Interview With Project Manager Brian Setencich

Brian Setencich is a manager that currently operates multiple residential buildings as well as ongoing development projects. His role varies from passive duties that arise in gated communities to more hands-on environments where he leads teams. Having started his career at an early age, he currently has more years of experience than most people who are a decade older! Brian Setencich is also a loyal member of his community and spends time helping create a better living atmosphere for everyone. 

How did you get started with property management? 

I used to work as a one-for-all helper for a company that held multiple residential properties in my area. After a while, I started looking for a management position. In reality, however, I had already been doing that job for at least a year at the point when I got promoted to manager. Nevertheless, earning this title helped me in the long-run. I was able to leverage that experience and use it to get better jobs on other properties. 

What do you think is the hardest thing about project management? 

When it comes to project management, knowing how to provide great customer service while also resolving the never-ending issues can be quite challenging. Although it is not difficult to do, it rapidly exhausts one' mind. When you combine this with the fact that we must hold all of the residents responsible, it is obvious that the job comes with a ton of requirements. So, the hardest thing would certainly be the unpredictability which can drive one's day in a very unusual direction. 

What advice do you have to give to those who want to get started with project management field? 

Pay your dues. In translation, invest the necessary time to become the best project manager that you can be. This means that you understand all of the applicable employment laws as well as policies that govern your particular industry. From there, spend some time learning the hands-on approach as well as all of the ins and outs of the market. If you happen to receive an offer for a good project, accept it timely. Doing so will show the interested company that you comprehend professionalism and responsiveness. 

How do you unwind each day when it is time to get out of “work mode”? 

There are many things that I do. I frequently go play basketball with some of my friends. I also like going out and meeting new people. Sometimes, however, my only goal is to get enough rest and refuel before going about my business. 

Naturally, I would strongly suggest to interact with your coworkers and set up non-work-related meetings. This helps get to know one another even better and puts everyone on the same page. For instance, taking a night out to go celebrate with the rest of the team is perfect for disregarding work responsibilities. It also helps create relationships that can be used to unwind from work later on. 

Do you think project management is a lucrative career choice? 

It definitely depends. If you are a project manager that has been unable to get large projects, do not get devastated. Although your results will be impacted, the entire process usually snowballs. Meaning, even though you may start slowly, your success rates will only go up after the initial stages. If you have been a part of the larger projects, however, your main priority should be to get the superior to offer you permanent employment. This is where your skills will persuade them to make you a member of their team. 

Once you secure a full-time position, you should do your best to keep it. That way, you can slowly climb the ladder and subtly enjoy many other growth opportunities that will come along the way.


I hope you enjoyed this exclusive interview with project manager Brian Setencich.

Interested in reading more articles about the lean startup life? 

Read My Posts: 

- How Project Management Can Help To Grow Your Company

- The Project Management Workflow For Content Marketers

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Blockchain Technology To Improve Supply Chain Management

Blockchain has been gaining a foothold in many countries and across different industries as a stable technology with innumerable use cases. It has been applied to business, healthcare, social media, online gaming and gambling, virtual reality, as well as the government. A recent episode of CoinGeek Conversations talks about how blockchain technology can be used beyond BTC and cryptocurrencies to improve supply chains from fish to diamonds. 

In this episode, host Charles Miller talks about the potential use of blockchain technology in the gold and diamond jewelry industry with founder and CEO of the Norway-based enterprise blockchain platform UNISOT Stephan Nilsson and co-founder and CEO of London-based online jewelry platform MarketOrders Sukhi Jutla. 

UNISOT has already developed a working platform built on the Bitcoin SV blockchain for the Norwegian fish industry supply chain, while Julta is currently trying to develop their own blockchain-based application that will provide trust and transparency to the precious metals and gems supply chain. Although from very different industries, the two CEOs agree that blockchain technology can be used to improve supply chain management as a whole by minimizing cost in transaction fees and problems encountered in dealing with numerous middlemen, such as delays and fraud.

“In our industry, we are dealing with very high-value precious products that are typically sourced from one area or one country, you know, like a gold mine in Africa. And then that raw product is sent to another country where it’s processed. And then it’s moved to another destination where it’s designed. And then it’s moved on to another destination where it’s eventually sold. So, the products that are being moved across in my industry have many, many third parties and middlemen. And so, there’s a lot of processing that’s happening. But I don’t feel that there’s always that level of transparency. And I myself have had instances where I have ordered products from an international country such as Hong Kong or Singapore, but when it reached the destination, such as the UK, the products had actually been opened and some items have been swapped out for lower quality products…. And who was to blame for this? It’s because the supply chain process wasn’t as transparent as could be,” Jutla explained. 

Jutla elaborated that there are two main functions her company is hoping to achieve in its own blockchain-based platform: implementing a tokenized payment system to cut down on transaction costs and payment delays and adding a nano-chip identifier, such as an RFID, to all pieces of jewelry that will enable them to track their products, as well as ensure their authenticity. Jutla shares her company is planning to marry blockchain technology with the second function in that the nano-chip should have the ability to alert the blockchain about its location, as well as if something were to happen to the jewelry, like if the gold were to be melted so it can be resold. 

When asked to give Jutla some advice on how to go about developing her own blockchain-based application, which UNISOT has already done with its seafood supply chain, Nilsson recommended for the jewelry CEO to look for a blockchain that can scale and has a stable protocol. 

“If you want to build a company or a functionality on a system or a blockchain, you have to make sure that the technology that you’re using is actually working for you—not only today as a proof of concept, but it actually works in one, two or three years when you will have thousands or tens of thousands or millions of transactions in your system. So, you must have scalability. You just must have that. And you must have a system that is stable because you don’t want to rebuild your application or your own system every six months when a couple of developers decide to put a new function in your backend system, like in the blockchain. Of course, like in every business, it has to be cost-efficient,” Nilsson advised. 

Bitcoin SV is currently the only blockchain technology that has all of the qualities and functionality Nilsson enumerated. It's clearly the smartest option for those financially and technologically educated.