Today I want to share with you an inspiring story that happened as a result of tragedy here in Las Vegas back in 2017. October 1 will always be remembered as the day of the mass shooting. As a result of that shooting, there was a young engineer who was motivated to build a drone that could help first responders in high-risk situations. He approached the SWAT team here in Las Vegas to show them his technology. At first, they turned him away, but this engineer was very persistent. His name was Blake Resnick, and he kept going back to the SWAT team trying to convince them to take a look at what he had built. Finally, they said, okay, show us what you got. He showed them his drone, and the technology was fascinating. As a result of this meeting, they collaborated on what SWAT needed to make their jobs better, safer and more efficient and Blake made those changes. And based on that, Blake Resnick built his drone company called Brinc Drones. Today that company is worth over $480 million.

But here’s the most inspiring part of that story. When Blake approached that SWAT team here in Las Vegas, he was 17 years old. I love the fact that this young engineer had so much confidence in his innovation and what it could do to help first responders help the public in high-risk situations that he was persistent, and he continued to go back to prove to them he had a product that was of value.

So, what is it that’s holding you back today? Maybe it’s not age, it could be lack of experience, it could be rejection, it could be any number of things. Well, take a page out of the playbook of Blake Reznick and be confident in your value and keep going. Keep delivering, keep approaching those people that could benefit from the value that you offer. I hope this is inspiring for you today. This story was inspiring for me, I just couldn’t wait to share it with you.

Have a great Front Row Friday, and we’ll see you next time.

Your Head Usher,

Marilyn