Editor’s Note: PhxSoul.com rarely features personal profiles but I was drawn to Channel Powe’s story because she is a sure-fire model of perseverance. As the owner of the Website, I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of people in the Valley of the Sun. Many of them are entrepreneurs (or wanna-be entrepreneurs) and I hope that they all succeed. However, I am personally rooting for Channel to achieve her ultimate goals. She works hard - I see her at just about every networking event hosted in the Phoenix area! She has endured many obstacles but somehow she manages to have a pleasant and welcoming attitude toward people and life. I hope you enjoy her story and I hope Channel inspires you to keep on keepin’ on!!
Channel “Ms. Aflac” Powe In Her Own Words …
I’m originally from Detroit, Michigan. I love the “D”, but as we know, with a sinking economy, I was ready for change. I was familiar with Phoenix because I did live here shortly as an adolescent. I would come back frequently to visit, and began to appreciate it here, the older I got.
My Aflac career began in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I was so excited to be a part of a winning team. Everything about it was fresh. I met my recruiter at a health fair, she was fabulous and I knew I could learn a lot from her. The only problem was that I lived 2 hours away. The commute was too much pressure and couldn’t work, with a single mom. Eventually, I asked to be transferred to a near by office.
The office was easier for me to get to, and with it being bigger; I was exposed to more about Aflac, and customer service. I just knew that I was going to have another great mentor, unfortunate, that was not the case. Being that I am so hungry, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. From that moment I knew I was going to have to use my resources and train myself.
As I sharpened my skills with Aflac, I decided to reach out to a local office, here in Phoenix. I was looking for a winning team. While on vacation, I met with a regional, which had me so excited to come join his team. I was a little hesitant, yet excited. After my trip, I sold everything and moved here within three months. I moved with 10 boxes and a dream. I gave up a lot of material things, knowing that we would have better and live an enriched life.
I hit the ball rolling here and knew of the sacrifice that I would endure, with no family, and no real support system. It was the right thing to do, to expose my son to a better life and to grow my career with Aflac. Three months after moving here, my entire office moved to Texas, because of our regional’s new position. I was alone, with no help from our state office, after numerous attempts to be placed with a stable winning team.
Four months went by and I finally was transferred, to Mesa, when I purposely moved directly around the corner from the old office. I stayed steadfast, and didn’t expect anything. My attitude remained positive and I continued to be a team player.
Three months later, my regional, again, was promoted to another state. My old office re-opened and I now use it as a resource.
What I’ve learned from this is that, all I have is me. I’m a self-motivator and possess all of the drive to succeed at Aflac. Though it is not easy, to say the least. I just can’t give up!
Three weeks after my moving here, I went downtown to reach out to the Greater Phoenix Black Chamber. Networking was something I had a desire to learn. I’ve heard others mention negative things about it; I knew there was an art behind it. I met with Ron Busby and he gave me some valuable information. From there, the ball was in my hand. I had to prove myself and welcome challenges.
I’ve now been apart of the GPBCC for almost two years now. I recently took a part-time position as Membership Director. This is something I do anyway; promote the chamber to minority small businesses. I knew what the chamber could do for them, as long as they participated, the recipicol would come.
I was also able to meet up with some great individuals to do some volunteer work. I helped out with the Miss Black Arizona Pageant, which is a fabulous event. Also, I volunteer for ESP First Fridays. I like to support my colleagues at their various events, as they know they can count on me. When it’s a good cause and I can help someone else, I’m all for it!
My main focus is my 9-year-old son. I was pleased to find his charter school on the Internet, which was located in our neighborhood as well. I established a great relationship with the school, and am a part of the PTA. We like to stay active, so we enjoy mountain hiking, sports complexes, art, science center, and he plays sports. We just ended track season, which lead him from state to state, ending up at the Junior Olympics in North Carolina. Football is now in full swing and occupies a lot of our time. There I network with other parents for fundraiser ideas to support our organization.
I look back on where I came from, and the direction I’m heading. I look at my child, and that motivates me to keep on going. He’s being exposed to so much positivity and diversity. It’s so amazing to us. I’m all my son has to look up to and I must show him that life will throw adversities your way, so what are you going to do about it? We came here on faith and as long as I trust in the God, I can do anything. I have to prove to myself that I’ll never give up until victory is mine that is why I live my life with NO excuses.
Channel can be reached at channel_powe@us.aflac.com or 313-646-7712.
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