The Bird's Nest
In life and business, we all try to find that missing something that will make our lives or careers better. In this podcast, We talk to guests on what they have found in their journey - the good and the bad, ups and the downs - and what that has meant for them along the way. Come join us for a sit down with some amazing people!
The Bird's Nest
Start a Business with just a Skill & land your first client, Ft. Elisa Marten | Founder Revenue Mate
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In this episode of The Bird's Nest, Dave sits down with Elisa Marten, founder of Revenue Mate, for an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, sales, cold calling, getting your first client, and building a business from the ground up.
Elisa's journey didn't start with a perfectly planned business or years of entrepreneurial experience. She initially spent years preparing for a career in healthcare before eventually changing direction and moving into sales. That transition eventually led her to discover tech sales, cold calling, and the skills that would later become the foundation for her own business.
One of the biggest challenges she had to overcome was cold-calling anxiety. Elissa shares what it was like to be genuinely uncomfortable picking up the phone, why she decided to work with a cold-calling coach, and how consistently putting herself in uncomfortable situations completely changed her relationship with sales.
But learning how to sell was only the beginning.
Elissa eventually decided to take her skills and build a business around them. She explains how she researched the market, identified potential clients, built a prospect list, started making calls, and eventually landed her first client.
She also talks about what it was like to build the business while still working a full-time job, manage her first clients, and discover that getting business can sometimes become a problem of its own.
Within her first couple of months, she was already dealing with capacity, client management, pricing, and the question of how to scale. She shares one of the biggest mistakes she made early on—including having to let a client go—and what that experience taught her about saying yes, managing capacity, and building a sustainable business.
The conversation also explores what comes next: whether to hire and scale, specialize in a niche, become a consultant, train other salespeople, or continue building the business as a service company.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the conversation is Elissa's approach to entrepreneurial execution:
Don't spend months trying to perfect an idea before putting it into the real world.
Take action.
Talk to potential customers.
Make the calls.
Get feedback.
Then use what the market tells you to decide what to do next.
If you're someone who wants to start a business, land your first client, turn a skill into a business, improve your sales, overcome the fear of cold calling, or develop a stronger entrepreneurial mindset, this episode is packed with practical lessons you can apply immediately.
In this episode:
• How to start a business from scratch
• How to land your first client
• How to find potential clients
• Cold calling and overcoming sales anxiety
• The mindset behind successful sales
• Why consistency and volume matter in sales
• How to turn a skill into a business
• Building a business while working a full-time job
• Managing your first clients
• What to do when you reach capacity
• Pricing your services
• Knowing when to say no to clients
• Finding your niche
• Scaling a service business
• Taking action instead of overthinking
• Using market feedback to improve your business
• Developing an entrepreneurial mindset
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 — Introduction
01:07 — The First Business Idea
05:12 — Leaving the Medical Career Path
09:21 — From Healthcare to Sales
12:25 — Overcoming Cold-Calling Anxiety
17:47 — The Sales Mindset That Changed Everything
20:01 — Starting a Business From Scratch
21:36 — How She Landed Her First Client
24:02 — Growing the Business & Learning the Hard Way
31:36 — Scaling, Pricing & Advice for Entrepreneurs
If you're building your first business, trying to get your first few clients, or simply looking for the mindset to finally take action on an idea, this conversation is for you.
Subscribe to The Bird's Nest for more conversations about entrepreneurship, business, sales, personal growth, and building something of your own.
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