This weekend, I joined my fiancé in purchasing a new truck and unexpectedly stepped into a time machine.
Before my journey into marketing agencies and B2C strategy, my career began in the automotive industry. At 23, I spent my days visiting dealerships across our auto group: walking lots with GMs, sitting at sales desks, and listening as salespeople worked deals over phone and text, striving for a “yes.”
Some days, the showroom was so quiet you could hear keyboards clicking. Other days, the energy was electric, with conversations between customers, service managers, and finance managers echoing off the tile floors and glass walls, reaching my office above the service garage. It was impossible to ignore and, honestly, impossible not to love.
I left automotive in 2020 and returned in June 2025. However, the moment I walked into that used car showroom yesterday, it all came rushing back. It felt like reconnecting with my 21-year-old self, who spent five years driving whatever vehicle was available among up to ten rooftops in a quarter, learning the rhythm of the business from the inside out.
While my fiancé inspected the truck, I chatted with the salesperson. The conversation felt instantly familiar—not transactional, but relational. It reminded me of a colleague who had one of the largest customer bases in the group, fueled almost entirely by repeat buyers and referrals—not through flashy tactics, but because people trusted him.
That’s the part of automotive most people don’t see. Behind every sale is a web of relationships, persistence, follow-up, and emotional intelligence. It’s equal parts hustle and human connection.
No matter how far my career takes me from the showroom floor, experiences like this remind me how much that environment shaped the professional I became—resilient, adaptable, and deeply aware that business is ultimately about people.
Funny how buying a vehicle can bring you full circle.