E150: The Will Jenkins Story: From Selling Cutco Knives to Co-Founding MoLo Solutions

The Will Jenkins Story: From Selling Cutco Knives to Co-Founding MoLo Solutions On this episode of the Freight Caviar Podcast, join us for an insightful session with Will Jenkins, co-founder of MoLo Solutions and founder and CEO of Journey. Starting from his Chicago upbringing to leading a logistics giant, Will unpacks his unique story, including early experiences selling knives and his evolution in the sales realm. He sheds light on building MoLo Solutions to a $600 M company, fostering carrier relationships, talent retention strategies, and navigating the company through its acquisition in 2021. Will's story is a compelling tale of entrepreneurial spirit, strategic risk-taking, and the relentless pursuit of success in the logistics industry. Thank you to our podcast sponsors: This episode Is brought to you by Isometric Technologies (ISO) the ultimate freight broker's secret weapon! With ISO, you'll have access to industry-wide service performance benchmarks, dynamic carrier and customer scorecards, and powerful analytics so you can understand your service strengths, address your weaknesses, and differentiate your carrier network from the competition. To learn more and get started, visit www.iso.io today. Manifest Vegas, February 5 - 7, 2024, is the world's largest global supply chain & logistics tech event, bringing together Fortune 500 global supply chain executives, logistics service providers, cutting-edge startups, venture investors, and technology leaders. Join 4,500+ supply chain innovators to foster new strategies and relationships. Receive $200 off your ticket with our exclusive link: manife.st/freightcaviar Interested in sponsoring our podcast? Send us an email at pbj@freightcaviar.com. 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:14 Chicago upbringing and family. 00:08:00 Selling knives before college. 00:12:36 Sales and the power of perspective. 00:14:40 Reputation in sales. 00:17:59 An entrepreneurial experience. 00:21:18 Pivotal moment as aspiring entrepreneur. 00:24:30 Building rapport in B2B. 00:26:30 Onboarding and talent retention. 00:30:11 Developing carrier relationships. 00:34:30 Valuable carrier sales experience. 00:37:30 Incentive structure and motivation. 00:39:42 Acquiring brokerages for carrier relationships. 00:44:05 Andrew's customer sales skills. 00:48:11 Building rapport with customers. 00:50:11 Levels of motivation to sell. 00:53:39 Cradle to Grave concept. 00:56:11 Remote work and hiring strategies. 00:59:28 Massive multi-billion dollar divisions. 01:04:09 Training and educating others. 01:08:11 Longer sales cycles for larger customers. 01:10:35 Exciting problems. 01:14:08 Taking strategic risks in business. 01:16:10 Building relationships with shippers. 01:19:13 Pricing and market strategy. 01:22:55 Diversifying customer base for risk. 01:26:00 Entrepreneurship and success. 01:31:03 Mergers and business challenges. 01:34:13 2022 and the COVID boom. 01:36:43 Being very focused on a particular niche. 01:41:00 Leaving Molo and career aspirations. 01:43:15 Unlocking potential and development. 01:46:21 Don't doubt yourself.