Well, folks—my year-long social experiment has officially come to a close.

A month ago today, I put in my notice and left my sales-centric gig.

Yes, sales.

A job which I’d been attempting doing for a year.

If you’re blinking in semi-disbelief—well, you’re not the only one.

For one, I’ve never quit a job in my entire professional existence. (I mean, there was that brief stint mowing my neighbor’s lawn in my pre-teen years, but we’re not gonna count that.)

And second, I gotta admit—I’m pretty tickled that I made it a year in sales. After middling success early-on, I thought I might (kinda, sorta, maybe) have a knack for it. While it sounded good in theory, it ultimately wasn’t my jam. It was, however, a phenomenal learning exercise.

Do I believe sales should be left to sales professionals? That’s an unequivocal yes from me. Here are five things I gleaned from my time in the trenches:

5) There were plenty of pros. I met a ton of cool, like-minded individuals and expanded my network ten-fold. Granted, I know everyone. Literally, everyone. That came in handy getting in the door for coffee or lunches.

Knowing everyone (literally, everyone!) should bode well in my upcoming job hunt. I’m looking for a creative, travel-heavy gig that puts me squarely in front of clients. Maybe media training or directing a motley crew of production professionals? Lord knows I do my best work on the road or on a chaotic set. (Oh, and did I mention I now have a year of heavy-duty sales experience?)

4) By trade, I’m a deadline-driven writer/producer/director who thrives on clients seeing the benefits of my handiwork. In sales, you’re driven by quotas, mandates, and, uh, actual sales. If there was a creative component to sales, it somehow escaped me. (And, no, watching hours of TikTok pros expound upon the virtues of selling doesn’t count.)

But over the past twelve months, I’ve concluded I can talk to anyone about anything for any length of time. My gift of gab is now exponentially high.

3) There’s a cadence, language, and rhythm to sales. Mercifully, I learned to finesse and/or nuance the who/what/when/where of transactional lingo. At its core, a sale is a communication process. Too bad I always felt like I was always speaking in tongues.

But, again, at the end of the day, I yearned to be creative. And life is too short not to find a happy medium. Case in point, if sales were a minor part of my job description, I woulda crushed it and been happy as a clam.

2) Mind you, sales did have its perks. In 12 months, I learned more about various industries (and their subsequent needs) than I ever would have otherwise. Plus, I now know the fine art of maneuvering through a chamber of commerce happy hour. Also, I have intimate knowledge of every coffee shop in the entire Kansas City metro. Hit me up for recommendations.

If you graced my presence over the last year, thanks for diplomatically letting me find my footing. And thanks for all the referrals. Next year, let’s put that effort and energy into my latest fab, full-time venture. Deal?

1) Bottom line, can I do sales? Heck, yeah. Can I hit goals? Heck, yeah. Like anything I do, I gave it my all for twelve months. (So. Much. Kissing. Babies. And. Shaking. Hands.)

But did it spark joy, fulfillment, or a sense of job security? Alas, no. So, as we head into the new year, I’m shaking up my Magic 8 Ball.

As in years past, the universe always does its thing when put to the test. This time around, I predict the perfect (creative, road warrior) job finds me. It always does.

Thanks for coming to my TEDTalk.