How Katrina Sawa Built a 20-Year Coaching Business on the Two Strategies Most People Overlook: Networking and Follow Up

Meet Katrina Sawa, seasoned business and sales coach, 14x international bestselling author, and speaker who has been helping women make more money in their businesses since 2002, long before social media, video, or any of the tools most entrepreneurs now take for granted. She started with a background in sales and a front-row seat to small businesses failing not because they lacked a great product, but because they did not understand marketing. That broke her heart enough to make her go out on her own and fix it.

More than two decades later, the foundation of her business looks exactly the same as it did at the start: networking, follow up, and showing up consistently. She has since helped clients earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue, earned 14 international bestseller titles, and built a coaching practice rooted in the belief that consistent marketing, sales, and systems are what actually drive a business forward, not the newest app or the coolest trend.

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Please share a brief introduction and your business:

I absolutely love helping women learn how to make a lot more money in their business. From increasing their self confidence to charge more of what they're worth, to helping them ask for the sale and then hold a more effective sales conversation, all so that more potential prospects will say "YES".

I started my business back in 2002 before social media and video were really a thing. It was all about networking and follow up back then locally; I didn't even know I could get clients from anywhere. I hired mentors and coaches along the way to help me improve my own brand, marketing, sales, follow up, and online positioning.

I've since earned and helped clients earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in revenues, but more than that, to do it consistently. Consistent marketing, follow up, sales and systems are what drives my business and it's what I show clients to do when they hire me. I know all about automation, Ai, hiring team, what makes up an effective website, and how to strategically you as a speaker, and expert in your field to make more people want what you've got.

Are you a mamaprenista?

I'm a step-mom of a 17 year old daughter and I came into her life when she was 3.5. I've had my own business the whole time and now I know that I'm setting an example for her to hopefully see how flexible and amazing being a business owner is. Along the way though I did have to learn how my traveling for speaking events and conferences affected her. I remember, back in 2018 or 2019, she would say to me "you're never here" (we have her 50% of the time so it felt longer sometimes). So, I'm the one that caused Covid because in Nov 2019 I told my husband that I wasn't going to travel as much next year and BAM!! The world shut down and I didn't!

Take us back to when you launched? What was your marketing strategy?

The majority of what I did to generate business when I first started is still what I do today - networking and follow up! I was really good at both and that led to speaking (and follow up) and those two today are still my top 2 marketing strategies. Now I just do it all virtually as well as locally.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I started getting that idea after college when I wasn't really excited about "getting a real job". I was still a bartender when I graduated. I just didn't know what that looked like yet, so I did take a few jobs as I evolved my interests and experience.

What accomplishments are you the most proud of to date in your business?

resilience through it all to keep on going, still making it all work and living a great life

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

One thing I wish I would have known when I started my journey is that you want to sell it while you build it. Don't go off creating a course or membership site before you sell it, make sure people want it first, then build it out. (Because not everything you think will sell, sells.)

When hiring, what is your go-to interview question?

What is the one thing you LOVE to do for your clients? (assuming I'm hiring a virtual assistant) Then typically, I only hire them for that or those things, nothing else. If the VA doesn't LOVE doing it, it gets put on the back burner. It's better to have 2 or 3 VAs that love what they each do than one VA that loves some things but not others.

What did you go before starting your own business?

Prior to starting my business, I had been in sales or marketing jobs all my life. From retail to restaurant, even door-to-door sales and B2C. My final job was the one that inspired me to start my own business. I was an advertising rep for the local newspaper (back in 2000 when people were still reading the paper LOL) and I would cold call on businesses and they would give me their business card to run in the paper AS their ad. I had to teach them what made an effective ad, with effective call to action and even teach what to do with the new customers once they came into their location. Many small businesses I saw were going out of business within 5 years or less because they just didn't understand marketing enough. It broke my heart to watch that so that's why I started my business.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

I wanted to help more small businesses from going out of business but I also wasn't a fan of working for bosses who would say one thing and do the other. That's when I went out on my own. I was also married at the time and needed a change... having a business is what gave me more confidence to then know I deserved more and I eventually left my marriage a short time later too.

Do you have any recent wins?

Recent wins is that I've decided to pivot to some extent. I'm looking for business and real estate investment opportunities to diversify my portfolio and build more residual, and passive income. We've started but I'm looking for more opportunities now if anyone knows of anything.

What's one app on your phone that you cannot live without?

I am not a fan of phone apps so I have just the minimal number of apps that I use like text messages, email, banking and social media apps.

Who are your customers?

About 30% of my clients are new business owners, within the first 3 years in business who need so much guidance in all areas. The other 70% are typically in the middle of their business, 3-15 years in business and looking to grow and scale to create a lot more revenue so they can finally life their dream lifestyle.

99% are women, many in their late 50s, 60s, and some in their 70s and 80s too. Often times I get some in their 30s and 40s but I find those women don't always trust my 'old school' ways of marketing (that work), they want 'new cool' ways (which might b more fun but don't always bring in the money), that I've found.

I'm happy to work though with any woman who is ready to do the work... this isn't a "set it and forget it" marketplace; it's very much a hands-on, relationship building world and to create more consistent revenues you have to sell what people want consistently to those who want it.

What's your top productivity tip?

Get organized!! Everywhere... in your office, with your email inbox, with your computer files and electronic clutter, with all the things you pay for, with how you name folders, files, pages and things in your website or CRM too. I would never be where I am without massive organization in all these areas.

What's your favorite business tool?

I used to love canva til chatgpt came along... now they play close second to one another so I can get a lot more done and uplevel things that I'm doing.

What's your approach to work-life balance?

Well, I love my business and it doesn't feel like work to me so if I work late I don't feel out of balance. If I go to an event for work, it feels like fun. So I feel like I just get paid to have fun and help people.

How do you avoid burn-out?

I drink lots of wine! LOL ok yes, that AND I block out my calendar for the most part to most people so they can only book things from 10-3 pm PST each day. Setting boundaries when I work and when I know I'm most productive, is key for me.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Seek a mentor or two or five along the way. Never stop investing in yourself or learning new things as long as you implement and know the "order of importance" to implement things in. Don't waste time squirreling on a ton of apps or programs, just sell what sounds good to sell today, keep it simple and always be marketing.

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Katrina's story is a reminder that the most timeless business strategies are often the simplest ones, and that resilience over the long haul matters far more than any single win. We are so proud to have her in the Entreprenista community and cannot wait to see what this next chapter of her journey brings.

Want to connect with founders like Katrina? Visit Entreprenista League to explore our community and discover more stories of women building businesses that truly matter.