Levi Carstensen joined Minneapolis, Minnesota, freight broker Priority1 as a senior territory sales manager in 2020. He manages many responsibilities in this outside sales role, including face-to-face communications with prospective customers. He is familiar with operational processes across diverse industries and product lines. Once customers start a business relationship with Priority1, Levi Carstensen guides them through important decisions on shipment bookings, product acquisitions, and other details for a smooth transfer of goods.
Mr. Carstensen has managed numerous freight accounts at Priority1. He has sold upwards of $12 million in shipments, resulting in $3 million in gross profit for Priority1. He finished 2023 as one of the company’s top-ranked sales professionals.
Mr. Carstensen graduated from the University of Minnesota as a dean’s list student. Beyond his professional interests in supply chain management and logistics, he enjoys staying active by playing and watching hockey. He supports various Minnesota sports teams and community events.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
Workdays: get to the office at 7:30, immediately get to emails, check on activity from the previous day, start working on projects/reports for customers, and start making sales calls. Set up meetings for current customers to review their accounts, upsell the account to get more business, and get referrals in the industry. Productivity is earned through hard work and pushing myself to do more and achieve the necessary goals to see more success.
How do you bring ideas to life?
At work, I rely on my expertise to see why people are attracted to an idea or why they’d like to pursue it, and then come up with a plan to make that as easy to obtain as possible.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I challenge myself to be better than I was previously. I’m not someone who is motivated by wanting to beat another person who is successful, I’m motivated by being better than who I used to be. Being the best possible version of myself is the best reward that I can ask for.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Life will absolutely have roadblocks, but a perspective into what you currently have versus what you used to have, or what could be the worst-case scenario, will keep you humble and happy. While working hard behind a desk is difficult, it beats digging ditches or setting fence posts like I used to do on the farm. Be thankful for what you have and realize how good you have it.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I’m an obsessive reader – to quote George R.R. Martin’s A Dance with Dragons, “a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” Reading as much as you can and exposing yourself to multiple perspectives gives the best opportunity to broaden your worldview.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I try to take a deep breath, tackle the problem in smaller steps, and use that to build towards completing a difficult goal.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Self-reflection. When I’m not hitting quota, I’ve get a type of knot in my stomach. Not fulfilling my “promise” to achieve whatever goal is set up in front of me is devastating. If there are things within my control- how can I use my current skill set to get there? What skills do I need to work on to get there?
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I remember when I was first starting my career at Priority1, I had recently sold a few larger accounts, and was quickly becoming overwhelmed by the stress of managing the accounts, maintaining the relationships, and increasing my workload by a significant amount to meet these demands of the new customers (or at least what I saw as the demands of the new customers). I had overexerted myself and stretched myself thin, all in an effort to provide a level of service that was not sustainable for me in the long run. After a while of this, I was very nearly broken by the stress of it all. If I didn’t perform as I had been, would these accounts leave me? Would I be back to square one? Instead, I leaned on my support system, both with my direct line of supervision and the support teams that we had available at the time. It took a bit for me to realize that I have people around to help me with various issues that were otherwise taking my time, instead of thinking that I needed to handle everything myself. Part of that comes from not wanting to be a burden to others, and I realized through this self-reflection that if everyone has a common goal, like providing top-of-the-line customer service, then it’s much easier for everyone to row the boat in the same direction and utilize the available resources, instead of trying to do it all myself.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. The best quote from it is “a man can be destroyed, but not defeated.” Applying this to your life in as many ways as possible will help innumerably. Any time you run into adversity, issues, or self-confidence issues, remember that even if you’re shut down completely and totally, you’re never defeated. You always have the ability to fight through whatever it is you’re going through. You, as a person, are not defeated. Just delayed.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Mad Men. I’m watching it for the first time recently, and there are so many smart depictions of alienation, social mobility, and ruthlessness that make it a fascinating watch. The episodes are very tight and meaningful. I remember seeing all the positive praise for the show back in the day, but never gave it a shot. I wish I had started sooner- it’s a masterclass in nuanced writing. Some parts are funny, some sad, and most of it is deep and rich with how the characters interact with this world by presenting themselves as these well put together ad men, while behind the curtain they all have issues. It’s an interesting allegory to the ads they’re making as well. While they may take on a cigarette company, they paint the picture of it being something high class and fancy. And while the Don Drapers of the world also present themselves as put together, in reality they are barely holding on.
Key learnings
- Intrinsic evaluation of oneself from a standpoint of the physical, mental, and emotional status is crucial for a healthy lifestyle and career.
- Looking at previous failures in a career is crucial for maintaining an upward trajectory- the ones who are able to identify shortcomings help to avoid those issues in the future & teach others to avoid the same mistakes.
- Bringing ideas to life involves looking at why people are attracted to certain concepts, and building ideas around those concepts will inevitably lead to success.
- Self-reflection is one of the single most important strategies that one can utilize to grow professionally and emotionally.
- Productivity is most effectively brought from within- trying to be better than you previously were is the single most important way to push oneself to become not only more productive, but also to develop a deep sense of self-accomplishment and pride in one’s work.