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FEATURE | Rising Stars SamKabert Age 32 Creative Director SwagWorx Santa Cruz, California S am Kabert learned early on how to leave a lasting impression. While he was finishing up his degree in recreation administration at California State University- Chico in 2011, he got the idea for beach sandals that pressed the phrase, Chico Feet, into the sand. Before he graduated, Kabert had launched his company to sell the sandals to fellow students, alumni and like-minded Chico fans. Growing up in the business—his parents own distributor Value Business Products in the San Francisco Bay area—he was exposed to the power and influence of promo products in building brand awareness. In 2012 he merged his company with his family’s business. He has since developed a podcast about mindfulness called “Soul Seekr” and is founder of WhatUp! Silicon Valley, a media network for news in business, sports, networking and innovation. In 2019, he was named to Silicon Valley’s 40 Under 40 List. Kabert was nominated by former PPB Rising Stars Kenny Ved, MAS, at Goldstar and Kirby Hasseman at Hasseman Marketing. “Sam has been making a name for himself in recent years through his personal brand, SwagSam, both inside and outside of our industry,” says Ved. “In 2020, he emerged as a thought leader relating to all topics of running a lean, efficient and freedom-based distributorship. Sam’s breakout session at the PPAI Expo was met with such enthusiasm that PPAI scheduled him for future sessions, webinars and guest articles in PPB magazine. His flagship podcast "The Sam & Serg Show" was named to Silicon Valley’s top 25 podcasts placing No. 2 on the list. Sam has been on the Santa Clara Chamber Board of Directors for four years and chaired the Silicon Valley’s most influential networking group (The Silicon Valley Young Professionals) for three years.” What impact has the COVID-19 lockdown had on your life both personally and professionally? COVID-19 has given all of us an opportunity to breathe and reflect on what we want in life and business. For me, I want to help more people pursue the business of their dreams through my coaching. What have you learned about yourself during this time? I learned that I am fit for service and ready to answer the call to help others new in the entrepreneurial game. What concerns you most about the future of the promo products industry? I think our industry is bright—we have a lot of progressive companies popping up, especially with the emergence of commonsku. What are you most optimistic about moving forward? I’m optimistic about the future of how we look at work. I see the outdated model of “work/life balance” shifting to what I call “soul/ life balance.” I see us having a greater focus on how we are living our lives and coming to the realization that too much of an emphasis has been on work. Who or what inspires you and why? Aubrey Marcus and my fellow homies in Fit For Service inspire me. I’m extremely passionate about surrounding myself with like-minded people who are on a mission to help more people pursue their highest excitement and cross the threshold that is the hero’s journey. What would you like to accomplish over the next 24 months? I see myself helping hundreds of entrepreneurs launch their business by building out intentional road maps that include the use of working with virtual assistants to support their efforts. How can the industry attract, recruit and retain more young professionals? The industry can continue to be mindful about the products we use and source items that are actually useful to the recipients. Young professionals have always been very cognizant of waste and they recognize wasteful items as quickly as they love seeing swag that is tasteful and serves a purpose. What’s the best advice you can give others who are just starting out? Done is better than perfect. We can plan ourselves to the extent of exhaustion. I recommend taking bold action and, through doing so, you will realize what works and what you need to tweak. 28 | SEPTEMBER 2020 |