In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Sadie Kearns, the Northwest Sales Manager at Arcus. The conversation begins with a sponsor plug for Anchor and Authors Unite, then moves into Sadie's personal story of moving from Washington State to South Carolina for college, a leap of faith that forced her out of her introverted comfort zone and forged the confidence needed for her sales role. She emphasizes that building genuine friendships with customers is more powerful than brand loyalty, advising salespeople to get to know clients personally. Her broader business advice mirrors this theme: treat customers as people, not transactions, to create lifelong relationships. When asked what she would tell her younger self, Sadie counsels slowing down, not stressing over the unknown, and trusting that events happen for a reason. On happiness, she shares a simple mental‑reset technique—stepping away from a project to gain clarity. Sadie reveals her favorite book, the fiction novel American Gods, appreciating its blend of myth and modern issues like immigration, and notes she reads fiction mainly as an escape. Her favorite quote, "The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it," was given by her father and now tattoos on her forearm, serving as a daily reminder of inner strength. The episode closes with Sadie's LinkedIn handle as the best way to connect with her.
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Thank you for listening to the Business Blast podcast. So for all my listeners out there that have been wanting to do your own podcast, I'd like to introduce to you Anchor. Anchor is a one-stop shop for recording, hosting, distributing, and monetizing your podcast. So before I found Anchor, I had never actually done a podcast because all the research that I had gathered made it seem very complex. Then I found Anchor, and Anchor makes podcasting extremely simple. So if you want to do your own podcast, go to anchor.fm/start. I can't wait to hear your podcast. Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode. Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Sadie Kearns with us. She is a Northwest Sales Manager for Arcus. So welcome to the show, Sadie.
Thank you for having me.
Of course. Thanks for joining us. We'll dive into the first one. The first question I have for you, Sadie, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Well, so when I moved to go to school, to go to college, I kind of went as far away from home as possible. I live and am from Washington State. I moved to South Carolina. So going somewhere where I didn't know a single person and had previously seen myself as an introvert really caused me to push myself and become the person that I am today. And I think that had I not done something so extreme, I wouldn't have the personality traits required to make me successful within my role. And also, I have an amazing group of friends because of it. So I absolutely believe that taking a leap of faith and making a change can make you a better person every time.
Mm-hmm. And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Um, I definitely feel like, especially with the level that I work on, it's imperative to become friends with your customers. I've learned that people have loyalty to other people before they have loyalty to brands.
Hmm. And what's your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily, um, industry specific.
Yeah, kind of attached to what I said, get to know your customers on a personal level. Making yourself a part of their life for more than just a business transaction creates a lifelong relationship and return customers.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Slow down, don't waste time stressing about what might be, and realize that whatever happens happens for a reason. All things work out for the best in the end. And no matter how painful or difficult something may be at a time, it'll pass and you'll heal.
And in your opinion, what's the key to happiness?
So I'm 24. So truthfully, I don't have an answer for that. But here's my thought. I believe in escaping in a way, in any form to keep your mind fresh. I learned while I was in art school in high school, when you feel overwhelmed with a project, You step away from your work and when you return, whatever's missing becomes clear.
I love that. Yeah, sometimes you just need to go for a little walk, you know, come back and you're good.
Absolutely.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Okay, so I'll be totally honest. I almost exclusively read fiction. It's, again, it's one of the ways that I'm able to escape and step away from life. My favorite fiction right now has been American Gods. I don't know if you've read the book or seen the TV show, but it is absolutely amazing. Basically, ancient cultures and polytheistic regions— religions, they're just so fascinating. And it's kind of crazy that something that used to be truth back then is now seen as fiction or fantasy. And what I loved about that novel was that it took that sort of fantasy and merged it with reality, showing how thin a barrier like that can actually be. And then it gets into really intense themes that are super relevant today, like immigration and you know, what actually makes someone an American citizen. But truthfully, it was just entertaining above all else.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote is, "The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it." And this is because my father gave me a card as I was leaving Washington State to go to school in South Carolina. It got me through a lot of tough times. And I actually ended up getting it tattooed as writing on my right forearm, just kind of as like a daily reminder of personal inner strength.
Yes, I love it. And just before I ask you the last question, just wanna say go Cox. I was also a Gamecock.
Yeah, go Cox.
Go Cox, baby. And yeah, so thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where is the best place for people to find and connect with you online?
Honestly, LinkedIn is great for me. I'm pretty sure it's just LinkedIn Sadie.Kerns. So pretty easy to find.
Perfect. Thanks again, Sadie. We appreciate you coming on.
