April 25, 2025 • 36 mins
Melissa Hollis is the CEO and co-founder of Taylor Street Collective, a marketing and go-to-market strategy firm focused on helping startups and startup-adjacent service providers clarify their messaging and accelerate their growth.
With a background as the “vicarious entrepreneur,” Melissa has built her career by becoming the first marketing hire at numerous startups, driving foundational brand strategy, and working directly with founders to bring their visions to life.
Key Takeaways:
- Clarity Above All: Melissa believes the most critical part of startup marketing is getting to the “why behind the why.” She helps founders distill their company’s core value down to a powerful, clear statement, ensuring the most important message always leads on the home page and in investor decks.
- Empathy-Driven Research: Taylor Street’s process always begins with in-depth customer research. By developing high-empathy marketing teams (even seeking out folks from acting/theatre backgrounds), Melissa ensures her team can truly step into the shoes of founders and their customers.
- Founders Shouldn’t Go It Alone: Melissa is passionate about building collaborative networks for founders and for fractional CMOs, stressing that partnership and shared expertise are key to survival and success.
- Evolving with AI: Though once hesitant, Taylor Street now transparently and actively integrates AI tools into foundational marketing work for startups, co-building AI-powered “marketing interns” tailored to each brand’s research, FAQ, and legacy content.
- Giving Back: Melissa highlights the impact of Girls Inc of the Pacific Northwest, an organization she supports for empowering girls to become strong, smart, and bold, and emphasizes the importance of mentorship and community for marketers as well as founders.
Melissa’s own “glow up” for the next year is to scale Taylor Street’s new AI-powered marketing foundation kits, enabling startups to hit product-market fit 80% faster by seamlessly blending human empathy and research with AI-driven efficiency.
About Melissa Hollis Co-Founder + Conversion-Obsessed Creative Leader
Melissa is a marketing communications professional and vicarious entrepreneur with 10+ years building brands and go-to-market strategies across industries such as accounting and tax, healthcare, real estate, finance, and tech.
Everyone who has worked with Melissa will tell you she is someone who truly listens when you tell her about your passions and, more than that, she hears and articulates what your heart is trying to convey when you might not have the right words. She takes the most pride in her proven ability to take subjects that are often overlooked and bring their most compelling aspects to the forefront with fresh perspective that are hard to resist.
A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.
At The Tech Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.
In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.
If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Melissa Hollis (00:00):
Every single time it is about what is that
(00:02):
first line on that homepage heroor on that landing page, and how
do we make sure that you are notbearing the lead of what your
company does and why it does it?
And it's tricky.
It's a really tricky thing.
But if you can nail that, if youcan nail the why behind the why
behind the why, then everythingin marketing makes sense.
Nathan C (00:19):
Hello and welcome to the Glow Up, fabulous
conversations with innovativeMinds Today I am here with
Melissa Hollis, CEO, andco-founder of Taylor Street.
Melissa Hollis (00:30):
Good to see you too, Nathan.
Nathan C (00:32):
Melissa, I have, had the pleasure of seeing your work
for a number of years.
for those who are just meetingyou today on the glow up, can
you, introduce yourself and, alittle bit of how your
innovation journey got started?
Melissa Hollis (00:48):
Hi, I'm Melissa Hollis.
I'm the co-founder and CEO ofTaylor Street Collective.
I also operate as a fractionalCMO for our clients.
Because what Taylor Street doesis we are focused primarily on
marketing and go to marketstrategies for startups and
startup adjacent serviceproviders.
So our entire focus is thatstartup ecosystem.
(01:12):
and that's where I've lived mywhole career.
I've called myself the vicariousentrepreneur.
my first job out of college wasat a 15 person startup where I
became their admin, and it wasthe same day their marketing
director left.
So.
I just took that over.
I came in at 22 and they handedme the keys to a whole rebrand,
(01:35):
whole new website, and I had alot of opinions and that's taken
me to where I am today.
Nathan C (01:42):
I love it.
young, opinionated, and the keysto like a startup basically.
what an amazing, start.
Years later, you're now stillworking with startups.
What about startups, founders,and these adjacent providers,
keeps you interested and excitedabout working in that highly,
(02:07):
dynamic space?
Melissa Hollis (02:09):
Well, I think there's certain layers to it and
we could go pretty deep onpersonality traits and birth
order, things like that, thatplay a role in why I was so
drawn to startups.
I'd say the best way to put itis that I love to have an impact
and don't really, I've worked inthese bigger organizations.
(02:32):
and found that I could haveimpacts and meaningful
relationships and meaningful,work results there, but there is
just something so dang addictiveabout startups.
I mean, and getting my start ina startup kind of made that a
constant pull.
But if I am gonna go.
psychologically about it.
(02:53):
I think it's because I'm an onlychild.
I think as an only child, youwanna have that impact.
You wanna have a say, you havestrong opinions, and those get
rewarded early on.
And so you become an innovatorand an entrepreneur by default,
really.
Nathan C (03:10):
You don't have a built-in team, so.
You have to go rally one.
Right?
Melissa Hollis (03:14):
Your built in team is your parents and they're
giving you constant praise andyou know, exciting things to try
out and attention and so, Imean, I'll just be honest, that
drives a lot of that for me.
Nathan C (03:27):
I got goosebumps.
And I'm also feeling a littlebit called out.
I am, I describe myself as theworst of both worlds.
I'm an only child who then likeremarried into having older
siblings, and so I'm both theonly child and the baby, which
means I expect to be the centerof attention for everyone all
(03:49):
the time.
Melissa Hollis (03:50):
My daughter now in that situation and she's a
Leo, so you know It's gonna be astar of the show for her.
Nathan C (03:57):
her.
Melissa Hollis (03:57):
but I'll also say my, Oh, lots of sequins,
lots of rainbows, lots of everybrightness.
I'd also say the innovationjourney and why I called myself
a vicarious entrepreneur for solong is being drawn to
entrepreneurs, being drawn tostartups.
I loved working with founders,and working directly with
founders CEOs as a marketing armand as like.
Constantly the initial marketinghire, so like the founding
(04:21):
marketing hire and building outthose foundations for brands and
high growth startups.
and then even when I was workingwith startup service providers,
I constantly made, It aboutworking with clients and meeting
the startup founders and doingcase studies and testimonials
and like having that be aconstant part of our marketing
and content strategy, which aswe know today is one of the most
(04:44):
effective ways and has been.
So that's always been a big partof it too.
Nathan C (04:48):
So, I love that it.
It seems that you love achallenge, right?
And helping startups, especiallytechnical startups, like explain
to the world how they're, howthey're changing and, you know,
moving beyond the status quo andwhy you might want to also
change is like an incredibly,it's a tough challenge.
Melissa Hollis (05:10):
I'm it, I'm liking it.
Nathan C (05:11):
AI will let us know if it stays in.
So let's focus for just a quickmoment on the work that you do
at Taylor Street.
And so we've got a little bit ofthe foundation of where, your
taste for pain has started.
now.
I'd love to dive into a littlebit of the core problem that
you're working on at TaylorStreet.
And how are you specificallysupporting, these startups and
(05:34):
adjacent companies?
make their own glow ups orsucceed in the way that, you're
supporting them.
Melissa Hollis (05:39):
Well, I think what you just alluded to is sort
of a common thread that startupscome from ideas.
They come from a really clearmoment of clarity, eureka
moment, but as they develop intoviable products and services.
That gets buried in things thatthe founders are taking in,
(06:03):
things that are changing aboutthe product, things that they're
learning, which is wonderfulthat things go in different
directions, but constantly andalmost, I would say a hundred
percent of the time, withouteven regretting or saying that
I'm, you know, going back onthat, Almost every time I've
worked with a startup, it isabout getting to the why behind
(06:25):
the why and Unbearing the lead.
I joined multiple startups wherethey've said, we need a new
website.
It's almost every time when Iworked as an internal marketer,
they were like, we need a newwebsite.
And well, often that was verytrue, and I've gotten very good
at creating new websites andunderstanding exactly what they
(06:46):
mean when a founder means whenthey say they need a new
website.
Every single time it is aboutwhat is that first line on that
homepage hero or on that landingpage, and how do we make sure
that you are not bearing thelead of what your company does
and why it does it?
And it's tricky.
It's a really tricky thing.
But if you can nail that, if youcan nail the why behind the why
(07:06):
behind the why, then everythingin marketing makes sense.
Your go to market, yourmessaging hierarchy, every ad
you create, every campaign yourun, every event you attend, and
I mean.
What The why behind the why iswhat will hook an investor in
your pitch deck, which youreally only have eight slides to
do so, so you better do itearly.
Nathan C (07:28):
Oh my gosh.
I thought I was the meanmarketing editor when I was
looking at pitch decks andsaying you had to be under a
dozen, but under eight.
I love it.
Melissa Hollis (07:39):
I think, I.
mean, that goes back to thosestrong opinions I have had to
learn to be more mature, be alittle less nice.
my favorite.
Boss ever told me once, youknow, I was ripping apart like a
pricing page on the company'swebsite.
And I was like, this doesn'tmake sense, blah, blah, blah,
blah.
And he's just like, you knowwhat, Melissa, you're right.
(07:59):
But no one is gonna listen toyou or wanna work with you if
you say it that way.
So the mean marketer had to, youknow, soften things.
And I think that happensnaturally over time.
But those are those strongopinions.
Nathan C (08:12):
Almost like, the strength of the opinions was
burying, the.
The gold hidden within them alittle bit.
Melissa Hollis (08:20):
absolutely.
that's Yeah.
Nathan C (08:23):
If you found a niche where you can help startup
founders understand wherethey're burying their core
message, where you can help themfocus on something that feels
huge and like life and worldchanging down to a single
sentence, how do you, Coachcajole guide founders to
(08:46):
understanding their business inlike a coherent, concise way
that really fits at the top of awebpage and doesn't just like
yell some jargon out at theworld.
how do you help move a, afounder from a broken message
and something that's buried intohow do you help them make that
transformation?
(09:07):
Into something where they canreally speak truly and clearly
about the why behind their why?
Melissa Hollis (09:12):
Oh, I think everything about the why behind
the why starts and ends withpersonas and customers.
So customers and clients.
So if, we do work with startupswho don't have customers and
clients yet, like I alluded to,but the primary, clientele we
work with has.
Gained, a book of businessprimarily through like word of
(09:33):
mouth So we start there, westart with interviewing their
customers and clients, andreally it's about building out
our knowledge and expertise inthose customers and clients
quickly and efficiently.
and with the main skill and mainthing we're focusing on is
building empathy.
So I hire the people that I'vehired in marketing.
(09:55):
If I look back and I think aboutit now, consciously, now,
subconsciously then are peoplewith really high empathy, like
almost too high empathy.
I'd also say people who can geta little theatrical.
So I love people with a theaterand acting background too.
'cause they can really put theirmind in someone else's shoes, in
a character, in a persona, andquickly adapt and understand
(10:21):
like voice and tone and what'sgonna resonate.
Nathan C (10:24):
I love how, starting from research, and this is
something I want to get back to,starting with research is like
the first thing that you say andThat you're actively looking
for.
A little bit of tension, alittle bit of drama, a little
bit of story right.
Like those are the things thatget attention.
(10:44):
And when you have somebody thatboth understands who they're
talking to, plus knows how tolike read the room and play to
the room, that starts to becomevery interesting.
you mentioned.
helping your customers learnfrom their customers.
I'm curious in your time workingwith startups and, you know,
(11:06):
doubling down now with TaylorStreet.
Is there something that yourcustomers have taught you about
your approach, about yourmarketing, about your vision,
and how Taylor Streete shouldshow up in the world?
Melissa Hollis (11:18):
Definitely.
So I mentioned that we work withstartup service providers, and
some of them are ones thatwe've.
Now my co-founder, Selena, and Ihave known for like close to a
decade now and worked withpreviously and they have taught
some incredible lessons on usabout building businesses, you
know, they've done it before.
one of the best pieces of advicewas making sure we aren't
(11:41):
building businesses that are tooreliant on ourselves.
So right now.
That's what Taylor Street is.
You know, we are, the faces ofTaylor Street and we're the ones
who are actually, working withclients as much as we can bring
on.
And you know, that's notscalable and that's something
that we do wanna build and I.
So that is our long-term plan isto make, and that's beyond six
(12:04):
months.
'cause I don't think that willhappen.
Maybe we can start thathappening, bring on other CMOs
and especially bring on CMOsthat have greater expertise with
some of the newer clients thatwe're bringing on, that we're
getting to work with brands thatare, you know, more CPG focus,
retail focus.
It's construction focused byworking with smaller startups.
(12:26):
That's been really rewarding.
I like to joke that, you know,you live in Portland.
When I lived in Portland, Ilived in Beaverton right across
from the Nike Worldheadquarters, and I was like,
when do I get to do a sexy shoecommercial?
When do I get silly?
You know, and I never did.
I was always in B2B or inhealthcare or real real estate
(12:47):
was the other one, which don'tget me wrong, I love the, you
know, B2B and the more stodgyindustries'cause I like that
challenge yet again of makingthem fun and sexy.
But it's been really rewardingto start Taylor Street and be
able to help, you know, the moreconsumer focused brands as well.
But I'll still always have beenlove for B2B.
Nathan C (13:08):
It is hard to get that like New York Times billboard
for your work when you'reselling a business software,
Melissa Hollis (13:15):
Oh yeah, I have gotten some of my B2B clients or
my B2B jobs.
I've gotten them on Inc.
New York Times.
I like, appreciate a good PRpartner.
It ain't me, but I appreciate agood PR partner.
Nathan C (13:29):
bless the PR partners, especially the powerful ones.
So, oh my goodness, this ideaof.
Building, as a founder, buildinga business that's value lies in
the business, not just yourexpertise is a very juicy
problem, right?
Because you want, a business, anagency to.
(13:51):
Reflect your skills, yourpassion, your background, but
like at the same time, not belimited by it.
Right.
And, as a founder, that's gottabe like a very exciting.
moment of growth to realize,right?
It's not just about what I cando, but like, what does this
organization, the vision forthis group of people do?
(14:14):
And'cause now you're working notjust on survival goals and
achievement goals, but you'reactually like.
In providing and leading, whichhas gotta be a really like, cool
and potentially scary place tobe.
so Bravo.
Melissa Hollis (14:29):
Well, I think the biggest thing I've learned
is that businesses are likebabies.
You know, like if you're afounder, your business is your
baby.
And after becoming a mom for thefirst time, a couple of years
ago, it really is so true.
It's a little less like a childhas their own vision.
you are just there to help themgrow and follow their dreams and
(14:52):
their hopes and support them.
move mountains for them.
But with a business, youactually have to create that
vision.
So that's where it's reallydifferent.
you get to project onto yourbusiness.
While also having to be veryselfless with making sure that
you're doing the right thingsfor the business and every
decision you make is best forthe business and not for
(15:13):
yourself.
the selflessness of being aparent and being a founder the
same, but the ability to drivethings and create the future,
I'd say is much.
You have much more, you need tohave much more control when it's
your business.
Versus your child.
You should just let them driveand you create the path based on
(15:34):
what they want.
That's my beliefs.
Nathan C (15:37):
the, I think the metaphor is, is really strong
and, many of us who choose tobecome founders are both right.
And, and, and I think being ableto, to separate, you know, where
you have to clear the road andbe supportive and, and where you
need to like.
Make the road and then besupportive is, is, is an
(15:59):
important distinction.
And it, it starts to get intothis idea of impact and
measurement and right, likegoals, you have different goals
for these different babies andthe business baby., so how do
you think about.
the impact that you make whenyou're supporting startups and,
and other founders, and how willyou know, how do you know or, or
(16:24):
judge your success when you'reworking with a, a, a new client
in these endeavors?
Melissa Hollis (16:28):
I wanna really quickly answer one of your other
questions, which is, how will Iknow when I made it?
And I'm had a hard time figuringthat out.
Like, I'll know when I made it,when I'm on a talk show or
something like that.
Who knows?
But like, really now that I'vesaid what I said about the, you
know, similarities anddifferences between being a
(16:49):
founder and being a parent.
I'd say, I'll know I've made itwhen I stop really having to
push a vision on Taylor Street,and it becomes more like Taylor
Street's taking its own path andI'm clearing mountains instead.
So right now I'm having to driveit with my business partner.
(17:11):
We're really driving what TaylorStreet is going to be, but.
There's going to be a point ofinflection if we are successful
and we make it where it's beyondwhat we've envisioned for it.
And really it becomes aboutputting things in place for it
to grow.
And I've seen that.
I've seen that with, gosh, someof the first startups I worked
(17:31):
with.
When I reconnect with thosefounders today, I can see it in
them that that's where thingsshifted and they took, You know,
they took, they sidestep thingsa little, their roles shifted.
Their roles shifted from havingto push to being more of like a
guide, being more of a movethings out of the way.
(17:51):
And that's where I could tell, Ican tell that's when we've made
it.
so excited for that day to come
Nathan C (17:57):
A lot of early startup conversation.
Is around like all hands ondeck.
Everybody's doing everything andthat's part of the joy, that's
part of the fun.
That's part of like how youbuild a lot of experience very
quickly.
But if we're focused on likemaking founders succeed, all
hands on deck, doing absolutelyeverything, being in kind of a
(18:21):
fight or flight, you know,constant state of startup
crisis.
Is the thing you want least foryour founder, right?
It is the thing that is maybeleast powerful, least efficient,
least best use of that person'stime and vision.
And like this, having such aclear understanding of that
maturation and, and those twodifferent phases is like a very
(18:44):
cool marker to have.
You got me so excited.
Well, I think if we're talkingabout success, if we're talking
about growth, I think we need totalk about a glow up.
A glow up is a notabletransformation, a major
achievement in the next littlebit.
Melissa, what's your big glowup, that you're looking to make
in the next six months?
Melissa Hollis (19:05):
Oh, I'm always glowing up.
I never stop glowing up.
I've been glowing up my wholelife.
I've had some major glow ups inthe last few years.
I'd say the glow up that I'mlooking ahead at in the next six
to 12 months, and a little bitof something that we did learn
from our customers early on.
(19:26):
When we started Taylor Street,it was sort of at this weird
time where AI was.
Getting adopted by some people,but then also some people were
saying, hell no.
Don't use AI for content.
Don't use AI for marketing.
It's gonna cheapen yourmarketing.
It's gonna cheapen your brand.
No matter what you do, you'renever gonna be able to use it.
(19:48):
And so we really were veryhesitant and tiptoeing around AI
and didn't wanna use it for anytrue like marketing.
We used it maybe in like some ofthe business planning we did for
Taylor Street, which I highlyrecommend, but not a lot of the
actual like client deliverables,anything like that.
(20:09):
And what happened was some ofour first initial clients came
on and they were solo marketersof startups.
And so working with that solomarketer, especially a couple of
the ones out of San Franciscowhere AI was hot and just like
very quickly adopted.
We saw that they were using AIand quickly had to pivot and
(20:31):
realize like, if we're not doingthat, we are gonna look like
idiots, and why are we shyingaway from this or hiding it,
which I think so many agenciesprobably were and maybe still
are.
No.
Like we are going to look.
What would be antiquated ifwe're not using AI the way our
clients are, at least if notbetter or more so than, so we
(20:55):
quickly pivoted from that,became very transparent and
actually very collaborativeabout our AI usage with clients.
And that's kind of led us tosomething that I'm testing out
here with the early stagestartups that I alluded to
earlier, which is.
Building out foundationalmarketing pieces for startups
like early, early stage, like.
(21:15):
Especially as we're working onthings like investor relations,
pitch materials for them, andthen like early stage branding
and taglines and messaging, andthen kind of creating either a
DIY kit or a do it with you setup of whatever AI tool
preference you have.
Of creating your like marketingintern so that all of those
(21:38):
foundational pieces have a placeto live and are set up for
success as your basically likethe legacy knowledge of what
your brand can be.
You always have that assomething you can go and
reference and it's somethingthat we maintain an update for
you.
This is just something that I'mexperimenting with.
So I've piloted with a couple ofclients that we worked with,
(22:00):
it's just, it's something whereI can see a lot of value because
there's a big gap in both formarketers and non marketers in
how to use AI for marketingappropriately.
And I mean, we've nailed it.
We're seeing clients get resultsout of this and out of the
collaboration we've been doing.
So certainly I'm hoping that wecan make that something that is
(22:21):
scalable and help startups.
My goal would be is that helpstartups.
Who are looking to hit productmarket fit or traction in their
markets, 80% faster.
Nathan C (22:32):
That's the glow up.
Melissa Hollis (22:33):
That's
Nathan C (22:33):
the glow up
Melissa Hollis (22:34):
That's I'd love to see.
Nathan C (22:35):
Well, you, you, I'm sure know, right, that any goal
that's worth tracking has ameasurement and you've just set
that measurement.
And when we come and talk, withyou in another year, we can
check back on, how that's going,I wanna dive in and ask all of
the questions, you know, whatare your founder's advice for
(22:56):
ai?
How do you, I think the onequestion, I'm not gonna ask you
what your secret sauce is andhow you get people set up with
like marketing interns, but
Melissa Hollis (23:05):
Well, the secret sauce is using the right
marketing agency, using anagency that does the research,
that builds the foundation.
So, you know, any agency wouldprobably or could probably do
this for you.
They might not be willing to'cause they wanna get money out
of it, but you know, we arehere, we wanna be that.
And like I said, we start withresearch, we start with empathy,
(23:26):
and those are the two keys forbuilding out anything in ai.
Right foundations and being thathuman empathetic side of it.
Nathan C (23:34):
there is this perception in the consumer
world, you know, in the greaterconsumer world, and especially
in those marketing detractorswho are like, why would you use
ai?
It's gonna dilute.
Those often come from theperspectives of people just
using free accounts, limitedfree accounts within like chat
GPT maybe not going all the wayto set up a system message to
(23:57):
build an environment where likethere's resources and guides and
research, that the AI can learnfrom and call back to.
The like off the shelf, why do Iget something that sounds hyper
promotional and like the worstYouTube ad I ever saw, versus
like, is this, you know.
Fixing my broken webpage andhelping to drive results.
(24:22):
Right.
I think there's a lot ofskepticism within marketers
about how you do that.
the question I was going to askwas, you know, how do you help
people feel confident?
How do you help people, feellike their data is safe, or what
they're sharing with theircustomers is safe?
Melissa Hollis (24:38):
I think there's also being on top of trends with
ai, like we see it all the time,things that are like dead
wringer, like obvious, make itobvious that something was
generated by AI or somethingthat was created.
That, I mean, beingknowledgeable of that, which is
another thing.
We try to empower people whenwe're working on these type of
offerings to do.
(24:59):
find, and this is interesting,but I find that there is a
generational like specialtyhere.
I, I'm a millennial and most ofour team millennial and then a
couple Gen Z, and I think thesepeople that are in their
twenties, thirties, forties.
Are like going to have thatresponsibility and kind of just
(25:22):
take that burden of being ableto identify AI and be sharper,
especially if you're working inthe industries then that we work
in.
I have kids and my main thingis, you know, sometimes they
can't identify what's AIgenerated and then I'm like, oh
no, that Taylor Swift song isnot a Taylor Swift song.
Someone put that together withan AI tool.
She didn't have any new releasesor anything like that.
(25:44):
Even though it sounds like her,it's AI generated, that's like a
pretty innocent example, butit's going to be a skill that
has to.
Get developed and people aregoing to have to teach.
And so that's just a broad wayof saying like that's something
to empower founders who arehesitant or are maybe worried
about using AI is just knowinghow to identify it so that as
(26:06):
you are using it in marketing,you are really able to filter
that and edit, because you dohave to have a human filter on
that, and we offer that as well.
So offer that as like, we'llreview that for you and make
sure we're checking for obviousAI factors.
Nathan C (26:24):
Mm-hmm.
I've been working with a couplecorporate clients and I've been
really impressed with like oneof my comms leaders who's just
like rock solid, always onbrand, always has like the
perfect corporate message andlike in having this conversation
(26:45):
with you, right?
There's a lot of fear aboutusing AI in marketing means that
I have to ask an AI to post onsocial media for me or to write
a webpage or to, and there's somany other layers and levels
where you can be learning, youcan be adding value, you can be
more efficient and like my brainhas this corporate comms
(27:08):
officer.
As an AI agent, right?
Who's helping your marketingteam of one, right?
And the comms officer just knowswhat the, the current messaging
is.
They know the FAQ for that thepress team helped you build and
like craft around the sensitiveconversations.
(27:31):
And then when you have a newquestion online and you're
trying to figure out, how do Iput together this nuanced thing?
You just send it to the comm botwho knows all, like, knows how
to make it rigid, who knows howto make it safe, who knows, like
all the right barriers and justoffboard all of that work, all
(27:51):
of that, right?
Like,'cause there's a, a purposeand a role and like a very
specific lane that, that thatbot can play and you could have
that conversation with yourcomms team and never need to put
anything public.
You could be totally confidentand aware.
It could totally accelerate,some crisis communications that
you're trying very carefully, tobe mindful of.
(28:14):
And, you're off to the nextthing.
Instead of spending three dayson a grumpy, Reddit poster,
Melissa Hollis (28:20):
Well, and let's talk about that.
I mean, what you just described,is something I do for myself.
I have a bot that's trained inmy voice with some of my
favorite content I ever wrote,or, interviews I've done and
I've trained it on my voice Tome that is storing legacy
knowledge.
That is what I was talking aboutearlier.
What you just described isyou're storing that comms
(28:41):
director, their legacyknowledge.
You're storing your brand legacyknowledge, some of your customer
and client knowledge, and fromthat point of view, you're just.
You have a brainstorming buddy.
It's not that I just go into theAI that I trained on my voice
and I say, write me a LinkedInpost about this, or, answer
these questions from Nathanabout the podcast.
(29:04):
Of course I'm doing that, butI'm also going like, that's
crap.
I'm, but I'm using it as abrainstorming exercise.
There's no bad ideas inbrainstorming.
It's just getting to the rightidea.
And I tell you like it has savedme so much time as a.
Celine and my co-founder wouldcall me a perfectionist.
I don't come off that way, but Ithink if you really know me, I
think I always admit it, I amsomewhat of a perfectionist and
(29:26):
this really does help me getover a lot of those humps of
even getting an email outsometimes.
I think that also, you know,I'll get real about it.
I'm also an extrovert.
I don't know about you, but I'mhighly extroverted Really
something about working fromhome and everything that has
gone, with work from home andthe covid and the pandemic, it's
(29:47):
very lonely and that can bereally hard for coming up with
creative ideas.
So, you know, there's always,the opportunity to go out there
and network or go co-work orthings like that.
Or just have a lot of meetingswhere you're brainstorming, but
at the same time.
It's just been really helpful touse AI to help with that, to
help with having a brainstormingbuddy to help with that is
(30:10):
almost like you know yourself oryou create one for a client and
then you're brainstorming withthe client without having to
like, to your point, say some ofthe bad ideas out loud to a
client or the half baked
Nathan C (30:22):
I think we've got a mini podcast, which is the
Taylor Street.
three great ways you can getstarted with AI in your
marketing today.
that just sort of organicallybloomed out of the.
Conversation.
thank you for going on that,rabbit hole.
And I think for me, thehighlight that I wanna pull out
is this idea of use AI to get togood enough, faster.
(30:46):
There's so many things that youcan do in your day.
Nothing is permanent, nothing isfinal.
The world is so chaotic.
It does not need to be theperfect anything.
But if you can get to goodenough for what this purpose is
quicker than like go, go, go,spend your time on that stuff.
That's really valuable.
(31:07):
Speaking of time, Melissa, we'vebeen doing so fantastic.
Every founder needs a hand.
Every founder is looking to growin some way.
Is there something that you arelooking for, for Taylor Street,
for yourself, for yourcommunity?
Melissa Hollis (31:23):
Every founder needs a hand.
I think that reminds me of aquote, and I didn't come up with
this slogan.
It was one, actually one of myclients, but"never startup
alone." So that client doesaccounting and fractional CFO
for startups and SMBs.
But I think that applies to allstartup and business, to
business businesses, is that,you're never alone.
(31:46):
You never should be alone.
Partnerships are everything.
That is what I realized rightaway and love most about my role
is now that so much of my roleis networking.
And getting to meet people.
I'd say if I'm looking for onething, it's, you know, who can I
help?
Who can we work together andcollaborate?
I.
(32:06):
CMOs and fractional CMOs who arelooking to work with exciting
startups or looking for supportbecause they feel alone with
their clients.
You know, I think the future ofit all is going to be very
collaborative and very much likean ecosystem.
I'm seeing that with some of myclients and other specialties
like I just mentioned, wherethey're broadening beyond just,
(32:27):
you know, their.
Core teams and really likehaving to pull in experts and
it's just more of like whoeverbrings in the business or
whoever's in contact is now ableto extend that to their network.
And so I think that's what'sbeautiful and like kind of the
next phase here.
It's just having a network ofexpertise and being able to find
(32:50):
and sift through that.
Nathan C (32:52):
We do make time on every glow up episode for a
community spotlight.
Is there a group that's doinggreat work that you'd like to
shine a light on and share alittle bit of your time with?
Melissa Hollis (33:03):
Well, you know, you are in Portland.
That is where we met when I wasliving in Portland, Oregon.
And so I have to shout out thecause that I worked with when I
was living there and I'm stillsomewhat involved with today,
even from a whole other timezone, which is Girls Inc of the
Pacific Northwest.
I just will always have a bigsoft spot for them and what they
(33:25):
do to help.
Girls become strong, smart, andbold, and really their
programming and what they'vecreated and are now starting to,
when I was last at their events,starting to see girls who had
graduated from the programs,graduated from college, and then
were coming back and showing theimpact of what the organization
(33:45):
is able to do.
And I just think it's soimportant You see girls.
Women just doing amazing thingsand I think organizations that
start early, early with it areneed all of our support.
And I was lucky enough to be ontheir marketing committee when I
lived in Portland and I was asolo marketer at a few startups.
(34:09):
I was very much alone and on anisland and surrounded by a bunch
of technical people or a bunchof accountants every day who I
loved, but I needed.
I didn't realize what I neededuntil I joined that committee,
which was having other marketersand being able to share ideas
and work towards a common goal,which we were also excited about
getting to help thatorganization through events and,
(34:32):
you know, have a greatercommunity impact.
So I owe a lot to them and a lotof things I learned from that
group of really awesome women.
Nathan C (34:40):
Heck yeah.
Shout out to Girls Inc.
Melissa, it has been soinspiring and so exciting to
talk with you today.
I really love how this idea offounders shouldn't go it alone.
That you need a community ofpeople who understand what
you're trying to do and, youknow, partners who can help push
(35:03):
the mission forward.
In our ever-changing, highlycomplex world We often have to
wear many hats and do manythings, but we should not be
doing it alone or without, theinput from the many experts that
are all around us.
I'm so excited, to get back tomy own marketing and dive into
my own why, behind the why.
(35:25):
If people are interested infollowing up or want to learn
more about your work and whatyou do at Taylor Street, how
can, people find you?
How can they follow up?
Melissa Hollis (35:34):
LinkedIn is where I'd say I'm the most
active LinkedIn you can find meon LinkedIn at Melissa Hollis
and follow Taylor StreetCollective.
so if you see that lovely yellowlogo, you'll know you're at the
right place.
Nathan C (35:46):
How'd we do today?
Did we, did we get to all thepoints that you were hoping to
talk about?
Melissa Hollis (35:51):
Well, I should give that question to you.
I was just happy to be here andhave a fun conversation and
hopefully share some thingsthat'll help people have eureka
moments.
Nathan C (36:02):
The, I had like three, so I think we'll probably, be
pretty good there.
Every single time it is about what is that
(00:02):
first line on that homepage heroor on that landing page, and how
do we make sure that you are notbearing the lead of what your
company does and why it does it?
And it's tricky.
It's a really tricky thing.
But if you can nail that, if youcan nail the why behind the why
behind the why, then everythingin marketing makes sense.
Nathan C (00:19):
Hello and welcome to the Glow Up, fabulous
conversations with innovativeMinds Today I am here with
Melissa Hollis, CEO, andco-founder of Taylor Street.
Melissa Hollis (00:30):
Good to see you too, Nathan.
Nathan C (00:32):
Melissa, I have, had the pleasure of seeing your work
for a number of years.
for those who are just meetingyou today on the glow up, can
you, introduce yourself and, alittle bit of how your
innovation journey got started?
Melissa Hollis (00:48):
Hi, I'm Melissa Hollis.
I'm the co-founder and CEO ofTaylor Street Collective.
I also operate as a fractionalCMO for our clients.
Because what Taylor Street doesis we are focused primarily on
marketing and go to marketstrategies for startups and
startup adjacent serviceproviders.
So our entire focus is thatstartup ecosystem.
(01:12):
and that's where I've lived mywhole career.
I've called myself the vicariousentrepreneur.
my first job out of college wasat a 15 person startup where I
became their admin, and it wasthe same day their marketing
director left.
So.
I just took that over.
I came in at 22 and they handedme the keys to a whole rebrand,
(01:35):
whole new website, and I had alot of opinions and that's taken
me to where I am today.
Nathan C (01:42):
I love it.
young, opinionated, and the keysto like a startup basically.
what an amazing, start.
Years later, you're now stillworking with startups.
What about startups, founders,and these adjacent providers,
keeps you interested and excitedabout working in that highly,
(02:07):
dynamic space?
Melissa Hollis (02:09):
Well, I think there's certain layers to it and
we could go pretty deep onpersonality traits and birth
order, things like that, thatplay a role in why I was so
drawn to startups.
I'd say the best way to put itis that I love to have an impact
and don't really, I've worked inthese bigger organizations.
(02:32):
and found that I could haveimpacts and meaningful
relationships and meaningful,work results there, but there is
just something so dang addictiveabout startups.
I mean, and getting my start ina startup kind of made that a
constant pull.
But if I am gonna go.
psychologically about it.
(02:53):
I think it's because I'm an onlychild.
I think as an only child, youwanna have that impact.
You wanna have a say, you havestrong opinions, and those get
rewarded early on.
And so you become an innovatorand an entrepreneur by default,
really.
Nathan C (03:10):
You don't have a built-in team, so.
You have to go rally one.
Right?
Melissa Hollis (03:14):
Your built in team is your parents and they're
giving you constant praise andyou know, exciting things to try
out and attention and so, Imean, I'll just be honest, that
drives a lot of that for me.
Nathan C (03:27):
I got goosebumps.
And I'm also feeling a littlebit called out.
I am, I describe myself as theworst of both worlds.
I'm an only child who then likeremarried into having older
siblings, and so I'm both theonly child and the baby, which
means I expect to be the centerof attention for everyone all
(03:49):
the time.
Melissa Hollis (03:50):
My daughter now in that situation and she's a
Leo, so you know It's gonna be astar of the show for her.
Nathan C (03:57):
her.
Melissa Hollis (03:57):
but I'll also say my, Oh, lots of sequins,
lots of rainbows, lots of everybrightness.
I'd also say the innovationjourney and why I called myself
a vicarious entrepreneur for solong is being drawn to
entrepreneurs, being drawn tostartups.
I loved working with founders,and working directly with
founders CEOs as a marketing armand as like.
Constantly the initial marketinghire, so like the founding
(04:21):
marketing hire and building outthose foundations for brands and
high growth startups.
and then even when I was workingwith startup service providers,
I constantly made, It aboutworking with clients and meeting
the startup founders and doingcase studies and testimonials
and like having that be aconstant part of our marketing
and content strategy, which aswe know today is one of the most
(04:44):
effective ways and has been.
So that's always been a big partof it too.
Nathan C (04:48):
So, I love that it.
It seems that you love achallenge, right?
And helping startups, especiallytechnical startups, like explain
to the world how they're, howthey're changing and, you know,
moving beyond the status quo andwhy you might want to also
change is like an incredibly,it's a tough challenge.
Melissa Hollis (05:10):
I'm it, I'm liking it.
Nathan C (05:11):
AI will let us know if it stays in.
So let's focus for just a quickmoment on the work that you do
at Taylor Street.
And so we've got a little bit ofthe foundation of where, your
taste for pain has started.
now.
I'd love to dive into a littlebit of the core problem that
you're working on at TaylorStreet.
And how are you specificallysupporting, these startups and
(05:34):
adjacent companies?
make their own glow ups orsucceed in the way that, you're
supporting them.
Melissa Hollis (05:39):
Well, I think what you just alluded to is sort
of a common thread that startupscome from ideas.
They come from a really clearmoment of clarity, eureka
moment, but as they develop intoviable products and services.
That gets buried in things thatthe founders are taking in,
(06:03):
things that are changing aboutthe product, things that they're
learning, which is wonderfulthat things go in different
directions, but constantly andalmost, I would say a hundred
percent of the time, withouteven regretting or saying that
I'm, you know, going back onthat, Almost every time I've
worked with a startup, it isabout getting to the why behind
(06:25):
the why and Unbearing the lead.
I joined multiple startups wherethey've said, we need a new
website.
It's almost every time when Iworked as an internal marketer,
they were like, we need a newwebsite.
And well, often that was verytrue, and I've gotten very good
at creating new websites andunderstanding exactly what they
(06:46):
mean when a founder means whenthey say they need a new
website.
Every single time it is aboutwhat is that first line on that
homepage hero or on that landingpage, and how do we make sure
that you are not bearing thelead of what your company does
and why it does it?
And it's tricky.
It's a really tricky thing.
But if you can nail that, if youcan nail the why behind the why
(07:06):
behind the why, then everythingin marketing makes sense.
Your go to market, yourmessaging hierarchy, every ad
you create, every campaign yourun, every event you attend, and
I mean.
What The why behind the why iswhat will hook an investor in
your pitch deck, which youreally only have eight slides to
do so, so you better do itearly.
Nathan C (07:28):
Oh my gosh.
I thought I was the meanmarketing editor when I was
looking at pitch decks andsaying you had to be under a
dozen, but under eight.
I love it.
Melissa Hollis (07:39):
I think, I.
mean, that goes back to thosestrong opinions I have had to
learn to be more mature, be alittle less nice.
my favorite.
Boss ever told me once, youknow, I was ripping apart like a
pricing page on the company'swebsite.
And I was like, this doesn'tmake sense, blah, blah, blah,
blah.
And he's just like, you knowwhat, Melissa, you're right.
(07:59):
But no one is gonna listen toyou or wanna work with you if
you say it that way.
So the mean marketer had to, youknow, soften things.
And I think that happensnaturally over time.
But those are those strongopinions.
Nathan C (08:12):
Almost like, the strength of the opinions was
burying, the.
The gold hidden within them alittle bit.
Melissa Hollis (08:20):
absolutely.
that's Yeah.
Nathan C (08:23):
If you found a niche where you can help startup
founders understand wherethey're burying their core
message, where you can help themfocus on something that feels
huge and like life and worldchanging down to a single
sentence, how do you, Coachcajole guide founders to
(08:46):
understanding their business inlike a coherent, concise way
that really fits at the top of awebpage and doesn't just like
yell some jargon out at theworld.
how do you help move a, afounder from a broken message
and something that's buried intohow do you help them make that
transformation?
(09:07):
Into something where they canreally speak truly and clearly
about the why behind their why?
Melissa Hollis (09:12):
Oh, I think everything about the why behind
the why starts and ends withpersonas and customers.
So customers and clients.
So if, we do work with startupswho don't have customers and
clients yet, like I alluded to,but the primary, clientele we
work with has.
Gained, a book of businessprimarily through like word of
(09:33):
mouth So we start there, westart with interviewing their
customers and clients, andreally it's about building out
our knowledge and expertise inthose customers and clients
quickly and efficiently.
and with the main skill and mainthing we're focusing on is
building empathy.
So I hire the people that I'vehired in marketing.
(09:55):
If I look back and I think aboutit now, consciously, now,
subconsciously then are peoplewith really high empathy, like
almost too high empathy.
I'd also say people who can geta little theatrical.
So I love people with a theaterand acting background too.
'cause they can really put theirmind in someone else's shoes, in
a character, in a persona, andquickly adapt and understand
(10:21):
like voice and tone and what'sgonna resonate.
Nathan C (10:24):
I love how, starting from research, and this is
something I want to get back to,starting with research is like
the first thing that you say andThat you're actively looking
for.
A little bit of tension, alittle bit of drama, a little
bit of story right.
Like those are the things thatget attention.
(10:44):
And when you have somebody thatboth understands who they're
talking to, plus knows how tolike read the room and play to
the room, that starts to becomevery interesting.
you mentioned.
helping your customers learnfrom their customers.
I'm curious in your time workingwith startups and, you know,
(11:06):
doubling down now with TaylorStreet.
Is there something that yourcustomers have taught you about
your approach, about yourmarketing, about your vision,
and how Taylor Streete shouldshow up in the world?
Melissa Hollis (11:18):
Definitely.
So I mentioned that we work withstartup service providers, and
some of them are ones thatwe've.
Now my co-founder, Selena, and Ihave known for like close to a
decade now and worked withpreviously and they have taught
some incredible lessons on usabout building businesses, you
know, they've done it before.
one of the best pieces of advicewas making sure we aren't
(11:41):
building businesses that are tooreliant on ourselves.
So right now.
That's what Taylor Street is.
You know, we are, the faces ofTaylor Street and we're the ones
who are actually, working withclients as much as we can bring
on.
And you know, that's notscalable and that's something
that we do wanna build and I.
So that is our long-term plan isto make, and that's beyond six
(12:04):
months.
'cause I don't think that willhappen.
Maybe we can start thathappening, bring on other CMOs
and especially bring on CMOsthat have greater expertise with
some of the newer clients thatwe're bringing on, that we're
getting to work with brands thatare, you know, more CPG focus,
retail focus.
It's construction focused byworking with smaller startups.
(12:26):
That's been really rewarding.
I like to joke that, you know,you live in Portland.
When I lived in Portland, Ilived in Beaverton right across
from the Nike Worldheadquarters, and I was like,
when do I get to do a sexy shoecommercial?
When do I get silly?
You know, and I never did.
I was always in B2B or inhealthcare or real real estate
(12:47):
was the other one, which don'tget me wrong, I love the, you
know, B2B and the more stodgyindustries'cause I like that
challenge yet again of makingthem fun and sexy.
But it's been really rewardingto start Taylor Street and be
able to help, you know, the moreconsumer focused brands as well.
But I'll still always have beenlove for B2B.
Nathan C (13:08):
It is hard to get that like New York Times billboard
for your work when you'reselling a business software,
Melissa Hollis (13:15):
Oh yeah, I have gotten some of my B2B clients or
my B2B jobs.
I've gotten them on Inc.
New York Times.
I like, appreciate a good PRpartner.
It ain't me, but I appreciate agood PR partner.
Nathan C (13:29):
bless the PR partners, especially the powerful ones.
So, oh my goodness, this ideaof.
Building, as a founder, buildinga business that's value lies in
the business, not just yourexpertise is a very juicy
problem, right?
Because you want, a business, anagency to.
(13:51):
Reflect your skills, yourpassion, your background, but
like at the same time, not belimited by it.
Right.
And, as a founder, that's gottabe like a very exciting.
moment of growth to realize,right?
It's not just about what I cando, but like, what does this
organization, the vision forthis group of people do?
(14:14):
And'cause now you're working notjust on survival goals and
achievement goals, but you'reactually like.
In providing and leading, whichhas gotta be a really like, cool
and potentially scary place tobe.
so Bravo.
Melissa Hollis (14:29):
Well, I think the biggest thing I've learned
is that businesses are likebabies.
You know, like if you're afounder, your business is your
baby.
And after becoming a mom for thefirst time, a couple of years
ago, it really is so true.
It's a little less like a childhas their own vision.
you are just there to help themgrow and follow their dreams and
(14:52):
their hopes and support them.
move mountains for them.
But with a business, youactually have to create that
vision.
So that's where it's reallydifferent.
you get to project onto yourbusiness.
While also having to be veryselfless with making sure that
you're doing the right thingsfor the business and every
decision you make is best forthe business and not for
(15:13):
yourself.
the selflessness of being aparent and being a founder the
same, but the ability to drivethings and create the future,
I'd say is much.
You have much more, you need tohave much more control when it's
your business.
Versus your child.
You should just let them driveand you create the path based on
(15:34):
what they want.
That's my beliefs.
Nathan C (15:37):
the, I think the metaphor is, is really strong
and, many of us who choose tobecome founders are both right.
And, and, and I think being ableto, to separate, you know, where
you have to clear the road andbe supportive and, and where you
need to like.
Make the road and then besupportive is, is, is an
(15:59):
important distinction.
And it, it starts to get intothis idea of impact and
measurement and right, likegoals, you have different goals
for these different babies andthe business baby., so how do
you think about.
the impact that you make whenyou're supporting startups and,
and other founders, and how willyou know, how do you know or, or
(16:24):
judge your success when you'reworking with a, a, a new client
in these endeavors?
Melissa Hollis (16:28):
I wanna really quickly answer one of your other
questions, which is, how will Iknow when I made it?
And I'm had a hard time figuringthat out.
Like, I'll know when I made it,when I'm on a talk show or
something like that.
Who knows?
But like, really now that I'vesaid what I said about the, you
know, similarities anddifferences between being a
(16:49):
founder and being a parent.
I'd say, I'll know I've made itwhen I stop really having to
push a vision on Taylor Street,and it becomes more like Taylor
Street's taking its own path andI'm clearing mountains instead.
So right now I'm having to driveit with my business partner.
(17:11):
We're really driving what TaylorStreet is going to be, but.
There's going to be a point ofinflection if we are successful
and we make it where it's beyondwhat we've envisioned for it.
And really it becomes aboutputting things in place for it
to grow.
And I've seen that.
I've seen that with, gosh, someof the first startups I worked
(17:31):
with.
When I reconnect with thosefounders today, I can see it in
them that that's where thingsshifted and they took, You know,
they took, they sidestep thingsa little, their roles shifted.
Their roles shifted from havingto push to being more of like a
guide, being more of a movethings out of the way.
(17:51):
And that's where I could tell, Ican tell that's when we've made
it.
so excited for that day to come
Nathan C (17:57):
A lot of early startup conversation.
Is around like all hands ondeck.
Everybody's doing everything andthat's part of the joy, that's
part of the fun.
That's part of like how youbuild a lot of experience very
quickly.
But if we're focused on likemaking founders succeed, all
hands on deck, doing absolutelyeverything, being in kind of a
(18:21):
fight or flight, you know,constant state of startup
crisis.
Is the thing you want least foryour founder, right?
It is the thing that is maybeleast powerful, least efficient,
least best use of that person'stime and vision.
And like this, having such aclear understanding of that
maturation and, and those twodifferent phases is like a very
(18:44):
cool marker to have.
You got me so excited.
Well, I think if we're talkingabout success, if we're talking
about growth, I think we need totalk about a glow up.
A glow up is a notabletransformation, a major
achievement in the next littlebit.
Melissa, what's your big glowup, that you're looking to make
in the next six months?
Melissa Hollis (19:05):
Oh, I'm always glowing up.
I never stop glowing up.
I've been glowing up my wholelife.
I've had some major glow ups inthe last few years.
I'd say the glow up that I'mlooking ahead at in the next six
to 12 months, and a little bitof something that we did learn
from our customers early on.
(19:26):
When we started Taylor Street,it was sort of at this weird
time where AI was.
Getting adopted by some people,but then also some people were
saying, hell no.
Don't use AI for content.
Don't use AI for marketing.
It's gonna cheapen yourmarketing.
It's gonna cheapen your brand.
No matter what you do, you'renever gonna be able to use it.
(19:48):
And so we really were veryhesitant and tiptoeing around AI
and didn't wanna use it for anytrue like marketing.
We used it maybe in like some ofthe business planning we did for
Taylor Street, which I highlyrecommend, but not a lot of the
actual like client deliverables,anything like that.
(20:09):
And what happened was some ofour first initial clients came
on and they were solo marketersof startups.
And so working with that solomarketer, especially a couple of
the ones out of San Franciscowhere AI was hot and just like
very quickly adopted.
We saw that they were using AIand quickly had to pivot and
(20:31):
realize like, if we're not doingthat, we are gonna look like
idiots, and why are we shyingaway from this or hiding it,
which I think so many agenciesprobably were and maybe still
are.
No.
Like we are going to look.
What would be antiquated ifwe're not using AI the way our
clients are, at least if notbetter or more so than, so we
(20:55):
quickly pivoted from that,became very transparent and
actually very collaborativeabout our AI usage with clients.
And that's kind of led us tosomething that I'm testing out
here with the early stagestartups that I alluded to
earlier, which is.
Building out foundationalmarketing pieces for startups
like early, early stage, like.
(21:15):
Especially as we're working onthings like investor relations,
pitch materials for them, andthen like early stage branding
and taglines and messaging, andthen kind of creating either a
DIY kit or a do it with you setup of whatever AI tool
preference you have.
Of creating your like marketingintern so that all of those
(21:38):
foundational pieces have a placeto live and are set up for
success as your basically likethe legacy knowledge of what
your brand can be.
You always have that assomething you can go and
reference and it's somethingthat we maintain an update for
you.
This is just something that I'mexperimenting with.
So I've piloted with a couple ofclients that we worked with,
(22:00):
it's just, it's something whereI can see a lot of value because
there's a big gap in both formarketers and non marketers in
how to use AI for marketingappropriately.
And I mean, we've nailed it.
We're seeing clients get resultsout of this and out of the
collaboration we've been doing.
So certainly I'm hoping that wecan make that something that is
(22:21):
scalable and help startups.
My goal would be is that helpstartups.
Who are looking to hit productmarket fit or traction in their
markets, 80% faster.
Nathan C (22:32):
That's the glow up.
Melissa Hollis (22:33):
That's
Nathan C (22:33):
the glow up
Melissa Hollis (22:34):
That's I'd love to see.
Nathan C (22:35):
Well, you, you, I'm sure know, right, that any goal
that's worth tracking has ameasurement and you've just set
that measurement.
And when we come and talk, withyou in another year, we can
check back on, how that's going,I wanna dive in and ask all of
the questions, you know, whatare your founder's advice for
(22:56):
ai?
How do you, I think the onequestion, I'm not gonna ask you
what your secret sauce is andhow you get people set up with
like marketing interns, but
Melissa Hollis (23:05):
Well, the secret sauce is using the right
marketing agency, using anagency that does the research,
that builds the foundation.
So, you know, any agency wouldprobably or could probably do
this for you.
They might not be willing to'cause they wanna get money out
of it, but you know, we arehere, we wanna be that.
And like I said, we start withresearch, we start with empathy,
(23:26):
and those are the two keys forbuilding out anything in ai.
Right foundations and being thathuman empathetic side of it.
Nathan C (23:34):
there is this perception in the consumer
world, you know, in the greaterconsumer world, and especially
in those marketing detractorswho are like, why would you use
ai?
It's gonna dilute.
Those often come from theperspectives of people just
using free accounts, limitedfree accounts within like chat
GPT maybe not going all the wayto set up a system message to
(23:57):
build an environment where likethere's resources and guides and
research, that the AI can learnfrom and call back to.
The like off the shelf, why do Iget something that sounds hyper
promotional and like the worstYouTube ad I ever saw, versus
like, is this, you know.
Fixing my broken webpage andhelping to drive results.
(24:22):
Right.
I think there's a lot ofskepticism within marketers
about how you do that.
the question I was going to askwas, you know, how do you help
people feel confident?
How do you help people, feellike their data is safe, or what
they're sharing with theircustomers is safe?
Melissa Hollis (24:38):
I think there's also being on top of trends with
ai, like we see it all the time,things that are like dead
wringer, like obvious, make itobvious that something was
generated by AI or somethingthat was created.
That, I mean, beingknowledgeable of that, which is
another thing.
We try to empower people whenwe're working on these type of
offerings to do.
(24:59):
find, and this is interesting,but I find that there is a
generational like specialtyhere.
I, I'm a millennial and most ofour team millennial and then a
couple Gen Z, and I think thesepeople that are in their
twenties, thirties, forties.
Are like going to have thatresponsibility and kind of just
(25:22):
take that burden of being ableto identify AI and be sharper,
especially if you're working inthe industries then that we work
in.
I have kids and my main thingis, you know, sometimes they
can't identify what's AIgenerated and then I'm like, oh
no, that Taylor Swift song isnot a Taylor Swift song.
Someone put that together withan AI tool.
She didn't have any new releasesor anything like that.
(25:44):
Even though it sounds like her,it's AI generated, that's like a
pretty innocent example, butit's going to be a skill that
has to.
Get developed and people aregoing to have to teach.
And so that's just a broad wayof saying like that's something
to empower founders who arehesitant or are maybe worried
about using AI is just knowinghow to identify it so that as
(26:06):
you are using it in marketing,you are really able to filter
that and edit, because you dohave to have a human filter on
that, and we offer that as well.
So offer that as like, we'llreview that for you and make
sure we're checking for obviousAI factors.
Nathan C (26:24):
Mm-hmm.
I've been working with a couplecorporate clients and I've been
really impressed with like oneof my comms leaders who's just
like rock solid, always onbrand, always has like the
perfect corporate message andlike in having this conversation
(26:45):
with you, right?
There's a lot of fear aboutusing AI in marketing means that
I have to ask an AI to post onsocial media for me or to write
a webpage or to, and there's somany other layers and levels
where you can be learning, youcan be adding value, you can be
more efficient and like my brainhas this corporate comms
(27:08):
officer.
As an AI agent, right?
Who's helping your marketingteam of one, right?
And the comms officer just knowswhat the, the current messaging
is.
They know the FAQ for that thepress team helped you build and
like craft around the sensitiveconversations.
(27:31):
And then when you have a newquestion online and you're
trying to figure out, how do Iput together this nuanced thing?
You just send it to the comm botwho knows all, like, knows how
to make it rigid, who knows howto make it safe, who knows, like
all the right barriers and justoffboard all of that work, all
(27:51):
of that, right?
Like,'cause there's a, a purposeand a role and like a very
specific lane that, that thatbot can play and you could have
that conversation with yourcomms team and never need to put
anything public.
You could be totally confidentand aware.
It could totally accelerate,some crisis communications that
you're trying very carefully, tobe mindful of.
(28:14):
And, you're off to the nextthing.
Instead of spending three dayson a grumpy, Reddit poster,
Melissa Hollis (28:20):
Well, and let's talk about that.
I mean, what you just described,is something I do for myself.
I have a bot that's trained inmy voice with some of my
favorite content I ever wrote,or, interviews I've done and
I've trained it on my voice Tome that is storing legacy
knowledge.
That is what I was talking aboutearlier.
What you just described isyou're storing that comms
(28:41):
director, their legacyknowledge.
You're storing your brand legacyknowledge, some of your customer
and client knowledge, and fromthat point of view, you're just.
You have a brainstorming buddy.
It's not that I just go into theAI that I trained on my voice
and I say, write me a LinkedInpost about this, or, answer
these questions from Nathanabout the podcast.
(29:04):
Of course I'm doing that, butI'm also going like, that's
crap.
I'm, but I'm using it as abrainstorming exercise.
There's no bad ideas inbrainstorming.
It's just getting to the rightidea.
And I tell you like it has savedme so much time as a.
Celine and my co-founder wouldcall me a perfectionist.
I don't come off that way, but Ithink if you really know me, I
think I always admit it, I amsomewhat of a perfectionist and
(29:26):
this really does help me getover a lot of those humps of
even getting an email outsometimes.
I think that also, you know,I'll get real about it.
I'm also an extrovert.
I don't know about you, but I'mhighly extroverted Really
something about working fromhome and everything that has
gone, with work from home andthe covid and the pandemic, it's
(29:47):
very lonely and that can bereally hard for coming up with
creative ideas.
So, you know, there's always,the opportunity to go out there
and network or go co-work orthings like that.
Or just have a lot of meetingswhere you're brainstorming, but
at the same time.
It's just been really helpful touse AI to help with that, to
help with having a brainstormingbuddy to help with that is
(30:10):
almost like you know yourself oryou create one for a client and
then you're brainstorming withthe client without having to
like, to your point, say some ofthe bad ideas out loud to a
client or the half baked
Nathan C (30:22):
I think we've got a mini podcast, which is the
Taylor Street.
three great ways you can getstarted with AI in your
marketing today.
that just sort of organicallybloomed out of the.
Conversation.
thank you for going on that,rabbit hole.
And I think for me, thehighlight that I wanna pull out
is this idea of use AI to get togood enough, faster.
(30:46):
There's so many things that youcan do in your day.
Nothing is permanent, nothing isfinal.
The world is so chaotic.
It does not need to be theperfect anything.
But if you can get to goodenough for what this purpose is
quicker than like go, go, go,spend your time on that stuff.
That's really valuable.
(31:07):
Speaking of time, Melissa, we'vebeen doing so fantastic.
Every founder needs a hand.
Every founder is looking to growin some way.
Is there something that you arelooking for, for Taylor Street,
for yourself, for yourcommunity?
Melissa Hollis (31:23):
Every founder needs a hand.
I think that reminds me of aquote, and I didn't come up with
this slogan.
It was one, actually one of myclients, but"never startup
alone." So that client doesaccounting and fractional CFO
for startups and SMBs.
But I think that applies to allstartup and business, to
business businesses, is that,you're never alone.
(31:46):
You never should be alone.
Partnerships are everything.
That is what I realized rightaway and love most about my role
is now that so much of my roleis networking.
And getting to meet people.
I'd say if I'm looking for onething, it's, you know, who can I
help?
Who can we work together andcollaborate?
I.
(32:06):
CMOs and fractional CMOs who arelooking to work with exciting
startups or looking for supportbecause they feel alone with
their clients.
You know, I think the future ofit all is going to be very
collaborative and very much likean ecosystem.
I'm seeing that with some of myclients and other specialties
like I just mentioned, wherethey're broadening beyond just,
(32:27):
you know, their.
Core teams and really likehaving to pull in experts and
it's just more of like whoeverbrings in the business or
whoever's in contact is now ableto extend that to their network.
And so I think that's what'sbeautiful and like kind of the
next phase here.
It's just having a network ofexpertise and being able to find
(32:50):
and sift through that.
Nathan C (32:52):
We do make time on every glow up episode for a
community spotlight.
Is there a group that's doinggreat work that you'd like to
shine a light on and share alittle bit of your time with?
Melissa Hollis (33:03):
Well, you know, you are in Portland.
That is where we met when I wasliving in Portland, Oregon.
And so I have to shout out thecause that I worked with when I
was living there and I'm stillsomewhat involved with today,
even from a whole other timezone, which is Girls Inc of the
Pacific Northwest.
I just will always have a bigsoft spot for them and what they
(33:25):
do to help.
Girls become strong, smart, andbold, and really their
programming and what they'vecreated and are now starting to,
when I was last at their events,starting to see girls who had
graduated from the programs,graduated from college, and then
were coming back and showing theimpact of what the organization
(33:45):
is able to do.
And I just think it's soimportant You see girls.
Women just doing amazing thingsand I think organizations that
start early, early with it areneed all of our support.
And I was lucky enough to be ontheir marketing committee when I
lived in Portland and I was asolo marketer at a few startups.
(34:09):
I was very much alone and on anisland and surrounded by a bunch
of technical people or a bunchof accountants every day who I
loved, but I needed.
I didn't realize what I neededuntil I joined that committee,
which was having other marketersand being able to share ideas
and work towards a common goal,which we were also excited about
getting to help thatorganization through events and,
(34:32):
you know, have a greatercommunity impact.
So I owe a lot to them and a lotof things I learned from that
group of really awesome women.
Nathan C (34:40):
Heck yeah.
Shout out to Girls Inc.
Melissa, it has been soinspiring and so exciting to
talk with you today.
I really love how this idea offounders shouldn't go it alone.
That you need a community ofpeople who understand what
you're trying to do and, youknow, partners who can help push
(35:03):
the mission forward.
In our ever-changing, highlycomplex world We often have to
wear many hats and do manythings, but we should not be
doing it alone or without, theinput from the many experts that
are all around us.
I'm so excited, to get back tomy own marketing and dive into
my own why, behind the why.
(35:25):
If people are interested infollowing up or want to learn
more about your work and whatyou do at Taylor Street, how
can, people find you?
How can they follow up?
Melissa Hollis (35:34):
LinkedIn is where I'd say I'm the most
active LinkedIn you can find meon LinkedIn at Melissa Hollis
and follow Taylor StreetCollective.
so if you see that lovely yellowlogo, you'll know you're at the
right place.
Nathan C (35:46):
How'd we do today?
Did we, did we get to all thepoints that you were hoping to
talk about?
Melissa Hollis (35:51):
Well, I should give that question to you.
I was just happy to be here andhave a fun conversation and
hopefully share some thingsthat'll help people have eureka
moments.
Nathan C (36:02):
The, I had like three, so I think we'll probably, be
pretty good there.
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