Transcript
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Kwame
Hey, everybody. Welcome to our very first episode of Beyond Influencer Life. I'm super excited. We have with us today, Sara Uy.
Sara Uy
Hey. Oh, you! I'm good.
Kwame
Well, now I feel very honored. I didn't know this was your first time!
Sara Uy
Now the pressure's on, but I'm so happy that we're in person. This is great.
Scott
I know it’s like real people. You exist in real life! Yeah, 20 episodes in season two, and we’ve been saying, “We need to get in the studio, we need to get live.” So here we are.
Sara Uy
Yeah, the studio is great. Thanks for having me. You guys are awesome.
Kwame
100%. The vibe is all different. Our initial encounter was pretty funny to me. I remember reaching out to you because...
Sara Uy
I was like, “Why is he reaching out to me?” Can I ask you that? Yeah. You were like, “Why?”
Kwame
But apparently, you’re making your way around the internet, and people really enjoy your content. I love that for you. I’m very happy. You know, what made you want to start creating content?
Sara Uy
Honestly, it was kind of a little bit of an accident and kind of during a lonely time. That sounds kind of dark, but it’s really not that dark. Basically, I was an SDR during Covid, and I was on a very slim team. I was the only SDR at one point. And what my company does — we actually do recruitment for sales roles for companies that are looking to hire salespeople. So I was literally cold calling sales leaders, trying to get them to take salespeople when they were laying off their entire teams during Covid. So it was so hard. It’s already really discouraging to be an SDR at that time. So, like, the fact that I was just getting nothing was really tough. So I started just recording myself. And I’m also an only child, so I was cold calling in my room, alone, like a weirdo. So I started recording myself and posting it on TikTok, and lo and behold, thank God I did because I feel like I’ve created a really good sales community. But also, there already was a huge sales community that I didn’t know about. So it’s been so nice. I’ve met so many people in the last year. It’s like a small community, but it’s so niche. Everyone has your back. Everyone’s so supportive. So it’s really cool.
Scott
So I’m curious — you’re recording yourself in your room, and where was the first time you shared a call where you were like, “This is gold. I have to share this with the world?”
Sara Uy
I don’t even think it was for a while, to be honest. Once I went back into the office, we were in a WeWork that’s right across the street from here, which is so weird because I was like, “Wow, my old stomping grounds,” when I walked in. I would cold call in the telephone booths at WeWork, and I started sharing them there. That probably wasn’t until, like, 12 months after I posted the first video. So, like, I kind of posted for a little bit, and took a year and a half off from even being on the app, which I do regret. But I went back to it, and it’s just some of the craziest stuff that you hear on a cold call. Then realizing other people on the internet are actually relating to what you’re going through, I was like, “Wait, there are other people out there who are also getting cursed out every single day? I love that!” But yeah, it’s all fun and games.
Kwame
Yeah, you know, I know we dove right into what made you start content creating, which led to the cold-calling aspect of things. But I guess we’ll take a quick step back and, you know, take a moment to just tell the crowd, tell the people who Sarah is.
Sara Uy
Oh man, that’s hard. I feel like it’s the biggest icebreaker. So, Sarah, I’m from Long Island, was born and raised, and played soccer my whole life. I think even the other night I said to you, “I know you play soccer. I watch soccer all the time.” I played college soccer at Fairfield University in Connecticut, so I’m a tri-state girl, haven’t left. It’s like a magnet. But I moved to New York City after I played college soccer. I was really lucky because a lot of my high school and college friends are also in the city. My husband, who I met through college soccer — he also played at Fairfield — is from Long Island, so we lucked out. I feel like sometimes when you meet people and get into a relationship in college, someone’s from California and the other person’s from New York, so we got really lucky. But I moved into the city about two years after graduating because Covid was a weird time. But I’ve been here since, and I’ve been in sales for five years. I’m kind of a weird one because I knew I wanted to get into a sales role. I interned a lot for my mom as a kid and went to some of the trade shows, and I was like, “Oh my God, this is so cool.” But I knew I wanted to get into a role where I could be really competitive. I’m super competitive, played sports my whole life, and I wanted to make a lot of money. And I was like, “This is how I’m going to support that.” So that pretty much led me to this moment. I’ve been at Parado for the last five years, but I did just announce that I was leaving like two days ago.
Scott
Breaking news!
Sara Uy
Breaking news, bittersweet. But the timing’s right. I feel really at peace with it. And I’m going to start my own company, so I’m going to launch that on Monday.
Scott
Wow! That’s exciting!
Kwame
We’re stoked for you!
Scott
Yeah, it’s funny just thinking about, you know, being in your bedroom, recording these calls, sitting on this, like, a treasure trove of literally funny conversations. And so I was asking the question, now you're leaving Parado, how are you going to cold call? Like, what's your next? What's your next move? Because I was like, I would need something to pitch. I would need to go out and be able to sell. So I'm curious what your next move is.
Sara Uy
I already have my new pitch written down on a page called Vision. Really deep, really deep. It's not that deep, but if you saw the Google Sheet, you'd be like, “What that is, is, I'm like the least technical person ever, so I just write stuff down when I think about it.” But I guess I'm going to be cold calling, like, for myself because I'm going to have to be, you know, doing lead gen, like, it's just me like one woman shows right now. But, yeah, I mean, I put my pitch together. I feel really confident. So I'm definitely going to still be posting my cold-calling videos. But it's funny because I think one comment that I get a ton on my social media is like, “You're a sales director. Like, why are you cold calling?” And I'm always, I know I've always been a person that's like, you know, do it and like, show everyone else like that. They can do it too. And like, it doesn't matter how senior you are to get the job done. I think everyone needs to have their part in a new business. When you're in sales, whether you're a VP, a director, you know an SDR, so you're never above anyone. Also, it only benefits me in the end because, you know, when you're doing your self-generated deals it feels so good when you did the whole thing and you brought it in. And of course, the support is great too, but it feels really good. So, I'm now going to have to be cold-calling as a founder, I guess. So now I'm really going to get more of those comments, “You're a founder, why are you cold calling?” I'm like, “Well, I can't afford to pay anyone to do it, so here I am.”
Scott
It is funny, I support that 100% and I actually have 30-minute calling blocks every day. There even is, you know, I'm like, I'll pick up the phone, I'll dial, I'll make it happen, make an action happen. And it's amazing how people respond. It really is because, like, they would never expect you to call and they're like, “Oh man, you're calling me. You're interested in the deal.” And there is a weird thing about that role. They'll be very honest with you, and they're not going to give you the push off of things like, “Oh, I got a budget or I have this.” They're like, “Oh yeah, like, I need to go talk to my boss. And I'm getting pushback here.” And it's just that, you know, the transparency of human connection over the phone. Like, I can't get that in an email. You can't get that any other way. So I'm a full supporter of hitting the phones in every role. Yeah, strong recommendation.
Kwame
Yeah, you know, I think Scott and I recently consistently talked about taking ownership, right? Like everyone in an organization should be — everyone’s a seller.
Sara Uy
100%, yeah.
Kwame
From top to bottom. The CEO all the way down to, you know, the data analyst. Right? Because at the end of the day, you are part of an organization, part of a company, and you're like, “I love this place.” If you really do enjoy it and you really want to be good at your job and you really care about it, you are always selling. And so everybody has part of this. When you're in this group, it really helps you align, it helps you really stay focused. And I think staying on the thought process of groups, do you have anybody that you, you know, either draw inspiration from or people who, have, you know, worked with you along your journey to get to this point?
Sara Uy
Oh my God, so many people and I think this is going to sound cliche because I feel like a lot of people pick a parent, but it's definitely my mom. So she's this — she's a CEO. She is a boss. Like there are days where I'm like, “Oh, can I curse on here?”
Kwame
Yes, you can, you can. I love it.
Sara Uy
Holy shit, she is a badass woman. And I was like, you get a little intimidated and then you're like, “Wait, that's my mom.” Like, that’s crazy. She is like, the epitome of the perfect role model. And so many people are kind of always just like, “Oh, why don't you just go work for her?” Or “Why don't you just take over?” And I'm not really motivated by what she does. But she kills it. However, she's always the one that's cheering me on to be like, “Do your own thing. Do what you're passionate about.” Even when she found out she was having a girl, she was like, “Oh my God, I'm going to have like, this dancer, this girly girl, to go shopping with.” And the next thing she knows, she's at like the soccer shop in my town buying cleats. And she's like, “What the hell?” Like, I just did not expect this. But she has never once been like, “You should do this because I'm doing this,” or “I did this, and that's why you should be doing this.” She's always like, “Find your own path and find what works for you and find the person who you're really motivated and inspired to be.” So she's really pushed me to do my own thing and be my own person. And I think in a place or in a family where there is a family business or this and that typically — and I'm only saying typically, but I think a lot of people or kids feel pressured to go into it and not explore themselves and not explore maybe something else that they're really passionate about. So I'm really lucky that she is someone I could look at and someone who can push me to find my own self and not be in a shadow and just do my own thing. So she is my inspo. She is awesome. She's also a great friend too. So now I can say that because I'm older. Anytime I was like, “Oh my God, you're like my best friend,” she'd be like, “You're not old enough to say that.” But now I am, so that's amazing.
Scott
It's funny, like as a parent too, it's like this constant, “Am I forcing my kid to do this thing?” Or, “Are they going to want to be like me? Does that matter?” And it’s like, it feels like constant stress of, “Am I leading in the right direction? Am I leaving enough free will, but also encouraging them to work hard?” I laughed so hard I was like, “I don't know what kid goes through a trade show and is like, ‘This is the coolest thing ever.’” But I was like, “You're definitely wired in a way.” Like, that’s maybe you.
Sara Uy
You guys are probably like, “What did she just say?”
Scott
Yeah, I imagine little Sara in a pantsuit just like, “I'm ready to take on the world!”
Sara Uy
Imagine a pantsuit on a kid. That was literally me.
Scott
“So can I scan your code real quick?”
Sara Uy
Yeah, like what was I doing? I don’t know, I’m like, “Hi, I work for Sunrise,” and they’re like, “Do you need help?”
Scott
“Are you lost?”
Sara Uy
Yeah, they’re like, “You’re in the wrong place.”
Scott
It’s funny. We talk a lot about people who are great at cold calling and people who are great at trade shows. I like talking to people enough, but cold talking to a thousand people who I have no reason to talk to, I’m like, “Give me an intro.” I’ll be like, “Hey, this is Sarah from Parado, you should meet her.” I’m like, “Okay, good. That’s enough.” But just being like, “Hi, who are you? I’m Scott,” like, it’s just amazing. And I admire the people who can just strike up a conversation. Zero fear, zero anything. And I think about, you know, you talked a lot about being an SDR during Covid. We talk a lot about the support system of an SDR team for morale and mental health.
Sara Uy
Yes.
Scott
Just, you know, you're getting told to pound sand all day long. You’re being berated and being able to turn left and be like, “That sucked. That was really hard.” And I think that is part of why the content resonates. Because you’re becoming almost their outlet, their friend, their emotional support. Because like, “Sarah got told off, she’s still happy, and I’m going to be okay. I’m going to keep going.”
Sara Uy
Yeah, you make such a good point because it really does take a toll on your mental health sometimes. Especially when you’re not hitting your targets and goals, and you’re not getting anyone on the phone, you're like, “Am I actually even good at this?” Like, you start questioning if you can actually even be in sales and be in a position where you can earn uncapped commission and earn a lot of money. And it’s really motivating. To be honest, this is kind of a shout-out to everyone who has made videos and tagged me in it and said, “I was inspired to make this by Sara from Parado, so here I go.” Because that also helps me because I’m like, “All right, I didn’t cold call today, but now I’m thinking about picking up the phone because everyone else is doing it.” So in return, like, I’m just as inspired when I see other people do it now. And it definitely wasn’t a thing. But now on my For You page, I just scroll and I’m like, “Oh my God, cold calling, cold calling, cold calling.” And it’s so cool to see. I’ve definitely made some cool connections that way as well on TikTok. So you're exactly right. You really need a support system in this role. And I think for all the managers out there who haven’t been an SDR before — be a little bit nicer to them this week. They deserve it. They’re going through a lot. But it’s so important to have a team behind you or even just someone in the organization you can look up to and vent to because it is hard. I talked to a CEO one time, and he was like, “The hardest role is not mine in my organization. It’s my SDRs. They have the hardest job in the organization.” And that was coming from a CEO.
Scott
So true. Yeah, I think if you can survive that life too, you can do just about anything.
Sara Uy
Anything.
Scott
Yeah. Because you have this relentless passion, fearless. And you also get to talk to all of the prospects and customers. You know what works. You know what doesn’t. You know how to talk about the product. You know how to talk about all the various use cases. So we talk a lot about SDRs being the future of the entire company. They should go into every area because they —
Sara Uy
I agree.
Scott
They should go into every area because they —
Sara Uy
I 100% agree.
Scott
They should go into every area because they’re going to know how to talk about the product, and how to pitch it. You’re going to resonate with what the customer challenge is. So I think it’s cool. I think SDRs — everyone should start and have that experience, either as an SDR or in customer support, just hearing what it’s like to actually use the product and try to solve problems for people. It’s super valuable.
Sara Uy
Yeah, 100%. I could not agree more.
Kwame
Yeah. I think promotion internally, when you start somewhere and you can learn the foundations, and occasionally get rocked on the phone —
Sara Uy
Occasionally. Just occasionally.
Kwame
So I think it’s such an important character-building to help aid in taking ownership as you go through your journey. I started as a BDR, SDR at ZoomInfo, and I remember picking up the phone and just feeling so flabbergasted, you know, for the longest time.
Sara Uy
Yeah, it’s funny that some days it’s like, “Why do I still have butterflies? I’ve been doing this for five years. What’s going on?”
Kwame
It’s so crazy. And I think it’s really funny. People would always say, “Oh, with your personality, you should be confident.” I’m confident in certain settings. But I think anybody who has to pick up a phone and feel like they're interrupting someone’s day — yeah, that can be really difficult. And when you think about the growth through an organization, the fact that you started from the ground and now you’re emerging into your own company — what would you say is the most important thing that you’ve learned along that journey?
Sara Uy
I think the one thing that I learned the most is just to worry about yourself and don't care about the noise around you. Because when I started posting, a lot of my friends didn’t have TikTok. They’re going to hate me for saying this. I always call them old. They’re only six months to 12 months older than me, but they don’t have TikTok. We’re in that generation where just the six months or 12-month older people don’t have it. So it was easier for me to post because I knew no one was seeing it. But obviously, they’ve been a huge support; they absolutely love that I’m gunning for it. But there are also people that judge you for it. You know, they’re like, “What is she doing?” And you hear people say, “Oh yeah, I saw so-and-so, and she was just confused about why you’re doing all this posting.” Thank God I stuck with it. Have the courage to keep going, even when you don’t think it’s going anywhere. I’ve had that thought so many times, and thank God I kept going. So just worry about yourself. Stay motivated as long as you love what you're doing. That’s really important too, because the last thing you want is to get stuck doing something for someone else when you don’t actually enjoy it. You’ve got to be really passionate about it. If you're passionate about something, follow it and don't care about what anyone else thinks.
Scott
That’s an amazing point. It's funny. I recently blasted a Glassdoor review over the podcast on social, and it was really comedic. Because it’s like, “This new CEO comes in, wants to be internet famous, creates this podcast, or reality TV guy.” And I’m like, sounds about right. We’re having amazing conversations with creators. We're discussing it with brands. We're interacting with our community. They’re all reaching out. In today’s age, to go out and build a brand, it’s not just pushing out blog posts anymore or creating content on Substack or something. We're literally a social media and internet company, and I like the fact that we wouldn't pursue that. I had that moment where I was like, “Should we stop doing it? Should we bag this thing?” But then it’s all that positive response. It’s all the, “Hey, this really resonated with me.” We had the coolest story. An employee walked up to the Boston office and said, “Hey, I have to introduce myself.” I was like, “Great, nice to meet you.” She said, “I was a fan of the podcast. I applied, I joined, and I’m super excited.” I was like, “Okay, worth it. Worth it.” It was one of those moments. So I think everyone has those little worth-it moments. Like they get the message or that post where they could call, and they’re like, “I’m going to create content too, or I’m going to stick this out.” Those are the moments where you’re like, “Okay, it’s worth it.” I’m going to shed the noise, move on, and be reassured that what I’m doing is the right path.
Sara Uy
Yeah. You know, it’s so funny. This morning, I posted a “work Friday cold calling” video, like, every Friday on my LinkedIn. LinkedIn has become my new favorite social media. It’s really making a cool turn and starting to accept influencer marketing and influencers. I think it’s really awesome. But this morning, I always post around 9 to 9:30, my cold calling video for Fridays. Obviously, I was a little hungover this morning. I told you guys, no more than I was like, “I’m a little hungover today. I went out with Parado a little too hard last night.” But I ended up making a video later than I usually do, and I posted it around 12:30, right before I came down here to meet you guys. Someone had commented right away, saying, “I’ve been waiting for this video since like 8:10 a.m. this morning. I was so nervous that you weren’t going to post it. I watch these every Friday. They really motivate me to make my Friday calls.” I was like, “Oh my God, thank God I posted.” Those are the worth-it moments. They truly are where you're like, “Thank God I did it.”
Kwame
Yeah, I think it’s so cool when you just take — and we talked to our creator, Jade Beeson, not too long ago. One of the biggest pieces of advice she gave about content creation, in general, was to do something you're passionate about just because you're passionate about it. If you can turn that into content creation, that’s the goal. That’s the goal. And the fact that you just care about what you're doing, it just so happens you can also turn it into this other career that has now emerged — this beautiful thing. So I think following your passion is the most important thing. We all have different niches. I wish I could be more of a fashion content creator.
Sara Uy
I like to be on the US Women's National Team and then do cool Nike commercials.
Kwame
Right. But like, it is really cool taking something you love and then turning it into something that other people follow you for. I think that’s such a beautiful part of content creation. I’m excited to see more people show their passions. You see people go out and do stuff, and it goes viral almost every day because they just go out there. They put themselves out there. So putting yourself out there, doing something you’re passionate about — that seems to be that magic that comes together.
Sara Uy
Yeah. People know when you're passionate too, and when you're not. So the authenticity behind it is that you get drawn to someone's passion, and that’s why you end up making a community. They see how much you care about it, so they’re like, “I want to care that much about it.” It’s great, but it's exactly what you're saying.
Kwame
Yeah. I guess now it's a transition — or maybe not even a transition, but just start getting into the influencer marketing side of things. You’ve been creating content for a little bit now. You're transitioning into your own company, now becoming a CEO. Have you gotten any opportunities that have spurred from your content creation, like partnerships with brands?
Sara Uy
Yeah, which has been awesome because I never thought in a million years — I remember when I got my first PR package. I was like, “What? Me?” I was like, “What the hell?” But yeah, I’ve worked with a lot of lifestyle brands, which I think has allowed me to stand out a little bit on LinkedIn because I’m doing the corporate B2B influencer stuff, but I’m also doing lifestyle. I think it definitely helps living in New York because there are so many opportunities here. You open your door every day, and there’s a new opportunity. So I’m very grateful and blessed to be here. But yeah, I’ve worked with a ton of lifestyle brands within the last 12 months, and I’ve been able to incorporate it into corporate content too. I’ve worked with a few bag brands and clothing brands, so it’s like, “What do you wear to work? What are you wearing to the office in the fall, in the summer?” I do so many days in my life, and people love that. I love watching other people’s days in life because I’m so curious. I’m like, “What can I incorporate into my routine?” I was even filming when I walked in here. I’m like, “Sorry guys, I’m doing a day in the life.” But that allows me to pull lifestyle, brand, and corporate because I’m in the office. I’m also sharing what I do as a 9-to-5 corporate girl who lives in New York City and goes out at night to an XYZ event or just dinner with my girlfriends. That leads to a very relatable side, I think, because when I see people doing that, I’m like, “Wow, we have a lot of similarities here. Again, what can I incorporate into my routine?” It’s cool to see someone else’s perspective in a similar life that you're living.
Scott
I love that. I think LinkedIn is making a huge shift. More people like you who are relatable bring a new generation. People want to go to LinkedIn to see relatable professional content, but they don’t want to see it unless it's ChatGPT-generated blog post-style stuff. That was hot for a minute.
Kwame
Yeah.
Scott
We’ve been working a lot with the LinkedIn team. We're going to have their product leadership on the podcast. If you look in your app, you’ll see the video button at the bottom. It’s like the For You page. The UI of LinkedIn is going to be more like what you're used to seeing on TikTok.
Sara Uy
I think that's so good.
Scott
Yeah, they're opening the doors for influencer marketing. I think it’s going to be a whole new day for LinkedIn. As someone who's more business corporate-leaning, there’s some of that on TikTok, but LinkedIn is my home network. That's where I spend the majority of my time. I want to share content, but I'm tired of writing crappy blog post style or reflective “on your journey” type of stuff.
Sara Uy
I have a whole podcast about cheesy LinkedIn posts we’ve all seen.
Scott
Yeah. But I think there’s going to be a new day. It’s going to be cool. As a B2B marketer, I was searching for ways to leverage LinkedIn and influencers, but the whole thing wasn’t there. The APIs weren’t there, the influencers weren’t there, and the brands weren’t ready. Now we have some APIs, the whole format is shifting, and the influencers are there. It’s fun to see it happen. You're right on the moment of inflection where people like you can capitalize in a huge way and be first.
Sara Uy
I hope so. I hope so. The shift is cool because it’s happening right now. It ’s cool to talk about.
Kwame
You're part of the people leading that charge. It’s interesting when we talk about cheesy LinkedIn stuff. I remember back in the day, I was definitely a cheesy LinkedIn person. I was okay with that. I wrote a lot about my experience and the things that motivated me. I think it was a cool part of my journey to becoming more understanding. I went from SDR into leadership. Throughout that journey, there were points when I had cold feet or imposter syndrome. I didn’t really feel ready for it. Talking about that through LinkedIn helped me. It garnered a community. It’s funny seeing all these things come together when you think about the growth you’re having and the community you're bringing in. You're giving, and they're learning from you. But a lot of times, you're learning from them as well.
Sara Uy
Yes, exactly.
Kwame
That is super cool. We're hitting a point where I'm excited to see the next phase of LinkedIn. Being more goofy and original, right? Scott, I think you said this on one of our episodes — “Everyone is really weird.”
Sara Uy
Oh, my friends will watch this and be like, “Finally, you admitted it.”
Kwame
Right? Everyone is really weird. It’s just a matter of how much of their weirdness they're willing to share. The cool part of society today is that people are sharing so much of their weirdness. We're allowing our weirdness into so many other parts of our lives, and it's making everyone more comfortable.
Sara Uy
Yeah, I love it. I love that people are being more weird and more themselves. I’m really weird, so I feel more comfortable sharing. If I'm super goofy on TikTok or make a mistake, I just post it now because it’s way more relatable than a scripted XYZ type of post where you sound robotic and not authentic or human. At the other end of the spectrum, in sales, people buy from people. They’re not going to buy from someone who sounds super sales, isn’t genuine, and isn’t building trust and a true relationship. It's all about being yourself. Clients are weird too. Just be yourself. They will buy from you. Just build a relationship, and be yourself.
Scott
It’s funny. COVID was like the grand reveal.
Sara Uy
Yes!
Scott
We’re all going from our offices in blue shirts to being in your bedroom, seeing your decor, and people’s dress change. Their whole demeanor is like, “I don't know if we're done, or if I'm just going to let it all out.” It was this steep acceleration of letting the weird out. Some of it wasn’t great, but most of it was. It’s cool because we work with major brands. The guy that runs all of the marketing is in a Hawaiian shirt, and I love it. I never would have seen him in that. He’d be wearing a suit, and you wouldn’t know his story unless you got to know him. But now you're like, “I know exactly who that guy is.”
Kwame
Yeah. I think one of the coolest things about where we’ve gotten to is that with the normalcy of things and the weirdness of it all, it lets people know that the degrees of separation between us aren’t that vast. It used to be that when I thought about rich people, I thought about some guy who put on a suit, got in his Mercedes, and got to the office at 6 a.m. He stood there, had meetings all day, and made decisions like in Mad Men. In my head, I thought, “Those are the only rich people on Earth.” Now, you see people who are just being themselves. You're like, “This guy’s a nerd too.” We're all similar. Representation shows that.
Sara Uy
I'm in a few networking groups, and we do a lot of events in the city or here, there, and everywhere. Sometimes I meet people, and someone will come up to my shoulder and say, “That’s so-and-so.” I’m like, “No way. Isn’t he worth millions? Or isn’t she worth millions?” They're like, “Yeah.” I’m like, “No way. She’s in a cute Lululemon workout set.” It’s so relatable when people aren’t trying to be super flashy and are just being themselves. They're weird too.
Scott
I love the Zuck renaissance or the Zuck rebrand. I’m here for it. He’s wake-surfing with curly hair and chains.
Sara Uy
Wait, I haven’t seen that.
Scott
Oh my gosh, he’s a different person. Everyone thought he was the “iRobot” guy. Now he’s like, “Yeah, we’re just going to build cool stuff,” super chill. He’s doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and you’re like, “Yeah, we are going to build cool stuff.”
Sara Uy
You're probably like, “Yeah, we are going to build cool stuff.”
Scott
I like this guy. I'd go for a beer with him. The pinnacle of it was when he was wake surfing in a tuxedo with an American flag. It was wild. Then he threatened to fight Elon Musk. I can’t tell if it’s quite Idiocracy or something I love, but it might be in the middle.
Sara Uy
You know, it’s funny. You were like, “I'd go for a beer with him.” I say that in my head about a lot of people. I meet them, and I’m like, “Would I go for a beer with them?” Would I sit down in a pub and go for a beer? I’m like, “Yeah, I think I would.”
Kwame
That’s a good gauge. That should be the new test — “Should we hire this person? Would I go for a beer with them?”
Sara Uy
Yeah, why not? That’s a good test.
Kwame
So, you've worked with a couple of brands. Now you're building your brand. You're becoming a well-known figure. You've had partnerships. Have you had any partnerships that really resonated with you?
Sara Uy
Yeah. I did a campaign with Elf Cosmetics, and the whole purpose of the campaign was to showcase women in corporate and move up the corporate ladder. I loved that because I use Elf products. I put makeup on every day to go to the office, but at the same time, this is me in real life. I’m trying to climb the corporate ladder. I want to be respected. I want to be taken seriously. In business, when you're young — whether you're male or female — it’s hard to be taken seriously. When I turned 25, I was like, “This is the year I’ll be taken seriously.” It sounds silly, but in my head, I thought 25 sounded legit. But 24? I thought, “No one’s going to take me seriously at 24.” Now I’m 27. At 25, 26, and now 27, I’m like, “I want to be respected. I want to build a good reputation. I want to be taken seriously in the workplace as a woman.” That campaign resonated with me because I spoke about women in the workplace how many get promoted, and what women make versus what men make in corporate. That campaign blended the best of both worlds for me.
Scott
I love that. We were talking about that at dinner the other night. One of our female employees just unprompted said, “I love that I can be a woman in this company and not feel like there's any hindrance to being successful.” It was a breath of fresh air because you still hear stories of prejudice, bias, and bad behavior. Even at the conference, someone said, “I got hit on by five dudes.” It was insufferable. That shit’s still happening in nearly 2025. As a husband and dad of a daughter, it sucks. It doesn’t need to be that way. I love that brands are helping to push that message while promoting their products and engaging with influencers like you to tell that story.
Kwame
Yeah, society follows the money. At the end of the day, people listen to those writing the checks. The cool thing is that a lot of brands are putting their money into creating a web of respect, equality, and inclusion. We still have a long way to go. We're further back than it sometimes feels because when you walk outside, it feels like everything is normal. But everyone has moments in their day — even three-second moments — that remind them, “We’re not quite there yet.” I’m happy brands are joining in and working on making sure we’re all heading in the right direction.
Sara Uy
Yeah, that was a really cool one that resonated with me. What’s funny is that I’m thinking about my office and my workplace. Parado has 11 women in our office and three men. Every day, I’m like, “We’ve got to get more guys.” That's not something you’d think about. Last year, our parent company, Randstad, did a launch. They reported that women at Parado were actually making more than men by a certain percentage. That was really cool to be a part of. We have a long way to go, but I've been lucky enough to be a part of a company that’s 100% taking steps in the right direction and exceeding them.
Scott
That’s amazing. I’m curious, on that brand front, if there was one brand that would make the best day of your life, what would it be?
Sara Uy
Oh my God, this is going to sound random, but probably JetBlue.
Kwame
That’s so random!
Sara Uy
I threw you guys for a loop.
Kwame
What?
Scott
First JetBlue!
Sara Uy
Because I’m going to land somewhere nice. I’m going on a nice trip, and I love flying JetBlue. I don’t know what it is, but every time I land, I’m like, “I’m in Europe! I was comfortable the whole flight. Everyone was nice to me.” I love to travel. I can see the correlation. I already have the campaign video planned out. I’m going to my meeting to meet a top client. I’m flying JetBlue, doing my “get ready with me” on the plane like these aesthetic girls. I’m not aesthetic, by the way. Any time I try to do one of these videos on a plane, all my makeup products explode. I’ll go to pull out a makeup product, and it’s like, “Oh my God, forget it.”
Scott
We need to make this happen.
Kwame
Yes, JetBlue!
Sara Uy
I keep the blankets. I’ve got to get rid of those. But JetBlue, that’s my dream collab.
Kwame
JetBlue has been conditioning you.
Sara Uy
I tag them on every post. Recently, I went to the Taylor Swift concert in August with my mom, my cousin, and my aunt. We flew to London. My mom surprised me with first-class tickets. I was like, “Oh my God, this is crazy. First class for the first time ever.” JetBlue liked my story, and I was like, “Oh my God!”
Kwame
You're one step closer to the dream!
Sara Uy
Everyone watching this is like, “Girl, there are 80 cooler collabs you could do, but JetBlue is the one.”
Kwame
We love to see it. We have a segment where we do a quick rapid-fire. We call it “This or That.” I’ll ask you two options. You pick one and give a short blurb about why. Ready?
Sara Uy
Yeah, let’s do it!
Kwame
TikTok or Instagram?
Sara Uy
Instagram. I post all my videos on TikTok, but Instagram is like my personal diary. My first post was in 2012 when Instagram came out. It was in the Fairfield University locker room during my unofficial visit. I still remember the caption: “Fairfield” with a red heart. That was the day I wanted to get recruited. I wanted to play at Fairfield. You can see my whole journey there.
Kwame
Short-term or long-term partnership?
Sara Uy
Long-term, for sure. Building relationships is what I love to do. Long-term partnerships let you keep working with people you love.
Kwame
Story or grid post?
Sara Uy
Ooh, I’m a story fanatic. I have 20 stories on my Instagram at all times. If you need to find me, just look at my Instagram story.
Kwame
Short-form or long-form content?
Sara Uy
Most of my videos are 2-3 minutes. Cold calling takes time, so long-form. No reason, but it works out that way.
Scott
What’s the craziest cold call moment?
Sara Uy
Two come to mind, but the craziest was when I called a CEO, and he answered screaming, “Oh my God, I have two seconds. What’s going on?” I hear panic in his voice, so I start panicking and pitching. He says, “My wife’s in labor!” I’m thinking, “What the hell?” My whole team is listening to the speaker. Turns out it was a prank recording for cold callers. It was a 15-minute-long recording! I heard them give birth, the baby crying, and I thought it was real. People were calling him back, and it was the same recording. I was a brand-new SDR thinking, “What can I do?”
Kwame
When I started cold calling, I got hit with a recording of a guy at his wedding. I stayed on for five minutes. At that point, you're like, “I got this guy on the phone. I'm a new SDR!”
Scott
We need to set up a whole charade for the hundreds of calls we get daily.
Kwame
That would be amazing!
Kwame
As we wrap up today, what advice would you give the world out there?
Sara Uy
Post the video. Post the post. Whether it’s on LinkedIn, or Instagram — be true to yourself. It pays off to be authentic. Everyone wants to see you for you. If you're putting up a wall, people feel that. Be yourself, and do what makes you happy. We only have a short time here. Make yourself happy, do what’s best for you, and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.
Scott
Awesome. Thank you for joining the podcast, Sarah! We’re excited about what's next for you. To our audience, if you liked this live in person, let us know. Reach out in the comments on social. Tell us who you want us to talk to next. Go check out Sarah’s profile. We'll catch you on the next one.
Sara Uy
Thanks, guys. Thanks for having me.
Kwame
Yeah. Bye-bye. See you later.