What Would You Say You Do Here?

This headline is one of my favorite lines from a movie that I’ve watched repeatedly—“Office Space.” If you haven’t watched it, you definitely need to, as it is a cult classic.

It also provides a warped look into the corporate world—and in some cases one that isn’t so far off from reality.

In one scene (search “I’m a people person” on YouTube), Dabney Coleman is trying to figure out what one of the company employees does each day. The explanation is hilarious, and we’ve all seen something similar in the real world, which is why it is so damn funny.

Although I’ve spent some time in the corporate world, fortunately for me, that was decades ago. From my earliest days as a child, I was always doing something to earn a buck. I was scolded by my mother for trading my junky toys for some awesome brand-new toys with a neighbor kid from a well-off family. Instead of selling the toys for a nice profit, I had to give them back, much to his disappointment. My mom wasn’t buying the fact that the kid willingly gave them to me!

I could have taken a summer job that paid a few dollars per hour while I was in college, but instead, I opted to start a driveway-sealing business. I had to do my own parents’ driveway, which was a messy job and something most fathers in town didn’t want to have to do—giving me the idea to keep those tar-covered shoes and pants handy for multiple uses. I needed a way to market the business, which was quickly solved by printing out flyers and distributing them across neighborhoods with the help of my nephew, who works with me today at travAlliancemedia!

Instead of making $5 per hour working for someone in an office, I could make $50 per hour sealing driveways. I was a doer. I didn’t wait for someone else to do it for me. I adhered to that old saying, “If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me.”

Are you a doer or are you waiting around for someone to “make it happen” for you? If the former, you’ll find your way to success, although it won’t always be an easy ride. If the latter applies to you, you won’t succeed as an at-home agent.

We work with all the agency groups you’ll see in this month’s issue. The key to success, however, isn’t them—it’s you. The right partner can help along the way, but it is you who holds the key to your ultimate destiny.

In the end, you never want someone to ask, “What would you say you do here?”

"The right partner can help along the way, but it is you who holds the key to your ultimate destiny."