2 min read August 2022 — Chris, senior executive director for Capital Analytics Associates, spoke about a variety of items, including his favorite parts about working with Capital Analytics. He also discussed where he sees himself in the next 10 years and the goals he wishes to achieve during that time.
How have your last three years been with Capital Analytics?
I’ve been here for three years. It’s been nice to achieve steady progression in my career throughout those three years. I put together the first edition of Invest: Charlotte, and it was rewarding to be able to see it come to life. Now, I have three editions of Invest: Charlotte under my belt. I’m currently working on Invest: Raleigh-Durham. It has been a journey going from in person meetings to virtual since I started this role pre COVID-19. I’m currently a Senior Executive Director, so I have had the chance to mentor our new hires, which has been great. Overall, the journey has been fun.
What’s your favorite thing about working at Capital Analytics?
I’ve always been someone that loves to build relationships with people. I’m always curious about people’s background, where they come from and what they do. It’s been nice to be able to print three editions of Invest:Charlotte because I built relationships with about 300 executives throughout the region. I believe that has been my favorite part of the job. Before going into this role, I knew nothing about economic development or about how these companies worked. It’s been fun to be able to see what goes on behind-the-scenes.
What initially fueled you to want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management?
A lot of family members are in business. They’re either running their own company or in a sales type role. Due to this, I’ve always been interested in business and seeing how it works. When I was 12 years old, I ran my own landscaping company, and I would cut people’s grass. The cool thing about my degree is that there are various types of opportunities one can pursue. You can either go into sales, management, marketing, supply chain, or other similar type roles.
You are the founder and host for the podcast “Next Level Minds.” What was the reason for starting this podcast and who has been your most interesting guest to date? Why?
There are two reasons why I started that podcast. When I was growing up, I grew up middle-class. My parents wanted me to be in a good school system, so they made a lot of sacrifices. Where I lived, it was a fairly wealthy area. Nonetheless, we didn’t have the wealth behind it. Due to this, I was surrounded by people that did well in life. Growing up I was curious about how those people achieved success. I would ask them “How did you get to where you are now?” At 14 and 15 years old, I was asking those types of questions. .
Since graduating in 2018, one thing I’ve loved doing is impacting other people. I always try to give advice whenever possible. When I first moved to Charlotte after graduating college, I had a desire to impact others. I asked myself, “How can I combine my two passions of hearing success stories and wanting to help others?” The perfect vehicle for me was to start a podcast. I’ve been doing it for three years, and it’s been great. I’m almost at episode 100, and I have run it myself throughout these past three years.
The most interesting guest I’ve had is a man named Josh Kaufman. He wrote a best selling book called “The Personal MBA.” The book is everything you would have learned if you received an MBA in college.
You’re currently a mentor at Clemson University. How does it feel being able to help students on their journey toward success?
When I was in high school and college, I had various people who mentored me. At the moment, I didn’t understand the concepts that they were teaching me, such as the importance of managing your finances and investing in yourself. It’s been great to talk to people that are about to graduate or who are currently sophomores or juniors. I’ve had the opportunity to tell them to invest in themselves.
I started investing in myself as soon as I graduated. I read a book a month, listen to four podcasts a week and have a call with a mentor once a month. If I started doing this junior or senior year, who knows where I would be right now. School also teaches you a lot, but it doesn’t typically teach you about managing your finances or setting goals. I want to be the one that comes along and teaches students these skills.
If you could speak to your younger self, what advice would you give him?
The advice I would give myself is to learn how to cultivate discipline. I believe anyone out there can become motivated. However, what separates the good from the great is still giving it 100% on the days when you don’t feel like doing it. When I first started working, I would have those days when I was motivated and I was giving it 100%, yetI still had those days when I wasn’t feeling it. Cultivating discipline comes by honoring your commitments.
In the journey to achieve your dreams, what do you do to find your inner peace?
I think about gratitude. I’m blessed to have my current job, the podcast and mentoring others. It’s also about knowing when to unplug. When I’m off, I’m completely off. My phone will be in airplane mode. Most people will take time off, however a lot of them are still replying to emails, taking calls, etc. .
To end this discussion, where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
I live my life in 4 F’s, which are faith, family, finance and fitness. All of my goals revolve around those four things. From a family perspective, I would like to have started a family. I would also like to be in a position where I can start achieving generational wealth. From a financial perspective, I bought my first house about a year ago. However, I want to have some rental properties with some cash flow coming in. Concerning fitness, I would like to be 20 pounds heavier, however it will be all muscle. Lastly, for faith, I want to be more involved with my church.
