Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Thomas Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Thomas, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

Serving the underserved is something that I believe should be top of mind for every American, particularly those who have sufficient financial means and access to the basic life essentials of food, shelter, and clothing. As a country blessed with so many resources and so much to be thankful for, it should be instilled in all of us to help serve those fellow citizens less fortunate and in need. Just imagine what a different place our country would be if we significantly reduced the staggering number of fellow citizens who are homeless, hungry, and/or unemployed. At the same time, I’m not suggesting everyone needs to dramatically change their focus or approach to day-to-day living while giving back. Serving the underserved can take many forms, be it through time as a volunteer, talent offering professional expertise/skill set and treasure through financial contributions. Once again, just think if each person possessing the aforementioned essentials of basic living could put forth some kind of effort – and the amount of effort can be decided individually as to how best support the underserved – I have no doubt each town, state, country, and even the world at large would be a much better place. It is undoubtedly a very sad reality that there are millions of fellow Americans living without adequate access to food, shelter, and clothing, but there is something many of us can do to not only make their lives markedly better by bringing those critical daily essentials directly to them, and at the same time enhance our own lives as result of giving back.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Going back to my childhood, for the longest time I dreamed about becoming a sports journalist and my focus shifted many years later during graduate school. It was then I became much more focused on what I wanted to do for a living, and I learned I could turn to a profession and career that would entail many of the core communication elements involved in journalism, however with what I perceived to be greater stability and a better quality of life. That career choice led me to the field of public relations. The common thread between journalism, public relations, law, general business and so many other professions, is the ability to communicate well. I believe if you can read and write well you have two of the core critical skills needed to succeed in any career. How do you become a good writer? You read a lot, and that includes reading books, articles, and material from a range of authors with various writing styles across many genres. Then you practice a lot and you learn to approaching writing in different ways. For instance, the way you write a speech is much different from how you write copy for video and that is much different from how write in-depth feature article. Have someone review, edit, and provide feedback on what you write. Always ask the following questions: Why should someone take the time to read what you wrote? Why does what you wrote matter? What is your intent? For instance, do you want one someone to laugh, to learn something, or analyze life from within? The same principles apply to speaking. Today when the average attention span lasts less than 10 seconds, you need to be able to communicate something quickly that is impactful and catches the attention of others. In the field of public relations when writing about a product, company, person, or concept, the ultimate goal is to convey something unique about it.

I am most proud of the fact I always have a high level of trust and my client’s best interests at hand. I take the responsibility of representing a client in a communications capacity very seriously. If you can’t communicate regularly, openly and comfortably with a client, both you and the client will be unhappy and eventually, be unable to co-exist.

One of my greatest attributes is that I’m constantly on the lookout for opportunities to benefit my clients. I’ve always got my eyes and ears open, thinking of different ways my clients could leverage something I’ve seen or heard about. You never know what you can pick up during the course of a day speaking with a colleague, a friend, a stranger, or perhaps it is something you hear on the radio or see on the side of the road that catches your attention. On a very basic level, maybe you pick up a magazine in a doctor’s office and something stands out and resonates for one of your clients.

To be successful at anything, you need to have a high level of curiosity and interest in constantly learning. If you can demonstrate those two things, you can excel in public relations or any field where you need to adapt to change quickly and keep your pulse on so many different, rapidly developing events and actions taking place in the world today.

Before I close, there are few other things I want to mention that have proved valuable in my career over and over. Never shy away from an opportunity to attend and then assert yourself at a networking event. Yes, sometimes it may take a lot of extra effort to motivate and go to a networking event, but in the long run from a career development standpoint it will be well worth it. Listen more than you speak and upon listening, retain the information shared. Lastly, never be shy when it comes to asking questions as I’m a big believer in the old adage “there is no such thing as a dumb question.”

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Rejection is an inevitable part of life, and granted, some people will experience it more than others, but the key is how do you respond and bounce back from rejection. What is the most important takeaway gleaned through the experience of being rejected? Did you in fact learn something specific, and then do you have the ability to adapt moving forward in light of rejection?

If people didn’t face rejection in some facet of their lives, how would they learn how to bounce back from adversity, another one of the things we all experience in life?

Don’t try let someone say they have never faced rejection or adversity because they are lying if they say they haven’t. Some people will be more transparent than others in sharing their experiences when it comes to rejection. But in my opinion, it is not a sign of failure, but rather real, character building life experience.

There are numerous times where persistence and resilience has proven to be an asset in my career. Just because a person may not be receptive to your idea(s) initially doesn’t mean you need to abandon your efforts to draw their attention.

I can think of dozens of occasions in my career when I’ve approached reporters with a story idea and while it may not have necessarily resonated at first, upon a second, third or even fourth look, their perspective had changed and were looking at my idea with a different lens. Eventually they came around and were interested in pursuing a story or report. They indicated they were open to letting me elaborate and share additional details regarding a narrative that would connect with their respective readers, viewers or listeners.

For the past 10 years I have nominated a dozen or so individuals – some even multiple times – who I thought were highly deserving and compelling candidates for the prestigious CNN Heroes recognition, however not once have any of the candidates I’ve nominated been chosen. I’m not stopping with sending in nominations, and recently I’ve submitted the names of three additional individuals who I believe are the epitome of CNN Heroes. I like to remind myself that it took the extraordinary actor Susan Lucci 19 times before she won her first Daytime Emmy for her role as Erika Kane on ABC’s long-running soap opera “All My Children.” Hopefully one of my nominees will be called sooner than 19 years!

Yes, it is easy to be disappointed, disgusted, dismayed, and even entirely deterred when you learn your own idea is not initially acknowledged or well-received, however you should and can shift your thinking and answer the following questions: how do you plan to respond and what can you do to attain a different desired end result?

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I always want to help others communicate their messages to their targeted audiences in as cost effective, strategically sound, and efficient manner as possible. More than likely that will involve execution of multiple communication platforms. I want those I work with and work for to be extremely pleased with the outcomes/deliverables I’ve influenced and where I’ve played a role. And if for some reason I’ve fallen short or haven’t met expectations, I want to know why and make sure that the desired outcome(s) occurs the next time.

Life is a journey that through its natural evolution involves constant learning. I’ve tried to be conscientious of this throughout all of the different experiences I’ve had, including the rewarding, challenging, and difficult endeavors I’ve been a part of in and out of the workplace. If you let yourself be stagnant and resist the opportunity to learn and grow, you won’t be reaching your full potential and therefore unhappy with the results of your efforts. I’ve tried consistently to put that mindset front and center in my own life.

Contact Info:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-smith-93621112/
• Twitter: @tpsmith70