Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Anna Cockell, Co-Founder of Kanda Group, located in Atlanta, GA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Kanda Group provides sales strategy and enablement consultancy. We work with mostly B2B SaaS startups, from the very early days when sales are just getting started to the more well-established teams that need to make tweaks to their existing processes and approach. Typically we partner with sales and success leaders who are looking for help to increase their teams’ efficacy to grow and retain their revenue.
Tell us about yourself
I love to solve problems and break them down in a way that’s easy for others to understand - whether that’s how to properly recycle or teaching teams the fundamentals of sales! After leading and building enablement teams at several tech startups, I decided to start consulting full-time in 2020. I wanted more flexibility in my work life and to work on projects that were challenging and engaging to me, including my own side projects focused on how to make caring for the environment more accessible. Consulting gave me the freedom to define the type of work that interests me the most and focus on those projects. I’m motivated every day because I really enjoy the variety of projects I work on and the great teams I get to meet.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I am consistently overbooked(!) with clients. It has been very humbling to be trusted by companies that I really admire to help them improve their sales and success teams.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Being your own boss is a blessing and a curse. I started freelance consulting because I wanted to have more control over my time and the work I do. However, it can be easy to be swept up in the excitement of a project and forget that rest is just as important! But then, at the end of the day, I know that I’m the one responsible for the success of my company, so the pressure can make it hard to step back. I’m thankful that my business partner, Kelly Schuur, is great at holding me accountable for creating a balance between work and life, and I hope that I do the same for them!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Just start. Don’t delay yourself! The best way to start is to just step off the ledge and know that you can do this.
- Most of the time, done is better than perfect. Perfection is the enemy when you’re starting a business. I always want to be proud of the work I do, but if I had waited until my website was absolutely perfect before we launched our company, it would never have happened.
- Don’t worry about trying to do all of the things all at once. Figure out what the big three priorities are for getting started, and then do those first. Everything else you can start to piece together while you go. It often feels really good to do things that make you feel like a “real” company, but you probably don’t need company stationary as much as you need a website. The stationary can wait :)
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://kandagroup.io/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annacockell/
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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