Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrea Mac. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Andrea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.

I love this question because it’s one of the times I get to answer that I took my own advice!
I conducted what we call a network audit.

My first client didn’t come from a warm introduction or a casual referral—it came from a process I built to mine my network strategically. I started by evaluating the strength of my professional relationships and identifying individuals with whom I had credibility and trust but had never directly discussed my services. From there, I qualified the lead carefully, assessing and ensuring that I had the right information to know that I had a good fit solution. Therefore, when I reached out, I wasn’t selling—I was offering insight, asking the right questions, and demonstrating value before ever making a pitch. The conversation felt natural, not forced, because I had earned the right to propose my solution.

I’ll never forget when they said, “This is exactly what we need. Let’s move forward.” That first dollar wasn’t just revenue—it was validation that my approach worked and that I could build a business by focusing on relationships, trust, and value-driven sales. I felt proud because I proved that my method worked and that it worked for my own business.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Nice to meet you all. I’m Andrea, the founder and lead Growth Strategist of Prequal, where I help individuals and teams build repeatable, sustainable, and predictable revenue through effective sales planning and methodology.

I started my career in the legal industry, working my way up to Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for driving revenue through marketing, sales, and business development. This experience gave me a deep understanding of how relationship-driven sales and intentional strategy fuel success in any industry. Sales isn’t just about transactions—it’s about creating opportunities, autonomy, and agency for yourself. Yet too many women and marginalized professionals are excluded from the systems that make sales accessible. My mission is to change that by equipping them with the skills, tools, and confidence to generate revenue and shape their own futures.

I’ve spent years developing training programs, workshops, and tools to help women become confident sellers—whether running a business, leading an organization, or advocating for themselves in negotiations. Sales doesn’t have to be overwhelming—there’s a tool, a script, or a process for every part of the journey. With the right strategies, anyone can learn to build trust, articulate their value, and sell confidently without feeling pushy.

What sets my work apart is that I know these actionable strategies work—not because they sound good in theory, but because I’ve used them in high-stakes industries and seen them drive actual results. I don’t teach outdated, aggressive sales tactics. Nor do I live in the space of just theory. Instead, I help people embrace a simple, actionable sales approach that is authentic, effective, and tailored to their strengths.

I’m most proud of the multiplier effect I see in my work—when one woman learns to generate revenue, she changes her financial trajectory. She creates opportunities for others, whether by hiring employees, mentoring peers, or reinvesting in her community.

For anyone thinking about working with me, I want you to know that increasing your sales is not about pressuring other people—it’s about making things happen. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a leader, or someone looking to get more comfortable selling, I provide the strategies and tools to make revenue generation a skill you own, not a struggle you avoid.

I want more women and marginalized professionals to see sales as their superpower—because when we own our ability to generate revenue, we own our future.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I am self-funded, and from the start, I knew that if I was going to build this business, I needed to set myself up for success financially. I saved up a nest egg to cover both startup expenses and our living costs, ensuring I had the breathing room to focus on building something sustainable. As the sole earner for my family, the stakes were high, and so was the pressure to be profitable right away.
That pressure, however, didn’t feel like a risk—it felt like an advantage. I had confidence in going out on my own because I know how to generate revenue. I knew that the number one reason businesses fail is a lack of revenue, not a lack of funding. I feel strongly about this because I believe there is a misconception that capital—whether through lending or raising—is the only way to succeed.

While funding can be valuable in the right situations, bootstrapping deserves more attention in media and entrepreneurial conversations. I don’t believe every founder needs to start with external capital. What is often missing from the discussion is that the best way to fund a business is to make money. By focusing (early or even first) on creating repeatable, sustainable revenue, entrepreneurs can fund their own growth at a pace that aligns with their business model and personal situation.

Bootstrapping isn’t for everyone, but it is an option that should be discussed more because when you prioritize sales and revenue generation, you gain control over your business, decisions, and future.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn is that not all growth is created equally, and growth should not always be the primary focus. There are many ways to build a profitable business, so before selling, approaching potential customers, asking for opportunities, or spending money on marketing tactics, it is essential to be intentional about where you want to take your business, practice, or side hustle.

I can’t think of anything worse than succeeding in the wrong direction. Selling a large volume of something you do not actually want to continue doing long-term or with people you don’t want to work with can be costly. Just because you can sell something doesn’t mean it is profitable or aligned with the future that you want to build. Growth does not have to be fast to be meaningful, and success is not defined solely by revenue numbers or the size of a company.

For me, success is about ensuring that how I spend my days aligns with how I want to spend my life. I have had to slow myself down at times, focus on what truly matters, and avoid chasing metrics or goals that do not align with what I want for my business and my long-term vision.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theprequal.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theprequal/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theprequal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea4thewin/

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