I Didn’t Step Away from Business. I Stepped Into My Purpose.

By Nicole Schulte, Founder of Breakthrough Sales Consulting

Nicole Schulte

I didn’t always know I’d start my own consultancy.

Like many professionals, I spent the first chapter of my career climbing the ladder. Leading teams. Building sales strategies. Delivering results. I was fortunate to work for and alongside some of the best in the business, navigating Fortune 500 complexity and aggressive sales goals.

But it was stepping away from the business world to raise my daughter full time and serve in volunteer leadership roles that gave me the clarity to start something of my own.

That something became Breakthrough Sales Consulting.

What I Learned in the Boardroom

In my years leading within B2B organizations, I saw first hand the patterns that separated high performing sales teams from those constantly playing catch up.

It wasn’t just about talent. Or tools. Or even compensation plans.

It came down to alignment between strategy, messaging, process, and people. And beyond alignment, the most successful organizations had something deeper: a foundation of trust and respect. Trust in leadership. Trust between sales and marketing. Trust in the customer relationship. Respect for the people you are working with, at all levels.

I also saw how often that trust and respect were missing, or worse, assumed.

Sales was too often reduced to tactics. Activity over intention. Pressure over partnership. Using scare tactics with subordinates and even with clients. That’s when performance stalls, teams burn out, and customer relationships become transactional.

A younger colleague once said to me, “Nicole, you are so successful, and you treat your teams with so much respect. You don’t push people through fear. Can you teach me how to do this? Because that’s how other leaders seem to operate and I don’t want to be that way.”

I will never forget that conversation. I wanted to build something different.

What I Learned Outside the Office

Taking time away from corporate life to focus on my family and community wasn’t a pause in my career. It was a recalibration. As a full time mom, I learned how to lead with empathy, how to listen fully, how to negotiate with grace, and how to set boundaries with clarity. I saw the power of influence that doesn’t rely on title or authority, but on consistency, trust, and values.

As a community volunteer, I worked not for pay, but for purpose. That experience taught me how to unite people behind a shared vision, motivate without incentives, and move projects forward even when resources were scarce. Those lessons translate directly into building effective, resilient sales teams.

I returned to the business world with a clearer sense of what I stand for, and a deeper belief in the kind of leadership and selling that actually works: human centered, strategy driven, and grounded in integrity.

Why Breakthrough

I founded Breakthrough Sales Consulting to help companies grow in a way that feels aligned, authentic, and sustainable.

Not through flashy sales hacks. Not by copying the competition. Not with pressure heavy tactics that win short term business but cost you long term trust.

I help leadership teams get to the root of what’s not working and rebuild a sales approach that reflects who they are, what they stand for, and how their customers actually buy.

This work inspires me. I’ve seen what happens when a sales team has clarity, confidence, and consistency. Deals close faster. Teams collaborate better. Customers stay longer. And people actually enjoy selling again.

Final Thought

Breakthrough Sales Consulting exists because I believe sales can be both strategic and sincere, ambitious and ethical, data driven and deeply human.

It took a career in sales, time away to reflect, and a fresh lens on leadership to get here. And I wouldn’t change the path for anything.

If you’re looking for a partner to help your sales organization grow without losing its soul, let’s talk.

Nicole Schulte is the founder of Breakthrough Sales Consulting. She helps B2B companies build sales strategies that align people, process, and purpose. Learn more at breakthroughsalesconsulting.com