Rob Lawless - a name he lives up to, a nonconformist of sorts who is not afraid to live against the laws of societal norms - wants only one thing; make 10,000 friends.
A Penn State graduate, Rob began working at Deloitte as a Strategy & Operations Business Analyst for a little over a year. He then made a switch to a Philadelphia based data and business intelligence company, RJMetrics, as a sales rep. After countless of nasty responses from prospects he was cold calling, his desire burned out.
Rob was making good money, a benefits package, and accumulating years of experience to propel him to his next promotion. That’s the dream right? Not for everyone including Rob. Aside from the potential clients he was reaching out to, he knew there was a calling of his own he had to answer to - his life.
He started meeting people for an hour at a time outside of work. A few people here, a couple people there, mostly for adventure and to increase his social network - he wanted his experience in Philadelphia to have the same sense of camaraderie that existed when he was a student at PSU.
I look toward my 40th birthday from the perspective of when I’m 90. -Rob Lawless
After he met 20 new friends, people started to notice. They laughed at the idea and told him it wasn’t going to go anywhere. Still he didn’t care what people thought or said and continued with the one-hour meetings.
By June 2016, he was afforded the opportunity to make this a full-time gig after his job was absolved when the company was bought out. That November, he received his first sponsorship check from Stitch, a company which stemmed from RJMetrics, to help him out with living expenses.
Two of a Kind
I first heard about Rob on PhillyMag.com and naturally, learning he was from Penn State, a millennial on a mission, and living in Philly, I had to meet him.
Meeting Rob, you instantly become friends. He’s easy to talk to and is just as curious about you and your story as you are about his.
Rob and Derek meet in Philadelphia before he makes his quest to Los Angeles to meet 10,000 new friends.
I learned that he’s the youngest of three siblings, inspired by Mark Zuckerberg, and he’s not sure what will happen after making his 10,000 goal but isn’t slowing down and if anything will have made his world feel a bit smaller. He’ll conclude his project by the time he’s 35.
I asked him what three lessons he knows to be certain through his experiences so far after having met 862 people before me (I was number 863);
- It’s not what you know but who you know.
- Baseline for happiness comes down to your support system - your family and friends. If they are happy, healthy, and backup what you do, what more could you ask for?
- Relating to other people’s backgrounds and events helps make you more comfortable with what you’ve gone through. Level of adversity around whatever you may be handling dissipates when you know that someone else has experienced the same thing.
Unlike Humans of New York, Rob has since expanded his reach and moved to Los Angeles after meeting the first 1,000 in Philadelphia. To date, he has surpassed 1,200 new friends and five sponsors. Keep up the momentum Rob!
Let the naysayers spout what they will. If you have a dream, no matter what it is, pursue it!
Want to be Part of the Movement?
Website: www.robs10kfriends.com
Email: robs10kfriends@gmail.com