Beast Mode a Business was a contest catered to youth 13-18 sponsored by Shopify and partnered with Plus Merchant Marshawn Lynch. The contest carried out through 3 days in Oakland San Fransisco. Prior to the event, the attending gurus were provided with Impact training as we were working with youth at risk in the Oakland Bay community. While I was mentally prepared by the event program's scope, I had little experience working with youth let alone youth at risk. It became apparent that I was not only a representative of Shopify and also a leader in a mentorship capacity to the young entrepreneurs.
A specific event that took place during the event that highlighting mentorship and people leading was when we broke off into groups of students and staff and did speed rounds of business pitches and feedback. During this time, I vividly remember a tough conversation I had with one of the contestants; he opened up to me about his difficult home life and how he felt defeated. He did not believe in his own potential to win the competition. I felt a strong level of empathy and wanted to help change his perspective. I wasn't sure what advice to give however, I gave him the best I knew. We briefly discussed topics of failure, perseverance, and discipline. I highlighted the power of failure and the positives of failing through personal experiences. After my connected conversion, I felt there was an immediate positive change in his attitude and he appeared to be engaged to work on his pitch again.
Reflecting on the event, it was one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences I have participated in. It was incredibly rewarding knowing that you have the opportunity to make a very large impact for the better through your words and actions.