For young professionals in wholesale distribution, opportunities are plentiful right now. 

The Baby Boomer generation is rapidly retiring and handing over their leadership responsibilities, while Gen X simply isn’t big enough to fill the void in job openings. This is great news for Millennials and Gen Z who will have more growth opportunities at a younger age than their predecessors. 

The big question: Is everyone ready? 

Distributors across the country are doing everything that they can to attract and recruit the younger generations of talent into their organizations – but this seems to be increasingly difficult in recent years. Additionally, many distributors don’t have the resources or training budgets needed to get young professionals up to speed quickly. 

Meanwhile, those younger generations aren’t too far removed from life in college or at home with their parents, and their experience is limited. Some (but certainly not all) Millennials and Gen Zers have “lawnmower parents” who have failed to teach them proper life skills that will translate into success at work. 

So, it seems that we have a bit of a chicken and egg situation. 

Do distributors invest heavily into the development of their young professionals? Or is it up to each of the individuals to develop themselves? 

The reality is that it takes both, but there has been a common denominator for all successful people throughout history: personal responsibility.  

Every person must be responsible for their own success by maximizing their involvement with the people and resources available to them at any given point in their career. Some organizations will have better training and resources than others, but it’s always up to the individual to take full advantage of the network and opportunities around them. 

Distributors can provide the strongest and healthiest growth environment for their people, but it doesn’t matter if their people aren’t making the most of it. 

The moral of the story: 

We, as individuals, are the biggest driver of our own career success. 

The “Self-Made” Person: Myth or Mantra? 

If we are ultimately responsible for our professional development, then what role do other people play into it? 

At one time or another, we’ve all heard someone describe themselves or another successful person as being “self-made.” This suggests that their success was accomplished alone, without the help of others. 

In reality, our career success takes many other people – even with a one-person business. 

A lot of people are contributors throughout our lives, including acquaintances, bankers, coaches, coworkers, customers, employees, friends, industry peers, investors, managers, mentors, parents, pastors, professors, supervisors, suppliers, teachers and many more. Hundreds or thousands of people are placed into our lives to help shape and guide our journey. 

Some will have taught us invaluable lessons, while others will have shown us examples of what not to do. Some will be headwind, and others more of a tailwind. Either way, they each play a part in how our careers will progress forward.  

It’s our job to see and appreciate their place in our success – and our place in theirs. 

As we continue to grow personally and professionally, our network will grow proportionately. The more value we add to our network, the more value we receive from it. Our ambition, hard work, positive attitude, professionalism and value we create is like a magnet for growth opportunities and for new people to enter our lives. 

It’s the law of attraction – and it always starts with us.

Regardless of whether we believe in the idea of being “self-made,” success always requires personal initiative combined with the support of countless other people along the way.  

Ready, Set, Grow:  Three Ways to Jumpstart Your Professional Development

Hopefully, since you’ve come this far, you’re ready to get serious about your professional future. 

Maybe you’ve just started your career in wholesale distribution and want to make the most of it. Perhaps you’ve been around for a while and aren’t seeing the success you thought you’d have by now. Whatever your situation, there’s no better time to move forward than now. 

So, where do you go from here? 

Here’s a few things you can do to get started: 

1. Create a Growth Plan 

As with anything in life, it’s always beneficial to have a plan for our own professional growth. It’s hard to get somewhere if we don’t know where we’re going. 

We must start by asking ourselves the following questions: 

• Where do we want to be doing 1, 3 or 5 years from now? 
• Branch Manager? Outside or Inside Sales? Supply Chain? Senior Leadership? 
• What skills and experiences do we need to get there? 
• Who can help us acquire these skills and experiences? 

Once we’ve done some soul searching and answered these questions, we can begin to develop some SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) goals for moving forward. 

Growth doesn’t just happen on accident. Always have a plan. 

2. Find a Good Mentor or Two 

Good mentors are like rocket fuel for our career advancement. 

Once we’ve identified where we want to go and how we plan to get there, we must connect with other people who can help us along the way. Typically, it’s people who have already been where we want to go. 

Remember those soon-to-be-retired Baby Boomers that were mentioned earlier? 

They would be a great place to start. Most have a wealth of knowledge, and they’re usually looking to pass along their wisdom so that they can leave a strong legacy behind. 

Regardless of age or generation, mentors can be colleagues or leaders you know at work, or you can find them in company mentorship programs, industry events, professional networking groups or elsewhere. It’s our responsibility to make the most of our networks by identifying potential mentors, developing relationships and asking great questions. 

When those connections are made and the mentorship is formed, the results can be incredibly rewarding for both parties involved. 

3. Always Work Professionally 

There’s often another difference maker for most successful people: professionalism. 

Being a professional is less about the job and more about the person. When we approach our work with a high level of professionalism, it’s noticed by everyone around us. 

These three things will always earn us respect as a real professional: 

• Dressing appropriately for our job 
• Behaving appropriately for our job 
• Mastering the appropriate skills for our job 

When we consistently do these things, professional growth opportunities are almost guaranteed to come our way. Real professionals are perceived by others as leaders and as people who can be counted on to help the team win.  

The best professionals in any industry will have access to more opportunities, more often than everyone else. 

The Bottom Line 

The future is bright for young professionals who choose to pursue a career in wholesale distribution.  

It’s an often-overlooked industry that is hungry for new talent right now. 

While it might be a relatively easy industry for young pros to get their foot in the door, it still requires the same hard work and individual effort that drives success everywhere else. Additionally, distributors also must do their part in making it a destination industry for future generations. 

One thing is always for certain for both sides – great things will come those who take their success into their own hands.