Cook Enterprises LLC

Growth Marketing Agency focused on helping startups under $5M in revenue scale.

Owner

Happy Cabbage Analytics

Business Development Representative

Finance and Operations

NC NORML

•	Conduct research and analytics related to the economics of the North Carolina hemp and CBD industry 
•	Aid Treasurer and Fulfillment chair in developing financial models and predictions for the landscape of the proposed North Carolina medical cannabis market through SB 711
•	Assist in technical writing/copyediting for white papers and reports
•	Collaborate with industry partners and seek new sponsors/supporters 
•	Transition technology systems and solutions to help improve NC NORML practices
•	Contribute to cannabis advocacy, destigmatization, education, and awareness

Business Development Volunteer 

SidelineSwap

•	Conducted consumer research to better understand the behaviors of SidelineSwap users 
•	Used data analysis to help devise a community outreach/sponsorship program as well as an email 
         marketing campaign
•	Indexed over 500 pieces of sporting equipment into a SidelineSwap database to enhance SEO
•	Designed/created the NFL Fanshop page of the SidelineSwap website using Bannersnack and Miro
•	Created 200+ landing pages, selected and edited 300+ photo icons, and linked everything to a user- 
          friendly home page

Marketing and Management Intern

I help you find your dream life, not your dream job | Crafting the next generation of entrepreneurial employees | BDR @ Happy Cabbage

Driven sales and marketing professional with a particular interest in startups and fitness.

Connor Cook

Melissa Coloton Coaching and Consulting

Business Consultant and Coach

Lexitas Pharma Services

Senior Vice President Business Development

Traveling Restoration

Traveling Restoration is a family owned and operated business whose mission is simple, to breath new life into retired furniture. Traveling Restoration sits in the heart of the furniture capital of the world, High Point, North Carolina. There is no better place on earth to find unique, custom painted, pieces of furniture.

Scout Clinical, part of the Meeting Protocol Family

Executive Vice President Business Development

Executive Director, Regional Commercial Lead 

Senior Sales Optimization Director, Business Development

PRA Health Sciences

Senior Director Business Development

Randstad USA

Senior Staffing Manager and Business Development Associate

Childress Vineyards

Operations/Sales Manager

Catawba College

Athletic Trainer/Instructor/Advisor

North Carolina State University

Assistant Athletic Trainer

When I graduated from college, I felt lost. 

After six years of studying what I thought I'd do forever, my first job paid me $25,000 a year. This didn't pay the bills and made me feel like a loser.

I wanted more from life, so I spent time figuring things out. 

Figuring things out took work. There were lots of ups and downs and tons of frustrations because I felt like I wasted time in school - I had two degrees and no idea what to do with them! 

Ultimately, I had to figure out who I was, where I was, and where I wanted to go. 

This is why I help ambitious young professionals who want to LOVE what they do, find their purpose, and make money with it.

It's what I didn't have but so desperately needed.

I hope to help you, too! And if you want more serious stuff about me, below are my credentials. 

I have a B.S. in Athletic Training, with a Masters in Adult Education, with an Emphasis in Health Professions. I am also a certified health and wellness coach and trained in life coaching under Tony Robbins. 

If you want help figuring out what to do after graduation or just want help growing your career, please click here and sign up for my exclusive content. https://dawn-smoke-6941.ck.page/34011b5888

Melissa Coloton

Decided to get real today.



I was going to write a typical inspirational post.

But decided it wasn’t real, and if I’m going to sit on the LinkedIn inspo throne…

I need to be real.

Otherwise, it’s fake.

And I hate fake.

So, here it is.

This week, I yearned for a steady paycheck.

Like, reeeesaaaalllll bad. 

My mind was so desperate for the safety, security, and comfort. 

And my mind was also afraid.

Lots of fear of:
-the unknown
-not saving enough 
-no work friends
-judgement 

And I need to share …

I’m wildly uncomfortable pursuing my dreams and doing exactly what I preach: pursuing happiness over comfort.

This is not easy, and anyone who says it is….isn’t telling the truth.

I’ve been on my own for two and half years now and I’ve sacrificed:

-my house
-my car
-my steady check
-some of my retirement savings 
-my comfort 

So moments like this are real for any business owner. 

And they’re not talked about nearly enough.

So why am I sharing this?

Because I want to be super clear with my audience: I’m not always rainbows and butterflies.

I don’t want pitty - so I hope that’s not what it seems like - pitty is the last thing I want. 

But what I do want to be clear…

….when I encourage honoring yourself above all else, I want the world to understand that it’s not as easy done as said.

It might take sacrifices…

Your ego will scream on the daily …

You may have to go against society’s standards.

And yes, it might feel incredibly scary and lonely at times.

Want to know why I’m not going to pursue a comfortable job despite how I feel today?

Because every time I think about it, I feel depressed, anxious, and I instantly get emotional.

And this is a great example of knowing yourself, hearing yourself, and pursuing a purpose of fulfillment of your souls desires…

And not fulfillment of the generic, boring, societal expectations that leave you miserable, wanting more, and stuck on the road to regret city. 

So, if you’re thinking of leaving your comfort (whether that’s a job, a relationship, a city, or a lifestyle) this is something you need to know. 

If you’ve already left and you’re questioning everything, I get it. 

And I want to say, you’re not alone.

Hang in there because following what’s internal and not the external is where life’s greatest gifts for you live.

This message is for me as much as it is for you. 

And cheers to being real because let’s be honest, LI is full of the highlight reels! 

Ps, if you’ve made a major change in your life, how did you get through doubting yourself? Leave in the comments to help others with their journey! ⬇️

Life Coach for the Life Sciences || Sales Consultant || Host of The Honor You Podcast & Founder of The Honor You Method

No alternative text description for this image

I wanna quit. 


And more than I care to admit. 

But it’s not for the reasons you’d expect.

It’s not from: 
-daily interuptions from Chad 
-lack of freedom 
-lack of time 
-sitting at a desk all day 
-high stress
-big work loads that don’t stop 
-endless back to back meetings
-wayyyy too many emails 
-being asked for my opinion but the answer never really mattering 
-being undervalued and overworked 

That’s not why I want to quit.

I want to quit because I’m afraid I’ll never “get there”.

I’ll never get to a point where my biz doesn’t feel risky. 

Because when there’s risk, the mind runs wild. 

So - 
Every.
Single.
Day.

I must face the ultimate Chad -my mind… which is full of interruptions, rude comments, fear mongering, and bullying.

Each day she says, “hey, wouldn’t it just be easier if….. _______(fill in blank with any number of anxieties).

How I overcome this is knowing, deeply, that for years, I’ve been asked to lead the way from my heart to a place that doesn’t stress me out every day, one where I get to express through writing, and one where my job is to help others.

And this road isn’t easy - that’s for damn sure.

But it’s easier than me regretting some day what I could’ve done….or never knowing what might have been.

The regret scares me more than any bs nonsense my mind decides to come up with on the daily.

So, I hope it scares you too. Not that I like to lead from fear, but, if you know deep inside you’re not doing what you should be, act. 

Don’t wait. Because regret is heartless. It’ll be sure to be in your face if you don’t move toward what is you, instead of doing what you’re “supposed to do”.

Ps. One of my goals this year was to spend more time at my favorite place with my favorite people - the beach! 🏖️ this was taken this summer for our anniversary, and we spent it at, yep, the beach ☺️🙌🏻. 

Pps - where’s your fave place??

When I first got into the lifesciences I was on a high. 


I knew I’d found my place. 

My home. 

An industry I could stay in and be proud of the work I was doing. 

Making people’s lives better mattered to me back then and is still high on the list of what’s fulfilling and purposeful to me today.  

Unfortunately, working in this industry eventually came at a cost.

I don’t wish anxiety or panic attacks on my worst enemy. 


So I had to reset and rethink what I was doing and why I was doing it. 

It wasn’t easy because it’s all I’ve ever known (aside the few years I floundered trying to find where I belonged). 

And what I know now after a lot of soul searching and reconnecting to myself, is, we can’t do anything monumental in a stressed out state. 

Especially a chronically stressed out state.

And we deserve to do work we know is important and have our sanity too. 

So, if you’re someone in this space who’s heart is in it but you’re struggling, let’s chat. 

I’ve found a great place for me now - and not suprisingly:

-my anxiety is gone
-my stress levels nearly non existent 
-my back pain gone
-migraines are limited 
-I have more time and energy for friends and family 

I even had someone tell me, “You look so light.”

It was one of the best compliments I’ve ever received.

I know it’s a stressful environment so I’m not saying you’ll never feel the pressure.

But what I am saying is, how you deal with it matters.

How you support yourself matters.

And if you’re going to do work that matters, you deserve to ensure YOU matter as well.

Because what’s the point of doing work that matters if you can’t be present in your life outside of that work? 

If I can help, just DM me. Let’s chat! 
 
Ps - this once New Yorker is just trying to survive the elements this past weekend 😂. Safe to say I won’t be moving back from the south any time soon. ⬇️
—————————————————
Hi 👋🏻 I’m Melissa. A certified life coach who’s spent 15+ years in the life sciences in high pressure roles. I’ve learned the art of honoring myself so that I can do my purpose without all the stress and the strain. And now I teach others how to do the same. If you want to explore how to support yourself and still do amazing work, ping me here on LI or feel free to email me for a connect. info@melissacoloton.com

I hope all my US friends have a lovely Thanksgiving! ❤️🦃🍁🍽

You’ve lived your entire life doing what you were supposed to do.


And yet?

You’re not happy.

Toooo many people are living a life they just simply don’t like.

And it pains me.

On top of the unhappiness?


They’re stuck too.

Why? Well, because they did what they were supposed to do.

They got a good job.

They bought a house they technically could afford but not own for 30 years.

They bought the car they thought was cool and would make them happy.

Alllll the things and still - not happy. And now? The finances around all the things keeps them stuck in all those things. 

So the question I have for you is:

How long?

How long are you going to keep doing what you’re supposed to do even though you’re not happy?

I hope it’s not a second longer because you deserve happiness! 

It’s really the only thing in life to pursue! 

—————————————————
Hi 👋🏻 I’m Melissa - a certified life coach that’s had all the things I thought I wanted and found out the hard way that those things don’t actually make you happy. What I know now is life isn’t about them it’s about me. It’s about pursuing what my heart desires and that’s how my North Star. And I want it to be yours too! DM me to set up a consult today - or, click link in bio!

The word "rich" has multiple definitions.


In my 20s and some of my 30s, it = make as much money as possible.

The problem?

That drive for money overrode my understanding of what I wanted in life.

Which led to a major reconciliation and questioning it all.

This is scary (if you're there now, I want to say, you'll get through it, friend, trust me. It may not feel like it, but you will!)

Now, my definition is:
-As much time as possible doing what I love
-As much energy as possible
-As much simplicity as possible
-As much freedom as possible

If you define rich in a way that does not honor you and your soul's true desires, you'll likely end up successful, but not happy.

Unfortunately, I had to learn this the hard way.

How about you? What does rich mean to you?

[Sales Saturday] 


What percentage of your sales reps hit their targets YoY?

Most organizations run in the 75/25 range.

75% don’t hit target 
25% do hit target 

The concern is obvious.

You have a handful of reps that carry the company’s quota.

If this is you, my next question is, what’s your best rep doing that your worst is not?

Unfortunately most can’t answer that question.

And if they do it’s anecdotal - and depends on who you ask.

The solution?

Implementation of a force multiplier.

1. Outline core competencies 

2. Align specific behaviors 

3. Deploy a 360 review of each rep

4. Compile the data 

5. Provide rep and manager with a customized report  

6. Create a custom development and coaching plan for each rep 

7. Collate data so you can see team deficiencies then map your team trainings throughout the year 

Rinse and repeat every 6 months.

Now your bottling your best reps competencies and associated behaviors.

There’s no longer a question mark on what your best reps do.

You have a roadmap for other reps to follow.

This force multiplies instead of accepting that only 25% of reps will hit quota each year.

It turns your 75/25 into 75 hitting and 25 not (or better)! 

____________________________
Hi 👋🏻 I’m Melissa - sales consultant that gives you the tools to stop wasting time and money on underperformance and instead, force multiplies your sales team. If you’re struggling to have a sales force that’s hitting their targets, book a free consultation - link in bio. Or email me at info@melissacoloton.com.

[Sales Saturday]: Are you missing sales due to a lack of curiosity?


My husband and I drive semi-gas guzzlers.

So, we decided to sell my car.

I spent a whole weekend detailing it, getting it ready for pics.

Then I posted and it and yay! I got a few hits and the best one was through a dealership.

The whole process was smooth.

One step after the other - no hiccups.

Except for one major error.

THEY DIDNT TRY TO SELL ME A CAR! 

I was literally sitting smack in the middle of their showroom, not a single person said, “what are you buying next?”

On top of it, they asked me to take less for my car due to needing new rear brakes.

An even more perfect opportunity to say hey, take less as a trade in and I’ll give you deal on a car in the lot.

But, nothing.

Not even an ounce of an attempt to sell me.

Wow.

Listen….

This isn’t rocket science, and even though I’ve been in sales for a long long time, I don’t consider myself a guru.

I consider myself good at sales because I make sense.

But you don’t need a guru or a rocket scientist to tell you, if a potential customer is sitting right across from you, at the very least:

BE. CURIOUS.

Just a few questions and they would’ve discovered I had zero back up plan.

Yes I’m carless right now.

And could’ve had an amazing moment of service by saying, “what are you getting next”? 

This didn’t even have to be sales, it could/should have been service. 

It would’ve saved me a lot of headache to drive off with a car instead of being carless. 

Anyway, don’t be so sucked into your process you miss a stupidly obvious sale.

And always, always, be curious and service oriented  - especially when a potential customer is sitting right in front of you. 

Do you have any stories of a similar situation??

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