Ellen Naylor began her career in competitive intelligence in 1985 at Bell Atlantic, now known as Verizon. Originally working in sales, Ellen talked her way into a CI role, which she held for the next five years. Eventually, Ellen transitioned to a position with Northwest Airlines, where she quickly realized that she was unsatisfied, but couldn’t quite put a finger on why. It wasn't until Ellen took a trip back home to Japan that she finally understood her frustrations with corporate and went on to start her own b...
Ellen Naylor began her career in competitive intelligence in 1985 at Bell Atlantic, now known as Verizon. Originally working in sales, Ellen talked her way into a CI role, which she held for the next five years. Eventually, Ellen transitioned to a position with Northwest Airlines, where she quickly realized that she was unsatisfied, but couldn’t quite put a finger on why. It wasn't until Ellen took a trip back home to Japan that she finally understood her frustrations with corporate and went on to start her own business, Business Intelligence Source.
More recently, Ellen also wrote a book titled Win/Loss Analysis: How to Capture and Keep the Business You Want. In Ellen’s opinion, not enough companies are incorporating Win/Loss Analysis into their business structure. Her book aims to prevent companies from focusing too much on their wins and instructs them on how best to learn from their losses.
Ellen tells us that she never imagined that she would be a business owner or an author until she stepped back into a place that made her feel grounded. She suggests that anyone who is unhappy with their current situation take some time to intentionally reflect while doing something that brings them joy.
Join the Jo Bros on this week’s episode of Running Into the Fog for a conversation with Ellen Naylor about career transitions. Learn more about the effectiveness of the Win/Loss Analysis, the importance of feeling fulfilled in your current space and place, and how a three-week trip to Japan turned Ellen from a corporate employee into an entrepreneur.
Quotes
• “So I wanted to go back to Japan where I grew up, and I hadn’t been there for 21 years...and while I was there, that was somewhat life changing because I had thought I would go back and get another corporate job. And I realized I just could not do that. It just wasn’t going to work, I was not the corporate type. I was done” (5:53-6:15)
• “Not enough companies are doing [Win/Loss Analysis]. They think they know why they're winning and losing deals, especially why they're winning them. It's a riot.” (14:40-14:48)
• “I like to have the person at the other end of the line or Zoom feel better by the end of our conversation than they did when we said hello, which is very simple. But it's pretty effective, actually, whether you're doing competitive research or having a conversation.” (25:22-25:38)
• “I think the real thing that hit me was I was back to my youth, I was back to where I was grounded….And you know, when you're grounded, you can't fool yourself.” (47:08-47:28)
• “So, I think I say for the listeners, you know, give yourself the time, the space, and the place...if you're very unhappy with where you are. And don't settle for being unhappy where you are.” (48:50-49:05)
Links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellennaylorcolorado/
@EllenNaylor
https://aurorawdc.com/
Arik JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikjohnson/
Derek JohnsonLinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-cfa-190893/
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