The call that changed my life
José Francisco Pletikosic Torres
Country Manager
NAUTICA MÉXICO
“People, situations and the world defeat you, as long as you let them
as long as you allow it.”
Twenty-five years ago began the professional challenges in which life has put me to the test, believing in myself and in the ability to overcome the obstacles of the moment, I remember when I was studying Architecture in Puebla, I saw colleagues and friends working and studying at the same time in different areas, I saw that they were advancing faster than me, at the beginning it was very difficult and it frustrated me not to advance at the speed I wanted or I thought it was the right one, like many people, I had the uncertainty of knowing if I could handle my career doing the work in which I had started, I believe that fear is a faithful companion to overcome all in life, when you are young you are hungry to eat the world so fast leading us to the uncertainty of knowing if I was making the right decisions.
One night talking with my father I explained to him what I felt and the frustration I had when I saw my classmates achieving interesting projects that I, with my work and career, would surely obtain after a long time, he taught me the importance of never stop believing in myself and my decisions as well as the constancy of them, the value of the first achievements and that they would be the beginning of what life had prepared for me.
That same night by magic, still sitting next to my dad my phone rang, I did not know that this call would change the course of my life completely, a good friend called me and asked me to see him to ask me for a project, it seemed as if they had heard me, that same night I went to see them at the local “Zurich” in the Angelopolis shopping center, there they were working in a tapanco where you could see all the movement of the store, they asked me to quote them the construction of a new store for the company, they had thought of me and at that moment the feeling was different, now I had the opportunity to do something important and the challenge to do my best, obviously I had the anxiety of knowing if I could do it because it was the great opportunity I was looking for and I could not fail, I dedicated myself 100% to work with the people, quotes, proposals, ideas; a week later I presented my proposal and they authorized the project! ! I started the first store, the process was incredible, it was the first of 11 that I did nationwide, I will never stop being grateful to God and to all the people who have trusted me.
That first stage in my work experience helped me to strengthen my self-confidence, to realize that we can break fears and paradigms that we all have when we start our life project, to realize how capable we can be if we set our mind to it, at that time I read the books of the moment to know and understand more of what you do not learn in college, books like “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaky or “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne where the main message is the law of attraction, to desire what we wish for, but the most important thing is to do and work hard to make things happen and that is when what we want will come to us, we must want things so much, so much, but so much that life will have no choice but to give it to you, in my case I feel that this has happened.
Some time later, when the growth of stores ended, I was offered to work directly for the group as Commercial Manager in Mexico City, giving a radical turn to what I had planned and starting a new adventure, now I had to think about different marketing strategies for different brands, having as clients the main departmental chains in Mexico and Latin America, independent clients, corporate sales and franchises. At the beginning I was very afraid of not being able to meet this new challenge and I did not want to look bad to the people who had given me the opportunity, besides not wanting to abandon my career and leave behind the things I had already earned, leaving my comfort zone, but I also knew that I had to move forward, that is when you start to “know” the results by taking advantage of the opportunities that life gives us.
Working and managing people 15 or 20 years older than me and of course with much more experience was a challenge, at the beginning it was sleepless nights thinking about the meeting I had the next day, I was only 25 years old and without any idea of how to gain their trust, but as Calvin Harris says in his song Let’s Go “Tomorrow’s good, tonight is better” at the beginning, the focus was to observe, analyze and learn from everything and everyone, every day I was mentally focused on YES I CAN and somehow demonstrate that more than a boss I had to be a support for others, where fundamental activities of organization and information management would quickly help to make a difference. I understood that to earn their respect I had to close important sales involving the whole team, that way I made them earn additional income and my place as responsible for the area began to have a strong sense that generated a greater commitment in both directions. With time we learn that we can achieve whatever we want, but we must have faith and confidence in ourselves, surrounding ourselves with people who make us better.
That work filled me with satisfaction and learning in different perspectives, many stumbles, but also many achievements, great friendships that today are still present and make us remember constantly that with hard work and dedication everything is possible, I remember that on one of the trips we made to Black Forest in Germany we were with a supplier of CUCU wall clocks and he told us that his sales year after year were falling because people no longer bought such products, people no longer bought that kind of products, they preferred the modern, the digital, he told us that many families depended on his business, at that time I was looking for a product to give to the best Tupperware saleswomen, but their budget was limited per unit, at that time I had in my hands an interesting and ambitious project, with a good cause which would help many people, we modified the design of the simplest watch they had in their line and from Germany I called Carla Burder [I still remember her name!!] I explained to her the idea we had and she promised me that if we got the price she had approved she would confirm the order, we worked removing some decorative elements, changing materials, packing, etc. Before returning to Mexico we sent the project to the client and there was nothing left to do but wait, the first day I arrived at my office after the trip I remember that the first thing I saw on my desk was a fax sheet with the order for 1,500 wall clocks and a note that said “Thank you for making us part of something so important and different”. Of course, it was not the largest purchase order we had ever received, but it was the one that was worth the most because of the effort and meaning it had for us, if it doesn’t cost, it doesn’t work! On that occasion I realized that we did not sell watches, we sold an experience that today after so many years I still remember as one of my best achievements.
After 8 years of learning and unforgettable experiences I decided to separate from the group and look for new growth opportunities, it was when I started my career in Nautica in the commercial area, just when my first son was born and the challenge became even more interesting, a completely new turn for me that would lead me to meet new challenges and different ways of analyzing business on a larger scale, as a “side business” and to continue with my taste for architecture I decided to design and build houses in Puebla which has become my “hobby” allowing me to be more in touch with my family and friends in Puebla, before the pandemic I used to travel to New York several times a year on business and on several occasions I remembered that night, 25 years ago and after seeing how our life, our family and our friends are evolving, I am 1,000% convinced that with dedication and love for what you do, really everything is possible, do not exercise more, exercise better. ..
