Senior Business Development & Sales Professional | Client Acquisition | Business Sales
Sydney, NSW, Australia
+61 402 616 606
edisonapolonio.com
Executive Profile
Commercially minded business development and sales professional with 25+ years of experience driving new business, consultative sales, account growth and commercial relationships across business sales, digital marketing, FMCG, food service, travel, automotive and property. Trusted by business owners, founders and senior decision-makers to uncover commercial needs and convert qualified opportunities into durable client relationships.
What sets Edison apart is not just his sales track record — it's his mindset. While most professionals talk about AI, Edison builds with it. He independently directed the development of a fully functioning SaaS product using AI tools, without a technical background, because he saw an opportunity and acted on it. That same curiosity, commercial instinct and bias for action is what he brings to every team he joins.
Commercial Instinct
25+ years of real-world sales experience across five industries, with a consistent ability to identify opportunity, build trust and close.
AI Fluency & Initiative
Actively leverages AI tools to work smarter, move faster and solve problems — not as a trend follower, but as a genuine early adopter who builds with the tools.
Entrepreneurial Action-Bias
A founder multiple times over, with the curiosity to explore new ideas and the commercial discipline to know which ones are worth pursuing.
Career Impact
The numbers behind 25 years of showing up, building relationships and getting deals done — across industries, business sizes and economic conditions.
Years in Sales & Business Development
Monthly Recurring Revenue Portfolio
Equivalent to ~$600K ARR
B2B Clients Managed
Sales Consultants Led
Core Expertise
A broad and well-developed skill set spanning the full commercial lifecycle — from lead generation and consultative selling through to account management, sales leadership and operational improvement.
New Business Development
Identifying, qualifying and converting new commercial opportunities across B2B and B2C markets.
Consultative & Solution Selling
Diagnosing client needs and recommending tailored solutions aligned with commercial objectives.
Business Owner & C-Suite Engagement
Building trusted relationships with founders, CEOs and senior decision-makers.
Lead Generation & Pipeline Qualification
Structured prospecting, pipeline development and opportunity qualification.
Account & Relationship Management
Growing and retaining client portfolios through proactive engagement and value delivery.
Commercial Negotiation
Structuring and closing deals that serve both client and business objectives.
Sales Leadership & Coaching
Leading, mentoring and developing sales consultants to achieve team targets.
CRM & Portfolio Management
Leveraging CRM systems to manage client data, activity and pipeline visibility.
Digital Marketing Solutions
Designing and recommending digital marketing strategies that connect with target audiences and drive measurable commercial results.
Business Sale Opportunity Analysis
Evaluating business-sale opportunities through the lens of financials, market conditions, timing and owner readiness.
B2B & B2C Sales
Equally comfortable selling to businesses and consumers — adapting approach, language and strategy to suit the buyer.
Operations & Process Improvement
Identifying inefficiencies and implementing practical improvements that make teams and businesses run better.
Xcllusive Business Sales
Business Development Manager / Analyst
Sep 2024 – Present
Sydney, NSW
Entered the business brokerage industry with no prior experience in the sector — and signed 2 clients within the first 2 months. Has since maintained a consistent average of 2 qualified client engagements per month, occasionally reaching 3–4, demonstrating a repeatable and reliable pipeline from a standing start.
Discovery & Qualification
Serve as an early point of contact for business owners exploring a sale or exit, leading discovery discussions to understand commercial objectives, circumstances and readiness.
Opportunity Development
Identify and qualify prospective business-sale opportunities; guide owners through early considerations including valuation, preparation, timing and buyer interest.
Relationship Building
Build trusted relationships with founders, CEOs and owners across a broad range of industries, while partnering with brokers and internal stakeholders to advance qualified opportunities.
Financial Acumen
Develop practical insight into business financials, normalised earnings, add-backs, valuation considerations and factors affecting business saleability.
ReachLocal Australia & New Zealand
Digital Marketing Consultant
Entered the digital marketing industry with no prior experience in the field — and built a client portfolio from $0 to
$50K
in monthly recurring revenue within 12 months (~$600K ARR).
Portfolio Growth
Retained and grew the portfolio month-on-month by staying close to clients, proactively identifying new needs and ensuring every digital marketing solution delivered measurable value against their commercial objectives.
Consultative Approach
Consulted with SME owners and decision-makers to diagnose growth needs and recommend digital marketing solutions aligned with commercial objectives and budgets.
End-to-End Relationship Management
Managed end-to-end commercial relationships, translating complex digital marketing concepts into practical business outcomes that supported retention and ongoing growth.
R.O.A.S. – Reliable Online Advertising Service
Founder / Business Development Manager
Started from scratch during one of the most disruptive periods in modern business history — and found a way to make it work.
Agency Founding
Founded and developed a digital marketing agency during COVID-19, identifying an affordable creative-services opportunity for small businesses navigating an unprecedented environment.
Business Development & Sales
Led prospecting, business development, client conversations and sales of animated video and graphic design services, building practical online-business and marketing capability.
Green Pasture Meats
Multi-Function Business Support
A deliberate step back from frontline sales — staying productive, learning the business from the inside, and rebuilding momentum alongside a trusted long-time friend and business owner.
Cross-Functional Support
After exiting a business he co-founded, Edison chose to stay active and useful rather than idle — working directly alongside a long-time friend and Owner/CEO of a Sydney wholesale food distributor, contributing across sales, warehouse and administration while he regrouped.
Process Improvement
Used the time productively — helping introduce a more structured inventory and stock-control process that improved visibility across receiving, warehousing and dispatch. Proof that a good sales mind doesn't switch off just because the title changes.
Operational Depth
Came away with a genuine understanding of how a B2B distribution business runs from the inside — supplier relationships, customer requirements, inventory and logistics. That ground-level perspective makes Edison a more credible and empathetic commercial operator today.
Sanda Fine Foods
Co-Founder / Business Development Manager
Co-founded a food-service business supplying fresh meats and smallgoods to pubs, cafés and restaurants.
Business Co-Founding
Co-founded a food-service business from the ground up — including designing the company logo, branded uniforms (polo shirts and caps) and van signage. Took the business from concept to fully operational reality, with a brand identity built entirely from scratch.
Direct Sales & Client Acquisition
Built a profitable client base of 20+ venues within the first 12 months through direct, face-to-face prospecting — personally walking into pubs, cafés and restaurants, engaging owners and head chefs, and earning their business through trust and consistency. All of this with no existing brand, no marketing budget and no warm leads.
Founder Mindset in Practice
Balanced the demands of running a business day-to-day with the hunger to grow it — learning firsthand what it takes to build something from nothing, which is exactly why Edison connects so naturally with the business owners he works with today.
Big Ricks Australia & Flight Centre
Sales, Operations & Account Management – FMCG
Nov 2005 – Mar 2007
Client Portfolio Management
Inherited and managed an existing portfolio of 200+ clients across retail and distribution channels — and made it a point to actively speak with potential new clients encountered during regular delivery runs and field visits, converting casual conversations into new business relationships.
Market Expansion
Supported product launches, promotional activity and market expansion through regular customer field visits and development of new retailer and vendor relationships.
International Travel Sales Consultant
Aug 2007 – 2010
Consultative Travel Sales
Delivered tailored international travel solutions to individuals and families — listening carefully to understand what they wanted from a trip, then building packages that matched their expectations and budget.
Repeat & Referral Business
Built a loyal client base through genuine service and follow-through, consistently meeting office sales targets and KPIs while earning repeat bookings and word-of-mouth referrals — proof that people buy from people they trust.
Additional Sales & Entrepreneurial Experience
A foundation of diverse commercial experience spanning automotive sales, property project marketing, direct sales leadership and network marketing — each role contributing to a well-rounded commercial skill set.
Sep 1999 – Sep 2000
Sadi Pty Ltd
Sales Manager / Team Leader – Direct Sales — Led a field sales team across NSW including regional towns, conducting face-to-face B2B prospecting in business districts to sell Optus mobile phone plans. Deployed a value-add close strategy (complimentary Nokia handset on plan sign-up) to drive conversions and managed team performance across multiple territories.
Sep 2000 – Aug 2002
Neways International
Network Marketing Distributor (Self-Employed) — Built and trained a personal team of product distributors, conducting business presentations at homes, cafés and small conferences. Generated income through direct product sales and leveraged commissions from team purchasing and sales activity — developing early skills in recruitment, team development, motivation and duplicatable sales systems.
Aug 2002 – Sep 2004
Aldy Property Group
Off-the-Plan Investment Property Sales (Self-Employed) — Sold residential investment properties to property investors before construction commenced, conducting site visits, area tours and lifestyle presentations to build conviction and close high-value commitments on a 2-year horizon.
Jul 2004 – Sep 2005
York Motors Chrysler-Jeep
Sales Executive, New & Used Vehicles — Sold new and pre-owned Jeep and Chrysler models from a premium dealership in Rushcutters Bay, one of Sydney's most affluent harbourside suburbs. Clientele included high-net-worth individuals, business owners and executives — many of whom settled purchases via direct bank transfer or high-limit credit cards. Developed confidence and composure selling premium products to sophisticated, high-value buyers.
Current Project
Traderilla
Founder & Builder
An AI-powered trading journal that detects the behavioural patterns costing traders money — revenge trading, overtrading, rule-breaking — and tells them exactly what to fix.
Full-Stack SaaS Build
Directed the end-to-end development of a fully functioning SaaS web application with three pricing tiers (Free, Pro at $29/mo, Elite at $59/mo), user authentication, CSV trade imports from any broker or prop firm, and AI-powered trade analysis — built without a traditional engineering team.
Payment-Ready & Live
Integrated Stripe for payment processing, with GitHub handling version control and auto-deployment to Vercel's global CDN. The platform is live, fully functional and open for users to sign up and start using today.
AI-Directed Development
Functioned as product owner and commercial decision-maker while Claude Code (Anthropic) acted as the engineering engine. The product itself is also Claude-powered — delivering personalised AI trade reviews and weekly behavioural insights to paying users.
Built across countless late nights and weekends — entirely outside of employment hours. Traderilla is Edison's own initiative, funded by his own time and curiosity. Available to discuss on request.
Technology & Languages
Digital Tools
Microsoft Office Suite
Excel, Word, PowerPoint & Outlook
CRM & Client Management Systems
Client portfolio and pipeline management tools
Shopify
E-commerce platform management
Digital Marketing Platforms
Paid and organic digital channels
Social Media & Content Tools
Scheduling, publishing and engagement
AI Development Tools
Claude Sonnet (Anthropic API), Claude Code, ChatGPT, Gamma
SaaS & Web Technologies
React, Vite, Tailwind CSS, Supabase, Vercel, GitHub, Stripe
Languages
- English — Native proficiency
- Tagalog — Professional proficiency
Education
University of Western Sydney — Computer Science | South Sydney High School — HSC
References available on request.
Edison Apolonio