253: Your Brand Is the Cake - Not the Icing

Melissa:

Alright, guys. So excited to do this interview today with Louise Taylor, one of our fellow elevate 360 mastermind members who's been with us all year. Louise, I'm so excited to interview you today. I know that, you know, you're a fractional CMO, you're a brand strategist, and your company is called CEO of Firefly Effect. I'm so excited to get into our interview with you today because quite honestly, I think you may be one of the few who's pretty much been an entrepreneur, like, your entire life just about. Right? Pretty much. Yeah.

Louise Taylor:

Yeah. There was a gap in there. So I start thank you, first of all. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here. Yeah. So, yes, I started my career as an entrepreneur right out of school. I went to art art college, and my, now ex husband and I started a business together.

Louise Taylor:

Mhmm. Three businesses, actually. Three different entrepreneur businesses. And I did that for almost 15 years. Yeah. And then I kind of decided I needed to learn more and expand. I had a clothing design company. I had a graphic design business.

Melissa:

We had

Louise Taylor:

a signage company. So we did all kinds of different things, and I loved that essence of being, of exploring and launching new things and being a part of something that was kind of new and exciting. And I decided to go back to school to study marketing and marketing strategy.

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And then I spent 20 years in corporate.

Melissa:

Isn't it interesting how that turns? It's kind of by.

Louise Taylor:

I you know? And in financial services, which I never thought I would ever

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

Be a part of because I had art directed annual reports for a couple of financial services organizations. And I was like, oh, man. I would never do that. Mhmm. And then I spent 20 years doing that. Yeah. Doing marketing and kind of learning, the reason when I think one of the reasons I loved it so much was because I learned so much Mhmm. Through those 20 years,

Melissa:

you

Louise Taylor:

know, working for very high profile progressive positions, working my way up, not intentionally, but working my way up, finding community

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And realizing how much bigger, and impact more impactful Yeah. A world we could, you know, we could be living in, until it wasn't. Yeah.

Melissa:

So I love this because, we've talked about this on a couple of episodes where, like you, I was in corporate, not for 20 years, but 12. And, you know, I see this common thread where there's entrepreneurs who have no leadership experience, and there's entrepreneurs who come to the table with some experience from corporate who, it's a, you know, as much as we love to, like, say, we're glad we're done with corporate, that, you know, we're we've fired our boss and we're doing our own thing. There's a lot of value and skills that are learned in big organizations and structure. And, so I love that you, like, literally you came out of the gate as an entrepreneur, though. And I'm curious. I'm just curious what your childhood was like. Like, did you were you exposed to entrepreneurs? Were you like, when you were when you came out of school and were like, I'm gonna go straight into starting my own business, where did you get that mentality versus most people who say, I must go work for someone else to be safe, to be successful. Like, what was going through your mind? What kind of exposure did you have to have the confidence to just jump right in?

Louise Taylor:

Great question. So interestingly enough, growing up, I was in a I grew up in a very, government town. My mother worked for, you know, Revenue Canada, and my father worked for, CSIS, RCMP in in in Toronto. Mhmm. So it was very structured, very kind of, you know, buttoned down. Mhmm. I knew in high school that I needed to get out of that town. Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And that my there was something pulling me towards something that was far more creative. Mhmm. And I moved to Toronto from Ottawa, as soon as I could because it was so my influences probably came after I left home. I just I don't know. There was something inside me. Mhmm. It was like, this is not the life for you. You are not run you are not gonna be living, you know, a government job.

Louise Taylor:

Right. Yeah. You know, that's just that's just not in your DNA. Right. Maybe it's because I'm the middle child. Maybe it's because I'm an introvert. I mean, I'm an introvert, but at the same time, there was some there's something that was just pulling me forward. I just loved exploring and learning, always learning, something new that was challenging and taking me outside my comfort zone.

Louise Taylor:

And there's nothing like entrepreneurship to take outside your comfort

Melissa:

zone. True. Well and I'm sure it paved the way for the journey that you've been on because I know then you pivoted into corporate for 2 decades after getting some classic, like, study and training in marketing. Mhmm. And here you are now as a successful CMO, and we're gonna get into that and what that is and how you're operating. I know personally with working with you this year, just witnessing the growth and explosion of your business, the opportunity that's out there for what you're doing. Mhmm. What was in your journey of leaving your in the US, we call it, like, the w two, like, the the paycheck, like the

Louise Taylor:

Yeah.

Melissa:

In in your journey to, like, leaving that corporate job to starting your marketing business, and I know we'll get into fascinate and some of the stuff that you're doing there, What was that pivotal moment for you that you were like, you know what? I'm I'm I'm gonna go I'm gonna go bet on myself again. I'm gonna go do this thing.

Louise Taylor:

Well, some of it was I was pushed out the door. So I was in my last role eight and a half years, and I was the head of marketing. And I had built the marketing function from, like, 2 marketing coordinators and an event planner when I started to, and very reactive marketing to a fully strategic function within the organization with a team of 15 people supporting 5 lines of business and corporate. And we had gone through the company had gone through a crisis. Coming out of that crisis, they brought in a whole new board of directors, a whole new c suite, and they didn't really understand marketing. Like, it it the president at my former company had told me once that your job is like pushing water uphill. And it and it truly was because they never really understood what marketing could do. So every at every turn, for me, it was a bit of a battle.

Louise Taylor:

And then a couple of years after we got through that crisis, which I had to navigate us through from a brand perspective and brand reputation, I was like, oh. And, and then COVID hit.

Melissa:

So it

Louise Taylor:

was at the end of: 2019

Melissa:

Yeah. Yeah.

Louise Taylor:

And then out coming out of that, I I think I just had this realization because I had started jumping on that bandwagon of go get another job and, you know, I was shortlisted for another VP role. Mhmm. And I kinda went, no. Listen to what your gut is telling you because in my heart, it was like, that's not that's not your next power. This is this is happening for you Mhmm. Not to you. And so you need to stop and listen. Yeah.

Louise Taylor:

And oddly enough, I was I was on the shortlist for this, another role and had gone through a number of interviews. And once I had this realization, I, you know, I remember saying, oh my gosh. Now I'm gonna have to tell them that I don't I don't want that role anymore. Right. And the and oddly enough, the the director the VPA called me back, and she said, so I don't think you're exactly right for this role.

Melissa:

And I went, that's awesome.

Louise Taylor:

She said, but we do need help, and you have so much experience. Would you consider coming in on a contract?

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And I thought, well, that's perfect. Mhmm. And so that's what I did. And I started that way kinda going, like, I need to work, go back to my roots. Mhmm. Take all of what I've learned for the last 20 years Mhmm. And help people like me when I started out as an entrepreneur. And I thought this is a perfect opportunity to bring the 2 together of me being an entrepreneur and understanding that journey as an entrepreneur and all the things that you have to think about and understanding what it takes to build Yeah.

Louise Taylor:

A brand and marketing and understanding, like, the power of a good you know, of what a solid brand and authentic brand

Melissa:

Yeah.

Louise Taylor:

Means. And I think the other side for me was, you know, living that corporate life for as long as I did, I had I had lost I lay I learned a lot, but I lost who I was. Mhmm. I didn't know, you know, I was performing for other people. And there's something inside of me that was like, you know, you need to do this for you now. You need to find a way that feels good that you can be who you are. I'm an introvert. I'm a, you know, high sensitive person.

Louise Taylor:

Mhmm. All of those things in a corporate world are not necessarily accepted or encouraged.

Melissa:

Right. Right. So I just thought there's

Louise Taylor:

more people like me who can be successful in their own right, and I feel like I had the tools to bring the 2 together, and it just felt like the right time.

Melissa:

And you did. And I did. Yes. So this is they can edit this recording. If you wanna turn your watch off, you can. I'm not even sure how. Ugh. I just lost my watch.

Melissa:

Out there. Yeah. Her watch keeps beeping, so we're just gonna throw it out there or sort of.

Louise Taylor:

Make it.

Melissa:

That's okay. I'm so sorry. It's okay.

Louise Taylor:

It's just on the inside of the curtain there. Bloopers.

Melissa:

You do your bloopers real? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, Luis, let's get into your zone of genius, and let's talk about brand and business. And, you know, do you have to be a certain size to really start focusing on brand? Like, let's talk about that.

Louise Taylor:

A lot of people think that brand is a logo. Mhmm. Big and small. Some, you know, large businesses and CEOs sometimes. And when I started in my last role, I got, you know, well, we have a brand. We have a logo. Mhmm. But they had no brand identity.

Louise Taylor:

They had no sense of purpose. Mhmm. And small businesses, as much as large businesses, Brand is the foundation of who you are. It's how the world sees you. And it doesn't matter how big you are. It is your most valuable asset. Mhmm. But a lot but it's less understood.

Louise Taylor:

Mhmm. What I've learned over the years, is that, you know, it's the promise you make. It's not the logo. I mean, it the logo is one asset of your brand.

Melissa:

Right.

Louise Taylor:

But your true brand, it's that foundation of helping people understand who are you, why do you exist beyond making a profit?

Melissa:

Right. And Right. You

Louise Taylor:

know, and how do you present yourself and how are you different? Mhmm. What is it that who are you attracting? How are you different? How do you attract talent to your organization? Mhmm. If you're, you know, larger. But even if you're a one person entrepreneur like myself

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

When I started out, I still needed to define and be able to tell people who am I, and what do I stand for, Yeah. In a way that's consistent because the best definition of a brand for me is the value of a promise consistently kept. Oh, say that one more time. So your brand is the value of a promise consistently kept. Wow. I I can't take David Kinkade is one of the biggest the best brand mentors that I've ever had.

Melissa:

Yeah.

Louise Taylor:

And he taught me that when, you know, when I was, learning so much about brand over the years. Mhmm. But I take that to heart. And when you think about, you have to define what is that promise.

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And when you can clearly articulate and you know what you stand for, you also can repel the things that are not a fit for you.

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And you can attract, what you know, you can attract people to your you can attract clients Mhmm. Who are a good fit. Mhmm. I call them my get to clients, not I have to clients. Right? If you pick up the phone and it's like, oh my gosh. I get to talk to Melissa today.

Melissa:

I have so look forward to our 1 on 1 coaching. They're like my favorite time of the of the month. Right.

Louise Taylor:

You know? And so brand is powerful. And when you understand that Mhmm. Whether you're big or small

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

You need to have that brand foundation Mhmm. That allows you to propel with confidence who you are to the world. And then the logo and the assets and all of those other things make sense because you're you've got the guideposts.

Melissa:

So true. I see it many times in our kind of mini mastermind build growth scale that our clients will come in, and they're so wrapped around the axle about their logo Mhmm. About their website, about, like they they're so wrapped around the visual aspects of their brand, but they're not yet even clear on their own messaging, what they stand for, and who they're truly even attracting.

Louise Taylor:

Yeah. Right? And and I think the the beauty and the additional challenge for an entrepreneur or a smaller business is that we often think that we, as individuals, are our business brand. Mhmm. And that's actually not true. Mhmm. There's a distinction. There's important to understand what your personal brand is because it is a big part of how you, how you manifest and how you bring, your business to you, especially at the beginning. Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

But to create a business that scales, your business is its own identity. Yes. Because that's how you bring people in that you can then delegate and

Melissa:

Yes. Scale and ultimately sell if you want to. Sell. Right. Yeah.

Louise Taylor:

But if you're and I've gone through this recently with one of my clients who spent 15 yearly success consulting business, and work as, you know, high level CEOs and, you know, in in, personal in develop professional development. Mhmm. But now she's trying to set her business up to sell, but she is so tied to her business

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

That if she brings somebody else in, it almost feels like she's get they're getting the beeline. Right. And you don't want that. You want your staff. You want everybody in your business Mhmm. To feel like that your clients are getting the top notch because they all represent your brand. Right. And they know they know what the promise is, and they know what their role is in delivering that promise.

Louise Taylor:

Mhmm. So I spend a lot of time like, to me, when I develop a brand strategy Mhmm. The logo, even the name of your business is like step 12.

Melissa:

Yeah. Yes. Yes. For the people in the back. Right? Right. So true.

Louise Taylor:

Because think of it as an iceberg. Your logo's the tip of the iceberg. But if you don't have everything that sits below the surface

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

You're you're subject to, following trends

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

Instead of really understanding what you stand for and following your own north star.

Melissa:

Right. So good. Well, and with that, can you speak a little bit to personal branding and this fascinate model that Yeah.

Louise Taylor:

You speak to? So when I bring the personal brand and business brand together for entrepreneurs, when I and this is coming from my own personal experience. So when I left my corporate job and decided to go out on my own, I've spent 20 years in corporate marketing, another 15 years as an entrepreneur doing everything from, you know, all kinds of stuff. I felt like a jack of all trades and master of none

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

In that, how do I scale that back? How do I talk about myself Mhmm. In a way that is authentic Mhmm. And true? Mhmm. Because to be talking about, oh, well, I'm, you know, I'm a brilliant brand strategist, or it just felt really inauthentic to me. Mhmm. And so I came across and I'm a I'm a junkie for all the personal tasks. You know, I've done Enneagram and Myers Briggs and, you know, I've done them all. Human Design.

Louise Taylor:

of: 1000

Louise Taylor:

As a brand strategy or she was an advertising writer Mhmm. And was working with some of the most successful brands in the world. And she developed she worked with a research company to understand what is it that makes brands fascinating.

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

What is and it's not about the money they spend. And so with this research company, they studied 100, like, 100,000 brands and distilled it to 7 languages that we all speak. And everybody speaks all 7 languages, but there are 2 languages that are comfortable that you're in your flow, and you could riff all day. And when you speak those languages, you fascinate somebody. They capture their attention. Mhmm. The competition kind of fades away. Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And you can then attract people who are interested in something that feels really natural to you.

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

So I did it for myself, and I was so blown away by the results. It's like a 28 question online, and it gave you the, you know, the 16 page report right away. I was like, oh, that makes so much sense. My language

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

Is passion, which is the language of relationships. Mhmm. And so I make, you know, connections with people. And yet over the years, that was true, but it was also true that I could be a fly on the wall and a hermit. I was like, I'd go into hermit mode.

Melissa:

Right.

Louise Taylor:

And I never understood. I thought there's something wrong with me that I'm like and my second language is mystique. Mystique is the language of listening. Mhmm. And it is that quiet person in the room who is always analyzing, always picking up on the smallest cues that might come up. And then from there, you kind of put solutions together. And I was like, oh, so my archetype, which is the top two languages, is called the intrigue. And it is the opposite ends of the spectrum, and I am kind of like an oddball in that world.

Louise Taylor:

Yeah. But at least I know that's true.

Melissa:

Yeah.

Louise Taylor:

And I can lead it. It's almost like it gave me permission to be myself. Mhmm. And so I was so blown away by it, and I was already working on brands. I thought I want this in my toolbox. So I went and got certified to be able to use fascinate with my clients and help them understand who they are. And I can't tell you how many times when I'm working with clients and teams and their teams to help their teams function better together, that I get this, like, these moments when people kinda when the lights go on, I'm like, you mean that's just who I am and I can just be that person? I'm like, yeah. You can just be that person, and we develop your anthem that helps you explain the the words you can use to help bring people to you.

Louise Taylor:

I actually had the wrong name of my company

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

When I first started.

Melissa:

Okay.

Louise Taylor:

And it wasn't until I did fascinate. After I did fascinate, I actually changed the name of my business. Oh, wow. That's true. Because I had initially like, there's the 7 languages. Power is 1. And of those 7, there's you always have one that's your your least effective way of communicating. For me, that's power.

Melissa:

Mhmm. I'm

Louise Taylor:

not a person that's gonna come in and dominate the room and kinda like, okay, guys. Let's make decisions. I'm a collaborative leader.

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

It doesn't mean I can't be a leader either. Right. It just means that I understand that part of Mhmm. So, when I my company's wheeled marketing, and I because the tagline for me was I wanna put the power of marketing into your hands. Mhmm. That was my goal at the outset. But there was something in me that was like, I never designed a logo. I had sat with it for over a year, never did anything with it.

Louise Taylor:

And then after I did fasting, I'm like, oh, it's the wrong name.

Melissa:

Wow.

Louise Taylor:

Yield is all about power. No wonder it was sticking with me going, this isn't right.

Melissa:

Yeah. And so

Louise Taylor:

I changed it to the firefly effect. Nice. Because for me, it's about that passion Uh-huh. That lives inside you, that glow that we can help illuminate and bring to life.

Melissa:

Yes. Yes. Okay. And with that firefly effect, I know that you have really, like, run with the CMO role, after leaving corporate contracting back. And now I know I know personally from seeing the inside of your business, it's really taken off. For our listeners who are curious about this fractional space where maybe they were previously a VP or an executive in general, and now looking to exit and and consult back, Can you speak a little bit to these trends with the specifically with the fractional CMO role and how it's working out for you?

Louise Taylor:

Yeah. It's been a game changer for me. Mhmm. And and it's more than just a title change. The structure when I I did consulting and contract work for, you know, 2, 3 years when I left my when I first started out, after I was laid off. But I still felt like I lacked that kind of what's my offer, and how do I bring it all together in a way that feels like it has some structure to it or that I can build off this. Mhmm. And then I heard about being a fractional CMO because there's still so many things I love to be able to do.

Louise Taylor:

Mhmm. I just don't wanna do it full time for anybody. Right. Right. And so, you know, I don't want the politics. I but I love the people. I love the teams that I get to work with.

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And so, this fractional CMO, you know, started coming into the vocabulary. I'm like, what is this fractional CMO? And what it is is essentially when you take a full you know, the talent, the expertise of somebody who's got the knowledge for what you're trying to do, whether it's helping to build your team, build strategy, oversight, you know, all of the things that a normal Mhmm. CMO would do, but for a fraction of the cost Right. And a fraction of the time. So you get them for the time that you need. For me, it's about 10 hours a week Mhmm. That I would commit to, any particular client. And it's a good you know, and I make sure it's in my niche, in a fit, you know, in an industry or something that I feel that I knowledge I can bring to the and I get the benefit of working with multiple clients.

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

They get the benefit of having the expertise of a CMO at a fraction of the cost. Mhmm. And they still get for a lot of the CEOs that I work with, one of the biggest things they love is that they don't know what to do with their marketing team. Right. Their marketing teams generally are small. They may be, you know, a couple of people on their marketing team, and they don't have the strategy. They're tactical. And so they don't this like in my own job previously, they don't understand marketing.

Louise Taylor:

They know they need it. Mhmm. But they don't necessarily know how to make it a strategic function and something that's beyond tactical. That's what I help them get to. Mhmm. Help them feel like they're understood because I know the business Mhmm. Really well. I understand financial services, you know, which is really my niche.

Louise Taylor:

And I also understand what it takes to develop a team Mhmm. And to help the team function really well. So, you know, tapping into a CMO community or fractional CMO community has been really helpful for me Yeah. To learn the ropes on how to become a good fractional CMO and have that structure. And, you know, that helps me, be able to deliver. Yeah.

Melissa:

It's beautiful. And, you know, as you know, this year, we've hired on our own fractional CMO. And like you said, we feel like she's full time to us. Yeah. Like, you know, she's but she's probably working 10 hours a week on our business. But, you know, she's leading the strategy, giving us the organization of who to hire That's right. That's, you know, internal, full time for us that support up the projects that she maps out for us. So I think it's such a needed role.

Louise Taylor:

And it's more than just a consultant. So people kinda get confused, well, what's the difference? They actually see me as part of their team. Right. I am part of the executive team within that organization, and I'm also part of an executive team of another organization. You know?

Melissa:

And they don't work and they don't they don't control your hour. Like, they don't control your vacation time and tell you when and when you can't work, which is the beauty of the the fractional the fractional piece, which is just incredible. Love this so much. When we talk about the fractional CMO work, and I know that you specialize mostly in the in the financial spaces is where you've had your background. What is working for you? Because I know you said you can barely take on another client. You're so busy right now. So what are you doing to generate leads with your business, and what do you do when your plate is full?

Louise Taylor:

Great question. I delegate. So my my my lead have come at working.

Melissa:

Mhmm. Yep. Mhmm. Yep.

Louise Taylor:

And the biggest rip the band aid moment for me as an introvert was really starting to put myself out there on LinkedIn. Yeah. As you know. And

Melissa:

We've talked about this, the cobbler with no shoes. Right? She's like the CMO for everyone else, but she's not marketing herself. Exactly. Right.

Louise Taylor:

At the at my heart, I'm still an introvert. Yeah. And when I ripped the band aid off and real realized I needed to delegate that part of my business Mhmm. To someone who understood me, understood what I bring to the table is also you know, my personal brand is about my heart Mhmm. And my authenticity, and bringing that heartbeat into the brands and the businesses that I work for. And, and so when I left, you know, when I when as I grow and start building my network, I'm also looking at how can I expand my own team Mhmm? To delegate so that the the things that I don't need to be doing Mhmm. I can give to you know, I am starting to to working on delegating Mhmm. More of that.

Louise Taylor:

But I'm also really discerning about who I bring in. Yeah. But I also you know, because I wanna be able to deliver, and I wanna be able to, you know, be who I say I'm going to be Right. And part of that team. You know, but there's a part of me that also I still have my passion projects. I still have other things that are that I want to do Yes. And that I'm building Yeah. In a parallel path.

Louise Taylor:

So I'm happy saying no to some clients who are not a fit. Yeah.

Melissa:

That was

Louise Taylor:

a really hard thing for me to do at the beginning. I would take everything in.

Melissa:

Well, of course. Because every crumb is a meal when you're first getting started.

Louise Taylor:

Yeah.

Melissa:

But now, you get to choose.

Louise Taylor:

Now I get to choose. Yeah. And I'm so much happier.

Melissa:

Yes. Well, and let's talk about this. And you can tell me if if this is like off off, what? Off off what's the word I wanna use? Limits? Yeah. No. We can we can okay. This is a this is a podcast about inspiring other entrepreneurs, inspiring people to go. Right? And so I would love, for a minute just to break down where you were last year, numbers wise, to where you are today and the goals we have set for you for next year. Because this is really inspirational for people who are in executive roles, currently looking at towing the line of going to the other side.

Melissa:

So can we talk about, like, where you were with your book of business last year and just 365 days later, where you are today and what you have in your business plan for next year?

Louise Taylor:

Yeah. So when I first met you Mhmm. Last year Mhmm. About this time, I had just signed our the Linc Academy. Yep.

Melissa:

And it's The lead gen academy for the attorneys out there. No. That's okay. At the time, it

Louise Taylor:

was still there. We're going back to historic. We know it's changed. And with that, I got a free ticket To the live event. To the live event. Yeah. I was like, okay. What the hell? Let's go.

Louise Taylor:

No. I didn't know anybody. I also didn't have any business Mhmm. At the time. Mhmm. I was

Melissa:

Okay. So let's say this one more time. Louise had no business I

Louise Taylor:

had no

Melissa:

business. October of last year.

Louise Taylor:

I had I had literally it had been 3 months

Melissa:

Okay.

Louise Taylor:

With 0 clients coming in and me kind of scrambling to take whatever bread crumbs I could find.

Melissa:

Right.

Louise Taylor:

But I knew that there was something pulling me

Melissa:

Yeah.

Louise Taylor:

And that it's out there, and I just need to find it. I thought the live event, I was gonna go deep in understanding LinkedIn.

Melissa:

Mhmm. That's so funny.

Louise Taylor:

Not gonna lie. Because I had literally, like, 3 weeks aft Yeah. 3 weeks after I signed up, I'm in Nashville.

Melissa:

Right. Yeah.

Louise Taylor:

It was like I've also never been to Nashville. So I'm like, okay. That'll be fun. Yeah. Didn't know a soul. Me, the introvert, going to Nashville on a whim going, okay. What the hell? And I was so inspired. Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And I literally at aft between one of the sessions, I went back to my room and I literally sketched out my vision for this year. And I remember telling you at the end of the event, I'm like, I'm going to be on stage with you next year.

Melissa:

Yes. And you're gonna be on stage with us

Louise Taylor:

in just a couple weeks. Yeah. But the amazing thing that happened and what I realized is I had been focusing so much on executing Mhmm. And finding a business and pushing down something that I have done my entire life, which is pushing down who I am Mhmm. And mindset. Mhmm. And that was something that we started unpacking at the live event as well. Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

So when I got back, I continued with that, and I started to manifest. I started to really allow myself to think about what does this look like for you?

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And within so my goal for this year so last year, my goal my my revenue for the entire year was still, like, by all standards, it wasn't horrible, but it wasn't paying all my bills. Nope. Nope. I was draining my my, line of credit. Right. My year was my was to hit 150,000 Mhmm. Which was more than double what my last year's revenue was. Right.

Louise Taylor:

I hit that in June of

Melissa:

this year. Yes. So you doubled your revenue from last year by June of this year.

Louise Taylor:

Yeah. Yes. Yes. And on the path that I'm at, I will surpass my stretch target for

Melissa:

the whole year, which was, like, 350,000. Okay. So we went from, I don't know, like, a 100 and

Louise Taylor:

100 and change.

Melissa:

A 100 and change Yep. To 250 this year. So you I'm sorry. To to a 100 and change to 350,000. So you grew it by 350%

Louise Taylor:

Yeah.

Melissa:

In 1 year? Yeah. And what's your goal next year?

Louise Taylor:

My goal next year is a million.

Melissa:

Say it one more time.

Louise Taylor:

My goal next year is to hit that million. Right?

Melissa:

That's right. Oh my gosh. I love this. And, you know, the thing I love is it was it was, an intertwined journey of, like you said, the inner work, but also, with that inner work realizing you needed to be seen. Like, you needed to there was some work that you needed to do inside in order to feel safe

Louise Taylor:

Yes.

Melissa:

In order to be seen on the outside, which is what you do for your clients all the time. Mhmm. And once you're able to take that step, the visibility I mean, you've got the product that delivers. You've got the services that people love.

Louise Taylor:

Yeah.

Melissa:

And now it's just putting a megaphone to who you are.

Louise Taylor:

Yeah. And having the confidence and the support.

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And I would say that, you know, from my perspective, this past year, that's what's been a big part of the transformation for me. Mhmm. I've done the work. Mhmm. But I've also had the support. Mhmm. And not just the support from a tactical go and do this. Go on LinkedIn.

Louise Taylor:

You know, go and and write, you know, create this lead magnet and all of those things. Those are tactical things that I've known that's what I should be doing Right. For years. Right. And they're not happening.

Melissa:

Right. Right. Right.

Louise Taylor:

Right? The difference. What's different? The difference is the sup the the threes when you talk about it being 360

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

For me, that 360 means internal Mhmm. And external. Mhmm. It's addressing the, who I am Mhmm. Not just what I do.

Melissa:

Woah. I love that. Can you say that one more time?

Louise Taylor:

Yeah. It's it's tying in who I am Mhmm. To what I do. I've up until this point, I've been struggling because I felt like I live this divided existence. Yes. You know, how you share who you are with the world Mhmm. And who you are inside. Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

There's always been there's there's a wall, and I think there's a wall with a lot of people. Yeah. Letting down that wall and being vulnerable is a really scary place to be. Mhmm. But for me, it's the only thing

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

That was stopping me Yes. From my success. From your success. Yes. Was the internal part that I had to deal with. Yes. And through the things that we've learned that you've, you know, shared with us, my you know, everything from the hypno breath work and the you know, all of the emotional side of running a business. Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

You can't do a be successful authentically

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And sustainably, and and to scale, in my opinion, with that barrier still in place. Mhmm. And as hard as it is to break that down

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

It is the single, for me, the single most important part that I attribute to my success this year.

Melissa:

So, so good. And it's been such a joy to witness to and to see. It's just been so much fun. Well, Louise, so with all that you have going on right now, and I know that you work as a fractional CMO, but you also have some fun things in the works

Louise Taylor:

I do.

Melissa:

For potentially some of our listeners. Can you share with us a little bit about it?

Louise Taylor:

Yeah. So when I think about the things that I love, which are working with entrepreneurs, and also all of the great things that I have learned as a fractional CMO and the people that I get to work with, my goal is to smash the 2 together and become a guide as a, you know, a personal fractional CMO. Mhmm. A personal CMO for entrepreneurs.

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

And so the program that I'm developing is taking the best of both worlds where I'm you know, you can learn and develop your own personal brand in a parallel path to your business brand. So you learn from the get go that they're not one and the same, but they're both equally important.

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

I think, you know, I've had this philosophy of in order for people to know, like, and trust you, you have to know, like, and trust yourself. So good. And that is part of the firefly program. Mhmm. I call it your brand brilliance

Melissa:

Mhmm.

Louise Taylor:

Program. And, and so I'm gonna be launching that in the fall for, you know, entrepreneurs who really want to be part of having that support, the community and the support that I've learned from you, frankly, in terms of how to set up that type of a program Mhmm. Bring the expertise that I'm learning and I'm involved in every day. And that's everything from, you know, understanding things like Aetna help you. As an entrepreneur myself Yeah. Understanding the tools and, you know, and again, it's not just about the tactical, but it's also unpacking who are you as a person. What's your fascinate Yes. Profile? You know, how do you fascinate others? Because you can have 4 people who all do exactly the same thing.

Louise Taylor:

You went to the same school. You have the same degrees. You might even have worked at the same companies, but yet your language is so different, and who you attract is gonna be so different. And when you have that understanding, it's so empowering, and freeing, frankly, because you don't have to stop looking at competition. You can just stay in your lane, be confident that you're gonna be and I wanna build that confidence in people. I want them to feel confident and knowledgeable, and know that they have the support to build a successful business from brand through to marketing, and know that they have that support

Melissa:

throughout. It's incredible. And I'm excited to see it come to fruition. So how can people sign up or find out about it?

Louise Taylor:

Yeah. Connect with you? So fireflyeffect.ca is my website.

Melissa:

Okay.

Louise Taylor:

And on that website, there is a sign up form to join the wait list. Oh, perfect. Okay. And for the next program as and I would keep you informed. There's also on that website, there's, some, you know, set there's some downloads that you can go in and, to help you on your journey, even just to start your brand brilliance journey, with, you know, some some little workshop things that you can do to to get you started. Awesome. But, yeah, that that would be the best way, and feel free to reach out

Melissa:

to me. Alright. Well, awesome, Louise. This has been so phenomenal. Okay. So share with us one more time your website and and also your preferred social channel for people to connect with you.

Louise Taylor:

Great. Yeah. So my website is fireflyeffect.ca. Mhmm. Mhmm. Effect with an e, not an a. And, on LinkedIn, I you can find me on LinkedIn. That's really my best social channel.

Louise Taylor:

Mhmm. And it's, m c l Taylor

Melissa:

Okay.

Louise Taylor:

Or m c. M c Louise Taylor. Oh my gosh. I don't even remember my own LinkedIn. We'll have it in the show notes.

Melissa:

The show notes. Yeah.

Louise Taylor:

Copy and paste. And, what was the third question?

Melissa:

Oh, I think that

Louise Taylor:

was it. That was it. Okay.

Melissa:

Yeah. Yeah. So Well, Luis, this has been phenomenal. Thank you for, flying here from Canada to do this interview in person, to share your journey, inspire people, of your in and out from entrepreneurship to corporate back to entrepreneurship. The inspiration of going from, you know, can dry on your business to growing your business by 350% this year to setting a goal for $1,000,000 in revenue next year, and knowing that a huge piece of it was going within, that it wasn't a business strategy. It was the the work you needed to do within so that you could be seen. Thank you so much for sharing your story. You're such an inspiration, and I can't wait to see you again in October.

Louise Taylor:

Oh, I can't wait to live event. Thank you so much for having me. I just love, love, love everything that I my whole life feels like it has just done a 360 in the last, you know, not even

Melissa:

12 months. I love that. That's amazing. Thank you. Awesome. Thank you. Yay. Alright.

Melissa:

That's it. How did it feel? Good. Yeah. That was awesome. That was awesome.

Louise Taylor:

For the watch.

Melissa:

Oh, it's okay. I'm gonna, I'm gonna record your intro here in a second, but you're welcome to don't have to sit here. I've I like to record the intros afterwards

Louise Taylor:

because I know what they're talking about.

Melissa:

Yeah. Jeez. Smart. Thank you, though. Lunch is here.

Louise Taylor:

Oh, perfect. Good timing. Alright. Thank you. Sorry about the watch.

Melissa:

Oh my gosh. Didn't no worries. Make sure you get your watch.

Louise Taylor:

I forgot that that was still.

Melissa:

Yeah. It should just be on the table out here. Okay. Thank you. Alright. So that's, your intro coming up. Yep. Let me just look it up.

Melissa:

Recording. I promise. Okay. All the sound worked well. There's no way we're gonna have your guests flying from Canada and then, get that to work. Okay. Thank you. Alright.

Melissa:

Alright, guys. Another inspirational interview from one of my clients in my Elevate 360 mastermind where we take a 360 degree approach to business because bodies build businesses. And today you're hearing from fractional CMO and brand strategist, Louise Taylor. And if you are currently straddling an executive role and aspiring to step out and consult or start your own business, you are going to want to listen in to her story of a 20 year stint as an executive in a in a CMO role, in corporate to pivoting to where she is today, in a multi six figure business, really pushing towards the 7 figure goal in her 3rd full year of being in business as a fractional CMO. This is a sexy word we're hearing a lot about these days, that fractional role. Whether you're coming in in many different aspects. It could be a fractional CFO. It could be, a fractional sales, leader.

Melissa:

You name it. But today, Louise is shedding light on what it looks like to be a fractional CMO, and she's sharing her inner journey that she went on to actually go within to unblock and expand so that she could be seen in her light on social in a way that was immediately attracting her ideal clients to scale and grow her business by over 350% in 1 year. I hope you guys really enjoy this episode.