Your very presence on this site tells me you and I share the view that entrepreneurship is good.  Working for yourself, making things happen the way you want them to, and living life on your own terms.  It’s a major part of my life and my identity.  However, at the core of entrepreneurship lies the innate ability to recognize and seek out unique opportunity, regardless of its source.  Last week my adventurous side saw a big opportunity.

Since I first heard the term ‘experiential marketing’, I’d been intrigued by the concept.  The process of connecting potential clients to a product or brand through a positive real-world interaction, struck me as something both exciting and with an awesome amount of potential. 

A few of my friends got involved with an experiential marketing company back when I was in high school and the concept was still in its infancy.  I can remember they did everything from handing out samples at grocery stores to promoting cell-phone companies at concerts (the latter being exponentially cooler and rarer).  My friends tried to get me to sign-on, but between 5 school sports and 3 rep/travel sports a year my time was scarce, and the idea of handing out free Cheese-Strings in grocery stores didn’t exactly create much pull toward the idea.  So my future as a brand rep vanished before it began.

That was until I was e-mailed a job description too good to pass up.

It was vague, as most coveted positions are, but clearly indicated that this contract would require travel across the country.  I fired off a brief e-mail with my contact info and a compelling story about who I was, and a day later I was invited to a mass-hiring group where (without saying it) they’d be able to weed-out those who didn’t possess the necessary people skills.

The hiring process was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.  They didn’t ask for a résumé, they didn’t ask boring and rehearsed questions, they didn’t even want any references.  Instead, they asked us about ourselves and had us act out scenarios that required on-the-fly thinking with other people in the hiring group.  I later figured out successful candidates would be considered ‘promotional models’ explaining why the group hire felt much more like an audition than a typical interview.  Since quick thinking and dealing with people are two strengths of mine, the interview suited me just fine.

The position I was after was incredible, and therefore competitive.  Two male hires would be given a branded truck, trailer, and golf cart and would be charged with traveling to different camp grounds from British Columbia all the way to Nova Scotia, handing out free product along the way.  Literally, a coast-to-coast Canadian excursion and trip of a lifetime. 

A few days later I got the e-mail telling me I was short-listed for the position.  A few days later, and I had a second interview with the coordinators of the project.  Yet another few days (that felt like an eternity) and I got that call informing me that I’d got the job!

So as of June 25 yours truly will be traveling across the country!  Experiencing all Canada has to offer and making some wild stories along the way.

Will I be working for someone else?  Yeah.  Doesn’t that go against the idea of your site?  Kind of.  Just don’t forget the spirit of this site and everything I do is to live life to the fullest and seek out unique opportunity wherever it may hide…and I think this qualifies as a pretty incredible opportunity!  The best part is, it’s contract work so I’ll only be under someone else’s employ for just over a month.  Then I’ll be back to developing my own businesses and following that dream.

Obviously, I stumbled onto the pick-of-the-litter when it comes to contracts, but if promoting a brand sounds like something you’d be into, check Google for experiential marketing companies in your area.

Otherwise, you guys will hear from me in about a month.

Cheers!