Post by Stephen Nance
Principal @ Brand Share It Sales Partners | Connecting Specialty Food Brands to Retail Success | Growth Partner Grounded in Execution & Integrity
A 7-foot NBA center. A 70-year-old high school coach from Louisiana. And one of the most powerful relationship stories I have seen in a long time. Mitchell Robinson played for coach Butch Stockton at Chalmette High School in Louisiana. Stockton saw a tall kid walking the neighborhood. Recruited him. Told his mother he had a chance to make it. Robinson was first in the gym every day. Last to leave every night. That relationship never ended. When Coach Stockton's wife Dawn was hospitalized with metastatic cancer in the summer of 2023, Robinson showed up. Not once. Every single day. When Dawn passed, Robinson stood beside his coach at the funeral. Put his arm around him. Said three words. "I got you." Then he made good on it. He invited Stockton to leave Louisiana, come to New York, and live with him. "Coach, there is no reason to stay down here anymore. Come to New York with me. Get your mind back straight." Stockton packed his bags. Moved to Katonah, New York. Attended nearly every Knicks home game from the 10th row. Robinson described it simply. "He helped me. I help him. It works out for the best." Coach Stockton eventually returned to Chalmette High. Mitchell Robinson went on to win an NBA Championship with the Knicks in 2026. Two different chapters. One unbreakable bond. Every founder. Every brand. Every buyer relationship. They all start the same way. Someone sees potential where others walk past. Someone invests time before there is any return to show. Someone shows up when it is not convenient. The brands that win long term are not the ones who treat business as a mere transaction. They are the ones that build relationships on real trust. Show up. Be present before you need something. Invest in people, not just placements. Look at the person on the other side of the desk and mean it when you say: "I got you." Connect. Collaborate. Grow. #Leadership #Mentorship #Loyalty #Relationships #PeopleFirst #CPG #NaturalFoods #FoodAndBeverage #BrandBuilding #SalesLeadership #FractionalSales #NaturalCPG #GrowthMindset #LinkedInCommunity
