We recently connected with Walter Martinez and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Walter , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
As a child, (9 years old) I remember my father asking me what I was doing and I replied, “I’m bored” he said, “Really? Let me help you with that” and he put me to clean the yard.
He went on to say, “There’s ALWAYS something to do”. At that moment, as a child, I never understood what he meant and in fact, I was upset because I knew I could never be bored again around him.
This experience helped me carry on the mentality of “there’s always something to do” as an adult, which led to never leaving what can be done today for tomorrow.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
In 1985 my mother traveled from a war-stricken country (El Salvador) with 4 children, including myself. The struggle, pain, sorrow, and tears she shed during the ordeal were unimaginable, but the determination to get her children out of harm’s way was stronger than her fear.
We were apprehended by the immigration agents on the border of Arizona and Mexico and taken to a detention center in San Diego. There, we stayed for a couple of months until my uncle (Elias) paid the fee to have us released from custody under the political asylum laws.
Fast forward right out of high school, I was placed on assignment by a staffing company unloading containers. Surprisingly that same staffing company offered me an in-house position as a recruiter and that’s where my staffing career began. Throughout the years I have worked all positions from recruiter, sales, payroll, on-site supervisor/manager, and director of operations.
Presently I own, Esmar Management Group, and All the Right Connections, both provide the talent industry leaders need in Warehouse, Production, Manufacturing, Distribution Centers, Construction, and many more industries.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
A. Struggle – Knowing my parents struggled to put food on the table to make ends meet with 4 children, fueled the passion to move forward and never settle for less than what I could achieve.
B. Being nosy – I’ve always been intrigued by the things I don’t understand or haven’t been exposed to. This has led me to ask questions and immerse myself in the knowledge I’ve yet to gain.
C. Ambitious – Freedom is the best factor in ambition, mentally, spiritually, financially, and physically. If I stop being ambitious, I stop moving forward.
1. Breath.
2. Identify your goals.
3. Write down the steps you MUST take to achieve those goals.
4. DO NOT allow anything or anyone to steer you away from the journey.
5. DO NOT doubt yourself, doubt destroys more dreams than failure ever will.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
Love, acceptance, and patience.
As kids, we put our parents through mental anguish knowingly and unknowingly. Especially during the teenage years, we act out and rebel against parental authority.
For several years, I didn’t speak with my parents due to being ashamed of how I was living my life. But when I got into trouble, my dad reached out to me and said, “Are you ok and how can we help you”. At that moment, I knew my parents’ love was unconditional and our relationship picked up where we left off.
Contact Info:
- Website: Esmargroup.com – Alltherightconnections.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walter-martinez-181077117/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
