Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jill Ulvestad, Founder of Funnel Clarity, located in Washington, DC, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Funnel Clarity is a sales training and consulting firm. We specialize in helping customers add more opportunities to the top of their funnels, win more business, delight their customer base, and streamline their sales efforts. Our customers are involved in sales efforts that typically include multiple decision-makers, high-dollar sales or margins, and differentiators that they need to leverage. We work with customers in SaaS, manufacturing, commercial real estate, life sciences, and a host of others.
Tell us about yourself
My entire career has been in sales. Early on, I found myself in the sales performance industry, where I remain focused to this day. As a leader in an industry focused on helping clients improve their sales performance, I have been privileged to see first-hand the power of sales “science.” Fourteen years ago, I pivoted from being a corporate soldier to being an entrepreneur responsible for our team, operation, and customers. Each day, my company works with sales professionals to elevate their sales skills, sales strategy, and success rates. It is incredibly rewarding to see the impact we can have on these organizations.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Without a doubt, it has been our track record of maintaining many active customer relationships for more than a decade. Obviously, if we were not able to provide a dramatic improvement in results and a high ROI, we would not be able to sustain these relationships.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The periodic “never-ending-day.” There is no guarantee of a 9-5 day for a business owner. You are solely responsible for your people, the operation, your customers – everything. That responsibility doesn’t pause because it’s the end of the day, over the weekend, or during a vacation. Every entrepreneur will tell you that “working for yourself” is sometimes a misnomer. Often you are working in service to everyone else. Therefore, it is vital that entrepreneurs set boundaries and guidelines for themselves in order to maintain a quality of life.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- You don’t have a business until you have to pay customers. Without revenue, you have either a waste of money or a hobby. As obvious as this seems, far too many people who start a business focus on the wrong things. In the beginning, finding customers is all that matters.
- Worry, concern, fear, etc., are simply emotions we attach to a set of facts. There will always be difficult moments in any business enterprise. The extent to which the entrepreneur can look at the facts and ignore the negative emotions will often produce the difference between failure and growth.
- Never stop networking. There is a plethora of data that shows successful entrepreneurs tend to be relentless personal marketers and networkers.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.funnelclarity.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FunnelClarity/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/funnelclarity
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillulvestad/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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