More Customers, Less Guesswork: Marketing and Sales for Early-Stage Businesses

Early-stage business owners often feel pressure to market everywhere, post constantly, try every new platform, and pursue every potential customer. However, more activity does not always lead to more business.

In this practical workshop, Adrian Heredia of KimonoMono will help entrepreneurs understand how marketing and sales work together as one connected growth system. Participants will explore how to clearly communicate what they sell, identify the customers they are best positioned to serve, map the journey from initial awareness to purchase, strengthen the online touchpoints that influence customer decisions, and develop a simple approach to following up with prospective customers.

The workshop will also demonstrate how artificial intelligence can support practical marketing and sales tasks, including clarifying customer messaging and drafting personalized follow-up communications, while preserving the business owner’s authentic voice and customer relationships.

Rather than overwhelming participants with dozens of tactics, the session will focus on a manageable set of actions that early-stage businesses can apply immediately and maintain consistently.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Explain how marketing and sales work together to move a potential customer from initial awareness to purchase, repeat business, and referral.
  • Clearly describe what their business offers, who it serves, and the result it helps customers achieve.
  • Identify one or two best-fit customer groups instead of attempting to market to everyone.
  • Map a simple marketing and sales customer journey and identify where potential customers may be losing interest, becoming confused, or failing to receive appropriate follow-up.
  • Evaluate a primary online customer touchpoint, such as a website, landing page, social media profile, or Google Business Profile, based on clarity, trust, and the strength of its next step.
  • Create a practical follow-up approach and weekly marketing and sales rhythm, including the responsible use of AI to improve messaging and save time.

 

Speaker: Adrian Heredia

Adrian Heredia, MBA, is a strategic leader and coach who brings together experience in professional sports, marketing, sales, and business growth. A former professional soccer player, Adrian also served as an academy coach with the Philadelphia Union, helping athletes develop discipline, resilience, teamwork, and a high-performance mindset.

He later brought those same principles into the business world, working at a prominent Philadelphia-based marketing agency before founding KimonoMono, a marketing and sales integration firm. Through KimonoMono, Adrian helps organizations connect strategy with execution, align their marketing and sales efforts, strengthen client relationships, and create programs that generate measurable growth.

His expertise includes strategy development, project management, and marketing and sales program integration. Known for listening carefully, adapting to each organization’s needs, and leading with clarity, Adrian helps business owners and teams simplify their approach, overcome challenges, and take practical steps toward lasting success.