Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Deb Mignucci, Vice President of COACH MEdia, located in Westport, CT, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

COACH MEdia is a training and coaching company focusing on upleveling strategic communication skills for ad sales, ad tech, media, and client services/post-sales and sales support teams.

Tell us about yourself

Leveraging a lifetime of sales and sales management expertise at companies including WebMD, Disney, Johnson & Johnson, American Media, and Time Inc., I pivoted my focus exclusively to training, coaching, and mentoring media professionals during the lockdown. What motivates me every day is seeing the growth and development of my trainees both in their professionalism, driving immediate results, as well as being a part of their long-term career success.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is building a growing book of business from scratch through referrals based on successful training engagements. In my first year, I delivered 6-figure revenue in the second half after building all new materials. In year two, I am on track to more than double this.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things about being a business owner is the constant need to prospect and fill the funnel while building and delivering programs and juggling all the other tasks (e.g., administrative paperwork, contracts, AP systems, etc.).

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Make sure you enjoy selling yourself. Prospecting and landing new clients is the hardest part. You need to stay motivated without the structure of a team or any external incentives.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Success (and happiness) is all about relationships and being part of a community. I am always happy to grow my network and would welcome any and all outreach. We solo workers need to stick together and help each other. Please join me on LinkedIn, and let's get on each others' radar screens!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.coachmediapros.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067975971507
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debmignucci/

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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