Ever wondered what happens when a passion for patisserie collides with a career in marketing? Meet Taylah, our account director. Her love for the food industry transpired into an agency role where she gets the best of both worlds (cue Hannah Montana theme song).
When she’s not busy with client management and promoting knowledge sharing, she’s all about investing in her health and wellness — you’ll often find her enjoying brunch with friends and family or heading to a Pilates class.
Read on to learn some of Taylah’s biggest insights, and how her love for learning and strategic thinking drives business forward.
Who is a role model that has influenced your career and why?
Our managing director, Erin, was the first person to recommend that I find an external mentor and gosh, I’m glad I did.
I found an incredible mentor who worked in brand marketing. It was rewarding to gain fresh perspectives on situations and understand them from a client’s point of view.
Connecting with passionate individuals like her is inspiring and fuels my enthusiasm for marketing. Her rapid decision-making and strategic thinking motivate me to drive my career forward.
What career path would you pursue if not in marketing?
Fueled by my passion for the food industry, I pursued a patisserie career right after school before going to university to study commerce and marketing. My absolute dream job would be to be a recipe content creator, or to work in food marketing (think Donna Hay magazine style). But a huge plus of agency life is I get to work with brands from many industries (including food).
If not recipe creation, I’d likely be exploring naturopathy. I have always been drawn to holistic medicine and find it fascinating how many natural ingredients have different benefits.
Can you share a rewarding client success story or campaign you’ve been part of?
I find immense satisfaction in partnering with clients to achieve their goals to the point where they’re ready to establish their own internal marketing teams. It can be bittersweet for us. But knowing our work has fueled their growth is rewarding. Many of our clients have great impact and giveback initiatives, so when their business (and revenue) grows, the impact and good they can do for the wider community grows too. It’s a win-win!
Can you share when you had to navigate a particularly challenging client request or feedback? How did you handle it?
Navigating tough client feedback can be challenging in a team dedicated to client success.
Recently, we encountered a situation where a major campaign’s initial results fell short of our expectations despite our efforts.
The key to handling this was to remain objective. We focused on facts over emotions. We gathered the team to analyse data and understand the client’s perspective. I asked the client probing questions to pinpoint concerns and areas needing adjustment.
With clarity gained, we identified actionable steps to address feedback collaboratively. This approach resolved the issue and strengthened our client relationship. It highlighted the value of clear communication, empathy, and proactive problem solving in delivering successful outcomes.
How do you manage conflicting priorities from multiple clients or projects?
I prioritise open communication with clients and team members, understanding their goals and deadlines. Weekly check-ins and updates manage expectations, while strategic planning and time management keep everything on track. Each week, I review projects, identifying critical tasks ahead. When priorities clash, I assess urgency and impact, discussing solutions with clients and stakeholders.
Adaptability is key; our industry shifts rapidly, so pivoting and reallocating resources as needed ensures we stay ahead. Ultimately, success comes from being organised, transparent, and adaptable, delivering outcomes that satisfy everyone involved.
How do you build and maintain long-term client relationships?
Here’s how I approach it:
Understanding the client’s needs and preferences: It starts with truly getting to know our clients. We believe in personalised experiences — just as every interaction can be customised today, our client relationships should be too. We kick off with a thorough client call at Young Folks, where the team meets the client to understand their business deeply. Asking about their communication preferences is crucial.
Delivering value: We aim to exceed expectations and deliver tangible benefits. Our expertise and reliability showcase to clients the value of partnering with us.
Being proactive: It’s our goal to be proactive rather than reactive. This means anticipating client needs, identifying potential issues before they become problems, and offering innovative solutions. Proactive engagement shows clients that we’re committed to their long-term success.
Personal connection: Building a genuine bond with clients enhances our collaboration and strengthens our partnership. Sharing common interests and passions makes this effortless. I enjoy hearing about what my clients get up to, and I’m hopeful they feel the same. After getting married earlier this year, I returned to emails from every client eagerly requesting photos from my big day.
Seeking feedback: Regular client feedback is essential. We conduct surveys to understand their perspective and continuously improve our services.
Celebrating successes: We celebrate wins together, no matter how big or small. Acknowledging achievements and sharing in the excitement fosters a positive relationship and reinforces our partnership.
What advice would you give to beginners in the marketing industry?
Keep a curious mindset and be open to learning. The marketing and advertising world is constantly evolving, with new trends, technologies, and consumer behaviours emerging non-stop. By staying curious, you allow yourself to continually explore and understand these changes, which keeps your approach fresh and innovative.
Being open to learning means embracing every chance to grow — from successful campaigns and tough projects to feedback from colleagues and clients. Ask questions, seek mentorship, and don’t shy away from experimenting with new ideas. This mindset helps you adapt quickly and makes you a valuable asset, offering fresh perspectives and solutions to your team and clients.
How do you foster a culture of innovation and adaptability in your team?
Great question! There are a few components to my answer:
Lead by example: I step out of my comfort zone and encourage a high-performing, growth mindset.
Foster open communication: As a leader, I have monthly 1:1s and outside of that I encourage an open door policy to ensure everyone feels heard and valued.
Promote innovation: I create a safe space for the team to experiment and test new strategies. It’s crucial in our creative industry to have fun while accelerating our learning curve, benefiting both us and our clients. We typically trial these innovations on internal projects before client rollouts — unless clients prefer we use a dedicated testing budget.
Encourage knowledge sharing: We have a diverse team of knowledgeable specialists, so why not share learnings among the team? We’re planning breakfast clubs where breakfast is on us, and monthly sessions led by team members will delve into specific areas of expertise.
Supporting professional development: This is a big perk at Young Folks. Each member is granted $2,000 per year to spend on professional development which can go towards learning new things (which we love).
Want to connect with Taylah? Find her on LinkedIn.
