Former Marine (MP) with 15+ years’ of entrepreneurial and leadership experience and 10 years in HR and staffing, Chris Thomas has learned to create sustainable relationships within corporate environments by listening and understanding the true motives of the organization and its employees. He continues to cultivate and follow his true passion – empowering young adults as well as mentoring and coaching organizations on how to create more equitable hiring processes and strategies.
Chris is the Founder and CEO of YourPassion1st, a mentoring program for young adults that focuses on inspiring them to find, define, and follow their passion into the workforce through mentoring, coaching, community engagement, workshops, events, and festivals. As founder of YP1 Consulting, Chris is also a mentor, coach, and community connector for organizations and community members. Chris is also a Partner at Working Better Together, a division of Exponential Growth Consulting, LLC where they focus on curating experiences to help organizations improve communication, engagement, and overall work culture. Additionally, he is the creator/host of the Principles of Passion Podcast, where he hosts guests who have overcome adversity while finding, defining, and following their passion into the workforce.
For more details, visit his website here.
Today, we sit down with Chris to learn a bit more about his journey as an entrepreneur.
Q. Tell us a little more about your journey as an entrepreneur – how did you get started? What inspired you?
Chris: I started my entrepreneurial journey at the age of 8 with my first paper route, thanks to the support of my amazing mother. I had my first job at the age of 14 as an ice-skating rink guard. But I started my first business at the age of 24. It was a T-shirt company and a tattoo shop.
I got into corporate after obtaining my degree in adolescent psychology. The road there was difficult because I was in and out of jail a few times, and I headed down a bad path. Thankfully, with the love of some amazing mentors in my life, I was steered back on the right course.
After getting into HR and recruiting and working my way up as a consultant to the director, I ended up helping start a mentoring and coaching-based staffing firm with one of the owners of the Chicago Sky, Michael Alter, and the owner of Advanced Group, Leo Sheridan.
After about a year, I decided to leave the organization and founded YourPassion1st, as I felt that traditional hiring is not going to solve some of the challenges in our most under-resourced communities. Our vision is a world where all young adults are inspired to find, define, and follow their passion in the workforce or entrepreneurship.
Q. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive?
Chris: The trick that I found to keep me focused is discipline and genuine networking. Networking isn’t just meeting someone, and it’s trying to find out what they want to do, or what their motivations are and determine if you can help them get closer to that. After that, you have a friend for life.
Q. How do you stay organized with such a busy schedule?
Chris: I stay organized by being married to my calendar and actively looking at my to-do list daily, as well as leveraging amazing tools like Trello, Monday, and the Google suite of tools.
Q. What would you do if you had a magic stick?
Chris: If I had a magic stick, I would change the fact that homicide and suicide are the second and third leading causes of death in young adults. I feel that the more youth we have following their passion, the more we will reduce those statistics. I would also wish for world peace and financial freedom for all.
Q. If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it?
Chris: I would name my book “The Undying Will.”
Q. What motivates you?
Chris: I am motivated when I can help someone achieve a goal or something that they didn’t think they could. I am motivated by progress and new challenges.
Q. What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made
Chris: A couple of the most worthwhile investments that I’ve made in my lifetime were going to the Marines and going to Landmark Worldwide for personal coaching. They both changed the trajectory of my life. We all need someone to whip us into shape at some point in our lives, and both of these decisions did that physically and mentally for me.
Q. What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs invest their time in?
Chris: I recommend that every entrepreneur invest time in planning, creating processes, and building strong relationships.
Q. What is your ‘one-sentence’ piece of advice you’d like to give to someone who wants to become an entrepreneur, coach, or business owner?
Chris: In order to achieve your dreams, you have to follow #YourPassion1st.
To keep up to date with Chris and his journey, connect with him on Facebook and Instagram.