When I was 7 years old, I had a passion for X-Men action figures. When my family decided to have a garage sale, I jumped at the opportunity to have my own table to sell some of my favorite toys. I carefully arranged each action figure on the table, pricing them according to what they had cost in the store (not the most brilliant move.) At the low price of $8 each, and no willingness to budge, I hadn’t sold any by the end of the day.

Looking back on this experience, I realize that I had made a few mistakes. First, I hadn’t really considered which action figures I actually wanted to sell and which ones I wanted to keep. I also hadn’t done any market research to determine the appropriate price range for my products, and the kinds of customers I would be selling to. If I had, I might have sold something.

Looking back on this day, I realize that it was helpful to know what I didn’t know. I can now see how valuable that was for me because of the impact it had on my understanding of marketing and sales throughout my career. This has even played a role in how I approach building relationships with customers. All from a seemingly unsuccessful garage sale.