Senior Business Development & Sales Professional | Client Acquisition | Business Sales
Sydney, NSW, Australia • +61 402 616 606 • edison.apolonio@gmail.com • linkedin.com/in/edisonapolonio • 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 to engage business owners, founders and senior decision-makers, uncover commercial needs and convert qualified opportunities into durable client relationships. Brings a rare combination of corporate sales discipline, hands-on operational understanding and founder-level entrepreneurial experience.
Corporate Sales Discipline
Structured, KPI-driven approach to pipeline management and revenue growth across complex B2B environments.
Operational Understanding
Hands-on experience across FMCG, food service, digital marketing and business brokerage operations.
Entrepreneurial Experience
Founder-level insight from co-founding and building businesses from the ground up across multiple industries.
Career Impact
A track record defined by sustained commercial performance, portfolio ownership and leadership across diverse industries and sales environments.
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
Business Sale Opportunity Analysis
B2B & B2C Sales
Operations & Process Improvement
Xcllusive Business Sales
Business Development Manager / Analyst
Sep 2024 – Present
Sydney, NSW
Serving at the front line of business owner engagement, connecting with owners who are exploring an exit and guiding them through the early stages of the sale process with clarity and commercial rigour.
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
Built and managed a client portfolio generating
$50K
in monthly recurring revenue (~$600K ARR)
Portfolio Growth
Built, grew and managed a client portfolio of approximately $50,000 in monthly recurring revenue, equivalent to roughly $600,000 in annual recurring revenue.
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
Founded and scaled a digital marketing agency during COVID-19, identifying an affordable creative-services opportunity for small businesses.
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
IT Support / Sales Support / Warehouse Support
Sydney wholesale food distributor serving butchers and food-service businesses.
Cross-Functional Support
Supported the Owner/CEO across sales, warehouse and administration functions within a Sydney wholesale food distributor serving butchers and food-service businesses.
Process Improvement
Assisted the implementation of a more structured inventory and stock-control process, supporting improved visibility across receiving, warehouse activity and dispatch.
Operational Knowledge
Built broad operational knowledge across sales support, customer requirements, inventory, administration and B2B food-distribution relationships.
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 supplying fresh meats and smallgoods to pubs, cafés and restaurants, helping establish the enterprise from the ground up.
Direct Sales & Client Acquisition
Led direct, face-to-face prospecting and relationship-led customer acquisition, personally engaging business owners and head chefs to build a profitable client base within the first 12–24 months.
Entrepreneurial Operations
Shared responsibility for day-to-day business operations while gaining hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, B2B sales and food-service delivery.
Big Ricks Australia & Flight Centre
Sales, Operations & Account Management – FMCG
Nov 2005 – Mar 2007
Client Portfolio Management
Developed and maintained relationships with 200+ clients across retail and distribution channels, coordinating customer requirements with suppliers, production teams and delivery operations.
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 consultative travel solutions, package sales and service support while building repeat and referral business against office sales targets and KPIs.
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
Sep 2000 – Aug 2002
Neways International
Independent Distributor (Self-Employed)
Aug 2002 – Sep 2003
Aldy Property Group
Project Marketing Sales Consultant (Self-Employed)
Jul 2004 – Sep 2005
York Motors Chrysler-Jeep
Sales Executive, New Vehicles
Current Project
Traderilla
Founder & Builder
www.traderilla.com
Full-Stack SaaS Build
Built a fully functioning web application from concept to deployment using AI-assisted development tools including Claude Code, ChatGPT and Gamma — demonstrating hands-on technical capability beyond conventional sales and business development experience.
Payment-Ready & Live
Integrated Stripe for payment processing; the platform is live, connected and ready to accept paying users — currently seeking beta testers ahead of public launch.
AI-Powered Workflow
Leveraged a suite of AI and no-code/low-code tools to manage the full product development lifecycle — from front-end design and back-end logic to deployment — without a traditional engineering team.
Traderilla is an independent project developed outside of employment. Available to discuss on request.
Education, Technology & Languages
Education & Training
University of Western Sydney
Computer Science (1 year completed)
South Sydney High School, Maroubra
Year 12 / Higher School Certificate
Computer Power Training Institute
Computer Skills Short Course
Digital Tools
Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint & Outlook; CRM/client-management systems; Salesforce; Shopify; digital marketing platforms; social media; online business tools; AI-assisted business workflows.
Languages
English and Tagalog — professional proficiency.
References available on request.
Edison Apolonio