One of my first jobs was door-to-door double glazing sales. It was, hands down, the most brutal and formative experience I could’ve had at sixteen. Knock after knock, rejection after rejection—it was a baptism by fire. At the time, it scared me off the idea of “sales” altogether. I didn’t get that it was a numbers game, or that I could refine my pitch. I took every “no” personally, thought it meant I wasn’t good enough. But I was just too young to understand the psychology of it.

Fast forward to now, and I actually like sales. I’ve become comfortable with it, even good at it. And what’s changed isn’t my script or my pitch—it’s my perspective. I’ve realised that everything in life is sales. If you’re not selling a product, you’re selling an idea, a decision, a feeling, a story.

Think about it:

• Negotiating with a grumpy toddler to put socks on? Sales.
• Convincing your partner that it’s definitely their turn to cook? Sales.
• Chatting to your boss about why a new idea is worth the risk? Sales.

The trick is learning that sales isn’t about pushing something on someone. It’s about understanding what people actually want—sometimes better than they do—and helping them feel confident in the decision to go for it.

We should be teaching the art of negotiation and basic sales psychology to 12- and 13-year-olds. Imagine a generation growing up not scared of rejection, not crumbling when someone says “no thanks,” but instead knowing how to read a room, how to listen, how to adjust, how to back themselves.

It’s not just about creating better business leaders—it’s about creating more independent, emotionally intelligent people who can express what they want and find ways to make it work for others too.

Because once you realise everything is sales, you stop fearing it—and start using it.