First impressions are everything, right?

As a self-employed copywriter and photographer living and working in Brighton, England, I help people to leave a good first impression with their websites, but I haven’t always been so successful at leaving a good first impression myself.

On the first day of my first-ever job, I drove into the car park of Lex Vehicle Leasing in the new car my parents had bought me. I was 22 and fresh out of university. Lex Vehicle Leasing, based in Marlow, just west of London, specialized in car-fleet leasing, with big clients, like the BBC. I was going to be their marketing executive.

I felt excited and nervous, but not just because I was starting a new job. I was also worried that my car might get stolen. I put a lock on the steering wheel to keep the car extra safe. This seemed like a sensible thing to do at the time, but looking back, the staff car park was hardly a top target for criminals.

I walked into the office and was taken up to the second floor to begin my induction. I didn’t realize that, just minutes after I’d gone into the building, my steering-wheel lock slipped and pressed itself on to the car horn. I couldn’t hear it from the second floor, but the reception staff were running around trying to find out who owned the car that was causing such a racket. It took them about an hour to find me because my personal details weren’t in their system yet, and there were always new cars in the car park.

I was so embarrassed when they told me. By the time I got down to the car park, my horn was completely worn out, making a pathetic little farting noise.

My new colleagues had a good laugh about this for months, but most seemed to have forgotten about it by the time I changed jobs two years later.

After working in marketing in London for a few years, I became self-employed and moved to Brighton. While making a good first impression with new clients is important for my work, I also try not take myself too seriously because I want to strike a balance between being professional and fun.

It’s important to be able to show your personality. I’d rather be remembered — for whatever reason, even if it’s a funny reason — than be someone who blends into the background. And my experience in the car park definitely got me off to a good start!