Chad Silverstein of [re]start On The Case For Optimism About The Next Ten & Twenty Years

Young professionals today have an incredible advantage that previous generations never had — the ability to leverage cutting-edge AI technology that propels them light years ahead of others who may have more experience. The ability to start your own business and work remote with anyone in the world are also good reasons to be optimistic about the future.

Reading the news can be so demoralizing: climate change, war, fires, epidemics, rogue AI, mental health, authoritarianism, extreme partisanship. But humans need hope. In order for us to create a positive future, we need to be able to have hope that there can be a positive future. What is the “Case for Optimism” over the next decades? What can we look forward to and hope for to help us strive for a more positive future?

In this series, we aim to explore and highlight the positive aspects, potential breakthroughs, and reasons for optimism that lie ahead in the coming decade and beyond. We are talking to authors, researchers, entrepreneurs, scientists, futurists, and other experts who can shed light on the exciting advancements, innovations, and opportunities that await us. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Chad Silverstein.

Chad Silverstein is an accomplished entrepreneur and visionary leader, recognized for his ability to create meaningful social impact initiatives. As the CEO and Founder of [re]start, he has built a reputation for developing innovative solutions that empower young professionals to find their career path and achieve professional growth.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?

I’m from Cleveland, Ohio, the youngest of 4 boys. I was a wrestler in High School and that’s pretty much all I cared about. I went to Ohio State after I graduated from high school and the summer break before my senior year I got an opportunity to work at a collection agency. I was trained for about an hour and then thrown on the phones. I quickly found out who made the most calls in the office and set a goal to beat them. It impressed the CEO and he gave me an opportunity to do more. I’ve been blessed with some incredible people in my life that have invested time and energy into shaping me into the person I am today.

What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.

The CEO of the collection agency gave me an opportunity of a lifetime. He saw something in me and let me start a brand new company in Columbus while I was still in school. I would go to class, come home, put on a suit, and go door to door selling the collection service to doctors and dentist offices. I sold over 100 clients in the first 6 months. My partner was amazing. He taught me how to grow and nurture a company culture. We were together for 15 years before I bought his share of the business. I sold the business last year on my 25th anniversary.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?

In 2010, I hired Chet Scott. He’s the Founder of an Executive Leadership Program called Built to Lead. This was my “Game-Changer”. He challenged me to get clear on my big dream in work and life. He uncovered a ton of blind spots and taught me what real leadership looks and feels like. He challenged me to write a clear vision for where I was going and then held me accountable to it.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

My magnum opus is “[re]start”. This passion project was born inside my collection agency and started as a customer care department. My agency had over ten thousand clients that placed between 80,000–100,000 people in collections each month. Individuals dealing with real financial hardship and sudden job loss. So, we decided to do something about it, and started helping people find new jobs.

Eventually, this initiative grew into its own department until I separated it and started a new LLC in 2018. Today, our goal is simple — empower other companies to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the people they serve, while helping as many job seekers find and land a job they’ll love.

When COVID-19 hit, I took it upon myself to develop new technology that transformed the job search process, which has been broken for a long time.

During my career, we covered the walls in my office with “love letters” from people who wrote to us sharing how we changed their life by helping them find a new job. That was more powerful than I could have ever imagined and a great reminder of why I was doing what I was doing

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

My beliefs, principles, and values because I’m confident in who I am, what I believe, and how I want to live. I’m not easily influenced and try not to be like everyone else. I think being distinctly different is a good thing.

Ok, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview about the case for optimism. Let’s begin with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. When we refer to being optimistic about the future, what exactly do we mean? Why is it important to have an optimistic outlook about the future?

It’s important to have an optimistic outlook about the future because our attitude is a choice. What we choose to focus on and how we choose to wear it will have a big impact on our relationships. I heard someone say once” Your face is not your face, your face is public property”, because you don’t have to look at your face every day, other people do. You can choose to be optimistic or be a debbie downer.

What are some reasons people might feel pessimistic about the future, and how do you suggest we address these concerns?

One of the reasons people feel pessimistic is because of the unknown. It’s fear-based. Change is one of the biggest hurdles for most people. Ironically, I like changing things. I’m always changing things. I see things today as temporary because I expect change. That helps me not be so surprised when things change suddenly. We tend to catastrophize things and psych ourselves out, but the reality is that many times we just make stuff up that never actually happens. The media, the news, and every device beeping and buzzing in our pockets all day makes it worse and distracts us from the most important priorities in our life.

Fantastic. Here is the main question of our discussion. Can you please share with our readers your “5 Reasons To Be Optimistic About The Next Ten and Twenty Years?”

Young professionals have an incredible advantage that previous generations never had — the ability to leverage cutting-edge technology that can propel them light years ahead of others who may have more experience. The ability to start your own business and work remotely with anyone in the world are also reasons to be optimistic.

There’s so much that remains unknown with advancements in things like blockchain, web3, VR/AR, and the metaverse. This creates endless possibilities for people to embrace new opportunities that never existed before.

The power dynamic is shifting towards consumers, creators, influencers, and even college athletes who can now earn income using their name, image, and likeness. This empowers individuals to thrive independently, disrupting the traditional stronghold big companies have had for so long. Having a large social following and becoming an influencer is up for grabs and works in everyone’s favor being how much time the world spends online.

Education is evolving fast and people can break free from the hassle and expense of going to college. Self-education has become a game-changer, giving anyone with motivation and drive the chance to acquire knowledge and expertise online without having to go to College. It’s an educational revolution like we’ve never seen.

Last, I believe collaboration, not competition is one of the best things we can look forward to in business. More companies realize they can have a bigger impact when they integrate their services and products with other companies that have what they don’t. Platform companies offer more value to customers and forward-thinking leaders can partner with others who share a similar mindset to do incredible things and have a significant social impact.

In what specific areas do you see technology having the most positive impact over the next 10 to 20 years?

The release of A.I. is going to force everyone to pivot, which will create a new skill set for a lot of people that provides them with more opportunities. It may hurt us a little in the short term, but eventually, there’s a much bigger benefit for everyone.

While technology holds immense potential, it can also present challenges. How can we ensure that the progress we make in technology contributes to a more optimistic future and doesn’t exacerbate societal problems?

I believe it starts by looking within. Most people are too quick to look elsewhere, but real change starts by taking responsibility for themselves.

How do you maintain your optimism during challenging times?

I lean on the most important people in my life who I know are always there for me. Family and friends who I can share anything with. Whenever I’m not feeling so great I make sure to talk it through with someone I’m close with that will help me see a different perspective.

Ok, we are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I’m in the process of trying to do that right now. I believe everyone deserves to have a job they love. Everything I’ve done for the past several years has been with the purpose to fix the job search process that people get trapped in when looking for a new opportunity. Our world would be a much better place if more people enjoyed their work and liked the companies they worked for.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them 😊

If I could have a meal with anyone it would be my dad. We work together. There’s nobody in the world I would rather have a private meal with.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

I built an app for jobseekers and a career development platform community app loaded with courses and resources. It’s free to join. People can sign in at www.joinrestart.com

Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!