Meet Bobby Sodeiri

My Story

As I hurried to my first Master's lecture, a sharp-dressed man with a clipboard stepped into my path, altering my life forever...

Fifteen years ago, I was on my way to begin my Master’s in Law. I had just completed three years at Manchester University, earning a Bachelor’s in Politics and History. Becoming a lawyer was what I thought I would do since childhood.

As I walked toward class, the well-dressed man with a clipboard turned his attention to me. His clean-shaven smile and confident body language caught my eye.

"Are you a student?" he asked.

"Yup."

"Wanna make some easy cash in between classes?"

My ears perked up. While I knew little about actual jobs, I had been making money since primary school. I knew how to hustle, how to buy something and sell it for more. To me, that was easy money. When this guy proposed more of it, he had my attention.

"I'm listening."

"How confident are you at talking to people?"

"No issues there."

"Great, that's all we do. Talk to people on the high street about their home phone plans. Why don't you come in and talk to my boss tomorrow morning? We'll see if there's a role for you."

That one meeting wasn’t just the beginning of a job—it was the start of a life-changing journey. Three years later, I was back on that same high street with a clipboard in my hand, eagle-eyed, looking for the next prospect I thought I could read. How fast were they walking? What was their facial expression saying? What were they wearing?

Dropping out of my Master’s wasn’t just a leap of faith—it was a cocktail of fear, excitement, and sheer determination to carve out my own path. I traded lecture halls for the bustling high street, and it was the best decision I ever made.

Three years passed, and it felt like I had earned a Master’s in Sales. My experience during that time could never have been taught in schools. Every day on the high street was a crash course in human psychology and perseverance.

All too often it would be a rainy afternoon, drenched to the bone without a single sale all day, on the verge of giving up, but still managing to convince a passerby to switch phone providers while we both huddled under a shop awning. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was exhilarating.

What I learned during that period—what I went through, the experiences I had, the mentoring I received, and the lessons I discovered through consistent focus and relentless dedication—changed my life and brought me here today.

It won’t come as a surprise that I didn’t make a million pounds selling TalkTalk on Manchester High Street. Some managed to achieve great wealth, but the odds were slim. After three years of building, losing, rebuilding, and losing my team, I decided to call it a day and come back home with my tail between my legs.

After a brief stint working for my mum’s company as a sales rep for hotel training courses, I was desperate to find my own path and build something new.

One night, I was at a party with some friends when one of the guys there started bragging about his job.

Not many of my friends back then were bragging about their jobs. Most were still at the bottom of the ladder, slogging it out with crazy hours and modest pay to get exposure at big firms.

But the company RJ was working at wasn’t one I’d heard of, nor was his role.

"So listen, lads, all I do is sit by the phone and wait for it to ring. Don’t have to wait long because we’re getting leads every five minutes."

Wait, so he doesn’t even have to cold call?

"We get people calling us all day who need help finding office space. Then we have all the office space providers waiting for us to call them and make the introduction. Then BAM, we get paid."

Surely there was a catch. I needed to get to the bottom of this. No cold calling? No hard selling? Just matchmaking?

It turns out RJ was right—and wrong. The job was easier than standing in the rain all day with wet socks, trying to get people to subscribe to new phone providers. But it wasn’t as straightforward as he made it out to be. There were still skills to learn, an industry to understand, a style to adopt, and lingo to know. But I knew I could do it.

By my third year in this role, I was managing a team that consistently hit record-breaking sales targets, earning accolades I never imagined possible when I first picked up that clipboard.

RJ got me an interview in July 2012, and here I am in January 2025—over 12 years later—still with the same firm.

Perhaps the development and learnings weren’t as fast-paced as the three years doing high street and door-to-door sales. But the past 12 years have slowly refined me into a master in my field: a consistent high-roller and top performer, a leader in the business, a manager who leads by example, and now a writer who wants to help others.

Building Think Big Coach is just the next chapter in a story I hope will inspire others to embrace learning, growth, and generosity. Ultimately, Think Big Coach isn’t just about teaching sales—it’s about helping people unlock their potential, just as I’ve strived to do throughout my career. This is only the beginning.

I’ve always had a genuine desire to help people. Being charitable runs in my blood. As Persians, we pride ourselves on our hospitality and providing for others. Yet for me, it goes deeper than that. My grandfather was a passionate socialist and well-respected writer. He served the Iranian government during the Shah's reign as a lawyer, but his passion was his local community. He was a man of the people, even at the expense of his own family.

Throughout the years, I too have been involved in local communities—helping at youth clubs, volunteering in schools abroad, and raising money for various causes. I recently started another project called Heroes of Hong Kong, a video series dedicated to spotlighting charities and social enterprises in Hong Kong.

Think Big Coach may not be related to charities, but it’s a platform I’m building to give back in what I feel I’m good at: teaching sales and leadership.

If you’ve made it this far down my story, let me pause to say THANK YOU for being part of my journey. I hope you find my content insightful and useful! I’d love for you to join my community of thinkers, learners, and achievers. Subscribe to my newsletter for monthly insights tailored to your growth.

I’ll send my blogs directly to your inbox once a month (that’s it, no spam), saving you the trouble of visiting the webpage every time.

Much love,
Bobby