Hello all. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Crystal Silvas and I am the newest addition to the Top Ten Wholesale team. I’m Jason Prescott’s new executive assistant, to be more accurate, and this is my first official project. Like Cassie before me, I browsed through several older blogs to gauge an idea of what I should be discussing. Seeing as this is only my second day on the job I won’t claim to be an expert on any of these topics; I’d like to familiarize myself with the ins and outs of the industry before I write anything really in-depth. Jason has given me a few magazines to read through which I intend to look over this evening and early tomorrow morning. When I find a topic which strikes me as interesting, you’ll be hearing from me again.

That being said, let me begin my first official blog by telling you a little bit about myself. I am an avid surfer first and foremost, a lover of nature, a typical Aries (impulsive, passionate, and creative), a sister, a volunteer, and a loyal wife. I am a writer, a singer and a piano player. I love to sing karaoke and watch my husband’s rock band play allover San Diego county. I enjoy playing with my crazy dog Lucy and my tiny turtle Honu. I also enjoy dancing; I dance with a Polynesian Band & Dance Troupe called Taupou 2-3 times a week. We do Hawaiian hula, Tahitian dance, and some Samoan dance. I love the hula the most. I go to Baja as much as I can, and I love to teach people new things. My last job, which lasted just shy of a year, was managing a surf school. I fulfilled many roles there: head surf instructor, retail manager, accountant, etc. Of course, my favorite role was surf instructor as this meant plenty of time outdoors in my most treasured of environs.

So what brought me here? To make a very long story short, I discovered that my former employer was engaging in some not-so-legal business practices, including misclassifying me and my co-workers as independent contractors to avoid paying taxes. Additionally, she was deducting pay from our checks for breaks which we were forbidden to take. There’s a whole laundry list of laws which were broken, but this is neither the time nor the place. When I confronted my boss about it, citing the laws which I found directly from the California Labor Board, she tried to have me sign a document waiving my rights. When I refused, I was immediately terminated. And so my days of happy-go-lucky surf instructor girl came to an end, but not without a fight.

This was extremely unfortunate for me on so many levels, the biggest being that my husband and I were in the process of buying our very first home. This was the worst possible time to face unemployment; our financial situation wasn’t exactly kosher to begin with, and this certainly didn’t help. And so began the job hunt. I scoured the internet everyday for a month straight forgoing my usual ocean/hubby/dance/music time. I faxed and emailed my resume to every potential employer that I felt was worthy of my time and energy. I was consumed by it. But it was all to no avail. My husband accused me of setting my employment standards too high, but damn it, I was worth it! Or so I thought. After a month without success, I finally threw in the towel and lowered my standards. I walked into a hole-in-the wall Hawaiian restaurant and was hired on the spot. My husband was thrilled at the prospect of another paycheck, but I felt defeated; I’ve worked in the restaurant industry in the past and did not want to go groveling back now.

I was supposed to start my new job as cashier on Friday June 8th. I spent the Thursday morning before that moping around my apartment, dreading the following night when I would have to work in a restaurant again. How could I go from wearing bikinis and wetsuits and playing in the ocean to taking people’s orders in a hot restaurant for minimum wage? I just couldn’t, but I had to. I didn’t have much of a choice. That is, until JP Communications came to my rescue. I received a phone call from Krista Daniels informing me that her boss had reviewed my resume and was interested in an interview—that same day. I was ecstatic. When I asked where the office was located, I was thrilled to learn that it was in San Marcos, the very same city my husband and I are buying a home—and it’s literally minutes away. (We close escrow on July 1st. We currently reside in Oceanside.)

When I came in for the interview, I came in with the attitude that the job was already mine; Jason just didn’t know it yet. That probably sounds incredibly arrogant, but that’s how badly I wanted this job. I spent the drive over reciting positive affirmations out loud, psyching myself up, believing that my desired outcome was the one and only possible outcome (if that makes any sense), and apparently it worked because I am now sitting here today, happy as hell that I’m not taking orders for teriyaki chicken and lomilomi salmon. What I lack in executive experience I make up for in intelligence and the genuine desire to succeed. Thank you Jason Prescott for giving this surfer girl a chance. I assure you that you will not be disappointed.