In this episode or the Business Superfans Podcast, I had an amazing chat with my old friend Ken Wilson, a sales pro with 30 years in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry. We reminisced about our early days in Chicago, shared laughs about fax machines and brick phones, and dove into the core values that shaped our careers—trust, integrity, and hard work.
Ken shared his journey from feeling lost post-college to thriving in sales, emphasizing grit and continuous learning. We discussed building genuine relationships, creating superfans, and the power of gratitude. Plus, we touched on using tech to connect authentically with clients. Stay tuned for more insights and stories!
Ken Wilson is just your average small town guy who grew up in a blue collar family in the cornfields of Illinois. He overcame adversity early on. He lost his mom at a very young age. His dad remarried and ended up going through a difficult divorce, which left the family with little money and living in low income housing.
Ken used sports to get him through the hard times. He excelled in baseball, and got a scholarship to play college ball, only to suffer a career ending injury. After graduation, he landed an unexpected job in the technology industry selling manufacturing software, and over the past 25 years, Ken has created a successful career in that industry winning many honors . He attributes his success to a positive attitude, great work ethic, surrounding himself with some incredible people, and a true desire to serve.
Ken lives in Florida with his wife of almost 30 years, and has a 23 year old son and 21 year old daughter . For fun, Ken likes to hang out at the beach, hike in the mountains, ride his electric bike, workout and spend time with his family. He’s also the author of two books that he wrote during the pandemic…The Bible Simplified and The Invitation…both available on Amazon.
Get a FREE copy of Ken Weilson’s 2 books The Bible Simplified and The Invitation, Reach out to him via his website.
‘Ken Wilson’, ’00:01:50′, ‘What they did teach us was the core values of trust, integrity, respect, and hard work ethic. It was driven by discipline too, like when we got out of line, my dad made sure we got back in line.’
‘Ken Wilson’, ’00:04:00′, ‘Yes, you do deserve it, and you can do it. Go after it, but you want to make a choice too, right Freddy? You got to get past the fear, accept the invitation because you never know where it’s going to take you and the people you’re going to meet along the way that are going to help shape your life and impact your career.’
‘Ken Wilson’, ’00:05:03′, ‘That’s why they call it the college of hard knocks, right? I remember having a lot of these face-flat-on-the-mat moments along the way, and I always tell our kids this too: what separates the winners from the losers is getting back up, getting back in the game, and doing it all over again.’
‘Ken Wilson’, ’00:20:07′, ‘It’s amazing how those two simple words, just thank you, can transform your life and another person’s life. You’ll stand out from the pack, and people will never forget you because of that attitude of gratitude.’
‘Ken Wilson’, ’00:23:06′, ‘He changed the trajectory of my life, and I wanted him to know that. I called him after that, and he was almost in tears.’
‘Ken Wilson’, ’00:43:02′, ‘Like my dad always said, you don’t know what it’s like until you’re in somebody else’s shoes, and he’s so right.’