Connect All Spotlight with Meri Birhane

Startups get the party. Startups get the party started. Startups get the party. Startups get the party started. You want tech and tacos, Tacos and tech you know we got tacos and tech is on smash border green guacamole keeper countins counting beans Contador quentan frijoles found us trying to raise some queso la vida San Diego school of rappy rapping fire tortillas round jalapenos in these modern times a crappy beer and coffee my coding yoga posse fold the body origami we be surfing coronado eating tacos El gordo, the taco stand in pesto lucha libre and sombrero got a shout out to cost angels by the ocean watch the sunset la Hoya shores Entrepreneurs trying to get funded When San Diego Startup Week is popping in the summer Oceanside, the Tijuana esti be full of hustlers from couch surfing to penthouses right on the beach. Tech leaders who who believe stars are within reach we interview and founders who be shooting for the Moon SDTechOS with your host, Neil Bloom. Come on. Startups get the party. Startups get the.

Welcome to the Tacos and Tech podcast where we discover cutting edge San Diego technologies and the builders making it happen. I'm your host, Neil Blum, San Diego's tech ambassador. And together you're going to put a face to the name of today's tech leaders with our own blend of local lifestyle.

Startups get the party. Startups get the party started. Startups get the party. Startups get the party.

Thanks to our friends at Cox Business for being an instrumental resource to our startup and tech community here in San Diego. As a partner in San Diego Startup Week, quick pitch and top tech awards, Cox Business has helped our ecosystem grow into the community it is today.

And welcome back to the Tacos and Tech Podcast. I'm your host, Neil Bloom, and I am very happy to be joined by Mary Berhane, founder and CEO of her own consulting services, Mary consultingservices.com Thanks for being here.

Oh, thank you so much, Neil. I'm super excited to be here, excited to be amongst you and learn a little bit more about what you're doing out here. I know, I love tacos, so tacos in tech, that's a great combination.

We can't wait to hear your favorite taco spot either, but that's coming up at the end. Listeners will have to wait for that, but why don't you tell us what you're working on?

Yeah. So I'm Mary Berhane. I'm the owner of Mary Consulting Services. I left my six figure sales job in March to pursue my business full time. So now I help businesses book more meetings, increase their sales revenue, and reduce Salesforce churn and burn. I do this through a proprietary sales playbook, sales coaching, and LinkedIn training. Currently, I've helped over 10 companies in the past six months book 30% more meetings and have more LinkedIn engagement working with companies like the SBDC. And I've also helped Miles McPherson launch his nonprofit. And it's been a busy time, surprisingly, especially with the Pandemic. But right now I'm working with the local real estate firm and in the process of working with two national banks on their sales training. So.

Awesome. Yeah, congrats on that. And I know you came through the Connect all accelerator at the Jacobs center, which is kind of how we got to know you a little bit for this podcast in this instance of your recent graduate. Right from the recent cohort.

Yeah. So we just wrapped up two weeks ago. So excited on that. So I was able to participate in Union Bank Startup pitch competition. So I won a $5,000 grant. I also won Audience Choice Award for my business pitch. So I got, you know, 2,000 views on my YouTube channel for the pitch and over 700 votes. The power of LinkedIn and my network really helped. And also terrorizing everyone with my text to vote for me. So that paid off.

Well, congrats. We're going to hear a little bit about the journey through the accelerator. We think it's fascinating and it's awesome that that resource exists here to help business owners. But we want to get to know a little about your backstory. How did you end up here? Where did you grow up? How did you get to San Diego? Take us through it.

Yeah, so my family actually immigrated from Eritrea. So we came to San Diego in the 90s as refugees and, you know, pretty much San Diego was the landing spot. Went to, you know, middle school, high school in north park, and then after that went to ucla, got a full scholarship for undergrad and grad school. My journey has really been about my parents really, really instilling that, you know, we came to this country for a reason. And so kind of like living life to the fullest and reaching your full potential. And so I did that through my studies. And then when I came back to San Diego, actually went to SDSU to study business, joined a business accelerator program at SSDSU called the zip launch pad, if you're familiar with that incubator. I actually connected with You, Neil, through an event that they hosted with the San Diego Venture Group. And so anywho. So going through that whole process of launching a business as a student really prepared me for this opportunity. Now with Mary Consulting Services, a lot of the lessons learned before, you know, utilizing the Lean model philosophy and. And all of that finally came in handy. And so that's how I got here.

Very cool. What a journey. And it's great to have that North Star as well. And also kudos to you as a student, even to getting engaged in the local startup community. You know, going to San Diego Venture Group events and meeting other startups, that's a great way to start out and get to know the community around you. Most people don't venture off of campus, I would say, so nice job on doing that. How did you know that you actually. And what did you do to take the leap to join either a tech firm or startup?

Yeah. So after college, I quickly learned making money is like, huge. So kind of got really caught up with collecting degrees. And then once I realized, okay, you know, I really need to figure out what's going on, how could I actually be successful in business? I got really lucky. Craig Stevens was my mentor, so he owned like a commercial real estate company. So he was my mentor at the time. And he really told me, mary, if you want to be successful in life, you really need to learn sales. And so that's what I did. So for the past five years, I worked for tech companies and really got a chance to connect with hundreds of businesses in Southern California. Some companies nationally got really good at sales and then decided to leverage my skillset because I kind of learned like, oh, wow, I'm making all these, you know, companies that I'm working for millions of dollars. Let me see if I could do it for myself. And the pandemic, although it was really stressful leaving my corporate job and launching my business March 2020 full time, it really showed me like, okay, wow, I could actually generate revenue during a pandemic. And, you know, businesses really need assistance with their sales strategy. And because now it's really difficult to network with people face to face, obviously we're in a lockdown right now. And so LinkedIn is really a great way to make those connections. So that's probably the reason why I'm successful, because there is a need right now.

What were some of the industries that you were working in? Where is it IT specifically consulting services or what's kind of the companies that you worked for?

Yeah, so I provided IT consulting services for Small to mid sized companies. So I worked with companies like Pacific Premier Bank, Crow holdings, this company in Dallas. So it was a multibillion dollar asset management company. And so my skill set and, you know, starting off as a entry level sales rep and really being hungry and, you know, not taking no for an answer really helped me now. So, so at this point, you know, I'm pretty confident in terms of presenting my solutions, building a relationship, because I had kind of like that under underdog story in sales. So in the sales industry, especially tech sales industry, there's a 35% sales force churn and burn rate. So the average career span I feel like at a company is about six months. And so that's how I came up with my solution, which was my proprietary sales playbook. And what I did is I really simplified not only the tech stack, but what's the best way to, to message these companies in terms of when it comes to connecting with them and doing business with them. So that's a little background of how my experiences led to my business offerings.

So take us through the mentality of actually starting your own, because it's not, it doesn't happen overnight, right? You work on it a while. Maybe it was a side hustle. Like take us through the generation of that.

Oh my gosh. So I again, luckily I've had mentors throughout my career and they're like, Mary, you know, you need to have a sole proprietorship and you know, tax benefits and you know, do something on the side. And so I dabbled on again, Mary consulting services. But this was in 2017 and I had two clients and for whatever reason, it didn't really register that I made, you know, a thousand dollars, two different engagements. So I made 2,000 bucks in a month. But I didn't really realize this is a sustainable business. I was really caught up with, oh my gosh, I need to become the VP of sales of this company that I'm working for. And so really grinded at those companies. And then in 2020, when I finally felt confident and ready and felt like, okay, I can now book a lot of meetings. So I was booking like 10 to 13 meetings a week. I was always like the top producer in these companies. And then I got to the level where I could also close business. And so once I got to that and had a couple years under my belt and just kind of like that confidence to, you know, do your own thing, that's when I decided to pursue my business full time. One week before COVID And then when Covid happened It was like, oh, gosh, every. None of the accounts. I had like seven accounts that were willing to work with me. And so none of those accounts returned my call, obviously, because we're in a pandemic. Everyone was losing their minds, including me. And so in May, I was so fortunate to get two callbacks. And one was a company in Irvine, so it was a tech company. And I helped him for three months with his sales strategy. I created a sales playbook for him. I even onboarded a sales rep. And so it's just so interesting how life works like that. You know, sometimes when one door opens, new opportunities are created. And then I also like to say God likes to create miracles from messes. And so that's pretty much my story.

Okay, so you started it during the pandemic. Pretty much. What's it been like going forward through the rest of 2020?

Well, really great with the connect all at the Jacobs center met amazing entrepreneurs. I was able to make meet folks from Mission Edge. So they helped me with my financial model. I was able actually to start my own mastermind group, a business mastermind group. It's called MCS Empowerment Coalition for Leaders of Color. So that kicked off in August, and now I have about 300 members within that coalition. And so every month, the third Wednesday of every month, we all get together and we have a couple of CEOs talking about their experience. It's just, again, full circle. A lot of my clients ended up being the guest speakers. Like, previous clients ended up being the guest speakers of this networking group. And so the cio, Todd Dueling of Crow holdings, actually joined our networking event and provided us with feedback on, like, you know, how to negotiate for salaries, his journey in the C suite. Because I've always wondered that, like, how do you go from an account executive to the owner of, you know. Yeah. So anyway, so he came and kind of talked to us about that. A lot of it comes from patients and. Yeah, so just been very fortunate to be super busy these last last six months. And the reason why I kind of kept myself busy is because of the pandemic. And so this is. This is going to sound weird, but I kind of thought it was the end of the world. So I was like, okay, if this is the end of the world, let me just hustle. Let's just see what happens, you know, like, what's the worst that could happen? And then I figured, just in case I get sick with COVID it was just. It was weird how my. My brain worked. So I was like, okay, well, if you work really hard now down the road, if you get sick, at least you have a business set up, you know, and you have revenue coming in. It was kind of weird, but it paid off because, look, you know, although we're back in a lockdown right now, it did result in, you know, now there's a vaccine. So you can't really get bogged down by obstacles. You just have to keep moving. Was. Was my little lesson learned.

It's a great lesson learned. What did you. You obviously, at some point took the leap to go join an accelerator, right? How did you know you needed to surround yourself with that kind of help?

Yeah, so I remembered from when I joined that student accelerator program. I remembered my mindset during that time period. I also won second place at that accelerator program. So I got. I think I got $5,000 as well. And I won audience choice as well. So it's. It's kind of like history repeating itself, except finally, like, I have an actual service that's generating revenue. So my last business venture was a valet parking app concept. So. So it was the Uber of campus parking.

It was like, what was that? Zerks. Remember the other. There were some valet apps back in, like, 2014, 15.

Yeah, there were. It's so crazy now. Cause, like, there's the bird and all of these things, which also could get you from point A to point B.

Back then, the valet, I remember the valet would ride to you on their scooter, throw it in the back of your car, and then drive off to some parking lot or something.

Right.

Is that a similar model that you guys had as well, too?

So it was actually you would pull up to the campus, and then there would be students that are your valet parkers. Right. And so we came up with, like, a very complicated idea where we would have these lockboxes. And so you pull up, you know, you. You use your app, a student is there, you give them your keys, they put it in the lockbox of the car, and then you ping them later when you're done with classes. So that was the idea. But that experience really taught me to stick to my wheelhouse. App development was not my forte at all. So we, you know, it was like, a very interesting experience because we got approval from the university to actually have that valet parking concept rollout at sdsu. And then we would uncover additional hurdles, like insurance, you know, and then we get approval on insurance. Then it was like, what's up with the app? And so it was like a very complicated idea for my first go at a Business. So the business didn't, didn't take off. I did get approached by Last Parking towards the end and he was like, hey, Mary, you know, I see what you're doing out there. If you could get it going, I'll be able to invest later. And it was like, well, I need you to invest now because I'm stuck and I need money. So. But, but, but that did show me like, hey, if you believe it and if you're passionate about your business idea, things are going to happen. Things kind of align and make it possible for you.

Got it. So take us through a little bit more like what you got out of being in the Jacobs center program. Connect all.

So they helped me with my financial modeling, they helped me with hooking me up with two mentors. So Stacy from Concealio, she's the owner and CEO of that company. So she was my mentor and literally she let me have templates of hers, showed me how to structure a sales training company. And then Paul Robinson works at, oh, I always pronounce his company wrong, but it's a M and A company. And he works with companies that are about to undergo an acquisition. And so his company helps with the tech stack on the back end. Very interesting guy, very talented. He helped me with my strategic plan for 2021. And so having those mentors and having people to brainstorm like my, my crazy hair brain ideas has been really, really great because they, they help me really stay focused, focus on my target customer, which are those tech startup companies. Right now I rolled out like my LinkedIn training offerings. That's been pretty successful in terms of like the, the pricing model that they helped me develop. So it's just been invaluable to have so seasoned business owners meeting with me once a week and we're talking for an hour. You know, they charge probably thousands of dollars for, for their time.

That's fantastic. So this was, you know, the end of the world year, 2021. Still a little up in the air, you know. Yes, we've got a vaccine coming. But, but how do you plan and forecast for what you're going to do for, you know, this coming year?

Yeah, so I'm just focusing on the next 90 days. Um, so January to March, that's all I'm focusing on. And again, back to my old startup with the Go Rider, I projected five years. You know, I thought I was going to be a multimillionaire and have a, you know, valet parking app in every campus. I'll have a house on the beach with this. With this business, I'm a little more realistic. Still shooting for, for 20, 21, I, I do project. I want to make $600,000 in revenue. And that's, you know, we'll, we'll see what happens. But, but really I want to focus on the next 90 days. And that will consist of having a strong marketing strategy, having a great lead generation strategy, and setting up the operational processes of Mary Consulting Services. So when I'm ready to hire those sales consultants, I want to have those playbook templates ready and have them kind of organized so that I could train them to offload what I'm doing on a day to day basis and then I could focus on just sticking to the CEO Lane. That's, that's my goal.

All right, sounds good. We'll check back in with you in 90 days, see how it's going.

Yeah, I would love some advice, you know, for sure.

Friend from the community, you know, the community saying, how's it going? So we'll make sure we do that. So you've been in San Diego a bit now you've gotten no, you know, our tacos are one of our things. Do you have a favorite spot?

Yeah, have you heard of Los Reyes in Golden Hills? Okay, awesome. Yeah, so my dad had an auto shop right across the street from them. And so when I would visit him, we would always go to Los Reyes. And so, yeah, ever since high school I've been going to Los Reyes. So Los Reyes, if you're listening, like hook me up. Please have delivery, please. I've been waiting for that day where you could deliver to me. And I'm the one who always calls about this, you know, side of sour cream, please. And so they kind of know me, so they're like, side of sour cream, Mary. I'm like, yeah, that's what I like.

Gotta have a go to spot.

What about you, Neil? What's your favorite taco spot?

Oh, man. Always the hardest question. You know, it depends on the mood. If I am feeling like today I want some high end like nice sit down tacos like Puesto for sure is my go to. Or if it is late at night, you know, it's been a long day, maybe some drinking involved. Roberto's for a California burrito.

Oh, nice. Which, which Roberto's you go to?

Oh, which one? Anyone that ends by the way in Bertos. So Ali, Bertos, Rigoberto's. Like they're all going to be good and there usually is one within five minutes of reach. The. I've done the One in Del Mar, which actually has a pretty good view. There's also one down in UTC area that I've been known to go to as well. Those are all fan favorites.

Nice. Yeah. Like puestos as well. There is also a phase where. Well, it's more of like a fajita burrito, but I don't know if you've been to on the Border. I know, you know, it's probably not on your list, but I'm obsessed with. With on the Border.

There's no wrong answer in Mexican food, by the way, you know, so. No, on the Border is great. Definitely have had some of their fajitas for sure as well too. Is there an East African kind of similarity in tacos at all? Is there something, a dish that is similar to tacos?

No, there's not. There is not. Yeah. Yeah. So my mom is actually. She just launched her business. Um, it's called Mama Amy's Kitchen. So she just rolled out a cookbook yesterday. So that just launched. And yeah, you could check out those recipes on Amazon. So are you familiar with the Eritrean and Ethiopian food?

Yes.

Okay. Yeah, so that's what she specializes in. So I don't know if you count the injera as like the tortilla side.

Of it, but yeah, I think so. All cultures have an affinity to that style of eating and that style of food and that's what we love to see. So, yeah. Congratulations to your mom.

Oh, thank you. Thank you.

Well, Mary, it's been great having you on. It's great to reconnect after, you know, connecting back in 2014 when you were at the quick pitch competition by Standard Venture Group and now to have your own business. So we wish all the success and luck in 2021.

Okay, awesome. Well, thank you for having me.

Thanks for joining us on the Tacos and Tech podcast with Neil Blum. Thanks again to Cox Business for helping make this possible by expanding the reach of the San Diego tech ecosystem. Big shout out to School of Rap for our rad intro music. And thanks as well to Nest Podcast Network where we are recording live inside their studio at Nest Co Working in Bankers Hill. You can find Neil Bloom on Twitter eoblum as well as Fresh brewed tech and tacos and tech Pod on Twitter too.

Startups get the party. Startups get the party started. Startups get the party. Startups get the party started. You want tech and tacos, Tacos in tech, you know, we got it.

Hey, Sam.