THE RISE OF EVERETTE TAYLOR
CEO to MilliSense and currently leading marketing strategy for a new Microsoft project, Everette Taylor has every right to be proud of the working legacy he has built over the years. Many may see the success of this talented young man and think that he must have had everything handed to him, but that is a far tale from the truth.
Everette worked at various companies as head of marketing and attained great results. He started working under Sean Ellis and from there gained renowned attention for his strong marketing abilities.
“I’ve alway had the mentality of working for myself and I treat others the way I want to be treated,” Everette proudly tells Legend’s editor-in-chief Joseph Bonner. But the road to success was certainly not easy for Mr. Taylor, for he continues, “I would work from 7 am to 7 pm my regular job, then 7:30-3:00 am building my own company. I was averaging 3 hours of sleep a night.”
When asked about his greatest challenge in tech field Everette Taylor’s answer may or may not surprise you. “Diversity; You feel you have to work twice as hard. It’s even harder as a black woman. They don’t want to hire you unless you came from a certain school. It is significantly harder to make it if you don’t come from certain schools or you haven’t interned at Apple or Google.” Yet, Everette did become a great success without all of that. How did he do it?
“Honestly, I got lucky. There are people out there just as deserving or more deserving of the things I’ve been able to do. Unfortunately, they just never got the opportunity. They just didn’t get a chance. I just won’t take no for an answer. I’ve been rejected so many times. I still keep the letters of companies that rejected me to remind me of where I came from. I keep mental notes of those who have not given me certain opportunities to remember how far I’ve come. I won’t take no for an answer. I’m not going to get discouraged because some people don’t want to let people of color thrive. I will keep pushing the boundaries. I can not be anyone other than me. For me, it’s to continue to push, push, and push.”
Truly one of the greatest marketing minds of 2015, Mr. Taylor humility, candor and talent are a genuine gift not only to the field of marketing and technology but also to humanity.
