Chris Manfuso

Based in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, Chris Manfuso is the national director of sales for Nubratori RX and Enovachem Pharmaceuticals, sister companies that were founded by Robert P. Nickell. Chris Manfuso has more than two decades of experience in pharmaceuticals and healthcare with additional expertise in ancillary program management, durable equipment sales, and business-to-business sales.

At Nubratori RX, Manfuso leverages this experience and expertise to sell a line of pharmaceutical products, including Frotek (topical ketoprofen) and Neuraptine (topical gabapentin), on behalf of the FDA-approved Outsourcing Facility. The company, which launched following the enactment of the Drug Quality and Securities Act of 2013, had its first production run in 2017 after four years of research and development. It has since produced more than 100,000 sterile and non-sterile medications and is licensed to ship to 37 states.

At Enovachem, Chris Manfuso oversees national sales efforts for the company’s prepackaged hormone kits and other products. The FDA-registered, cGMP pharmaceutical company provides a range of EC-RX™ Kits (DHEA, Estradiol, Progesterone, and Testosterone) to licensed physicians and pharmacists. The company markets its products to alternative care practice physicians, OB/GYNs, medical aesthetic practice managers, urologists, and male/female hormone replacement therapy clinics.

As the national director of sales for both of these companies, Manfuso works to improve revenue generation and increase distribution. He achieves this by utilizing digital strategic marketing partnerships and hiring and developing effective sales team personnel. He has previous sales experience with Merck Pharmaceuticals in San Diego, California, and is also the owner of Physician Ancillary Management.

An alumnus of James Madison University in Harrisburg, Virginia, Chris Manfuso graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in finance.

Where did the idea for Nubratori RX come from?

Doctors are not always terrific businesspeople. As a sales representative and healthcare business owner with over 20 years of experience, I’ve come across many good ideas to help physician practices improve patient care and increase their bottom line. AMS was formed to help physicians learn about and implement services to help their patients and their practice financially.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I split my time between emails/phone calls and meetings. I do not take lunch on most days as I prefer to be as productive as possible.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I bring new ideas to my best clients and ask for their feedback. If they think it’s a good idea, I have them try it and see if it’s a winner.

What’s one trend that excites you?

FDA-approved outsourcing facilities that create unique medications that aren’t currently available in the market for patient care.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

The tolerance for risk.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Trust that you can run your own company and have what it takes to be a leader in the market.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Len Bias was a better basketball player than Michael Jordan.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I pick up the phone and call peers in the industry and see what new ideas are out there and what trends are happening. As a small business owner, I have to be mindful to connect with other organizations to stay ahead of what’s happening in our market.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

I ask our clients to recommend us to others that might benefit from our services. It’s old school, but a referral is 100 times easier to land than a cold lead.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I was getting stuck operating my business instead of generating new clients, creating new products, and forming new companies. I solved this issue by promoting someone on my team to be the head of operations, and that allowed me to dedicate more time to these activities.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Start a franchise of college-age lawn care professionals. People love to hire hardworking kids to do stuff like lawn work. Let the kids sell their businesses if/when they decide to do something else.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I bought a lift ticket to go snow skiing. $100 spent on doing something is 100 times more valuable than $100 of stuff. Stuff is just stuff. Life is about making memories and sharing experiences.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Outlook. It’s basic, but it allows me to communicate without wasted time on the phone.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Larger Than Yourself: Reimagine Industries, Lead with Purpose & Grow Ideas into Movements, by Thibault Manekin. It’s a book that enriches the viewpoints of those that read and includes enjoyable stories of his experiences taking good ideas and helping them grow into something more.

What is your favorite quote?

It takes a village to raise a child.

Key Learnings:

• Reward your employees equitably for their contributions.
• If you aren’t a professional at something, find someone who is.
• Be transparent, even when it’s uncomfortable.