Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Allison Taylor. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Allison, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
Being the only one in the room that looks like me is hard! But I’ve learned along the way it can be a lot of fun as well. I had my start in a very male dominated world of SEO at a company that was not transparent with their clients. It was in that place that I knew that I had to be ok with being the only one in the room that looked like me. In fact, I learned that I didn’t want to be like everyone else.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I turned the big 4-0 this year and I realized I was so tired of feeling stuck. I lost a large amount of weight and finally started to see the change in myself on a personal level but not in a professional way. I was laid off from a job where I was absolutely miserable, but I was making more money than I ever had in my life. I was laid off the Monday after Thanksgiving, a Thanksgiving that I had spent that evening working because I was determined to meet my incredibly unobtainable KPIs that were set for me.
It was in that moment that I woke up. I was tired of starting over trying to find a company to work for that wasn’t shady or making promises that they knew they couldn’t fulfill just to make the sale and I was incredibly tired of putting all of my financial eggs in one basket, working for only one company and leaving things to whims when it came to my ability to make a living.
My husband looked at me when I told him I no longer had a job and said “You knew this was coming, now go do what you need to do.” I didn’t know what he meant. He said “Everyone that you’ve worked with before client wise, loves you and wants to work with you. So make that happen.”
And so, with a lot of prompting from others saying the same thing, ClearCut Digital Strategies was born.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities that I have that have been impactful to me is an internal optimism, a desire to learn new things not only for the roles I’ve been in but on a personal level, and a really competitive spirit, but its an internal drive, I refuse to fail. I will say for those who are early in their journey, take it from me, not everyone wants to have someone point out the holes or potential pitfalls in their ideas. That has been an issue for me, my go to reaction often is to say “that’s a great idea but what are you going to do if x, y or z happens?” people don’t want to hear that. Make a mental note of it, and bring it up at another time. Take time to consume industry knowledge so that you know what is happening and the changes that you may need to consider.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The number one obstacle that I am facing is being ok with shutting things down at the end of the day. The guilt that I feel closing my computer at a reasonable hour is silly. It is ok to be done with work, even if you aren’t ever really done. Being a good employee or even a good entrepreneur means still following the things that you love , maybe it is taking your dog on a walk or picking up a book just for fun. Continue to grow outside of who you are as a person, I promise that it will make you better in your professional life.
Contact Info:
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
