I’ve always been a people person.

From getting in trouble at primary school for walking around the classroom to mingle, to partaking in as many team sports as possible, I realised early on in life that I simply enjoy spending time with other people.

This became more apparent as I transitioned into my professional life and I spent 12 months working in a commission-only field sales job while backpacking in Australia. I remember the job advert piqued my curiosity and appealed to my extroverted side with phrases like “Do you enjoy dealing with people?” and “Do you love to travel?”

In truth, it was the most unfulfilling job I’ve ever had. My income was inconsistent and the hours were horrendous. I swore I’d never work in a role like that again. What kept me there and motivated me to work on commission-only for 12 months was the people I was surrounded with, a good number of whom I’m still friends with to this day, some 10 years later.

I subsequently joined a small recruitment firm and couldn’t wait to get stuck in. Unfortunately, my excitement quickly turned into demotivation. I was considerably younger, far less experienced, and at a different stage in life to my four colleagues, so I became rather isolated. The physical work environment didn’t help either as each desk faced a wall, so everyone had their backs to each other. I was so disillusioned that I even applied for another commission-only direct sales role during my lunch break one day. This was the exact point that I realised I needed healthy social relationships not just in my private life, but in work too.