How Zevi Learned Contextual Leadership From His Time As A Campus Manager

Zevi, an English major at Yale, became a Campus Manager during peak COVID. Yes, he took on the role at a time of supply chain crises and no campus events where merch would make sense.

‘Everyone was being sent away from campus. Being a CM gave me a formal reason to get involved with organizations and get to know people I otherwise would not have met.’ He told us.

In early 2022, Zevi amassed $108k+ in total revenue. Yes, despite the COVID pandemic!

‘For obvious reasons, the enthusiasm for putting together custom apparel was less than what it would have been. So I changed my pitch. Everyone was craving human connection.’ He explained, ‘So I’d reach out to clubs and focus on that - here is something that can bring you together as a group, even when you aren't together physically. Here are shirts that you can all wear, here are water bottles you can give to your members - this can build cohesiveness and community.’

Zevi also had to navigate budgetary constraints and other issues during the pandemic. He did this by doing things like presenting options for similar products at different price points and working with the logistics team on a quote that matched his client’s budget.

‘It was all about adapting,’ he said. All throughout the lockdown, the logistics team and his manager Adam Freundlich were incredibly supportive. 

‘Another thing I’ve learned is the importance of the people you work with. I briefly had another manager, Jeremy, before Adam and both of them were great. Instead of using a cookie cutter approach for all their Campus Managers, they personalized their support.’ He added.

The Greek life presence isn’t as strong at Yale as compared to other schools. This meant working on a different strategy with Adam.

‘We had an understanding of why my sales numbers were the way they were and why I was reaching out to people the way I was because Adam understood the different market I was working with.’

Zevi also credits Adam and Jeremy for his knowledge on how to create an environment people genuinely enjoy working in - an environment that spurs better performance because people are excited about what they’re doing. For example, as an aspiring Management Consultant, he has always been interested in high-level strategy and corporate decision-making at Fresh Prints - an interest his manager encouraged him to develop.

‘Whether it be emailing Josh or Jacob (the exec team at Fresh Prints) about an idea I have or joining the full-time team’s All Hands on Deck calls - both Jeremy and Adam encouraged me to explore my interests and gave me access to opportunities that would help me do it.’ He told us.

‘There have also been multiple times in the past years that I’ve needed more personal support and Adam was very understanding. We would reduce the number of people I was talking to when I needed it, for example.’ Zevi told us, ‘Your manager treating you well as an employee is great but being treated as a human first - that’s really important.’

The possibility of getting rejected or ghosted by a client can be high at times. CMs at Fresh Prints are taught to anticipate and tackle them while their managers help them do it.

‘You have to be tenacious, I think. Being able to bounce back is important and good managers know this. BDMs (people who manage Campus Managers) keep an onward and upward approach whenever those things happen. It’s either okay let’s focus on one thing that did go right this week or let’s focus on something that will go right next week - that helps you pivot positively!’ 

Huge thank you to Zevi for taking time out to share his experiences and major takeaways. Word on the street is that he’s amazing and we agree, he is.

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