse, and these people are now like my older brother and sister. 

I left the warehouse job on May 18, 2020, with a few dollars in my bank account.

I learned:

• No job is a small job, take pride in what you do. A job, just like anything in life, is what you make of it

• Respect yourself and the world will respect you back

• Opportunities always knock, even when you give up hope. We created an opportunity in Vancouver just from picking stuff at the warehouse

• When you hit rock bottom, be patient and enjoy it. It might not last long

Huneybae Accessories Inc – Surrey, British Columbia, Multiple Roles

This is a local business run by a hardworking father and son. One day after leaving my job at the warehouse, I was giving out my resume to local businesses, and I happened to walk into the store. They were not looking to hire someone and frankly they barely made any money selling car accessories.

I was amazed by the accessories they had in the store and their value. The business owner has fantastic business ties in China which gave him significant pricing power. 

This is where—for the first time in my life—my MBA came in handy. I just had an honest and authentic business conversation with them in which I asked for money upfront and brought value to the table. I told them that I know what all car accessories were selling for on Amazon and their pricing. I proposed disrupting that market. 

We started selling on Amazon in June 2020, by pricing our products 10 percent lower than the best available price. We made our first sale on June 17, 2020 for $23 CAD. I still have that invoice with me in a print, stuck on my wall in my room. I cried that day, which is something I hadn't done since my grandfather's funeral in 2006. It was such a great feeling to see the plan coming to life.

Huneybae does $700,000 CAD in annual revenue now. Thirty percent of that comes from Amazon. I don’t see any of that money anymore, but I remain close to them. They became like family, too.

I left Huneybae Accessories on April 30, 2021, for a chance in technology sales. To be honest, I was bored of selling car accessories.

I learned:

• Talk to people; the potential is huge

• Honest efforts might fail to meet the desired result, but at least you can keep your head high that you put in the work

• Take risk, but be prepared for the downside

SewerVUE Technology – Coquitlam, British Columbia, Technical Sales Specialist

Two days into the job, I thought I would not survive because the technology was just way too complex and I wasn't good at calling municipal engineers to book demos and webinars. "But who is going to carry the boat," David Goggins says (if you don’t know him, look him up. This man changed my life), so I kept my head down and started talking to engineers on the phone. My colleague – Fernando Barana who at that time was the sales executive (classic closer) taught me a few things over a few beers, and for the first time, I heard someone and did not tell them that I was this hotshot trader once upon a time. Arpit, who lived in India, was dead and Arpit that was there today was just an average guy on the street. Once I stopped thinking about my past corporate excellence, it took the pressure off of me. What I am trying to say is that past achievements and failures are in the past, pen them down and let them go, or else they will haunt you. 

Fernando and I started going to a bar every Friday, he was also an immigrant from Brazil and had been in sales all his life. The ritual felt the same as I had back in Delhi on Fridays. We used to drink, play darts, talk crap, and he used to give me these little nuggets on sales. He just told me stop trying to fit in. To accept who I am and talk with confidence without trying to change my accent.

I specifically mentioned the ‘accent’ because on my first day my boss told me it was very thick. This played with my head. I did try to change my accent, which resulted in bad sales calls. Maybe my mind was not steel proof enough. I realize this now and not then. I stuck to my accent, but slowed down my pace, which helped.

I crushed the sales record at SewerVUE in my third month and they capped my commissions. It felt awesome to break the roof because I started operating with the mentality of there being no other way. You either win or you learn—you never lose.

I left SewerVUE on October 22, 2021, and my boss gave me a copy of Challenger Sales – again an awesome book.

 I learned:

• Capture experiences from people and apply (all you have to do is watch and listen)

• Listen more than you speak 

• If someone is not listening to you, simply stop talking and see where it goes - Dr, Jordan B Peterson.

• Think beyond money, this is extremely difficult, real value is beyond money 

Vendasta – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Partner Development Manager

Why are you moving to the middle of nowhere? 

Who moves from the West Coast to Saska(can’t pronounce)toon?

This is going to be the end of your career

You won’t even feed a teenage polar bear

Also, a few people here – Brooke Shutiak, Michael Donaeur, Chris (last name difficult to pronounce and spell), Tanmay Trivedi (our boy from the prairies of India) have made my life easier. In the end it’s the people that matter. 

I don’t know what will happen at Vendasta, I don’t know if I will make it, but one thing that I know is that there’s no other way.

Learnings from over the years:

• People have the power to change lives 

• Your best and worst friend is your mind, steel proof it

• It’s okay to fit in (especially when you are new and learning the culture), but if it’s in you, try to disrupt and make a change. 

• Win the war, lose the battle - realize when you have to let go for the bigger picture to stay intact

• Be a monster, be ruthlessly ambitious and then learn how to control it. Better to be the warrior in the garden and not the gardener in the war  – Dr. Jordan B Peterson

• Joe Rogan, Jocko Wilink, David Goggins, Jordan Peterson – powerful people that change lives

• There’s no talent, it’s only hard work - Conor McGregor

• Embrace love and try not to lose people

• Make connections. Real ones. They are beyond LinkedIn