In her discussion with Venture Cafe host Christine Dunn, Kathy Fogel, founder of Zinoplex, talks about the challenges of starting a business in today's climate. Kathy was a panelist at the Venture Cafe's recent Female Founder's Night.

Kathy’s company, Zinoplex, works to end cold-calling for B to B sales professionals. “One in 50 of your cold calls result in a first meeting. It is a very exhausting process for the sales professionals. Currently there are 5-6 million people in America doing that job,” explained Kathy. The company’s goal is to reverse the process and start with people and businesses that are already customers, and mapping out a dynamically updated network. Kathy is also hoping to develop a system for the nonprofit industry.

Kathy’s background is in data science technology, but as an entrepreneur, she feels that she has a lot to learn in other areas, such as sales and marketing. “It has been quite an adventure, because there is a world of knowledge out there that I found out that I need. There is a tremendous amount of learning,” she said.

Kathy cautions new entrepreneurs about sensational stories of overnight success. “Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint,” she said. “Find time to take a break so that you can continue to go tomorrow.” Kathy renews herself by swimming and skating, when she is able to focus exclusively on that activity and return to her work refreshed.

“There is never enough knowledge that you can have so take every opportunity you have to learn about everything you can think of,” Kathy suggests. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, because they are all learning experiences. “There are a lot of mistakes, but ultimately, hopefully, you’ll figure something out that works.”

Related Links

For more information on Kathy and her business, Zinoplex, visit www.zinoplex.com.

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