Featured Founder Mandi Graziano

Mandi Graziano on Sales, Joy, and the Art of Building Business Your Way

By Teresa Howes | Twine Featured Founder Interview

Mandi Graziano doesn’t just teach people how to sell—she teaches them how to connect, communicate, and show up with confidence across every part of life. She’s an author, coach, speaker, team leader, and serial joy-bringer with a personality that can light up any room (Zoom or otherwise). But behind the charisma is a powerhouse businesswoman with deep strategy, intentional structure, and an unapologetically real approach to work and life.

A Happy Accident Turned Career Calling

Mandi’s path to entrepreneurship didn’t follow a traditional roadmap. In fact, she describes it as a “happy little accident,” inspired by Bob Ross and fueled by a desire to help.

“I was working as a sales director in hotels when a client asked if I could help them grow their business. I didn’t even have a business—so we met at my kitchen table.”

That one conversation turned into a client. And then another. And before she knew it, Mandi had a thriving side hustle—coaching entrepreneurs and companies in sales strategy, relationship building, and business development. For the first four years, she juggled it after hours while holding down a full-time corporate role. Eventually, she aligned her career in hospitality with her growing business, building the flexibility to scale her coaching work full time.

Sales Coaching Before “Coach” Was a Buzzword

“In 2006, no one was calling themselves a coach. But I’ve always been one—it’s in my DNA.”

Raised by a soccer coach dad and cheer coach mom, Mandi was literally built for this work. Today, she leads FaceTime Coaching Company, where she helps sales teams and individual entrepreneurs close business faster, get visible online, and bring more joy to the sales process.

She’s worked with everyone from tech startups to beauty brands, and she’s especially passionate about helping people sell across generations—from Gen Z’s first pitch to Baby Boomers planning a succession strategy.

“The biggest problem I solve? Helping people communicate better in sales—and in life.”

And she’s not afraid to say the thing that many women still shy away from:

“Sales is everywhere. If we can stop fearing it and start embracing it, we’ll be more powerful in every part of our lives.”

Running a Business with Heart and Hustle

From the outside, it might look like Mandi’s a one-woman show. But just like the duck’s feet underwater—there’s a full-blown machine behind the scenes.

“I have a team. A real one. I have a Chief of Staff, a contracts person, part-timers, and consultants. We have team meetings. I run P&Ls. I deal with the hard stuff just like any other business owner.”

She’s built what she calls The Mandi Party—a group of people who keep things moving, efficient, and fun.

And that word fun isn’t just fluff—it’s part of her brand. Mandi believes business should be joyful, and that experimentation is one of the biggest gifts of entrepreneurship.

“In corporate, I had to get 20 approvals for a marketing idea. Now I get to say yes to myself. I’ve never had so much fun executing a plan.”

The Twine Connection: Sales as Self-Expression

At Twine, we’re all about helping women prosper, revel, and thrive—and Mandi does all three.

She helps women prosper through her powerful sales coaching, revel by embracing joy, and thrive by encouraging people to embrace who they are and lead with confidence.

She also reminds us that you don’t have to run your own business to be entrepreneurial:

“You can flex your entrepreneurial muscle inside a company, too. It’s called being an intrapreneur. You can bring ideas, manage budgets, solve problems—even if you clock in and out.”

Her biggest tip for the Twine community?

“Get comfortable with sales. You’re already doing it in your personal life—getting kids out the door, negotiating with your partner, asking for support. Let’s stop resisting it and start owning it.”

What’s Next: A New Book, New Talks, and a Book Army

Mandi is putting the final touches on her next book, Business Bedside Manner, launching in 2026. She’s refining her signature talks and crafting new key notes (Stop Being Invisible Online: Build Social Capital That Sells and How to Be More Memorable in the Marketplace). She is expanding her coaching impact, and she’s looking for her book army – a squad of women to help amplify her message when the time comes (Twine community, we’re looking at you!).