In this week’s episode of The FreightCaviar Podcast, we sat down with Nick Dangles, Co-Founder at Sync Logistics Training, a Training-as-a-Service solution for the transportation industry. Nick shares what drew him into the industry, highlights the importance of employee training, and discusses the power of networking and building connections through LinkedIn.
Early Career and Shift to Sales
Nick, initially planning on working in the medical ethics field, graduated from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2008 and soon after found employment as a lawyer.
“It’s 2008. The job market was terrible. I couldn’t find a job. I ended up working as a lawyer, clerking for a law firm. I knew it wasn’t for me and I got another job. I quickly got fired from this other job, and I found myself in a position where I was unemployed at 28 years old. I decided I didn’t want to get into law anymore. I wasn’t enjoying it at all. I wanted to get into sales, so I started applying for all these sales jobs. I found myself in the scenario where I was both overqualified and underqualified for every sales job out there.”
A Taste of Sales
Eventually, Nick ended up working as a door-to-door salesman, selling office supplies. He recalls this time as a “kick in the face” that humbled him but gave him a taste of sales that made him want to stay in the industry.
Breakthrough at Optimal Freight
It wasn’t until he started working at Optimal Freight that things really kicked off for Nick. Here, he was able to flourish working as a Sales Representative/Account Manager.
“I landed this great job, fully intending to bounce after a year and go sell medical devices. That was my plan – I’ll get a year of experience, leave, and go sell medical devices. But I got into this environment, it was a small company, 10 people at the time. It’s fast-paced, it’s dynamic, it was super exciting. And I’m like, “You guys are going to pay me to do this? This is a job that I have? For real?’ And just the contrast between that and the legal jobs that I’ve had where I kind of sat in my office, churning out paperwork and that kind of thing. It was a night and day difference.”
After more than a decade in the industry, Nick has amassed a wealth of insights and invaluable lessons, which he now applies at Sync Logistics Training, where he serves as Co-Founder.
Importance of Employee Training in Logistics
He emphasized the critical role of employee training in building a strong and effective team.
“The thought process was that it’s just something that brokers tend to struggle with. It constantly gets deprioritized just because it’s not immediately revenue-generating. So we wanted to put something together that could help brokers train not only new employees but also continue that learning journey for people throughout the tenure of their career. Because learning should never stop, right?”
Integrating Training into Daily Operations
Nick also shared tips on integrating training into a company’s daily operations for long-term success.
“That’s something that comes up when people talk about implementing more training in their company. Because that’s the conversation we have with our customers. ‘Okay. We’ve got this training. How do we get people to do it?’ Consistency is one thing that’s really important. If you just throw it in every now and then, or just tell them, ‘Hey, here’s some training to do when you get a chance,’ literally no one’s going to touch it. But if you have a set schedule of, ‘Every Friday at two o’clock, we as a group are going to go through some training content,’ or, ‘Every Tuesday afternoon, we’re going to do a quick refresher on this,’ then it becomes a habit. If it’s just ‘Do it when you want to,’ you’re not gonna see success.”
Building Connections through LinkedIn
Nick also discussed the power of reaching out and building connections through LinkedIn.
“When I first started, when I was in brokerage, I was probably a very stereotypical freight broker. I kind of stayed in my bubble. I didn’t go to conferences unless there were going to be customers there or prospects that I could talk to. I didn’t know any of the brokerage community at large. I was very isolated. Eventually, a few months into the LinkedIn stuff, I started reaching out to literally every single person who liked one of my posts. If you engaged with my content in any way whatsoever, I shot you a message that was just like, “Hey man, saw you like my post, do you want to jump on a phone call sometime?’ And half of the people said yes! How crazy is that?”
Nick’s journey from law to sales, and eventually to logistics, showcases the power of adaptability and the importance of following one’s passion. His story is a testament to the fact that no matter where you start, with perseverance, humility, and the right mindset, you can find your way to success.
Listen to the entire interview on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or watch it on our YouTube channel.
