Energy Crue
Welcome to 'Energy Crüe', the podcast that dives deep into the heart of industry innovation, entrepreneurship, and personal growth. I'm your host, JP Warren, and each episode, we embark on a journey to uncover the passions and motivations that fuel industry leaders as well as industry trends. We're not just talking business here; we're exploring the personal drives, the triumphs, and the challenges that shape today's pioneers.
Energy Crue
No Car, No Excuses, the Gen Z Grind with Connor Kraus
We share how a 26-year-old quit a safe job, chose Houston without a car, and built traction through volunteering, TikTok transparency, and face-to-face networking. The core message is simple: action, humility, and consistency still open doors, even in a tough market.
• why Houston’s opportunity and story mattered
• leaving a stable job to prove grit and possibility
• using TikTok and LinkedIn to spark warm introductions
• vulnerability as leverage in an AI world
• volunteering and helping small businesses to build trust
• navigating objections, gatekeepers, and follow-ups
• finding and choosing high-value events without a car
• practical ways leaders can engage driven Gen Z talent
• daily journaling and morning planning for momentum
• Connor’s target roles in energy and AI near downtown
If you want to connect with Connor: “You can contact me on LinkedIn or TikTok. DM me and I’ll share my resume and email so we can set up a call.”
Hello everyone, welcome to a new Energy Crew, potentially a lead with confidence uh podcast. This is kind of uh uh one that's uh kind of came off the cuff and not traditional than what I've done before. There's a all right, I'm gonna kind of give a little context. A lot of times in this industry, in a lot of different industries right now, there's a lot of workforce reductions happening. Not only that, people are feeling isolated, they're feeling not motivated, um, just kind of understanding where their paths can lead, where they can go. And this is kind of, I'm gonna bring him on stage right now uh to the board, but and uh it's Connor Krause. Connor Krause, I him and I got it kind of got connected, as most people do uh in this day and age, online. I was scrolling through TikTok and suddenly this this you had a hook that kind of grabbed me, Connor. It was, I think you're walking out of a networking event at, and again, I'm I'm probably gonna butcher this backstory. This is the first podcast I've done in a while, so we'll work through this together. But you're you you said something like, Hey, uh, you know, I'm I'm Connor, I'm you know, 26 years old. What is it? 26? What are you?
SPEAKER_01:Uh yeah, it's about to be 26 to 20 years.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. 25 and a half years old. Uh no, 26 years old. And I'm living in Houston with no car, and I quit my full-time job to prove to Gen Z workforce or the Gen Z generation, whatever that is, that there's ways to hustle and differentiate yourself and find a job. And Connor, that just first off, being in Houston with no car is a is an uphill battle and an endeavor is a story, I think, itself, but also just what you're trying to do. And since I've been following you, and this is like what we got connected like a week and a half ago, maybe, but I reached out and I said, Man, I just love your inspiration. I love that you're you're focused, you're you're dedicated, you're mindset, because right now a lot of people are beat up right now. A lot of people are beat up, you know, in this industry, other industries out there just kind of you know, trying to navigate through, especially right now. We're recording this beginning December during holiday seasons, and I think, you know, there's been headlines for the past four or five months about, you know, a lot of things happening. But I feel like you're carrying the torch, but you're not just trying to do something, uh, in my opinion, to find a job. I feel like you're not just trying to find a job, you're also trying to send a message out there and kind of like whether you you're trying to do this or not, inspire people to maybe kind of um take action, have a healthy mindset, and and kind of face kind of everyday challenges um to kind of succeed, to kind of get out of their own way and succeed. That's why I think, you know, whether this is an energy crew podcast or a lead with confidence podcast, I think this kind of ties into kind of both of the subjects or the topics and trends that I I kind of focus on. So, Connor, why don't you kind of before we kind of get kicked in like what you're doing, give me a little background on why you chose Houston, because you're from what, Chicago, right? That's correct, yeah. So what like what what you start this off, man? Tell me your story and kind of what brought you to Houston and why you're doing what you're doing. And then we'll dive in, then we'll dive in the other stuff. All right.
SPEAKER_01:Well, that's that's a perfect segue. So I've been in Houston uh for almost three years now, and I came from actually Austin, Texas. Okay. I first got my stint in Texas in 2020. I was uh like an essential worker um for door-to-door. I helped with pest control services and uh I got like a learning from there. I was still in college over at West Virginia University, and I really enjoyed Texas. I really enjoyed the residence there um just because of the friendliness and how large it was. I saw a lot of opportunity. So when I finally graduated college, I worked for a 3PL uh over in Austin, Texas, and it was a great learning incubator. Um, but I eventually wanted to do something else, uh, show more of my sales skills and tech sales. So I got a remote job, and it was my birthday, I I remember, uh, which is coming up. It's on in the 17th here in December. Christmas, baby.
SPEAKER_00:That's that hey, that's an uphill battle on its own.
SPEAKER_01:You know what I mean? You can combine those two holidays and call them quits. I like it. So go on. But um with with uh with my birthday, I I went to visit a lifelong childhood friend, and um I was working remote, so it was very flexible for me. And I went to go talk to some strangers here in Houston, and I actually met this one gentleman. Um, he became one of like a mentor of mine, uh, and he showed me all around Houston. He showed me from Houston all the way from like Fulshire down down southern south of Houston and then all the way up north near the suburbs over in the woodlands and like really everything in between, yeah, from the villages to r to rice, uh, etc. etc. And he shared with me a story. Uh his family came, I think, from Syria, and they had they had nothing when they first uh came to Houston. Uh they were they were almost homeless too. And he has now grow grown his business, he's he's gotten a great education, and now he has a million dollars in his in his bank account or in assets, lives in the woodlands, has a great life. And I saw the American dream so strong in Houston, and I saw all the opportunity. So although Austin has been was great and there's so many great connections there, I wanted to experience that opportunity, that that grind and hustle that Houston is with Hustle City. So I I moved here and I really haven't looked back since.
SPEAKER_00:So wait a minute. So first off, I love the story about kind of uh, you know, you hear I hear people in the, you know, so I'm in the oil and gas space, you know, you hear people, you know, starting off as pumpers, you know. I'm thinking of this one uh one gentleman that that is a good friend of mine, you know, his father came over and bought like one well from like Pakistan, you know, and next thing you know, he's has his own operating companies in different, you know, real estate, oil and gas. And it's awesome to see, I think, in my opinion, you're right, like people that start off with kind of nothing, broke, homeless, and they kind of bet on themselves, you know, and that kind of like and I see you doing a lot of that too. You're betting on yourself. And the fact you're betting on yourself, what was going on in your mind? The fact that you're gonna leave a company, leave a job to join to come to Houston just to experience, like, talk to me about that, like wanting to experience like the grind and hustle of Houston without having a job uh lined up after you, you know, you quit your awesome job. Like, talk to me about kind of walk me through that process in your mind.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I I had a I when I first came to Houston, I was working remote in a tech sales job and I had a had a good good setup there. I was living in Spring Branch at the time, and I well, my journey from that went to entrepreneurship to help with sales and marketing processes. I w I wanted to see if I can outsource sales deals and help a lot of college students with micro name image likeness deals. The only issue was I I kind of ran out of capital. My spread margins weren't too high enough for me to keep going efficiently. So I worked in financial marketing here in Houston for an amazing company and I got some great mentorship. But what triggered me to quit my job, and I think it's been about 51 days, yeah, I I noticed that the headlines were really talking about Gen Z men uh not working, uh the job market being so tough. And it it kind of it kind of got to me because you know I'm a tough guy, and although I had a great job lined up, I knew I I knew I could, I can't do anything in this world. So I ultimately decided to quit, decided to transform into a new industry, which is the energy industry that I'm get trying to get into. And I know my capabilities of hey, I can make and Gen Z knows it especially well. I can make contracts doing anything. I know they might be micro contracts, yeah, but the gig economy is super strong. And with our economy, with our GDP being up in quarter three, I saw that as a way for me to understand that I will be able to get by until the right opportunity flourishes and I can just jump on that, jump on that uh, you know, horse and start galloping for 2026 and beyond. Um, so mostly my motivation of quitting was to really prove to everybody that although there are labor reductions and although the job market might seem hard, we can still get by and we can still find the right opportunity that we truthfully want if we just don't give up.
SPEAKER_00:And dude, so you're you're not you're not just doing this for for yourself and your own livelihood. I like so I like how you're kind of like trying, you're you're putting your you're an experiment. You know, you're you're you're testing out yourself. I mean you're you're experimenting this concept of you know, is Gen Z this, is Gen Z that, and you're kind of pushing back against kind of the merit.
SPEAKER_01:Right. And I'm it is it is kind of like a social experiment too. I'm I'm showing the I guess generosity and the the um community of Houston to see to see like, can I get by? I you know, I I didn't take any unemployment checks. Uh I I'm not uh I'm not taking any like uh government help. I'm I'm doing this all to my all for myself. I'm bootstrapped for cash, but like it's it's working. I'm I'm helping small businesses in an altruistic manner. Maybe I'm not getting paid a lot right now, but I know what I'm doing is good work. And I know at the end of the day, an energy company will take a chance on me once once the right opening set is set up for me.
SPEAKER_00:So let me ask you a question. I wanted to kind of dive into like so I you know, I follow you on TikTok. I mean, so I feel like talk to me about, I guess, whenever you are kind of go going out there, how are you amplifying your message? And what what is you as a Gen Z uh man doing to kind of like amplify your message? I notice you're more active on TikTok versus Link. Like talk to me about kind of like your thought process and how you're positioning yourself.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so when I when I first uh when I first left my job, I I I thought I thought uh I was gonna find something really quick, but I I took a I went did a lot of journaling and I did a lot of thinking and I wanted to make sure that I I worked for a company here in Houston that's you know a powerhouse. So I after I kind of realized that hey, I want to only truthfully work for maybe a dozen companies here in downtown, I need just one to invest in me. I knew I needed to do a lot of learning and transformation to get there. So my strategy at first was you know posting on LinkedIn, explaining why I'm doing this, explaining the objections that I'm going to see on the job market. Um, but I was at a networking event actually for you know real estate. Real estate's huge in Houston, uh a construction company. And I was talking to a family-owned shop. Uh, they did they do construction um new new homes all over Houston, and uh was telling them about my journey on LinkedIn, and they were actually the ones that mentioned to me, hey, you should create a TikTok. Uh they do a day in the life, and people can really eat that up. Yeah and since I've done that, uh I have seen success and I I see it still growing.
SPEAKER_00:And what do you mean success by that? What do you mean success? I mean, is is it is success you getting interviews, or is success, I mean, I'm sure it's different measures of success, or is success for you like you getting feedback from other men or women out there being like, hey, I'm kind of in the same boat. What you're doing's inspiring. Thanks for this message. Like, what are you kind of seeing um for success in your mind?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah, that's exactly what it what it looks like. It seems like a lot of the success comes down to the people reaching out to me on TikTok. I'm getting a lot of direct messages from you know, business owners, from family, from just moms, from from Houston community. Hey, I want to help you. I don't know how I can help you, but uh, I have this connection, or you know, hey, my dad's in um this sector. I want to connect with you on LinkedIn. Uh, hey, I I might have a job opening for you. Send me your resume. So it has been a lot of people reaching out to me through channels, which has been really positive. But I've also been seeing success with just people t telling me, hey, you're you're motivating me, keep it up. Hey, don't give up. Um, and my follower account seems to keep increasing. I'm getting likes, getting views, which seems like the engagement's there.
SPEAKER_00:Yep.
SPEAKER_01:So those are kind of the key metrics I'm I guess I'm tracking for for this success.
SPEAKER_00:Have you always been this vulnerable? Like, for example, you do a lot of stuff on TikTok that I I respect. I mean, you're like, hey, today's gonna be a great day. Then, you know, a couple hours later, like, well, all those interviews were busts. Like, how are you kind of like, first off, being sharing the being this vulnerable uh behind the camera, you know, because I think it takes a lot of break uh courage to do something like that. I think it takes a lot of courage to kind of position yourself. Hey, listen, I'm jobs, I'm trying to do all this. How are you staying kind of vulnerable, uh kind of behind the camera? And what do you think that's kind of like kind of keeping you going?
SPEAKER_01:I think it's just my steadfast faith. I I know everything is going to work out if I keep doing actions. And as as I keep doing my actions and like what I'm doing good, what I'm doing bad, I will be able to come up with my own process to be able to really, you know, scale whatever's going to happen to me in the future. And the vulnerability just comes from this new day and age of you know AI. AI right now is really powerful. And you know, everyone regard, what regard?
SPEAKER_00:Let's talk because I'm I'm interested in different you know, generation, different people's lenses on this. What in regards to your in your bubble, what would what do you feel like it's it's powerful for?
SPEAKER_01:Well, you know, I I see these startup founders that are creating these large language models and they're able to automate so many different um so many different tasks. Yeah. And now uh if if you can use if you know how to use AI or if you create the right strategic partnerships, your efficiency is is 10xing, and that's not even an overreaction. And if if we're using AI in the right way, uh humans, you know, we're going to be more productive and you know, we're going to be very successful. But what AI really can't replace, and what I'm digging into is that you know emotional aspect and almost that vulnerability. Uh AI wants to tell you, hey, they're always right. Maybe AI can make mistakes, but AI won't go out and tell you, hey, this is our mistake or this is the percentage that's you know that's right. That's that's what's hidden from the regular human eye. So what I what I can do to keep them be emotional, uh, show people, hey, I'm I'm a human, that's my biggest leverage over AI.
SPEAKER_00:Dude, 100%, man. That's like my whole platform. It's human interaction over AI. Listen, again, AI efficiencies, I I respect. I think it's here. I love it. I think it utilizes it correctly. Obviously, the efficiency is productivity XYZ. But when it comes to connecting with people, when it comes to putting yourself out there, reading a room, uh, telling a story, doing what you're doing, inspiring, inspiration. I mean, it's obviously not there. And I think what you're leaning on is directly kind of what what you know, my platform as well, which is uh, which obviously I'm gonna dig more, but I really uh appreciate that. So I've noticed also when it comes to your TikToks, like you're not sitting on your ass, you're not sending out resumes for this big void that a lot of people do. You're active, right? Like, for example, um, I think it was during Thanksgiving holidays before you went back home to Chicago. I reached out to you um just to say hello and hey, whatever. Do you want to do a whatever? And you were like, hey man, uh let's chat later on. I'm volunteering at Goodwill. And then it's like I see you um helping out these other local uh small companies when it comes to their marketing, when it comes to even like loading stuff on trucks, like you, your humility is um amazing. Like you're able to get out there and not sit on your ass and send resumes out and feel like, well, I did it. I did my part. I sent resumes out there. You're actually getting active. How are you getting active? How are you finding these places to kind of join volunteering? What does that do for you in your journey?
SPEAKER_01:You know, it just keeps me it keeps me focused, it keeps me disciplined, but it also shows that if I keep doing you know these habits, I can be unstoppable in the future. Um, but I'm do I'm doing this strategy over, you know, the resume strategy because I I've had a lot of jobs. Uh, you know, I am only, I'm about to be 26. I am very, you know, young, but a lot of a lot of great people have been young and created some big things. And at this point in my life, I'm not looking for just another job where I can learn and then maybe leave and level up somewhere else. I'm I'm looking forward to the floor.
SPEAKER_00:What are you looking for? How about this? What are you looking for? Let's let's boil this down. What are you looking for?
SPEAKER_01:I'm I'm looking for a company that's that that I can go all in for, that I can work beyond a nine to five. And I feel like if I'm proving myself by, you know, volunteering at the Goodwill or going to a networking event from 6 to 10 p.m. or uh helping out you know the community anywhere I can, a company sees that and they're gonna be like, well, what if that this guy can help me out with whatever whatever we need? And then that's exactly you know what I'm looking for. And I know a lot of companies out there are are are great companies and they really care about you know working that nine to five or that work-life balance. But for me, truthfully, a work-life balance is a company that wants me to be all in. Because, you know, a a company that is is comfortable with me wanting to work longer hours, but then also still care prior still caring about my health and my well-being. That's that's the importance of you know what I see as like uh a capitalistic dream or like my American dream. So I'm I'm I'm fighting that hard. And if I and uh I have a lot of we have a community of like young Gen Z uh all-stars that are that are all doing different approaches to finding a job in this market. And I'm we're seeing that you know, applying a a lot, applying to a bunch of different companies, it can work, but showing your showing your humility, showing that you'll you can you can work for a a small company um until that bigger leap for people that are maybe just looking for a job right now definitely works as well. And I I I I see great success in that, but there has to be a another way for for me to stand out to show people, hey, don't just rely on applications, because there are a lot of applications right now.
SPEAKER_00:So just just doing whatever you can to kind of stick out is I mean, you're you're you're you're talking about AI uh and you know coming in, efficiency and all that stuff. Well, take that to the HR side of things, the recruiting side of things. If you're not hitting the buzzwords, you're not in this. I mean, for example, you may not even have a resume, but be the best fit for a culture, be the best fit for a team, be that catalyst to drive it forward. So again, I'm in agreement with you that sometimes AI and resume, it's like, do you have the right words in your resume to get it through the filter to have that interview? And oftentimes, think about, and again, you know, in the in the in the I work with a lot of interns um as well in the summertime, and that's been a big uh uh comment before. It's like, you know, a lot of times these you know companies will come in and pick off the top 10% of, you know, grade-wise, right? That's that's their that's their uh standard. Like if you're not top 10%, we're not gonna interview you. However, there's so much talent and there's so much good, coachable, sharp, smart people that are in that bottom 90%, right? That don't have those high grades. And it's like you're leaving a lot of meat on the table by just whether it's utilizing AI to streamline, make things more efficient when you're selecting, or really not kind of like taking time to see the person behind the resume, to see the the humanity behind the resume. And I just think it's it's kind of a shame because think about this. Like, let's say you're in college and you're working. So, and this is for the college students out there, and you're working, you got, you know, a job, you're in school, you're bouncing this, bouncing that, and you're coming out with a 3-0 GPA. You're not going to get picked off by the traditional method, but for me, I'd rather have someone that can, you know, bounce multiple plates, has real world experience, but also apply themselves in school. So I get it. I think it's, I don't know what pedestal I'm on, but I get the frustration side of things. So when you're when you're going after all these uh potential opportunities, what are some major uh obstacles or objections that you're kind of hearing from a lot of different companies? Like I mentioned, you saw you had one TikTok about, hey, listen, here's and I love what you're doing too, because you're you're also providing like, hey, listen, here's my day. Here's some objections I've heard, and here's ways I'm getting around it. So you're not just providing value on your day, you're also helping your audience out there or your viewers out there. So walk me through some main objections that you're feeling that are either accurate or kind of full of shit.
SPEAKER_01:Right. Well, object objections are you know all over the place. And the the first thing that uh comes to my mind, uh, because you know it's been day 51, uh, I'm constantly out networking. It is definitely like the receptivity of like if someone wants to talk to me in the first place, because I'm just a random guy that just walked into your business or walked into a networking event and you know, I'm pitching myself. And some people they might they they might not want that. And I don't want to be a me monster. I want to be very other centered. I I want to learn from a a person, but if they don't want to open up to me, you know, I can't convince them to open up. So that's like a that's a big objection that I'm seeing, and uh how I'm getting over it is uh kind of just you know grooming it over, creating like that long-term relationship, following up is has been really key. Um, because my follow-up game has been you know getting stronger and stronger. And I feel like that's gonna be the reason why I ultimately find you know my my dream job. Uh another another objections I'm seeing is because you know, I'm doing boots on the ground approach. I want to see someone in person, and you know, there's a lot of barriers to entry there. Uh, you know, we have those that great security technology now where you can't just walk into an HR office. I mean you have to do everything online, which which is which is fine. But um the people I'm either talking to are security guards or uh secretaries, and secretaries are are great to speak to, but of course, you know, they might not be the ultimate decision maker. So I just hope they can champion my my voice to you know help me get get just an in with that HR rep. Um and then like the like the third thing that I'm seeing that that uh is is an objection is like just finding the right decision maker. You know, I'll I'll talk to somebody and they might be a team lead for a wells company or a or a recruiter for like uh you know for engineers, but that you know that's not my that's not my space. So although they're you know in the company or or the industry I want to get into, it's great to connect with them on LinkedIn, but uh, you know, they can't they can't get me that that role of what I'm looking for if if that's not what they focus on. Um so just finding that decision maker and and getting in front of them uh has been a big a really big objection. And I've I I've been thinking of outside the box ways to do that. Um even mailing my resume to uh yeah, decision makers like front desks to see, hey, this is my resume. Hopefully you can see it this way. Uh let's just get on a call. I just want five to ten minutes to pick your brain. I I I love a chance for you to uh take a chance on me.
SPEAKER_00:So you're trying, you're trying every single way. You're going from, I love it. You're going from TikTok to actually snail mail. I love it. Um so how are you so again, taking a page out of your playbook, right? You're in Houston, you have no car, aka that for me, that's no excuses, right? How are you finding these networking events from all these different industries? You know, you're doing real estate, you're doing finance, you're doing startups, you're doing oil and gas. Like, I love how you're kind of like building this robust network that's only going to help you uh throughout your career and your life, in my opinion, and I'm a huge fan of this. How are you finding these uh opportunities and weighing like, hey, listen, I'm about to get on the bus? Because a lot of times you'll post like 11 p.m. You're like, hey, just got done with the network event to me, hour we get home on the city bus and all this stuff. I'm home, it was good. I met these people. How are you finding these and how are you kind of weighing what's worth your time and your on public transport to get places to network at these events to find your next role?
SPEAKER_01:I like that question. Um, and all transparency, uh, that's one of the big things I'm working on with time management. Uh, because I don't know if a networking event is going to be worth my time, but I do know if I spread good vibes only and I can provide information and services and I can receive you know some information or services, I know it'll be somewhat worth my time. So I will just risk it. Um and if it's in a radius of you know downtown Houston or I know I can take a bus there, you know, you know, I'll go for it. Um but I find these events, I find these events from just I do have like a uh it's like an AI, I guess, assistant. Yeah. An AI assistant will help me scrape the internet for all these events that have been posted online. Um but using using LinkedIn, I would say is a is a plus for this because a lot of business professionals are posting about hey, their networking events on LinkedIn. And when I see that, hey, I'm interested in that. And then the last thing is just uh forming that community. So I know a small a few small business owners that they do events for for their um profession. So being a part plugged into that those communities, you know, they're posting, I think, five events a week. So I know it I will always have an event to go to if I need to go to an event. Um, and that's been really convenient. And found following people that go to events like me on you know, Eventbrite or Meetup, I can see exactly what they're going to or what they're interested in, which pushes me to decide, okay, this this could be a good fit for me as well.
SPEAKER_00:Dude, let's talk about this. I think right now, again, talking about human interaction over AI and all that stuff, there's a lot of um, and again, this is this isn't a sign of the generation thing in my opinion. I think just think this is a sign of kind of just where we are with technology and how humans interact, right? Um, it's you know, 55% body language, 38% uh pitch and tone, but 7% is words. However, the majority of how we communicate is via text message, email, and all this stuff. So for you to take yourself out of the behind the screen and actually put yourself in a room full of strangers, full of professionals, full of people that potentially change your life, how are you finding the confidence, or even not the confidence, just the, hey, I'm gonna I'm gonna get uncomfortable with this. Like, what are you how are you mentally approaching these rooms? And number two, what has been your best trick on actually opening up a conversation with people that may be superior uh in their careers uh than you?
SPEAKER_01:Uh yeah, th those are two good questions. I would say, you know, uh you got to overcome social anxiety. So it's back to that good.
SPEAKER_00:How are you how are you how are you uh overcoming that? How about that?
SPEAKER_01:For well, for me, you know, I truly believe we could we could be able to discuss any uh conversation as long as you can open openly listen and you know be okay with uh having talking about different sides of you know whatever spectrum that you're speaking about. And if I I'm a big believer in that good vibes only. So if I know I'm gonna spread good vibes to all of these people in this room, I know people will spread good vibes back with me. And uh if you look at if you look at it maybe at their perspective, you know, everyone might be a little nervous to come to these networking events. Uh some people might just want to pitch you their product or service, and it and it's good. Maybe I'm not interested in their service at all. But hey, I'm letting them practice on me. And now maybe I can have them calm their nerves and we could pivot to something else, or maybe we can get in each other's networks and you know, they can help me find a connection that I I solely need. And, you know, hey, I can help you find a connection because you know, go into these network events, you know, you have a big Rolodex. And that's something that you know I was really taught in college that a connections are going to be one of the biggest reasons why people succeed. So go go into these things. My um my go-to is I will have business cards for small businesses or a business that I might be working with um just on the side, and it's a great way to just have an uh have a breaking the ice strategy. Like, hey, check out this business card. Uh, this isn't me. This is you know, the Graphene Solution, a company here in Houston, Texas that is able to have this nanotechnology for um clean concrete or you know, the the solar renewable renewable industry industry. I'd love to tell you more about it. And usually that sparks some interest. Hey, what's that? Oh, I I heard about that. Like, can you tell me more? Yeah, yeah, I'll tell you some more. Um, and then I, you know, I go to them. But enough about me, you know, what about you? And uh, you know, just just overcoming that social anxiety piece of you know, being able to spread an information and service, uh, it usually breaks the ice pretty well.
SPEAKER_00:And so you're I mean, so you're you're how do you schedule or how do you plan your your your week? I mean, is it one of those things you wake up in the morning, you're like, hey, I'm gonna seize the day and figure this out, or is it one of those things you're more strategic about it? Like, hey, Monday this, Tuesday this, Wednesday this, Thursday this.
SPEAKER_01:No, so I used to be a big like calendar guy, like, hey, I'm gonna set my calendar up for the whole week or the whole month. But what I noticed was like, you know, human nature, things happen. There are errors. So what I've what I've done now, which has been a lot more helpful, is I will journal at night like what I did today and then what I plan to do tomorrow. But then in the morning, that's when I'll actually update my calendar for that day. That way it'll give me a better clear vision of like what I'm going to do and like where I'm at, versus just telling myself, hey, this is what I need to do this week or this month. I notice I'm not doing all of that or completing it to my fullest. And I and I A-B tested this for a whole like uh I did it publicly on uh actually on LinkedIn in in June of like last last year of like, hey, I'm this is my exact day. I'm gonna try to do everything I'm telling telling the world that I'm doing. And I got to like a I think it was like an 88% completion rate. So it wasn't perfect. So now what works better that I've seen is like planning the day, planning your day on that day. Because you you don't know for me, I don't know what's gonna happen. Like, okay, I want to set up a meeting with a a company to help uh you know help them with experiential marketing or sales, so I can you know have a two-hour time frame of just doing that. Let me do cold calls or or let me uh do boots on the ground approach. I could plan that that day, and it makes it makes me a lot more, I guess, efficient. Um, but time management is still something I'm I'm fighting. Like I'm all fighting, man. Yeah, like I wish we had I wish we had another hour in the day. I wish we had 25 hours.
SPEAKER_00:Well, that's what AI is here to do. Help free us our time. All right. So hey, talk to me about some misconceptions that you're kind of like uh the kind of like so I guess let me kind of lead, let me kind of put some context in this. There's a lot of conversation right now with a lot of you know people in leadership positions, like, you know, how do you know this this next generation? They want you know,$100,000 to push a broom or whatever and all that stuff. You know, there's this the generational um misalignment about this misunderstanding. And I I I and you know, I heard this interesting kind of uh uh discussion with a gentleman named uh is a thought leader, Simon Senec, and he I think that's his last how to pronounce the last name. And he mentioned it was a very interesting kind of observation. He's, you know, historically, um people are very loyal to companies, right? So you'd be there for 10 years, 15 years, you'd get some sort of you know, bone, whatever they'd wrap you in, right? However, through the recent like five years, whatever, there's been such a rapid change from employee loyalty to employees or company loyalty to employees, where it's like you have to understand the Gen Z lens where it's like, hey, I can do this work, I can do X, Y, Z, but I'm not gonna put in 80 hours for that carrot that next year potentially it's giving me some workforce reduction. So pay me my value now so I can contribute to this. So I mean, is is that is that in line with kind of the the mind? I mean, obviously you can't speak for the entire generation, but uh, you know, with this misconception or whatever, or is it the reality where things are that expensive where it's like, hey, this is the market rate to get good, young, coachable, um, motivated talent? Like, what's some misconceptions that you can kind of help maybe bridge a little bit or maybe shed some light on when it comes to that? How do I talk to you know the young generation that wants this just to do this?
SPEAKER_01:Well, yeah, I would say if if like uh going from like an HR perspective, like how do I talk to a you know a Gen Z um to you know bridge that gap?
SPEAKER_00:Whether it's HR or whether it's people in leadership roles, right?
SPEAKER_01:People in leadership, right? Well, you know, there's definitely, you know, I've worked I've worked a lot of different corporate jobs, and you know, I'm we're entry-level jobs are usually Gen Z. And uh you have different personas of Gen Z and like what their end game is. And I think uh leadership positions really have to understand what a Gen Z person's end game is to understand like what they want to do. Because, you know, there are some Gen Z folks out there that they tr they truthfully uh, you know, they they don't really want to work, they they want an entry-level position. And you know, if if you want to hire a a Gen Z person like that, you know, by all means go ahead and and like structure your company like that. But then there are hungry and driven Gen Z individuals, you know, like me that are willing to go above and beyond and they want to go above and beyond. So, you know, my question for that, you know, that leadership uh gap is like, well, why don't you, you know, why don't you make it harder on them? Why don't you make it harder on some of us Gen Z men that are driven, that you know, want that big opportunity? Why don't you give us that big opportunity and give us a really strict quota for our first 30 or 90 days that we have to hit? So rather than so rather than coddle your challenge. Well, yeah, we don't want like a a lot of us Gen Z, I would say a lot of us Gen Z men especially, we don't want to be coddled. We we believe we have the tools and we know how to use you know AI to our advantage to be able to excel. Or, you know, we do have a big Rolodex, you know, we we we we have connections from college, we have connections from high school, we we have connections from you know our professional work environment and we know how to sell and we know how to you know market. So why why can't you give us a a stronger leader position? Why are you coddling us? Um and it we're not saying like, hey, give us a hundred thousand dollars right off the bat when you clear when a company might only can afford uh you know half of that and then everything else can be commissioned, but maybe give us a big give us a higher chance and in 30 days if we can't produce, you know, white wipe your hands with us, yeah, and and and uh eliminate us. But I don't see those opportunities happening, but I I am hopeful that soon modern hiring will be like that because I see a lot of Gen Z people, you know, interested in in that perspective. Um, so I hope that that can happen. But I would say I guess the third persona of Gen Z people are, you know, they don't know what they don't know and they're willing to learn. So, you know, those, you know, those are a great, you know, coddle bunch. And um I those are the I guess the type of uh men I'm seeing that are you know working for a company and it's been four years and and they might be that that same position, but I know they're learning and maybe they have a slower learning curve than than other you know driven individuals, but you know, they're they're wanting to learn. But I I would say a leadership position just has have to they have to be hands-on on you know what you know what they truly want. Because I I think Gen Z are is very transparent as long as you know they can trust you know the leadership or the boss, but um the boss is gonna have to give the leaders the the Gen Z employee, you know, yeah, or like at least five minutes of their time to figure out like, hey, what type of person are you? Let me make sure I can curate this for you.
SPEAKER_00:Dude, you see that. I mean, that's that's culture. That's that's going down the hall, it's having conversations. You know, if you if you're upset about the next generation or the generation above you, I really think it's building the bridges and just talking about you know what you're talking about. You know, I think it's uh having the ability. And here's the deal also, what sucks too. I feel like this day and age, again, is another platform that people aren't investing in their employees when it comes to personal and professional development. So that's also another challenge, I think, that's out there. Um, talk to me about your experience in one of the fourth largest uh city uh with no car and kind of uh your experiences uh with that. I mean, it would the first thing you're gonna purchase after your your job, I'm sure it's gonna be potentially a car.
SPEAKER_01:Well, if uh if a company wants to like wants me to have a car, uh, I feel like that could be comp like that could be an arrangement. Um, but the whole point of me not having a car in a very car-heavy city like Houston is you know, because of our infrastructure right now, you know, we have really bad traffic and you know, we have you know potholes. And you know, I'm trying to, you know, fix the roads and I'm trying to show uh show you know Houston that like, hey, I know I just moved here three years, but I want to be, you know, uh I want to be a provider for this community. And if I have to do an altruistic approach to that and you know take public transport or Uber and or like you know carpool and not have a car my first five years in Houston, you know, I will because you know I love this city so much. So the whole point of you know the not having a car aspect is really because like of my you know driven to my drive to be accepted here in Houston.
SPEAKER_00:That was intentional.
SPEAKER_01:It's intentional. I I I don't want um I don't want people to, you know, you you hear that old adage of like, hey, Houston is full. Hey, don't move here, Houston's full because the traffic is so so bad. And um, you know, I did move here from Austin, Texas, and I moved here, you know, because I I loved it. I I wanted to try living in the city. But you know, something I learned from the locals right away was like, you know, the traffic's so bad, you know, Houston's full. Um you don't have a you know, I didn't have a job offer down here. You know, I just I just moved down here. So I thought it was like the the least I can do to show the Houston community, hey guys, I know it, I know it's maybe a small impact, but it it could be an impact for you know greater heights in the future. Um, so I I will I will have a car. Like a of course, like when I I'm living solo dolo here, but of course when I get married or you know have a kid, uh, I'm gonna have to get a car, you know, for them. Um but right now, you know, I'm thankful to be able to walk. I'm thankful for my health. So I'll continue to uh not have a car to help Houston until uh you know a big transformation happens for me.
SPEAKER_00:Dude, I love your mindset, man. I really I love how you approach things and your mindset right now. So wrapping up, wrapping up this stuff what's your message? What are you looking for, and how can people contact you?
SPEAKER_01:Okay, yeah. So my message, uh my message to, you know, I would say Gen Z men, but really anybody looking for a job right now is don't give up. The economy is strong right now. There are opportunities everywhere. Find your opportunities, run with them until a big transformation happens, because this is the year of the snake. This is the year of transformation. So big things are coming your way. If you don't give up and you continue to do those actions, so you can create that process. Um, I'm I am currently looking for a role here in downtown Houston, Texas. Um I'd ideally like to be around uh less than three miles away from the Toyota Center where the Houston Rockets play. Um, and I'm looking to get into the energy, you know, or the AI sector. Uh I think I would be a great asset for it. And I'm I'm just looking for a person to, you know, wanna be able to hone in on be able to help me hone in on my energy and you know, be that mentor for me so I can be all in. Um, and uh you can contact me uh, you know, on on LinkedIn or uh or you can contact me on you know TikTok. Uh we can hit me with a direct message and I can share you with my resume, my email, we can get on a call and um we can see what we can what we can build here in Houston because you know I'm a builder.
SPEAKER_00:Dude, I love that, man. I think you are, man. I I'm like I'm glad I was able to snag you before you kind of got in a full-time career because you know I I see something in you, I see potential and you I see something that's needed. And honestly, I mean I've been in this industry and I know this industry is tough. And you know, I started my entrepreneurial journey, I think about four years ago. And what you're putting out there is definitely inspiring me. I think it's it speaks to me, inspires, I think, a lot of people. I think if they heard your message and kind of just you're showcasing your vulnerability, but you're not only that, you're also stepping up, you're helping out. You're volunteering at goodwill when you when you could be looking for a job. You're helping uh these small companies out, yeah, for experience, but you're also adding a lot more value than I'm sure the what you're uh getting uh you know compensated for. So the fact you keep putting yourself out there, the fact your message is so inspirational, raw, and speaking to uh a generation of you know, whether it's men or whether it's women in the Gen Z space, like I love what you're doing, man. I I appreciate you doing what you're doing and you sharing your story and your journey. And just kind of, I just want to keep it up, man. Like I keep it up. You're doing, you're doing, you're inspiring me.
SPEAKER_01:Thank thank you, JP. And thank you for giving me this opportunity to uh you know build my brand awareness and uh pull my message out there because I think it's I think it's important to do. And yeah, I promise, I promise you I I won't give up. I I'm gonna keep going. And I know something, you know, I know something big is going to happen. Uh I'm I'm just I'm just hopeful that I can keep you know bringing people together and you know interconnect this you know world to this interconnected universe we live in.
SPEAKER_00:Well, maybe uh maybe we'll be doing this in six months. You'll give us an update on what worked, what didn't work as you uh land with the role. How about that?
SPEAKER_01:Awesome. Yeah, I'd love to be back on.
SPEAKER_00:All right, Connor. I appreciate your time. Everyone, this is Connor Krause. If you want to check him out, obviously uh you can go find him on LinkedIn, find him on TikTok. Your handle on TikTok is what? Uh it's Connor is leading. Connor is leading. Love it. So, Connor, thank you for your time. Thank you, everyone out there for tuning in again. Um, I love uh just action. Take action, be positive, and spread good vibes only. I think that's that's those is a great way to sum this up. So, Connor, I appreciate your time. And if anyone's looking for a uh motivated, inspiring, uh coachable, uh obviously just you've heard the podcast, reach out to Connor. So thank you all for tuning in. We'll talk to you all soon.