MEET Ashley Taylor
What is the name of your business?
Citizen Yard
For those of us who don't know - in a nutshell, what is that you do for a living?
I'm a recovering marketer who helps purpose driven businesses create real social and environmental impact in their companies through the example set by B Corp. I focus on helping small businesses and start ups bake the values set by B Corp into the DNA of their company and coach them through the B Corp certification process.
(For those of you unfamiliar, B Corporation certification of "social and environmental performance" is a private certification of for-profit companies, distinct from the legal designation as a Benefit corporation.)
What is your why? How did you get to where you are today?
The path to forming Citizen Yard was a long road but a serendipitous one that was directly shaped by my life's experiences.
Growing up I always loved nature, especially the ocean, and wanted to become a marine biologist to study them. But I really struggled in my science and math classes and not for a lack of trying. My brain just doesn't work that way. My natural gifts are geared more toward story telling and I studied journalism and anthropology through much of college. These courses really nurtured and expanded my curiosity for the world and how everything is connected.
I graduated and took a sabbatical in Honduras working as a Divemaster on the Mesoamerican reef doing a combination of scuba lessons and conservation. Upon returning to the states, I worked at a skateboard company in San Diego that made skateboards out of bamboo , a sustainable alternative for wood. This was my first real exposure to alternative and sustainable lifestyles. I met people doing amazing work using their talents and passions that directly impacted their communities and industries for the better and it ignited something in me. But I eventually ran through all my savings and decided it was time to get a "real" job.
Moving back to Florida, I took a job at an advertising agency and could feel my spirit deflate from hour 1 or day 1. The creativity, my coworkers and the learning experience was great but I felt slimy writing copy for big pharmaceutical brands. You know those bright and sunny pharma commercials with mile-long disclaimers? Yeah, that was me. I lasted a year. From there I jumped jobs in the marketing industry doing everything from content creation to web design.
I learned a lot and in no way was it all doom and gloom. I worked for companies I loved and every position was a learning experience. But the more I got involved in the corporate world, the more depressed it made me. From witnessing workplace issues of unequal pay and discrimination to just the single-minded pursuit of the dollar regardless of what it cost, I couldn't stomach it. So I left and started freelancing.
There was a freedom in freelancing that most 1909 members know well. I was able to work with the clients I wanted and the different cadence of each day kept me challenged and thirsty to better my skills. Where I struggled for the longest time was finding my core client. I had a lot of experience working with small businesses and start ups. And I could see the type of client I wanted in my mind but couldn't verbally define it. That was until last year...
Last year, I decided to overhaul my marketing. I took a "if you build it they will come" approach to my own marketing and began writing articles on my blog about the types of business values I look for in clients. I wrote about the evolving views of capitalism and consumer behavior. I wrote about sustainable business practices. All the while I didn't realize I was laying the groundwork for joining the B Corp movement. It was while researching for an article one day that I began reading about B Corp. I had known about the certification for years but it always seemed like a cert exclusively for larger companies. Yet the more I researched B Corp, the more I saw small brands and even solopreneurs receiving their certification. I began the process of evaluation for my own business, but found very little resources to help small businesses work through the process.
That's when the lightbulb went off.
I've spent the past year going through the B Corp process, researching it, networking with certified companies, learning best practices and literally living and breathing this thing. It has consumed me. In August, I relaunched my business as Citizen Yard as a a place for small businesses to get help and resources to join this global movement of changing the game of capitalism and use business as a force for good. It has been an insane journey to get here but never before has something felt so right. I can honestly say I end most days energized by this work and inspired by the companies I get to work with because of it.
What are some challenges you've had to overcome while running (or starting) your business?
The biggest challenge has been creating something from nothing. I have found only a very small handful of companies doing similar work and even then no one has focused it exclusively on small business. Taking these large concepts from business, economics and sustainability and applying it at a scale that won't overwhelm a small business owner has been very tough. Not to mention, I sometimes feel so unequipped to do this work. But on those days I have to slap my imposter syndrome in the face, kick it off a ledge and just get back to doing the work, even if it's not perfect — yet.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone starting out on this Freelance/Founder/Entrepreneur/Small Business Owner path?
Track your processes! It will save you so much time in the long run to do the little bit of extra work and track how you perform regular tasks within your business.
What is your favorite life lesson?
Listen more than you speak.
You're grabbing lunch in Downtown WPB - Where are you going and what are you getting?
I've probably packed my lunch and am eating it along the sea wall, cause I'm a budding entrepreneur and every dollar saved counts. But if I'm spoiling myself that day then I'm probably hiking to the 500 block for Alchemy.
Why is 1909 important to you?
Why is 1909 important to you?I'm the type of worker who will put myself in a silo with my head down. 1909 helps me connect with others, have conversations and stay involved with our community.
If you could change one thing about West Palm Beach - what would it be? why?
A more general earnestness amongst residents to protect our oceans. I think a lot of people see the beach as a good place to sun bathe and drink some beers but don't realize how vital the ocean is to our community. From being an economic drive in tourist revenue, to filtering the CO2 from our air, the ocean is a literal life source of South Florida yet we pollute it and treat it like nothing more than a playground. Imagine how much more we could benefit from the ocean if we respected it and learned to live in flux with its flows.
How can readers see your work or get in touch with you?
Website: www.citizenyard.com
Instagram: Citizen Yard
P.S. Ashley also used her CSS skills to help us get this site pulled together. She’s a one helluva asset to have in your corner.