Colton Horn has been working with Cutco/Vector for just over 2 years. In that short time, he has truly distinguished himself as an amazing leader and an inspiration to many. As a Branch Manager in the Summer of 2019, Colton was responsible for every aspect of a Vector field sales office, from recruiting to training to development of the team to admin and financial controls. His team finished #1 out of about 300 Branch Offices nationwide. Colton is a student at Northwestern University, and his mission is to empower young people to forge their own path in life.

Q&A WITH COLTON HORN

Q: Tell us a little about your background leading up to when you first got started with Cutco/ Vector.

• The summer going into my senior year of high school I got my first sales job cold calling businesses to sell them promotional branded flash drives.
• The following summer I graduated and my friend was working for Cutco/ Vector and set me up for an interview and everything just fell into place.

Q: What were some of the early lessons you had as a sales rep?

• The first is the importance of conviction. Believing in the product of course, but also in having conviction in yourself and the mission you’re on.

Q: What were some of the challenges that you experienced?

• I was told by a lot of people close to me that there wasn’t much opportunity to shine in a company with so many college students.
  • I learned to turn frustration into fascination. So I started to get curious about how I could make my Cutco experience bigger than I had ever imagined.  I decided that whatever I do I will strive to make an impact and I will strive to be epic.
• Another challenge at the beginning of college I didn’t have clarity on the type of life I wanted to create for myself.
  • Most students don’t ask those deep introspective questions until they’re forced to.
  • Part of my personal mission in life is to help empower others to forge their own path.

Q: What made you decide that you wanted to be a Branch Manager?

• Branching was a great way to up level my personal development that I wanted to work on while also making my dream of being an entrepreneur that much closer.
• Branching also gave me the opportunity to do something bigger and more meaningful than anything else I had done before.

Q: Tell us about your first Branch summer.  What were some of the experiences you had?

• I set a big goal of doing $200,000 in sales for my Branch office and a lot of people expressed their doubt in that goal but that was just the fuel for me to work harder.
• I also approached developing an Assistant Manager staff differently. I brought my girlfriend and best friend, neither of which had worked with Cutco/ Vector before and a rep who was around $13,000 in sales and trained to be an AM.  I poured a lot of love into those relationships because I believe the AM staff is the engine of an office. 
• The AMs are also the megaphone for the leader. The reps won’t do what the Branch Manager says, the reps will do what the AMs do!

Q: What opportunities did you see you could do better going from the 1st summer to the 2nd summer as a Branch Manager?

• The first thing was just learning what would work and what didn’t work.
• I started to fill my mind with content, mainly reading, to help me become a better leader.
• Our team created a list of over 1,000 people that we could reach out to and potentially recruit them as sales reps.
• Another important thing was going to meet Andrew Evans, the Branch Manager who holds the all-time Branch sales record, and his advice was invaluable.
  • Andrew said, “Don’t prioritize CPO (sales), prioritize people.”
• The journey is far more rewarding than the destination.

Q: What goals did you have going into your 2nd summer?

• My personal mission statement going into my 2nd summer as a Branch Manager was to create a legacy that revolutionizes the perception of Branching and raises the bar for the future of our company and community.
• When my mission was aligned with my values, that’s when I felt inspired.

Q: How did you communicate your goals to your team and enroll all of your new reps into this mission so they would be inspired to be part of something?

• I lived my mission every single day and it wasn’t about competing with anyone else, it was about competing with ourselves.
• Simon Sinek says, “when you compete with everybody else, than everybody wants to see you fail but when you compete with yourself, everyone wants to help you succeed.

Q: What qualities do you feel like you brought as a leader that led to your success as a Branch Manager?

• I tried to be real and just be me. I also reached out to other managers in the company and learned things from each of them but I only implemented the things I felt were aligned with who I am.

Q: So, what does the future hold for Mr. Colton Horn?

• I’m still figuring that out at the moment. I might go work for a big tech company or I might continue with Cutco/ Vector but part of the reason I’m in Italy right now in a program where I literally know nobody is so that I can learn more about myself and what I want to do.

FINAL THOUGHTS

• I love that he started with the idea of expanding your comfort zone.
• It was amazing hearing how Colton prepared to run his office. The reading and the growing to prepare for the challenge ahead.
• Stop prioritizing profits and start prioritizing people.
• The power of visualization that Colton shared is a critical process to put us in the frame of mind for our experiences.
• Take what you want from the coaches in your life. Jim Rohn says, “don’t be a follower, be a student.” 

CUTCO/VECTOR TERMS

• CPO- a number used in Cutco/ Vector to describe the revenue generated from Cutco sales upon which a representative or manager is paid.
• SC2- Summer Conference (1 & 2): a sales conference designed around competition (push period trophies are awarded), education, and inspiration.