Salespreneur Stories - pt. 1

Bonus stories. Fav content. Business ideas.

May 11, 2024

Salespreneurs - in case you’re new here, I host a weekly podcast interviewing sales reps turned entrepreneurs through buying or building businesses. This newsletter is a bi-weekly curated list of my favorite content, events, business ideas, and celebrating bonus Salespreneur Stories!

How it began…

6 months ago, I recorded my first episode from my truck in an airport parking lot.

My mission is to find and connect reps who went from sales to entrepreneurship! I felt frustrated at the time because I’d been through some layoffs, tried starting a couple businesses, and struggled to find something that worked.

The idea came talking to a sales friend about how we wanted to own businesses.

But we both struggled to know how to:

make the transition from sales to business ownership
avoid being highly leveraged on debt
whether to buy or build a business
validating ideas and opportunities for the most success
managing a full-time job while trying to start a business

I listened to podcasts, listened to books, and actively scrolled business listings like everyone else… but it was hard to find stories of normal people like us starting a business. It always felt like someone was buying a $2M cleaning company, raising capital, or completely different backgrounds.

There’s a gap!

I had a problem. My friends had a problem. Sales reps in general had a problem.

We all want to transition into entrepreneurship, but there’s nothing, especially for sales reps.

So, I had 3 goals to solve this:
Network with entrepreneurs who came from sales and were 2-3 years ahead.
Publish 55 episodes - I made a public commitment that would hold me accountable for following through and not giving up early.
Document my entrepreneurial journey as I find my path.

I’ve never wanted to start a podcast, but I felt strongly about this topic and knew it’d be a great way to answer all my questions.

“The only way to create change is action” - Ryan Holiday

I hope this curation of stories inspires reps to take action and connect with opportunities!

Salespreneur Milestones

Here’s a list of people who deserve INSANE amount of support and love for taking a bet on themselves. Connect, send a DM, and offer support. (Want to help someone featured here? DM on LinkedIn or X.)

“Instead of baby showers, let’s host business shower. When a friend starts a business, we all come together, and congratulate them and bring resources for their business.” - Elon Musk

Parker Redding announces the start of his commercial cleaning business

Aiden Vaandering leaves tech sales after 5 years to launch ReservLabs

Kai Amos quits Amazon to go all in on content creation

My Favorite Content

Stuff that I like and think you will too.

LinkedIn / X

“Why the Silver Tsunami hasn’t happened yet” - Clint Fiore, top SMB Acquisition voice
“31 sales podcasts that I discovered recently” - Haris Halkic, SalesDaily Newsletter
“I will take this opinion to the grave” - Scott Leese, Surf N’ Sales
“Tech sales is eating the world alive” - GetATechSalesJob

Podcasts

Some of the top people in the game right now giving the best advice.

Sub $1k Business Ideas

Here are ideas you can steal to try starting a business for less than $1,000

Specialty Cotton Candy Food Trailer - You could also start a YouTube channel making it look fun. I love this idea because it has a 99% margin and you can sell it anywhere.
Marketing Agency Closer - Find marketing agencies that drive lots of leads but struggle to convert them. Offer to call the leads and ask for a 5-10% commission of leads closed.
Craigslist Painting Co. - place ads online for painting services and place bids. Hire subcontractors to do the work and take a 20% cut.

Hope to see you featured here or on the podcast soon!

~ Clay Tirrell