After a successful career in automotive sales and business development, Linda Belvedere took the leap into entrepreneurship, launching a motorcycle clothing brand designed specifically for women riders. While her extensive commercial experience provided a strong foundation, entering the worlds of retail, fashion and manufacturing required new skills, fresh perspectives and a willingness to learn along the way.
Through the Skills Bootcamp in Sales, Linda gained valuable insights, practical tools and the confidence to refine her growth strategy, helping her secure new retail partnerships and drive her business forward. In this interview, she shares how the programme helped shape her entrepreneurial journey and the lessons she’s applied to her growing business.
What was your situation before starting the Skills Bootcamp, and what motivated you to apply?
I have spent most of my career in business-to-business sales and business development, primarily within the automotive sector. Over the years, I progressed into senior leadership positions, including Business Development Manager and Sales Director roles.
Linda Belvedere, Founder, Linda Jean Women’s Motorcycle Fashion
In 2024, I made the decision to leave the corporate world and launch my own business: a motorcycle clothing brand designed specifically for women riders. Although I had extensive experience in sales, strategy, and building commercial relationships, starting a business from scratch presented a completely new set of challenges. I had no previous experience in retail, fashion, product development, or manufacturing. I believed I had built a strong toolkit throughout my career, but I also recognised that entrepreneurship would require me to develop new skills and challenge some of my existing assumptions. That was my motivation for joining the Sales Skills Bootcamp: to strengthen my commercial approach as a founder and gain fresh perspectives from experienced trainers and fellow business owners.
What was your experience like during the Skills Bootcamp, and what were the most valuable skills, modules, or insights you gained?
Despite having spent many years in senior sales roles, I found every module valuable and relevant. The programme struck a great balance between theory, practical application, and collaborative group work.
One of the most valuable aspects was being able to exchange ideas with people from completely different industries. They challenged my assumptions, asked questions I had not considered, and provided perspectives that I would never have encountered within my own sector. Equally, I was able to contribute my own experience and insights to their challenges.
My biggest breakthrough came towards the end of the Skills Bootcamp. When I launched my business, I assumed that direct-to-consumer sales would be my primary focus. However, I consistently found myself struggling with that approach because it required a completely different mindset and sales language from the B2B environment where I had built my career.
The Skills Bootcamp helped me recognise that my greatest strength lies in building commercial partnerships. Rather than trying to force a strategy that didn’t align with my experience, I realised I should lean into my expertise and focus on developing relationships with retailers and distributors.
For a new brand operating in a niche market, trust and awareness take time to build. Established retailers already have strong customer relationships, making them ideal partners to help introduce new products and brands to riders. This realisation has since become a key part of my growth strategy.
The Skills Bootcamp wasn’t simply a refresher in sales. It helped me gain clarity on the direction of my business and gave me greater confidence in the decisions I make as a founder.
Can you share an example of how you applied what you learned during the Skills Bootcamp?
One of the most practical exercises during the Skills Bootcamp was creating structured 30-day, quarterly and annual action plans. Although I understood the importance of planning, I had never consistently translated my goals into a documented roadmap. Like many founders, I often carried projects and priorities in my head rather than putting them on paper. The Skills Bootcamp encouraged me to break larger objectives into smaller, measurable actions and assign realistic timeframes to each stage. Since then, I have continued using those planning templates within my business. The focus for Q1 was to develop the retail partnership. Thanks to this, I signed my second retail partner in Switzerland and my first retail partner in England.
In Q2, the objective was to optimise my website and online shop. Ideally, I wanted to complete this within Q2, but because the website is in four languages, I will need to extend the timeframe for this work.
This approach has helped me prioritise more effectively, maintain focus on long-term objectives, and avoid constantly switching between projects. By documenting goals and actions, they become more tangible and create a greater sense of accountability.
The motorcycle industry is highly seasonal, and during peak riding season my plans inevitably become more fluid. However, the framework I learned during the Skills Bootcamp continues to provide structure and direction, particularly when managing larger projects and strategic business goals.
How has the Skills Bootcamp changed your confidence, abilities, or opportunities?
One of the biggest changes has been my confidence when discussing value and pricing. As a founder, it is easy to fall into the trap of justifying every price decision or feeling the need to defend your product against cheaper alternatives. The Skills Bootcamp, and particularly the training delivered by Richard Palmer, helped me shift my mindset. Rather than focusing on price alone, I learned to focus on value, differentiation and the problem my products solve for customers. This has given me greater confidence in commercial conversations and negotiations. More broadly, the programme reinforced the belief that the skills I developed during my corporate career remain highly relevant as a business owner. It helped me trust my experience, communicate with greater conviction, and approach opportunities with a more strategic sales mindset.
Hear more about Linda’s Skills Bootcamps experience here.
If you were to recommend the Skills Bootcamp to someone else, what would you tell them?
I would recommend the Sales Skills Bootcamp to anyone responsible for generating revenue, whether they are a solopreneur, business owner, sales professional or experienced sales leader. The programme is relevant regardless of the industry because it focuses on the core principles of sales, communication and commercial thinking that apply across all sectors.
What impressed me most was how engaging the sessions were. Despite being delivered primarily online and lasting three hours each week, the sessions never felt repetitive or overwhelming. The balance between theory, individual reflection and group exercises kept the learning practical and interactive.
The support provided by both the Skills and Business Hub team and the trainer created a genuinely positive learning environment. Their enthusiasm, professionalism and strong working relationship were evident throughout the programme and contributed significantly to the overall experience. For me, the Skills Bootcamp wasn’t simply a refresher in sales—it helped me gain clarity on the direction of my business and gave me greater confidence in the decisions I make as a founder.
Richard Palmer, Lead Sales Trainer, with Steve Bulley, Head of The Growth Academy.
Ready to boost your sales performance?
Explore our fully funded* Skills Bootcamps in Sales and gain practical skills to help you win more business.
*Fully funded for the self-employed, company directors and employees from businesses with a staff of under 250 pay £395.00.
Looking for other professional development opportunities?
The Skills and Business Hub also offers a range of business training programmes, including sales, delivered by our expert trainers.
Find out more: skillsandbusinesshub.org/training
Follow Linda’s story:
Website:
Instagram:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ljmcfashion
Linked In:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/linda-jean-women-s-motorcycle-fashion-ltd
https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-belvedere
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@lj_motofashion
