Episode Eight with Derrick Clark

Derrick joins us to share about ways to leverage LinkedIn as a networking platform, equipment, and rental business in the oil and gas industry, and how you can start your side hustle.

 

Timestamps

[05:13] About our new podcast, The Why Drive Podcast

[06:07] About Derrick Clark

[07:30] Derrick’s background in the equipment rental industry

[09:15] Using LinkedIn as a networking platform

[13:10] Ways to grow your network

[16:24] Experience with Epic solutions through COVID-19

[23:17] The future of LinkedIn

[28:17] Modulating the workload

[33:36] Keys to starting a side hustle

[37:36] Going through the tribulations and coming through them

[44:15] Connect with Derrick Clark

[46:04] The Why Drive Podcast

 

Notable Derrick Clark Quotes From The Episode

• I’m a big advocate of networking. What I found over the years is that it’s not what you know but who you know.
• I have spent most of my career in the oil and gas industry and unfortunately, I don’t think any other industry does as well the job of giving back and trying and working with the community.
• It’s a mindset to become an entrepreneur. It’s not for everybody.
• I wouldn’t have just branched out and done this all by myself. I started with partnerships, so it was a little easier.

Resources

Connect With Derrick Clark

Derrick Clark | LinkedIn

Growing Your Business Through Networking

Networking is one of the most preferred ways of getting clients for any business. Regardless of your area of specialty, you need to keep finding the connections that are relevant and crucial to help you grow your business by turning them into clients. LinkedIn is one of the best platforms businesses and companies in all sectors, including the oil and gas industry have used to market themselves and network with like-minded individuals.

 

In this episode, Ben Samuels interviews Derrick Clark, the sales and marketing consultant at Epic Site Solutions LLC. Epic Site Solutions provides construction equipment, heavy machinery, and crane needs for customers in the Permian Basin. The company exclusively represents Anderson Machinery and Kaige Kubota, two locally owned companies in the Permian Basin. Derrick is an experienced Account Manager with vast knowledge in the energy industry. Through his networking skill such as communication and cold calling, he has been able to close deals for various projects in the company. Besides, he is also the membership chair for the Permian Basin Association of Pipeliners, whose mission is to advance pipeline engineering, operations, safety practices, and education for the mutual benefit of its members.

 

We interviewed Derick on a number of topics including oil and gas, networking through LinkedIn, and how you can grow your network. Here’s what Derrick had to say.

 

Using LinkedIn as a Networking Platform

 

“I’m a big advocate of networking. What I found over the years is that it’s not what you know but who you know.”

 

We connected with Derrick through LinkedIn a few months ago. The platform has proven to be effective in connecting like-minded professionals whether it’s for growing a business or sharing tips and trends around different industries. Building a network requires some useful tips that Derrick Shares with us:

• Start with your local networks. You can do this by inviting your contacts to connect with you on the platform.
• Attend communities that are usually organized on the platform to help you learn from each other.
• Leverage your unique network. If you have been building your network for some time now, probably you have noticed a group of connections on the platform. These represent a unique market opportunity on the platform and are a great place to seek new connections.
• Join LinkedIn groups. Although several groups have been affected by spammy content, there are still plenty of them out there that can offer great value to members. All you have to perform is good research and choose the best ones to join.

COVID-19 Experience with Epic Solutions

COVID-19 effects affected the majority of sectors and businesses and Derrick’s Epic Solutions was no exception. He says they shut down offices and in place of it, opened sales and consulting for companies that he represents. He had to build a network on LinkedIn to keep his businesses running even during the adversity.

 

“It really went negative and nothing really worked. I decided to build and network on LinkedIn.”

He says he had to work consistently to ensure the pipeline keeps running. He even used the time to make follow-ups on past deals that didn’t go through.

The good thing about networking is that you can work with several industries at once. This is how Derrick found himself building his own side hustle. He says that having a growth mindset and mentality are the keys to starting a side hustle, and can also be crucial in going through challenges in business.

 

Tune in to listen to the whole episode as Derrick shares his insights around other topics in the oil and gas industry, and about Epic Site Solutions.

 

Connect With Derrick Clark

Derrick Clark | LinkedIn

About the show

On Coffee & Liquidity, our mission is to give some perspective and context to those that may not have the tools at their disposal, whether income or acumen, to become a full-time entrepreneur but can still leverage their networks, etc., to build passive revenue streams or wealth in other ways. The American dream can be reached through multiple paths. It’s time we talk about it!

 

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