The benefits of hiring former business owners…

Table of Contents
    Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

    If you are looking to add to your sales team, I’d strongly advise not to discount people who have been self-employed.

    Here at Pulse Recruitment, we’ve seen some of the most successful AEs and BDMs that we have placed over the past couple of years coming from being self-employed.

    At first glance, the experience might not look entirely relevant to a KPI-driven Tech sales environment, but the transferable skills become apparent if you dig a bit deeper.

    Some of the transferable traits are below, but you will be getting so much more on most occasions;

    1. Is fully accountable – there is nowhere to hide when you run your own business.
    2. Is used to going the extra mile – there is no clocking on and off when it’s your business.
    3. Can work autonomously – the proof is in the pudding here.
    4. Takes ownership – just like an athlete – your performance is all down to you!
    5. Commercial acumen – an understanding of the inner workings of a business translates well to any B2B sales role.

     

    ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SALES PROFESSIONALS?

    Pulse Recruitment is a specialist tech, marketing and sales recruitment agency designed specifically to help find the best sales staff within the highly competitive Asia-Pacific and USA markets. Find out more by visiting our Contact Us page!

    FROM OUR PULSE NEWS, EMPLOYER AND JOB SEEKER HUBS

    Featured Articles

    How to Attract Sales Reps Who Aren’t Looking

    The best sales talent isn’t browsing job boards—they’re crushing quota at your competitors. These passive candidates represent 70% of the workforce but account for less than 30% of applicants. If you’re only recruiting from active job seekers, you’re fishing in a small pond while ignoring an ocean of high-performing sales professionals. Passive candidate recruitment requires…

    What’s a Realistic First-Year Earnings in Tech Sales? (Real Data from 500+ Placements) in Australia

    If you’re considering a career in tech sales in Australia, your most pressing question is probably “How much will I actually earn?” Job descriptions throw around impressive OTE (On-Target Earnings) figures, but what do people really make in their first year—especially when they’re ramping up and learning the ropes? Drawing from real placement data across…

    Tech Sales Onboarding Plan: 30-60-90 Day Template for New Hires

    The first 90 days determine whether new tech sales hires become top performers or early turnover statistics. Companies with structured onboarding see 58% higher retention rates and 54% faster time-to-productivity than those with ad-hoc approaches. Yet most sales organizations lack clear onboarding plans, leaving new hires to figure things out independently. This comprehensive 30-60-90 day…

    Sell Me This Pen’ and Other Sales Interview Questions Decoded

    Few interview questions inspire as much anxiety as “sell me this pen.” This seemingly simple request has become legendary in sales interviews, immortalized in movies like The Wolf of Wall Street and feared by candidates at every experience level. But this question—along with other common sales interview scenarios—isn’t designed to trick you. It’s testing specific…

    How to Build a Sales Development Team From Scratch

    Building a sales development team from scratch is one of the highest-leverage investments a growing company can make. SDRs (Sales Development Representatives) serve as the engine of your sales pipeline, generating qualified opportunities that fuel revenue growth. Yet many companies struggle with where to start, how to structure the team, who to hire, and what…

    How Long Does It Actually Take to Land a Tech Sales Job?

    If you’re breaking into tech sales or transitioning between roles, you’re probably wondering how long the process will actually take. The honest answer: it depends significantly on your background, experience level, market conditions, and job search strategy. But understanding realistic timelines and the factors that influence them helps you set appropriate expectations and plan effectively….

    How to Win Over Sales Talent in a Competitive Market

    The competition for top sales talent has never been more intense. With three open sales roles for every qualified candidate and offer acceptance rates below 60%, hiring managers face a stark reality: having a great opportunity isn’t enough. You need to actively win candidates over, often competing against multiple offers, counteroffers from current employers, and…

    Sales Coaching Best Practices: How to Develop Your Team

    Sales coaching is the highest-leverage activity a sales leader can perform. Great coaches transform average performers into quota crushers, accelerate the development of new hires, and create cultures where continuous improvement becomes the norm. Yet most sales managers spend less than 10% of their time on actual coaching, trapped instead in administrative work, firefighting, or…

    Personal Branding for Sales Professionals: Stand Out in a Crowded Market

    In tech sales, your personal brand is your competitive advantage. Learn how to build authority, attract opportunities, and position yourself as a trusted expert in your field. In a market flooded with sales professionals claiming to be top performers, a powerful personal brand is what separates those who get headhunted from those who cold apply…

    The Great Tech Sales Talent Shortage of 2026: Data & Solutions

    Why companies can’t fill sales roles, what the data reveals about supply and demand imbalances, and actionable strategies for building teams despite market constraints. Tech companies are experiencing the most severe sales talent shortage in over a decade. Open sales positions sit unfilled for months, offer acceptance rates have plummeted, and compensation packages have inflated…