Changing Lives Selling Knives

Everyone sets out on a path to achieve their definition of success, but often people get defeated mentally way too soon and lose confidence in their ability to achieve what they want. The reality is that everyone has problems or challenges, and we need to develop mental toughness in order to get past these normal hurdles on our path to success. Dan Casetta has achieved long-term, consistent succes...

Danny Lewis is the North Shore (IL-WI) Division Manager for the Cutco/Vector Marketing sales organization. His career has been marked by challenges and difficulties that sharpened his skills and honed his mental attitude. During the unprecedented pandemic year of 2020, Danny made a committed decision to find and bring his A-game. His North Shore sales team thrived, finishing the year as the #1 tea...

Sarah Young has always been driven to make a meaningful impact in her community and in the lives of others. After working with Cutco/Vector in Indiana for about 5 years, Sarah's desire to build something great has led her to several mission-driven technology companies where she has leveraged her skill-set in sales to have maximum impact. Today, Sarah is the VP of Sales for 120 Water, where she wor...

Nick Matlack is the Great Plains Division Manager for the Cutco/Vector Marketing sales organization, responsible for Oklahoma and NW Arkansas. Nick was a cornerstone in the perennial champion Rocky Mountain Division where he was able to build a powerful District Team while becoming a young father of two children. His life and career have been built through the power of vision, and he is now moving...

Rachel Richards is an incredible example of financial success at a young age. As a Cutco/Vector sales rep, Rachel succeeded at a level high enough to pay her way through a private college, Centre College in Kentucky, and graduated debt-free with a degree in Finance. She worked as a Financial Advisor for a while, then moved over to working in the Real Estate industry, where she developed the skills...

Ryan Snow is the co-author of the Best-Selling Book, The Miracle Morning for Salespeople, with Hal Elrod. As an author, trainer, and coach, Ryan has coached and trained thousands of top salespeople across North America. Ryan has led multiple real estate brokerages and is responsible for leading sales teams to well over $1 Billion in real estate sales. Ryan's career as a sales leader and recruiter...

Justin Ludwig has had a wide range of experiences during his 15+ years with Cutco/Vector. He was a top performer as a sales rep and Branch Manager who naturally progressed into the District Manager position. He had the experience of being recruited away from the business for a short time before returning to become better than ever and advancing now to the role of Division Manager in Western New En...

John Wasserman is the Division Manager of the PA/NJ Powerhouse Division, centered around the Philadelphia metro. During his illustrious 30-year career with the Cutco/Vector Marketing organization, John has become one of the highest-producing field managers of all time, with two National Championships and dozens of sales records. Even more importantly, he's one of the company's greatest developers...

Jamie Freedlund is the co-founder of Mattea's Joy, a non-profit committed to bringing Joy in the Journey to families with sick kids. As a self proclaimed "joy influencer", she strives to inspire others to seek more joy in their lives despite the challenges and circumstances around them. Jamie is also the CFO for Turn-Key Environmental and Special Waste Disposal; family businesses she has had the p...

Scottie Brown has an inspirational story that proves anyone can evolve into whomever they want to be. From a working-class kid who was picked on in school, Scottie has lifted himself up through his work ethic, willingness to learn, curating mentors, and finding the right opportunity. Scottie became a Cutco/Vector sales rep in 2009, and advanced to District Manager after graduating from West Virgin...

Today we are flashing back to episode #36 with Jon Levy, one of the most interesting people we've ever featured on this podcast. Jon Levy is a behavioral scientist and author who is best known for his work in influence, human connection, and decision-making. More than a decade ago, Jon founded The Influencers Dinner, a secret dining experience and community whose participants have now included mor...

Phil Hellmuth is best known as one of the world's all-time great professional poker players. He has become a one-in-a-million achiever in this very challenging field, having won 15 World Series of Poker championships and tens of millions of dollars over the past three decades. Phil's influence in the world now transcends poker. He's a NYTimes best-selling author, an advisor to multiple companies,...

David Roy is one of the most engaging and inspiring leaders in the Cutco/Vector Marketing sales organization. David was a champion manager who was on his way up the advancement ladder in Vector before leaving to pursue another opportunity. But it wasn't long before David was back in Vector, living his true mission in life. He possesses great enthusiasm and conviction that comes from a deep appreci...

Mike Dawid is better known to most people as "Cutco Mike." He has established a loyal following of over 15,000 customers, and among that following, Mike's name is synonymous with Cutco. He is on the forefront of innovating ways to promote and brand his business by providing a unique experience for his customers. Over the years, he has become one of the top all-time sales reps in the 70+ year histo...

Sean O'Keefe is the founder, partner, and chief impact officer for Career Launch, a social enterprise that partners with colleges and career programs to scale the skill-set for launching a holistic job or internship search. Sean is a former community college student who is now an award-winning professor at Santa Clara University. He's the author of the newly-released book "Launch Your Career: How...

Darren Gardner has been a consistent top performer in the District Manager ranks at Cutco/Vector Marketing. He has won 2 Silver Cups, and is a member of the Cutco/Vector Hall of Fame. He has had a chance to work directly with 3 very different Division Managers, who happen to be 3 of the most powerful leaders in the company, Trey Ketcham, Ben Jackson, and the legend, Larry Manley, and he's taken th...

For the past two decades, Charlene Li has been helping people see the future. A graduate of Harvard Business School, she is the author of six books, including the NYT bestseller Open Leadership. Her latest book is The Disruption Mindset: Why Some Businesses Transform While Others Fail. With over 20 years of experience advising Fortune 500 companies, Charlene is an expert in digital transformation...

Matt Drinkhahn is a successful business coach with a lengthy track record guiding high-performance individuals and teams. Matt's leadership skills were forged through his experience as a Cutco/Vector Marketing District Manager and through two 3-year roles in corporate sales management. His positive mindset has been sharpened through various life challenges, as well as a 30-month attempt to make it...

Athena Lopez is the Albuquerque District Manager for the Cutco/Vector Marketing sales organization. When she started with the company in 2013, she had a 2-year old son. She balanced work, school, and family to advance to become a District Manager in 2015. She has now produced over $4 million in career sales, and is one of the Top 10 District offices in the company for 2021. But in the midst of her...

Kyle Lopes has achieved unprecedented success at multiple roles in the Cutco/Vector sales organization. He became the first college student to reach $1 million in personal sales and get inducted into the company's Hall of Fame. Later, after his graduation from Columbia University, Kyle became a Branch Manager with Vector and finished the Summer #1 in the company out of over 300 BMs, annihilating t...

When we think about the factors that make people successful, the first things that come up are Education, Experience, Knowledge, IQ. But the reality is that none of these serve as an adequate predictor as to why one person succeeds and another doesn't. Instead, it is our level of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) that is becoming viewed as the #1 predictor of professional success and personal excellence...

Ben Kooper is currently the #1 college-student sales rep in the Cutco/Vector Marketing sales organization. In under 3 full years, Ben has already sold over $411,000 of Cutco, while attending UCLA full-time as an Aerospace Engineering major with a 3.5 GPA. His list of achievements begins with a 10K Fast Start, 20K Push his first Summer, and Assistant Manager leadership on one of the top teams in th...

Jeff Gamboa is currently the Florida Caribbean Division Manager in the Cutco/Vector Marketing sales organization. He's a 24-year veteran with the company and member of the company's Hall of Fame. He coined the term "VectorTrained" to represent the wide range of skills and competencies that people gain through selling Cutco, participating in Vector's Leadership Academy program, and advancing into l...

Heather Zumarraga is a business consultant, public speaker, author, and leader in the financial services industry. She received a degree in Finance & Investments from Baruch College, and her MBA from American University. She exceeded $1 billion in sales for SunAmerica Asset Management, and was ranked #1 in the company from 2014 to 2016, advancing to become a V.P. of the parent company, AIG. This w...

This episode features 4 of the brightest young stars of Cutco/Vector's Western Region. Newport Beach District Manager, Anthony Hayes, has become one the top developers of talent in the Region. West LA District Manager, Kuvaal Patel, was the Region's #1 recruiter in 2020. Ventura County District Manager, Ben Lee, was the company's National Champion New District Manager in 2020. And Kyle Lopes won t...