RealTalkAJ

There’s a response I’ll be giving to a task I got that deals with life in California.

Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home.

The furthest I travelled from home was to California from Wisconsin in America. I got a chance to be where there were long roads and high palm trees. One impression it left on me was about clean and finished the streets were.

Long Beach, California

If you like a spot with a few fast food restaurants, plenty of residential areas and areas to walk through then you’ll like Long Beach.

There’s been some pretty famous people to have come from this area, my own family included (that’s a joke).

Seriously.

One of the most famous would be Snoop Dogg, and another is Vince Staples.

Yeah, those are both recording artists but I’m a little biased because I like to lean towards the side of music when it comes to acknowledging celebrities.

Aside from that, the city itself has a pretty bad reputation for violence that I dive further in about on a post titled why is Long Beach so dangerous?

It’s unfortunate because I actually had a really good time out there.

And growing up in the suburbs of Chicago might have something to do with having somewhat of a knowledge on how to move in a similar area but it’s a tough call.

If you look at most forms of media that have a say in the way a specific area is portrayed it could have an impact on continuing a stereotype.

Door to Door Sales

This was probably one of the hardest things I ever challenged myself to try when I decided to go out to California.

I went out there to sell a service that gave our clients the benefits of having a pest free environment.

Our service included the removal of spiders, rodents, and other vermin you could think of.

Let’s talk about the craft a little bit first.

Sales that include going after clients in areas that may (I emphasize MAY heavy) makes things really difficult because you’re never sure if you’re going to secure the deal.

I will say that it made me a better person in areas that I’m able to take with me wherever I go and whatever I do.

A few of the qualities that I believe it taught me was:

• persistence

• social skills

• planning

• team support

There’s more that it provided myself and the people I worked with (I’m sure) but I’m a firm believer that everyone should try sales at least once in their lives.

The flight

I’m gonna take the chance and mention the flight itself that I took when I flew out of Milwaukee to LAX.

Now I’ll be transparent and share the type of flight I booked when I made the travel.

I flew Spirit.

They usually have a low review when it comes to people who fly frequently and actually I might have to look more into Delta (especially since Brady is the face now).

I’ve flown on major airlines before but the desire to just get out there as soon as possible was high with me.

But let’s move onto the experience itself in where I chose the cheapest flight which included a connecting stop.

It was easy to keep up with what was going on.

I made the second flight but I would highly recommend you book something that takes you straight to your destination.

“Why” you may ask, and that’s because it could take away from what you’re looking forward to, reaching the final place.

Cost of living

When we get to the topic of the cost of living this can be a scenario that many could relate to when it comes to moving into a different area.

The cost alone was a big obstacle that made enjoying the area I was staying at less than optimal.

Of course there were things that I could’ve done which would’ve made things easier for myself but in my defense it was my first time doing something like this.

The only similar experience was when I moved away for college but this was stepping into the adult world.

That meant going out there without any financial support or loans of any sort.

I could handle it but I could’ve done much better with a plan of some sort when I decided to go.

I mentioned my admiration for smoothies and things alike which was automatically 5 dollars off the bat every day (for me) since it was a necessity.

It’s the little things that add up, I tell you.

Change of culture

When we look at the shift in culture that I got to experience when I got out there it felt immediately different from what I was used to.

There were things that were familiar but the differences stick out as well.

I mentioned Venice Beach and that was one of my favorite parts about my stay out there.

Luckily I was with some natives so it helped with being introduced to and meeting new people but there was a genuineness that I picked up pretty quickly.

Complete strangers were some of the nicest people I ever met and maybe it had something to do with my tending to be gullible as my grandmother would call me but I liked it.

I was respectful to the people I met and they showed the same to me (if not even more).

The OGs gave me advice that was helpful and they just seemed interested in my growth as a person while I was out there, I really appreciated that.

What’s in demand

While I was out there I was able to have my business mindset go off when studying what my assignment was.

I already knew that I was out there to promote a pest control service but it really opened up my eyes about what can sell in that area.

It took a little bit of understanding my location and knowing what an area demands when you’re servicing a community of people.

Because we were in a location that had a high amount of specific pests it was without a doubt in high demand.

Now that’s not to say there’s a lot of rats and bugs in LA and surrounding spots but there was.

My team had a breakdown of an area that would specially need our service.

And that could go for any spot you’re working at but it really makes a difference in using your time energy and efforts effectively.

Hustler’s Paradise

I call this section what it is because that was a feeling that I got when I was staying out there.

There’s a reason why some of the nicest homes in the world and cars are located out there, it’s a great place to start a business.

It relates pretty well to the last section because when you understand what’s in demand you can give it to the people who want it.

One business industry that I noticed was selling pretty well were local ma and pa shops.

Whether they were food trucks, mobile shops or even a lemonade stand they were seeming to do business daily.

And the thing that I enjoyed most about it was that these shops had flexibility.

So you could see a food spot open up in one area that wasn’t franchised but the next day it’ll be on another block still doing business.

I guess I could say I envied it a little because that’s a level of freedom that I like to have for myself, but this is me appreciating it simply.

Conclusion

Disclaimer: this is me just escaping my main points

If I had to make a guess on what industry it could specifically be applied to them I would definitely say the travel section.

I’m grateful to be able to share a small part of myself with the rest of you all that takes the time to read these.

I travelled there on a work assignment in where I was doing door to door sales.

I’ll be honest.

I thought I was going to stay out there for good when I left home to do it but I was humbled immediately when I found out how expensive it was to just participate in daily activities.

Also when I found out how committed you have to be in order to consistently do door to door sales it gave me the chance to reevaluate my options.

The good that I experienced from my brief stay out there was:

• having the chance to see new things

• meet new people with unique perspectives on topics and ideas that I cared about

• great food

• good weed (for a related post check out my smoker’s guide)

• good drinks

It was important that I stuck to the point of this prompt, so I kept it brief for the most part.