Startup Stories Featuring Kingpin Social; It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know
You're standing in line at the grocery store, when all of a sudden the person behind you compliments your shoes. Do you a) thank the person and then ignore them b) give the person a weird look and then pretend to read a magazine or c) thank the person and then strike up a conversation? If you answered 'a' or 'b', but wish you answered 'c', then look to Cam Adair and his company, Kingpin Social.
Photo credit: Chris Dowsett (@chris_dowsett)
Kingpin Social is dedicated to helping individuals elevate their social interactions. Kingpin social offers one-on-one and small group courses to develop and strengthen social skills; whether they be used for personal, networking or corporate oriented reasons.
"Everyone always says it's not what you know, it's who you know," says Cam. "But no one ever tells you how to know any of these people. That's what we're trying to solve. How do you build yourself into this person that you actually want to be?"
Cam knows a lot about building himself to the person he wants to be. When Cam was young, he dropped out of high school and decided to work in retail. He quickly learned that it wasn't the life he wanted. He wanted to be his own boss and make a living doing something that he's passionate about.
"I've always been a social guy but growing up I was bullied," explained Cam. "I don't know why. Half of the people liked me and half of the people didn't. I wanted to understand that more, so I started going out and meeting people and journaling about it. I ended up meeting a lot of other people in Calgary that were doing the same thing [(studying and journaling their social interactions)] and eventually, formed it into a community. Soon, people started asking me to coach them on socializing."
Kingpin Social is growing into a valuable service that is crossing borders. With the power of online video chat, Cam has worked with many people from the United States and Europe who all want to master the art of socializing. The company is currently developing a curriculum for schools that will teach children social skills at an early age. Once they leave the comfort of their school, they will be more likely to develop a network of friends.
Of course, starting a business has had many challenges.
"One mistake was definitely not hiring the right people or hiring just to hire...there has to be an actual position to fill."
"Also, a lot of entrepreneurs make this mistake: not focusing on accounting at the very beginning. It's very common for us to just avoid it and to deal with it later. It will later become a big headache."
Through the challenges will come success and one major success that Cam says is the fact that he's still standing strong in the entrepreneur world.
"I quit my job in October 2007, I didn't have a degree to fall back on. I didn't have any mentors, I didn't go to school for business. I just had to learn on my own. To be here today is a huge accomplishment for me. Getting the business to the point where it is now, where we actually have a classroom we work in with real students [is a huge success]. Being able to help someone by helping them improve their life is very fulfilling."
Currently, Kingpin Social is developing the program for schools by working with autistic children to help them develop their social skills. After the program is fully developed, Kingpin Social hopes to implement it into the school system for all children.
So what are Cam's thoughts on AcceleratorYYC?
"I quite like it," explains Cam. "Some other co-working spaces in Calgary are very big and I like that [AcceleratorYYC] is a bit smaller. You actually get to know everyone. It's a bit more of a close-knit community."
For 2013, Cam says he really wants to understand the long-term goals of the business.
"During the first four years, it was something we were doing to pay our bills and help people out. We weren't as focused on the long-term vision. Going forward, we want to make sure that everything in the business is in-line and in-sync with our long-term goals."
Kingpin Social is also looking into turning their proven interactive method into a software program that schools can used to help teach social skills.
So the next time you want to meet new people and develop new connections, look to Cam and Kingpin Social. You have nothing to lose but the opportunity to meet someone new.
Connect with Cam and Kingpin Social at www.kingpinsocial.com.
Also follow them on Twitter @KingpinSocial and check out http://kingpinlifestyle.com/
