Prospecting on Purpose

In this episode of Prospecting On Purpose®, Sara Murray sits down with Sarah Dusek, an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, author, hotelier, and co-founder of Under Canvas, the upscale outdoor hospitality company she sold in 2018 for over $100 million.Sarah shares how she went from the nonprofit world to building, scaling, selling, investing, and now launching her next hospitality venture, Few & Far Luvhondo. Through her journey, she has learned that business can be a powerful vehicle for good — and that the best pitches are built on clarity, confidence, connection, and deep understanding of the person on the other side of the table.If you’ve ever struggled to communicate your value, pitch an idea, sell with confidence, or ask for the opportunity you want, this conversation will help you rethink what it means to sell authentically and show up prepared.Click here to watch a video of this episode. What You’ll Gain:🔹 How to Sell Authentically – Why the best version of selling starts with caring deeply about what you do and communicating that passion naturally.🔹 Pitch What Buyers Actually Want – Learn why successful pitching requires understanding your audience’s business model, motivations, metrics, and decision-making process.🔹 Confidence Through Skin in the Game – Discover why betting on yourself is essential before you can ask someone else to bet on you.🔹 Prepare for Your One Shot – Sarah explains why first impressions matter, why “good enough” can cost you opportunities, and why real human feedback still matters in the age of AI.🔹 Relationships Open Doors – Learn why warm introductions, value-added relationships, and authentic connection can change the outcome of a pitch, meeting, sale, or career opportunity.Key Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:🎯 A winning pitch is not about what you want to sell, it’s about what the other person needs to buy.💡 Confidence is built when your actions, values, and message are aligned.🚀 Relationships are not transactional, but they can become the bridge to rooms, opportunities, and decisions you could never reach alone.Sarah also shares insights from her book, Thinking Bigger: A Pitch Deck Formula for Women Who Want to Change the World, and introduces listeners to Few & Far Luvhondo, her conservation-focused luxury safari lodge in South Africa.Your pitch is more than a presentation. It is your opportunity to connect, communicate value, and invite someone to believe in what you are building.Tune in now and start prospecting on purpose!For more insights, revisit:🎙 Episode 4 – Why Icebreakers Work for Prospecting🎙 Episode 20 – Four Pillars for a Confident Mindset🎙 The Core Values episode on using your values as a guide for stronger decisions, deeper alignment, and more authentic business relationships.Connect with Sarah Dusek:🌐 Sarah’s Website: https://sarahhdusek.com/🌐 Few & Far Luvhondo: https://www.fewandfarluvhondo.com/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhdusek/📘 Book: Thinking Bigger: A Pitch Deck Formula for Women Who Want to Change the WorldConnect with Sara:Website: https://www.saramurray.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saramurraysalesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saramurraysales/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saramurraysales/#ProspectingOnPurpose #SarahDusek #SaraMurray #WinningPitch #PitchDeck #SalesPitch #AuthenticSelling #RelationshipSelling #WomenEntrepreneurs #VentureCapital #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #SalesMindset #ThinkingBiggerChapters00:00 Intro00:31 Meet Sarah Dusek01:31 Accidental Entrepreneur04:40 Authentic Selling07:22 Connection Creates Sales10:03 Pitching What Buyers Want14:43 Confidence And Skin In18:23 One Shot Pitch Prep22:15 Relationships Open Doors29:34 Being True To Yourself35:24 Few And Far Safari Lodge37:05 Wrap Up And Where To

In this solo episode of Prospecting On Purpose®, Sara Murray returns with an honest and practical conversation about overwhelm. The kind that happens when business is growing, life is full, the calendar is packed, and something eventually has to give.After an unintentional hiatus from the podcast, Sara shares why the show had to pause, what she learned during one of the busiest seasons of her business, and the eight strategies that helped her move through overwhelm without burning everything down.If you’ve ever looked at your calendar and wondered where your free time went, felt like your phone wouldn’t stop ringing, or realized you were juggling too many balls at once, this episode is for you.Click here to watch a video of this episode. What You’ll Gain:🔹 Glass Balls vs. Rubber Balls – Learn how to identify what can bounce back and what needs to be protected.🔹 Situational vs. Constant Overwhelm – Understand if you’re in a temporary heavy season or a deeper pattern that requires structural change.🔹 The Power of a Brain Dump – Get the swirl out of your head so you can see, sort, prioritize, and breathe again.🔹 Protect Your Non-Negotiables – Why your health, relationships, rest, and energy are not optional when life gets busy.🔹 Eliminate, Outsource, or Delay – Learn how to reclaim energy by removing or delegating the things that drain you.🔹 Communicate Before the Ball Drops – How to protect relationships when you need to pause, delay, or say no.🔹 Build Your Support Roster – Why overwhelm thrives in isolation and how to create a bench of people before you need them.🔹 Hold Gratitude and Reality Together – A reminder that something can be both a blessing and hard at the same time.Key Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:🎯 If you have to drop a ball, make sure it’s rubber - not glass.💡 Constant overwhelm is usually a sign that something structural needs to change.🚀 Silence damages relationships more than dropping the ball does.Sara also references Episode 79, Why Mentorship Matters: 10 Tips to Finding the Right Mentor, and Episode 48 on embodying gratitude in your personal and professional life.If this episode is useful, share it with a friend or colleague who may be in a season of overwhelm.Listen to the full episode of Prospecting On Purpose® wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube.Connect with Sara:https://www.saramurray.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saramurraysalesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saramurraysales/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saramurraysales/#ProspectingOnPurpose #Overwhelm #BusinessOverwhelm #BurnoutPrevention #Entrepreneurship #SalesMindset #LeadershipMindset #ProductivityTips #WorkLifeBalance #RelationshipBuilding #ABAVChapters00:00 Back From Hiatus01:21 Why Overwhelm Hit03:02 Tip One Rubber Glass04:43 Tip Two Diagnose Overwhelm06:27 Tip Three Brain Dump08:32 Tip Four Nonnegotiables12:13 Tip Five Cut Outsource16:39 Tip Six Communicate Early18:41 Tip Seven Build Support20:37 Tip Eight Gratitude Reality22:48 Final Recap Farewell

Welcome back to Prospecting On Purpose® and Welcome to Season 4!After an unintentional year-long hiatus, Sara Murray is back behind the mic with a quick catch-up, a behind-the-scenes look at where she’s been, and a roadmap for what’s ahead.In this short solo episode, Sara shares why the show went on pause, how year three in business created a major up-level, and what has been happening behind the scenes with client trainings, speaking opportunities, in-person events, industry conferences, international work, and the continued growth of the Prospecting On Purpose® sales program.She also reflects on the power of the podcast itself, how it helped create new relationships, new clients, new opportunities, and unexpected paths, including her work as a story producer for Project MFG’s Clash of Trades.Click here to watch a video of this episode. What You’ll Hear:🔹 Why Prospecting On Purpose® went on an unplanned hiatus🔹 What Sara has been building behind the scenes over the past year🔹 Highlights from client wins, sales trainings, speaking opportunities, and in-person events🔹 Why relationship-building & in-person connection matter even more in an AI-heavy world🔹 What’s changing with the Prospecting On Purpose® brand and visual identity🔹 A preview of upcoming guest episodes and solo topics for Season 4Sara also gives listeners a sneak peek at upcoming conversations with Sarah Dusek, Melissa Maher, David Newman, Bart Berkey, Lovell Casiero, Jordana Cole, and more.To every listener who has been here through Seasons 1, 2, and 3, thank you. Your reviews, DMs, encouragement, and support have meant more than words can say.We are back, baby. Welcome to Season 4 of Prospecting On Purpose®.Connect with Sara:https://www.saramurray.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saramurraysalesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saramurraysales/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saramurraysales/#ProspectingOnPurpose #SaraMurray #SalesTraining #BusinessGrowth #RelationshipBuilding #AuthenticSelling #SalesMindset #LuxurySales #HospitalitySales #SeasonFour (00:00) - Show Intro (00:31) - Season Four Return (01:11) - Why The Hiatus (02:07) - Big Wins In 2025 (02:44) - Clash Of Trades Detour (03:41) - Prospecting Program Results (04:43) - Events And In Person Connection (05:25) - New Leadership Role (06:11) - Podcast Rebrand And Direction (07:05) - Upcoming Guest Lineup (09:05) - Solo Episodes And Overwhelm (09:38) - Gratitude And Season Four (10:23) - Subscribe And Connect