For those who haven’t heard, I’m moving back to the East Coast (bless you, Californians) next week, which means my voice will no longer be the voice of the Butler blog. I’m sad about leaving, I’m happy about returning home, and I didn’t know what I wanted to write about the whole thing until late last night, when this post began assembling itself in my head. (I really could’ve used the sleep, but whatever. Writers gotta write.)

When I got this job, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d be able to do it at the level that was needed. But I knew how to write and I knew how to learn and both skills have served me well over the last year and a half. Butler Branding did not have a dedicated content strategist and copywriter, and barely had an internal marketing team, before I got here. I know I did the work well (though there’s always room for improvement), but what’s more important to me is that I’ve built a department that will outlast me and function entirely fine without me. I am a writer and a storyteller, yes, but I also think of myself as a builder of things. At Butler, I built a thing that will last – which is not something that everyone gets to do.

The other things that will outlast my tenure at Butler are the memories I made and the lessons I learned here. Because everyone loves a listicle, here are (in no particular order) the top five things I learned at Butler Branding. Some of these things might be useful to you; many of them will not be. This is my list and my goodbye – if you don’t get anything out of it, please direct your criticism to art@butlerbranding.com (you’re welcome, Art):

• There’s a time for “Yes, and” and a time for “No, but” – the important thing is to understand a client’s needs.
• David Cruz is and always will be Butler Branding’s Spiciest Boi.
• ASAP does not and cannot always mean ASAP.
• Stand battle is an improvised dance fight.
• When you’re surrounded by good people pointed in the same direction, you can accomplish most anything.

I’m incredibly grateful to Sean for giving me the chance to take this job and make it my own, and I’m incredibly grateful to any of y’all who have popped in to read a post I’ve written (or otherwise interacted with Butler) over the last year and a half. I’m going to miss this place and these people, but I’m less sad knowing that I made a real impact here, and that what I’ve done has laid the groundwork for someone else to carry Butler Branding to the next level.

Minnesota, here I come.