Hey there and welcome to AfterSixSales.com!

My name is Ryan Allen, I wanted to share with you a little bit about how we got here to After Six Sales. How I went from feelings of low self-confidence, fear, and anxiety to unlocking a passion for helping others around me grow both personally and professionally.

First, we can start by looking back at College. Simply put, I didn't finish. This was due to my own limiting self-beliefs. While I always believed I was intelligent to some degree, I often lacked confidence in my studies, also having a lot of self-doubt about my abilities. I've always felt like I needed to be the expert or the best at something to bring value to a conversation or situation. Needing to speak intelligently on subjects to be taken seriously. This hurt my confidence a lot, however, the other contributing factor to never finishing college was realizing the never-ending student loan debt that I knew I did not want any part of. I wanted to jump into the workforce and start making my own way in life.

Rather than continuing with college, I decided that I was going to continue to climb up the management ladder at a supermarket I worked for since 10th grade. It seemed like the best option for me at the time. Looking back, It was the safest option. The path of least resistance. However, I didn't make this decision lightly. I shifted to this decision because I felt I had great guidance and mentorship in the beginning stages of my career. I felt appreciated, heard, understood, and cared for overall in my work. It was as if the people around me leading me had my best interest at heart to help propel me into a successful career.

As the years passed, this quickly changed and I started to feel overlooked; a complete 180 from where I was before. I began to realize I was becoming stagnant with no growth or opportunity for about 6 to 7 years. I evaluated my situation and started to take a hard look at what I wanted out of life; my core values have shifted. 

I was now 24-25 years old and working at the same company since starting in 10th grade. It's all I had ever known as a professional and I wanted more out of life. I was hungry for growth and development and wanted to find it in any way I could. I began reading books, watching TED talks, and listening to podcasts on Sales, business, Self-help, Growth, and development. It opened me up to the possibilities that the world has to offer. There was one small problem though, I felt I didn't have any transferable skills to do anything else in life. Again I began setting forth self-limiting beliefs onto myself.

I would wrestle with this feeling on and off for the next year or so, after all, my career was going well right? I was making decent money for a 24-25 year old. People in my life were impressed with what I had accomplished and often told me how lucky I was and how grateful I should be. But I didn't feel fulfilled. I wasn't making an impact on others. I wasn't growing and I certainly wasn't learning new skills. But then again, I had the opportunity to buy a home, and a new car; and all the things that most would associate with "living the American dream". So, I should have been happy and content right? But it was quite the opposite; I felt anxious, miserable, and trapped. Being surrounded by those feelings was taxing on my mental and physical health. I started having higher and higher levels of anxiety leading to panic attacks and feeling uneasy all the time. I had to make a change.

I slowly started to plan an escape to begin reshaping my life. I wasn't sure what would come of it as there wasn't a clear end goal, but I knew I needed change. I planned on stepping down from management and retiring from the only job I had ever had for the last 10 years. It was terrifying as I was filled with emotions of uncertainty. This was all I knew, it was all I had. The limited beliefs started to creep back in again; telling myself that "I have no transferable skills to start over into something new."

I soon realized it wasn't the Job or the people or the company I was seeking the escape. It was the feeling I was experiencing. I wasn't getting what I needed to feel fulfilled. I needed to find a way to feed my hunger for growth and development. And in this current situation, I was no longer feeling the guidance and mentorship I once felt. I didn't feel appreciated or cared for overall anymore in my career; rather I felt belittled and scrutinized with no vision of growth. Just another number on a spreadsheet. That's a terrifying feeling for anyone. Especially a 24-year-old with their entire life ahead of them experiencing a quarter-life crisis.

After stepping down from management and working as a full-time associate for a year, at the age of 25 I retired. I took my savings, bought a 1995 Ford camper van, and traveled our beautiful country. After all, being from Florida, I hadn't even seen snow yet. Crazy right? I traveled to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. I gained a sense of beingness that I had never thought was possible.

Setting out and traveling like I did is single-handedly one of the best things I have ever done for myself. It has taught me that things are not always going to be daisies and rainbows. But in times of trouble or inconvenience, you still have to keep moving forward. We must remain optimistic and refrain from falling victim to pessimism. I learned that life isn't one size fits all. It does not have to be as mundane as I once felt. Opportunity was out there. Now, how do I put myself in a position to take advantage of the opportunity when it's my turn?

Upon returning from traveling I had a new outlook on life. Anything was possible as long as I had a vision of what I wanted and a plan to put into action to achieve it. My mindset had been shifted and reset. I was on the top of the world you could say, "cloud 9". But that was about to change as reality was about to set in. Before we get to that, I want to share the feeling  I was experiencing when I returned from traveling. 

One of my favorite bands “ The Heligoats” sums up the feeling pretty nicely:

“It was like I stopped having dreams, started having manifestations. No longer in a state where I can't wait, 'cause I made it. I went from havin' hope so low to havin' a surplus. I went from burnin' my days by to burnin' daylight with a purpose.

Turnin' virtues into habits into consciousness”

Simply put, I had already made it and I needed to stop focusing on getting to the next level. Learning patience to appreciate all that I already had accomplished. Shifting my mindset to positivity and striving every day to learn something new to grow into the best version of myself possible. This starts with implementing good habits daily, no matter how small. 

―  Bruce Lee 

Since being back from traveling over 8 years ago, I joined a marketing firm taking on an entry-level position and learning the ins and outs of Marketing and Sales. Learning how to conduct business and be a professional while still applying the above life lessons I learned from traveling. 

To say that it all came easy is an understatement. There were plenty of times I wanted to quit and give up. It's hard starting over while also taxing and stressful. However, I had a new mentality now paired with a support system around me that helped foster my desire to have a growth mindset. I had a team that cared about my development and the value that I brought to the team. I started to realize that it's not what you do in life that's important; but rather the positive impressions and impacts you leave until others by providing mentorship, coaching, and leadership. I wanted to then start chasing that passion I've discovered that lives inside of me. Not only to better myself but to help others better themselves, in turn bettering their careers and ultimately their lives. 

Having grown into a position of management once again with the marketing firm, I have now been in a coaching and mentoring role, harnessing my newly found passion as the Sales Onboarding Manager. Where I lean into providing training, coaching, and mentorship to the sales professionals my company hires. But I don't want to limit myself to stopping there.

After Six Sales was born to continue fostering my passion for training young professionals to develop a growth mindset. Most professionals seek this type of help outside working hours, thus, "AfterSixSales". Moreover, I strive to provide thought-provoking insight into not just Sales but, more importantly, overall growth and development to everyone.  Anything is possible if you possess the right mindset and approach, and are willing to put in the work.

If you find yourself feeling lost in your career and are searching for growth and development but struggling to find the support needed; I would be honored to help act as a mentor, a guide, a coach; or whatever you need to help propel you forward towards your goals both professionally and personally. 

I hope that you can find value in the topics that I write about and if you do, Subscribe to the blog so you can continue to receive positive thought-provoking insight to help expand your life and career!