Written by Brandon Alexander

Everette Taylor is a serial entrepreneur, marketing executive, and public speaker. His entrepreneurial journey began at the age of 19 when he started an event marketing technology company EZ Events which was successfully acquired 2 years later.

Since then, Everette has been a leader in the world of entrepreneurship and marketing, building several multi-million dollar brands.

As CEO of ET Enterprises, Everette oversees a diverse portfolio of companies that include PopSocial, MilliSense, ArtX, Southside Fund, Hayver, GrowthHackers, and WAVE.

As a marketing executive, he helped lead both Qualaroo (acquired by Xenon Ventures) and Skurt (acquired by Fair) to successful acquisitions, oversaw growth for new mobile apps for Microsoft China, and led e-commerce company Sticker Mule to unprecedented growth as their CMO.

As a public speaker, Everette has spoken in 15+ countries and numerous cities across the US, sharing his personal story of overcoming adversity as well as thought leadership on the topics of entrepreneurship, marketing, startups, art, mental health, and diversity.

Beyond the world of business, Everette also serves as the National Brand Ambassador for NASA’s Startup Initiative. He also has worked as a digital influencer for brands such as Intel, Amazon, Adobe, Toyota, American Express, Google, Wells Fargo, Marriott, Disney, Lexus, Intuit, Merrill Lynch, Complex, Bumble, Starwood Hotels, Nationwide Insurance, AT&T, Mass Appeal, Miller Lite, Accor Hotels and more.

He has been called a “marketing genius” by Forbes, a “marketing star” by Fortune Magazine, and “an innovator who’s changing the consumer marketing game” by Black Enterprise. Most recently he was named one of the “100 Most Influential African-Americans” by The Root and Forbes 30 Under 30.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Everette: I’m from the Southside of Richmond, the 804. 

WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL?

Everette: I went to Virginia Tech

HOW DID YOU GET INTRODUCED TO MARKETING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP?

Everette: The first time I was introduced to marketing was people hustling in my neighborhood. Whether it’s the dude that came into the barber shop selling scents and fake Jordan’s or the guys who were hustling on the block. Those were the first people that I really saw who kind of understood marketing. So that’s really my first experience, but my true experience was when I was 14 I started working for a company called EASA National.

EASA National is a non-profit that runs a lot of gift shops and bookstores in the national parks. I became a marketing associate for them. I think a lot of us don’t really know what our talent is. I was blessed to discover marketing as mine. 

This was something that came naturally to me. I got introduced to entrepreneurship during my sophomore of college.

I had to drop out of school in the middle of my first semester sophomore year. I went back home and tried to apply for jobs. No one gave me an opportunity. 

I created a fake LinkedIn with a white dude name Billy. I set it up with 10 companies that then gave me an opportunity and 7 out of those 10 companies gave me a response. I wondered what I could do. At Virginia Tech, I was the party dude my freshman year. I figured I’d start doing parties myself. 

There were two guys who I lived in Pritchard hall with during my Freshman year of college who were engineers and developers. We created software similar to Eventbrite. It was also a platform where people could upload pictures for events. We built that out and sold the company a couple years later. That allowed me to go back to school and pledge my fraternity. That’s how I got into the whole entrepreneurial thing.