My Resume

[Waylon Barton]

Fishing Résumé

Hi my name is Waylon Barton I have been fishing since I can remember. I am 16 years old and bass fish pretty much everyday. When I have the money I do every tournaments i can on lake Conroe, Houston, and lake Livingston.

I have my own website on which I will promote your company. I think it will get you more sales if you sponsor me.

Tournaments Results

• I have won 3 of the one fish tournaments on lake Livingston
• I have got 2nd in a few local bass tournaments on lake Houston
• The last tournament I entered it was mid-day and I had 3 bass weighing 17 pounds and then my boat broke down and i had to leave and didnt make the weigh in.

It will be greatly appericated if anyone can give me a call or email.

Thanks,

Waylon Barton

20262 youpon ln Porter TX 77365

Phone Number:281-740-6040

Email:waybarton@hotmail.com

[kms399]

what is it you are asking for, you could use some work on your wording and you may not want to post so much personal information on the internet. also what sets you apart. every 16 year old kid wants to be sponsored how are you worth it more than another guy.

[Waylon Barton]

What i am asking for is any help with lures or tournament fees. what sets me apart from every other 16 year old is that i can go on any lake and catch bass. I have my own website where i can put there products on them and get there product out and all i need is so help with tournaments and i can get people to buy there products.

[lynyrdsky1]

What i am asking for is any help with lures or tournament fees. what sets me apart from every other 16 year old is that i can go on any lake and catch bass. I have my own website where i can put there products on them and get there product out and all i need is so help with tournaments and i can get people to buy there products.

Go back on this forum and read as many threads as you can. Doing this may save you some trouble because a lot of people, like yourself, jump the gun on the subject of sponsors with out really thinking about it. I know this because at one time I did this.

Here are some questions you need to ask yourself:

What differs you, not just from people your age, but everyone else out there looking for a sponsor?

Are you a people person?

Can you for sure, not just market the companies product, but market yourself?

Do you have tournament experience?

Do you have knowledge of the companies products?

These questions are very vague and there is still alot you have to think about. So again think through things before you start getting all excited.

p.s. I really did not want to bring this up because I am also guilty of this, work on your spelling and writing cause without it, you are pretty much of no use to any company. Education is Key!!

[etommy28]

What i am asking for is any help with lures or tournament fees. what sets me apart from every other 16 year old is that i can go on any lake and catch bass. I have my own website where i can put there products on them and get there product out and all i need is so help with tournaments and i can get people to buy there products.

im going to put this nicely, this does not make you any different than what most 16 year olds who fish tournys and has a computer thinks. just that wont fly with a company. I have had sponsors for a couple years, you have no idea the time investment it takes and it cut in to your fishing. im going to give you advise, keep fishing, quit looking for sponsors, look for a part time job to pay for entry fees, get good grades and get to college. in college take marketing classes and fish on a college fishing team. listen to lynyrdsky1, he has been through the ringer on here, I will add to what he said you resume is too wordy and personal. they dont want to read they just want to see the facts. and I got bad news if you dont make it to weigh in to show there product it is no help to them so you might want to leave that out. if you have questions let me know I hope this helps.

[Bass XL]

Fishing Résumé

Hi my name is Waylon Barton I have been fishing since I can remember. I am 16 years old and bass fish pretty much everyday. When I have the money I do every tournaments i can on lake Conroe, Houston, and lake Livingston.

I have my own website on which I will promote your company. I think it will get you more sales if you sponsor me.

Tournaments Results

• I have won 3 of the one fish tournaments on lake Livingston
• I have got 2nd in a few local bass tournaments on lake Houston
• The last tournament I entered it was mid-day and I had 3 bass weighing 17 pounds and then my boat broke down and i had to leave and didnt make the weigh in.

It will be greatly appericated if anyone can give me a call or email.

Thanks,

Waylon Barton

20262 youpon ln Porter TX 77365

Phone Number:281-740-6040

Email:waybarton@hotmail.com

Blatantly put, this is going to get you nowhere. I would like to ask you though, why do YOU need sponsors?

[Grey Wolf]

Blatantly put, this is going to get you nowhere. I would like to ask you though, why do YOU need sponsors?

Because he's 16 and reaching for the stars.

[slonezp]

Why didn't you also ask for money to buy a new boat since yours has mechanical issues? Get a job and pay for your own tournaments. After a few seasons of consistently high rankings in your tourneys, try again with a new resume.

[Flywatersmallie]

As someone who is sponsored by several national companies and a few local ones and was before I fished a single tournament (I have been a guide for years).... First thing you need to do is learn to market yourself. By that, I mean, sell yourself. You are a product to potential sponsors, make them want to "buy" you. If you can not promote their product the way they see fit, you are of no use to them. Because you fished a couple local tourneys and and placed well in some of them, well, that just isn't good enough. A friend and I finished 3rd last week in a tourney maybe 50 miles away and beat out 30 or so boats of locals that actually know the lake. My sponsors all know about it, it doesn't really matter to them though. What they are looking for is money. Nothing more. YOU have to show them how YOU can increase profits. As was previously stated, its a job. Plain and simple. You could just as easily be selling Amway or Kirby vacuum cleaners. It is a sales job. At one time, I was guiding 75-80 trips a season for smallmouth. I had an "in". I can put company X products in the hands of someone who wouldn't ordinarily try them. You need to find your "in". What can you do? Fishing is really a secondary though.

My guide business has tailed off to some extent in recent years due to the economy but I can still offer the same advantages. A marketable angle. Every company out there has a website, I do too for both my guide service and my "day job", I run a window cleaning company. Since I am not a top ranking Elite pro, I have to do something else to eat. Knowing a few of them personally, a lot of them carry a side job as well. Also, I have a marketing degree. Education goes a long way.

Another thing, only, and I mean ONLY contact companies that offer products that you are familiar with and believe in. Most of these companies are contacted dozens if not hundreds of times a week by folks looking for a handout. They can see right through you.

Nothing here was meant to degrade you or your resume, just want to make it clear that you need to do something first. Sounds like you have a good start but its exactly that, a start. Keep building on it, go to school and make yourself a commodity that everyone wants.

One other quick thing, you stated that you wanted help with lures and tournament fees.... So do I! I get free plastics, jigs and rods at a discount but all my tourney fees are paid directly by my number one sponsors, my wife and I. Unless your name is Van Dam or Iaconelli, you better be ready to pony up some cash. They are in business to make money, not give it away. No sense in paying someone's fees and getting no return on that investment. Say you fished a local tourney and won. How does that benefit the company that may have paid for you to fish? The Elite tours are worldwide events with every imaginable media outlet covering. Not so with local bar league tourneys or even FLW or BASS club tournaments. Gotta make it worthwhile!

[Long Mike]

As someone who is sponsored by several national companies and a few local ones and was before I fished a single tournament (I have been a guide for years).... First thing you need to do is learn to market yourself. By that, I mean, sell yourself. You are a product to potential sponsors, make them want to "buy" you. If you can not promote their product the way they see fit, you are of no use to them. Because you fished a couple local tourneys and and placed well in some of them, well, that just isn't good enough. A friend and I finished 3rd last week in a tourney maybe 50 miles away and beat out 30 or so boats of locals that actually know the lake. My sponsors all know about it, it doesn't really matter to them though. What they are looking for is money. Nothing more. YOU have to show them how YOU can increase profits. As was previously stated, its a job. Plain and simple. You could just as easily be selling Amway or Kirby vacuum cleaners. It is a sales job. At one time, I was guiding 75-80 trips a season for smallmouth. I had an "in". I can put company X products in the hands of someone who wouldn't ordinarily try them. You need to find your "in". What can you do? Fishing is really a secondary though.

My guide business has tailed off to some extent in recent years due to the economy but I can still offer the same advantages. A marketable angle. Every company out there has a website, I do too for both my guide service and my "day job", I run a window cleaning company. Since I am not a top ranking Elite pro, I have to do something else to eat. Knowing a few of them personally, a lot of them carry a side job as well. Also, I have a marketing degree. Education goes a long way.

Another thing, only, and I mean ONLY contact companies that offer products that you are familiar with and believe in. Most of these companies are contacted dozens if not hundreds of times a week by folks looking for a handout. They can see right through you.

Nothing here was meant to degrade you or your resume, just want to make it clear that you need to do something first. Sounds like you have a good start but its exactly that, a start. Keep building on it, go to school and make yourself a commodity that everyone wants.

One other quick thing, you stated that you wanted help with lures and tournament fees.... So do I! I get free plastics, jigs and rods at a discount but all my tourney fees are paid directly by my number one sponsors, my wife and I. Unless your name is Van Dam or Iaconelli, you better be ready to pony up some cash. They are in business to make money, not give it away. No sense in paying someone's fees and getting no return on that investment. Say you fished a local tourney and won. How does that benefit the company that may have paid for you to fish? The Elite tours are worldwide events with every imaginable media outlet covering. Not so with local bar league tourneys or even FLW or BASS club tournaments. Gotta make it worthwhile!

This is probably the best critique' of a youngsters resume' I have read on this forum. Be sure to save it to file and then paste it into every response to kids who send in their resumes.'

[Long Mike]

What i (I) am asking for is any (delete this) help with lures or tournament fees. what (What) sets me apart from every (Are you sure it is every single 16 year old? I would delete this) other 16 year old (teen aged fishermen) is that i (I) can go on any lake and catch bass. (Bold statement. This would be better: I have a higher success rate when fishing a new lake. Have proof to back this up.) I have my own website where i (I) can put there (their, not there. There is used as OVER THERE. should say LIST THEIR) products on. (End here) them ​(Who are you putting them on? Proper use for there however. Remove and start new sentence) and get there (See first "there" Remove this) product out and all i (I) need is so (Why is this here?) help with tournaments and i (I) can get people to buy there (See first "there") product (Remove all the last sentence. Add: If I can be sponsored to enter tournaments I can promote their products.)

Not to sound mean, but I will be honest. How do you expect to sell their products when you are not communicating correctly. What is your marketing strategy to sell the products? Education is key.

​

What I am asking for is help with lures or tournament fees. What sets me apart from other teen aged fishermen is that I have a higher success rate when fishing a new lake. I have my own website that I can list their products on. If I can be sponsored to enter tournaments I can promote their products.

Slapshot, you and I have a lot in common. Butchering of the English language is one of them. I used to be the resident A-hole around here on that subject, until I was constricted as a Moderator. Now I have to be a nicer guy. Please sir, take up my fallen flag!

[MarkH024]

What i am asking for is any help with lures or tournament fees. what sets me apart from every other 16 year old is that i can go on any lake and catch bass. I have my own website where i can put there products on them and get there product out and all i need is so help with tournaments and i can get people to buy there products.

Your website...isn't going to generate more web traffic and SEO results than their own, plain and simple. They have thousands and thousands of dollars to make sure they receive the necessary web traffic to their web pages/stores. You also need to tell a company "how" you plan to get people to buy the products. Tournament fees will need to be paid by you, for a long time to come. Until you have a "name" in the pro circuits, no one except for you, is going to pay your dues. Start saving your pennies if you want to fish seriously in tournaments. Money and family are the things holding me back from tournament fishing and I am 30 years old with a college degree and a steady job of 8 years now.

Learn from the site and the feedback and don't give up if this is truly what you want to do. Look into college bass fishing and where you can make an advancement in tournament fishing from that. You're still very young and there is a lot of things in life you need to consider first. There are no free hand outs in life. Everyone has to pay their dues.

[Flywatersmallie]

This is probably the best critique' of a youngsters resume' I have read on this forum. Be sure to save it to file and then paste it into every response to kids who send in their resumes.'

Hahaha, maybe so bud! While there are a few typos and the like in there, I put some thought into it when I wrote it. There is no substitute for experience, thats for sure!

[jhoffman]

Heres my thoughts as one of the youngest guys to ever hold a flyfishing sponsorship that I gave up.

1: Nothing is free! When you get free stuff, you are expected to work, be it shows.. whatever... be prepared to travel and spend your money doing so

2: Once you turn something into a job, its no longer fun

[RangerDanger96]

Waylon,

All the Critique you are getting here you need to take to heart and use it. You have to have something that makes you different.

Ask yourself these questions. What kind of leadership skills do you have? What kind of grades do you get? What is your attendance at school? Can I carry on a conversation with anyone, and I mean anyone! Am I willing to sacrifice my fishing time to promote their products at shows? Will I be able to display their logos on my vehicle, boat etc. Last but not least, and most likely the most important, do I BELIEVE in the company! If your answer was no or I don't know, to any of these, wait a little longer and hone your marketing skills.