Mike Kasmauskis
President
Image Tours, Inc.
Grand Rapids, MI USA
“There is no time in life to complain about any work. Remember if there is work, then you have a job.”
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
My first shock was working for my uncle. He told me that if I vacuumed the carpet then I would get something. I thought money! When I was done he gave me a kick in the butt. He said it was something.
My first job was delivering newspapers in my home town. My trainer did the route in 90 minutes. I had it down to 29 minutes after three years of doing that route. Also taught me I like inside work.
My 2nd job was working at the public library. I got the job because a friend of mine referred me. My big mouth on the job eventually got me fired from my first inside job. I knew it was my fault.
After being fired from my 2nd job, I took the first job I could find, which was cleaning all the toilets and mopping the floors at K-mart. I endured that job until I found my 4th job.
My 4th job was bagging groceries. Again a friend referred me to this much better job. Here I learned that you will be blamed for not doing a job even if you never were trained how to do it.
After graduating from high school, I drove down to Florida and worked for my uncle, and he actually paid me more than a kick in the butt. Sold my car down there and drove a stick shift back home.
First job at college I used my past library work experience to get a job at the college library, where I kept my mouth shut and kept that job the entire year.
Next job while in college was working for a bank, in the commercial dept. Again another friend referred me and coached me what to say in the interview. I got the job and my friend trained me.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Sturgis High School
Sturgis High School
Career
President
We help travel agents find the right type of traveler to explore Europe in the interest of spreading peace and tolerance
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Travel
Entrepreneurship
Teaching / Mentoring
Day to Day
Checking in with several people in the organization, making sure all goals are being met. Several meetings that I call "on-track" meetings where we update each other on goals that have been set up in the past making sure we are hitting the milestones that will take us from concept of the goal to completion of the goal. Checking all communication methods, email, texting, voice mail, as well as checking our daily dashboards, such as our daily bookings, daily bank balances, and daily sales metrics.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for middle school students
The best way to go is to get the lowest paying job in the area of your interest, and then work your hardest in that job. Make sure you are noticed and learn everything about what is going on in that place. Be curious, ask questions, and be genuinely interested. Show up early and work late. There is no time in life to complain about any work. Remember if there is work, then you have a job. Work is job security. Many people stop looking for work after they get a job. They get fired quick.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
"I don't see a lot of experience here on your resume."
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation College Student
