In this engaging conversation, Taylor Kessel-Salomonsson, Chief Growth Officer at Naylor Association Solutions, shares her unconventional career journey from marketing to revenue leadership. She emphasizes the importance of storytelling in sales, the need for organizational alignment, and the significance of understanding the buyer journey. Taylor introduces the bow tie model as a new approach to viewing the customer lifecycle and discusses key metrics for revenue success. She also highlights the role of content as a growth engine and the differences between PE-backed and VC-backed companies. Throughout the discussion, Taylor provides valuable insights for CEOs and revenue leaders on becoming more data-driven and building strong relationships with C-suite stakeholders.

Takeaways:

• Taylor's career path is unconventional, starting in marketing and transitioning to revenue leadership.
• A strong marketing foundation is crucial for building effective revenue engines.
• Organizational alignment is key to overcoming revenue challenges.
• Understanding the buyer journey is essential for effective sales strategies.
• The bow tie model provides a comprehensive view of the customer lifecycle.
• Key metrics include volume, velocity, conversion rates, and time to value.
• Content should be viewed as a growth engine, not just a lead generation tool.
• PE-backed companies focus on efficient growth, while VC-backed companies prioritize rapid scaling.
• Taylor's transition to Naylor involved unpacking complex revenue challenges.
• The gap index presents opportunities for media companies to leverage their data.
• CEOs should ask about CAC to LTV ratios to understand revenue generation.
• Data is a starting point for conversations with C-suite stakeholders.

About RevvedUP 2026
RevvedUP 2026 is where CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders reset their growth playbook for the AI-first economy. Taking place March 23–24, 2026 at The Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, FL, this two-day strategy lab helps leaders pressure-test how AI moves from cost center to growth driver and turn data and disruption into competitive advantage.

About Heather Holst-Knudsen
Heather Holst-Knudsen is the founder and CEO of H2K Labs and Revenue Room™ Connect. A seasoned executive and operator across media, marketplaces, events, and technology, she specializes in digital transformation, data-driven growth, and customer-centric value creation. Heather shares her insights on multisided business models through The Revenue Room™.

About Revenue Room™ CXO
Revenue Room™ CXO is a private executive community for CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders navigating growth in the data and AI economy. Through curated peer discussions and strategy sprints, members tackle real-world challenges in revenue transformation, customer intelligence, and business model innovation.

Learn more or apply for membership at info.h2klabs.com/apply-cxo.

In this episode of The Revenue Room™ Podcast, Heather Holst-Knudsen sits down with Mark Shashoua, CEO of Hyve Group, to unpack how Hyve has built a portfolio of market-leading, founder-led events backed by private equity while maintaining performance, culture, and long-term growth.

Mark shares Hyve’s acquisition philosophy, why protecting founder vision matters, and how events are shifting from floor space and sponsorships to data-driven meetings, performance guarantees, and year-round ecosystems. The conversation also explores navigating economic downturns, scaling brands globally, and why public markets often undervalue events businesses.

WHY LISTEN

If you’re responsible for scaling revenue in events, media, or information services, this episode offers a rare, operator-level view of what growth really looks like at scale.

You’ll gain insight into:

• How to scale through acquisitions without losing culture or quality
  
  
• Why events must shift from transactions to performance-based revenue
  
  
• How data-driven meetings and curated experiences prove ROI
  
  
• How to hedge risk during economic uncertainty
  
  
• Why long-term thinking often requires private ownership

This episode is essential listening for leaders building durable, defensible growth in experience-led businesses.

CONNECT WITH MARK : https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-shashoua-956b8b12/

About RevvedUP 2026
RevvedUP 2026 is where CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders reset their growth playbook for the AI-first economy. Taking place March 23–24, 2026 at The Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, FL, this two-day strategy lab helps leaders pressure-test how AI moves from cost center to growth driver and turn data and disruption into competitive advantage.

About Heather Holst-Knudsen
Heather Holst-Knudsen is the founder and CEO of H2K Labs and Revenue Room™ Connect. A seasoned executive and operator across media, marketplaces, events, and technology, she specializes in digital transformation, data-driven growth, and customer-centric value creation. Heather shares her insights on multisided business models through The Revenue Room™.

About Revenue Room™ CXO
Revenue Room™ CXO is a private executive community for CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders navigating growth in the data and AI economy. Through curated peer discussions and strategy sprints, members tackle real-world challenges in revenue transformation, customer intelligence, and business model innovation.

Learn more or apply for membership at info.h2klabs.com/apply-cxo.

In this episode of The Revenue Room™ Podcast, Heather Holst-Knudsen is joined by Marilu Paez, managing director and co-founder of Events Venture Group (EVG), for an insightful conversation on why operational know-how and strategic guidance are just as critical as capital for early-stage event ventures.

Marilu shares how she transitioned from 17 years in senior leadership roles across major tech companies in Mexico to building EVG in Miami—a nonprofit consortium connecting event founders with seasoned operators and investors. She breaks down how EVG evaluates ventures, the signals investors watch for, and what makes an events business truly investment-ready. Drawing on her experience scaling Intuit in Mexico and advising early-stage founders, Marilu explains why collaboration accelerates growth, how founders can avoid common mistakes, and the strategic play behind EVG’s four standout investments: Quantum World Congress, Deep Tech Momentum, Explor, and Stable Con.

WHY LISTEN

This episode is essential listening for CEOs, founders, and event entrepreneurs who are:

• Seeking guidance on scaling early-stage events with limited capital and resources
• Navigating operational, strategic, and investor expectations
• Looking to build sustainable, profitable, and investable event businesses
• Curious about how mentorship, community, and strategic capital intersect in the events ecosystem
• Interested in actionable lessons from industry veterans who have built and exited major events

If you’re a founder, investor, or operator in the events, media, or data-driven experience industries, this episode offers practical insights and frameworks for turning a passionate idea into a scalable, revenue-generating business.

CONNECT WITH MARILU: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilu-paez/

About RevvedUP 2026
RevvedUP 2026 is where CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders reset their growth playbook for the AI-first economy. Taking place March 23–24, 2026 at The Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, FL, this two-day strategy lab helps leaders pressure-test how AI moves from cost center to growth driver and turn data and disruption into competitive advantage.

About Heather Holst-Knudsen
Heather Holst-Knudsen is the founder and CEO of H2K Labs and Revenue Room™ Connect. A seasoned executive and operator across media, marketplaces, events, and technology, she specializes in digital transformation, data-driven growth, and customer-centric value creation. Heather shares her insights on multisided business models through The Revenue Room™.

About Revenue Room™ CXO
Revenue Room™ CXO is a private executive community for CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders navigating growth in the data and AI economy. Through curated peer discussions and strategy sprints, members tackle real-world challenges in revenue transformation, customer intelligence, and business model innovation.

Learn more or apply for membership at info.h2klabs.com/apply-cxo.