I moved to Las Vegas at 18 to work in sales at Global Security Concepts. I lived there for about a year. I’d tested out of high school at 15, so by then I was already used to taking a slightly different route.
I was building outbound business. That meant deciding who to go after, getting a meeting, understanding what they needed, and making a case for working with us. I was involved from the first conversation through negotiation and closing.
There wasn’t much structure to lean on. If I wanted an opportunity, I had to create it and then keep it moving. Getting someone interested was only the beginning.
I liked having that much responsibility. You could do the research, put together a pitch, and get in front of the person making the decision. Then you had to listen. Their questions told you pretty quickly whether you understood what mattered to them.
The work made me comfortable asking for things. A meeting, a decision, a chance to put an idea in front of someone. It also made me care about what happened after they said yes. You’ve put your name behind something at that point.
Vegas tends to get one line when I explain my background. Sales, then UC Riverside, then New York and BlackRock. But I spent a year there doing work I still enjoy: meeting people, figuring out where there’s an opportunity, and seeing it through.
I’m doing a version of that again with Anchor. Talking to venues, working with brands, and getting people to show up to something I believe is worth their time.
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