Cat
Hi, my name is Cat, and welcome to Meet Your Mentor. Today, we're going to be interviewing Eric. So, Eric, tell us your name, age and where you're from.
Eric
My name's Eric. I'm 21, and I'm from Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Cat
Amazing. So, tell us a little bit about what you did before joining Blackstar.
Eric
So, my previous job was actually working at the Dunhelm. I worked in the light section. That was fun for a bit.
Before that, I worked at different football stadiums. I've done Nottingham Forest, Derby, Cambridge, Leicester once and Birmingham.
Cat
Great. So, why did you join Blackstar? Why did you decide to have a career here?
Eric
Initially, I personally never looked into joining this sort of industry, but I kind of just fell into it.
The reason I stayed, and the reason I really liked it, was because it was a competitive sort of environment, which I've always thrived in. I've always wanted to become better and better.
I honestly thought sales was one of those skills that, even if it wasn't something I wanted to do long-term, I could always transfer that sales skill and understanding across all the other industries I might go into.
Cat
Amazing. What have you learned on your journey so far?
Eric
I've learned lots of things. I've learned how to become a lot more logical with the way I think.
I think a lot of people, especially in the generation I'm from, tend to be a bit more emotional and let how they feel lead what they do.
So, for me, I've learned how to be a lot more logical in my thought process.
But the biggest thing that's helped me is understanding, in a non-egotistical way, that not everything revolves around me.
At the end of the day, regardless of whether you're here or not, the world is always going to keep moving. It's about understanding that and asking yourself: where can you fit into that situation, and how can you make a better impact on the people around you and the people in your workplace?
Cat
That's actually a great answer. Thanks. And what do you look for in people that you mentor?
Eric
Personally, I think it's two things.
One is competitiveness. Because I've come from a very competitive background, I want to work with people who are really hungry to get better and hungry to do more than the average person.
I think a lot of people just want to see how everything goes, and they're like, "Okay, cool." But you'll never get really good at something if you don't put 100% effort in and try to outperform everyone around you.
So, for me, competitiveness is one of them.
The second thing would be how eager someone is to learn and get better.
I see a lot of people, regardless of whether they've been here for a while or not as long, tend to curl into this sort of ball if they don't do well.
I'm always looking for people who want to get better and learn more, regardless of how they feel or whether they've had a bad day or a good day.
Cat
Amazing. And last, final question: what are your goals for 2026?
Eric
My goal by the end of 2026 is to run my own office, or be about to open one, in Leeds, and to buy my car.
Cat
What car, Eric?
Eric
BMW 118i, 21 plate.
Cat
Not bad for a 21-year-old. Thank you so much. Stay tuned for next week; we're going to be interviewing another mentor.