Sunday Spotlight Series: Andy Saigh

The “Sunday Spotlight Series” is a new segment I’ve decided to start in 2019 with the purpose of promoting great connections of mine.

The goal is to have my featured connections share their stories, provide advice to readers, and help improve the overall quality of my content.Some of the inspiration for this came from Jacob Repp and his “Why Wednesday” series. Jacob promotes his connections every Wednesday on LinkedIn and why they do what they do.

I’ve prepared a list of individuals that I plan on featuring in the future, but reach out to me if you want to be involved!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to sit down with Andy Saigh and talk about his story and also advice he has for young professionals.

Andy is a great friend of mine from UNI and is one of the most driven individuals I know today. I had a great time brainstorming ideas for this and just catching up in general.

Background

Andy has been a Des Moines native his entire life, as he grew up in the Greater Des Moines area and went to Dowling Catholic High School. After high school he enrolled at UNI to study marketing in the College of Business.

I actually met Andy my Freshman year at UNI through pick up basketball games. Throughout his college career he was very involved in student organizations along with his internship experience with UNI Athletics.

Currently Andy is an Office Solutions Consultant at the Koch Office Group in Downtown Des Moines, which is the “one stop shop for everyday office essentials, machines, printing, IT services, and office furniture.” 

I would highly encourage anyone to connect with Andy on either a personal or professional level!

Andy’s Advice for Readers

Some of the most important advice that Andy provided includes getting out of your comfort zone, never burn a bridge, importance of networking, and having a growth mindset.

With this post I will dive into each of these concepts in more detail and provide Andy’s insights.

1. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Getting outside of your comfort zone has been a huge concept for me since my real world transition. Andy mentioned how he didn’t start getting outside of his comfort zone until recently, and the change “has been incredible.”

He has a lot planned for 2019 in terms of producing more content, attending more networking events, developing relationships, and continuing to build his professional brand. All of these are perfect examples of what it really means to get out of your comfort zone.

The same can be said for myself right now. It was about 3-4 months ago I decided one day to get outside of my comfort zone by creating this blog, building a brand, and focusing more on professional development.

2019 will be a great year and I’m very excited to see what both myself and Andy will accomplish.

2. Never Burn a Bridge

The second piece of advice Andy talked about was the importance of never “burning a bridge” with people, especially after job rejections.

He touched on his previous interview experiences and gave specific stories about how “rejections actually led to a referrals for other job opportunities.”

This was valuable for me to hear because whether it’s a recruiter, potential business client, or former employer, you never know who’s going to come back and help you down the road.

Regardless if the outcome didn’t end up as planned, always be sure to never ruin relationships and leave a good impression. Ultimately, Andy’s main point here is that “never burning a bridge and keeping a positive mindset can lead to great opportunities.”

3. Always Have a Growth Mindset

Andy and myself definitely see eye to eye on this one. Having a mindset that is always focused on personal and professional growth has tremendously helped both of us after making the real world transition.

Andy mentioned how “if you’re not trying to improve yourself every day, I don’t know what you’re doing.” I completely agree with this statement, as everyone should be pushing themselves to continually improve.

However, he is best known for his “it’s a great day to have a great day” motto. This phrase has really resonated with me lately. I’ve found myself waking up every day now with a mindset focused on positivity and growth, and constantly hearing Andy’s motto has a lot to do with that.

4. Networking is Everything

Here I am talking about networking again in my blog, but I’m not surprised at all. Andy is someone I look up to when it comes to networking and his ability to develop professional relationships.

With his field especially, networking and building relationships is crucial. He talked about how important networking is for his current job and how he is always “going outside of the job description” by attending networking events in the area.

I’ve found myself now trying to attend as many networking events as possible with Andy to meet more people in community.

I’ve preached on this before, but I would highly encourage anyone to make networking a priority and go out of your way to meet as many people as possible.

Final Take

Andy Saigh is a great guy to know, and he has been a great connection for me since our college days at UNI. Des Moines is lucky to have a driven young professional like Andy, as he is already starting to make an impact in the community.

I’m looking forward to continuing the Sunday Spotlight Series, and as I mentioned in the beginning if you want to be involved Reach Out to me!