We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aswand Cruickshank. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aswand below.

Aswand , appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

I would completely diminish and restrict any and all standardized tests. These tests do nothing but create confusion for what it actually takes to survive in the real world. Let’s say you’ve been successful when taking standardized tests. Now, because you’ve received praise and acceptance from the the school system, you are likely to move forward in life, thinking that there can only be one answer to complex problems that require a great deal of critical thinking. Let’s say you have failed multiple standardized tests, now you can easily get discouraged by a grade, and it becomes difficult for an educator to help, because he or she doesn’t have a way of knowing what the student was thinking when they answered the question.

Yes I do. I’ve always been a critical thinker. It was my senior year in college, at Stony Brook University in Long Island New York. I was taking a sociology class that I really enjoyed. I graduated with a Multidisciplinary Studies Degree, which is a degree in which you take three concentrations and turn them into one. My three concentrations were history, sociology & philosophy. All three required a great deal of reading, and critical/opinionated thinking. I’d go to this sociology class everyday, and enjoy the discussion. Now Test Day. We were given a multiple choice exam that I failed. A few days had gone by, and I was approached by the professor about taking an essay based exam. She said, “I see you in here everyday, paying attention, adding a unique perspective to the discussions, and I just don’t believe you should be failing.” I thanked her so much for giving me the opportunity, and it was that in which led me to receiving my college degree, and becoming a four time published author, that has the number one podcast on Innovative teamwork. The “Move Swiftly Podcast.”

Aswand , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born and raised in Silver Spring Maryland. The son of a father who ran his own architecture company & a mother who worked her way up the transportation industry. Having the name “Aswand Cruickshank,” that is unique, and difficult for a lot of people to pronounce. I found my acceptance as a football player. I played football from seven to twenty two years old, and I immediately dived into my entrepreneurship journey once my playing days ended. I’ve had various roles in fitness, education and athletics. I now look to serve as many businesses as possible, by teaching them innovative ways to implement the type of teamwork that will lead to more sales. My services range from boxing lessons to speaking engagements, all the details can be found on makeyamove.com

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I now sell on my website, MakeYaMove.com, When I published my first book “Swift-LY,” Your Guide to Innovative Teamwork. The only place for people to purchase the book was on Amazon.com. What I realized is there was no way of tracking the information of the people who were purchasing the book, and in turn no way of me knowing who was buying the book, and when attempting to reach out to an audience about new books & promos, having that tracking information is important. The one pro I can think of about selling my books on Amazon, is having books listed on Amazon, makes me more discoverable. Meaning when you google the name Aswand Cruickshank, (Amazon.com/Books) is the third link that shows up.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Authenticity & Consistent Storytelling. Everyday I go out for a run and immediately record a video, that starts with “Aswand Cruickshank, your one & only Move Swiftly speaker, checking in for a Daily Move Swiftly Thought, giving you a perspective on Teamwork, that you will not get anywhere else.”

What this does. Is it allows for anyone who uses the internet to have free access into the way I think, and because of the authentic way I tell these stories & seeing that it is immediately following a long run, there is enough positive energy for people who are watching to want to hear more about what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: MakeYaMove.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swift_ly44/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011089093808
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aswand-cruickshank-3a4415b6/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Y7PvTrsMJvyIjne5ws2ew/videos
• Other: https://aswandc.com https://makeyamove.com/nil-valuation

Image Credits
Aswand Cruickshank