Today we’d like to introduce you to Cherese Paloni
Hi Cherese, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started my career in the medical field as a psychiatric technician in the ER in Nashville, TN. Fresh out of undergrad, I envisioned a future as a psychologist, and this role was the perfect opportunity to gain hands-on clinical experience. However, after two years, I found myself completely burned out. The reality of patient care—often dictated by insurance rather than patient needs—left me feeling like I wasn’t making the impact I had hoped for.
Realizing that the business side of healthcare might be a better fit, I pursued my MBA and transitioned into medical sales, working with hospitals, physician practices, and outpatient facilities. I loved the fast-paced nature of sales and the relationships I built, but I quickly learned that medical sales is an industry with high turnover. Companies routinely restructure and lay off entire teams, leaving even top performers without stability.
After experiencing two layoffs myself, I became frustrated with how sales reps were treated. I had helped generate millions in revenue for these companies, yet I felt disposable. That’s when I asked myself: Why am I building wealth for someone else when I could be doing this on my own?
Determined to take control of my career, I became an independent sales rep, leveraging my existing relationships with physicians to build my own book of business. I had no intention of expanding beyond my personal network, but soon, health tech startups began reaching out. One CEO I was working with asked if I could help him find contract reps in Texas and Florida. At first, I hesitated—I wasn’t a recruiter. But as any good sales rep knows, you never tell a customer no.
As I researched the medical sales recruiting industry, I found it outdated, expensive, and frustrating for both companies and reps. The process lacked flexibility, transparency, and cost-effectiveness. I spoke to other reps who were frustrated with the interview process, being laid off, and the inflexibility of being hired or let go due to restructuring. That’s when I saw an opportunity to build something better. Which led me to start my own business, MDliaison.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. Building a business requires sacrifice, and in the early days, I made plenty. I went from earning a six-figure salary to taking no salary for over a year, relying solely on my savings and cutting expenses down to the bare necessities.
One of my biggest challenges was navigating the tech side of the business. I had no experience building technology, so in the beginning, I matched candidates manually using a spreadsheet before developing an actual product. Finding a reliable technical co-founder was another struggle. There are plenty of people who claim to be developers, but without experience in product development, it’s easy to get taken advantage of—and I did, multiple times, both in engineering and marketing. Those mistakes cost me thousands of dollars, but they also taught me invaluable lessons.
One of the other things I found most difficult was finding people who you could relate to when you needed to vent about your job. As a founder, it can be a lonely road and I found it difficult to speak to most people about the hardships of running a business because they can’t relate.
We’ve been impressed with MDliaison , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I created MDliaison—a modern marketplace that connects companies with experienced, contract-based medical sales reps. By combining technology with a flexible, scalable model, MDliaison makes it easier and more affordable for businesses to find top sales talent while giving reps the autonomy and opportunities they deserve. What started as a personal career pivot has now grown into a national platform, transforming how medical sales talent is sourced and hired. You can think of us as Match,com for medical sales reps.
What I’m most proud of is the incredible support from our sales community. We have so many talented reps on our platform, and we’re growing every day. I’m deeply grateful that they took a chance on MDliaison, even though our model is so different from traditional recruiting. Their loyalty and trust have been invaluable.
Our commitment has always been to put reps first—creating real value and career opportunities for them while also delivering a seamless, data-driven recruiting experience for companies. As we continue to grow, we’re focused on leveraging automation, AI, and analytics to make the hiring process even more efficient and effective. Our goal is to redefine medical sales recruiting in a way that benefits both reps and employers alike.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mdliaison.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mdliaison/
