I have never been a high heels girl. At prom, I wore sneakers. Venne and I both wore sneakers at our wedding and even asked our guests to wear sneakers. What else.
My first job was at a local organic bakery in my hometown Offenbach-Bieber. It was just the owner and myself working there, and after a couple weeks of on-boarding, she decided to hand over the Saturday shift to me. This meant I had to be there at 5:30 in the a.m., prepping everything that had been pre-ordered and ready to open at 7 a.m.
I was super proud of my first job. I got to meet people, I tried to make them happy with little things like samples or hand written seasonal quotes on the wrapping paper, and I was exposed to what it means to serve a customer in a very early stage of my life. Besides that I had to handle the cash and do the accounting after every shift, as well as the orders for the next day. One-stop-shop, so to say.
I loved it and I never missed a shift. I was never late. The money I made there was okay, not a lot, but the experience was more than great. You’d think I would have used that money for vacations or put it in a savings account. Yes, that would have been great, looking back now. I’d say 90% I used for sneakers and shopping in general.
I love to go shopping. I like the retail experience. I like that you can try on everything and see which style works best for you. I like to get creative between my current closet and new accessories.
My sneaker collection started to grow and I had different brands, different colors and styles, and I was always on the hunt for this special shoe that nobody had. Back then the sneaker hype was virtually nonexistent and my girlfriends would try to talk me into some booties or sandals in the summer. They had hardly any chance.
When I graduated and just before I started my apprenticeship at satis&fy, I remember the discussions with my dad about what to wear for the in-person interview. He wasn’t convinced about my sneaker idea and I told him that my shoes hopefully wouldn’t become the deal breaker. Long story short, I got the job as an apprentice in the so-called “nike” department of the company, surround by young people, wearing sneakers I dreamed of, and I couldn’t have been happier.
My first couple weeks working for satis&fy, I spent a lot of time supporting back office for the Olympic Games in Athens. My boss back then gifted me with a pair of Nike Air Zoom Miler running shoes customized for the Olympic Games in Athens in ’04 and I felt so honored. I had a job where I worked around sneakers and sportswear, and allowed me access to it. I LOVED IT.
Fourteen years later my collection counts around 250 pairs of all kinds of Nike sneakers. I cannot ever imagine working for a brand or a company where I am not passionate about the product or their clients at all. It makes all difference in the world.
Do what you love, love what you do.
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