He Chose Purpose Over Profit and Built 7-Figure Marketing Agency with Brian Taylor
In this episode Brian Taylor, founder and CEO of Goldiata Creative shares his journey from college football player to successful marketing entrepreneur. With eight years in business and growth that qualifies for Inc. 5000 recognition, Brian shares valuable insights on building a values-aligned marketing agency, working with mission-driven clients, and leveraging data to create measurable social impact.
The Unexpected Journey to Entrepreneurship
Brian's path to founding a marketing agency wasn't traditional. While studying marketing in college, his experience as a college football player shaped his entrepreneurial mindset in unexpected ways. However, what truly motivated Brian to start Goldiata Creative wasn't just ambition. He felt a responsibility to use his opportunities to create impact.
The Perfect Storm: SEO Strategy Meets Social Movement
When discussing Goldiata Creative's impressive growth, Brian attributes success to a combination of excellent work, strategic positioning, and fortunate timing. The turning point came in 2020 when interest in Black-owned businesses surged. His company was already optimized for search terms like "Black-owned marketing agency" thanks to their SEO expertise. This visibility opened doors to new opportunities and clients.
The Complexity of Values-Based Client Selection
As the agency has grown, Brian has discovered that choosing aligned clients is more nuanced than it appears. "Where it's gotten more complicated is when you actually start doing the deep dive into the organization to figure out what is it that they say and what is it that they actually do? Are they in alignment?"
Goldiata Creative conducts thorough research before taking on clients, sometimes discovering that organizations claiming to do good work aren't living up to their stated values. This has led to difficult decisions to turn down revenue when potential clients don't align with their mission.
Top Marketing Mistakes Nonprofits and Small Businesses Make
Mistake #1: Not Understanding Your Target Audience
According to Brian, the most common marketing mistake is failing to identify and understand your target audience. "Marketing 101 is: who's your audience? I swear to you, it is just crazy to me how often that just gets missed. If you want to convince someone to buy something, all you gotta do is ask them what they're looking for, and then tell them exactly what they just told you."
Mistake #2: Ignoring Data and Analytics
The second critical mistake Brian sees is lack of data tracking and reporting. "Especially in the mission-driven space, there's not a lot of reporting or understanding of is what we're doing working or not working, or how do we even measure if it's working."
Without proper analytics, organizations might spend significant budgets on ineffective marketing strategies without understanding why they're not generating results. This is particularly problematic in the nonprofit sector where every dollar should drive maximum impact.
The Data-Driven Difference: Measuring Real Impact
What sets Goldiata Creative apart is their focus on measuring actual impact. Brian shares an example of using QR codes on printed flyers for overdose prevention programs to track how many people access resources. This simple technique provides valuable data on campaign effectiveness.
B Corp Certification: What It Means and Why It Matters
Goldiata Creative is a certified B Corporation (B Corp), which represents a fundamental shift in how for-profit companies operate. Brian explains the difference between traditional shareholder approach and the B Corp stakeholder approach:
Shareholder approach: Focus solely on generating profit for owners and shareholders
Stakeholder approach: Consider the impact on everyone affected by the business, including:
Business owners
Employees
Local community
Environment
Customers and clients
As a B Corp, Goldiata Creative goes beyond just choosing mission-driven clients. Their community involvement includes donating 1% of annual profit, regular volunteer work with local organizations, and building long-term relationships with local organizations rather than just writing checks
"We're really intentional about trying to figure out how can we not just monetarily contribute, especially locally, but how can we actually show up with our time and make our presence felt," Brian shares.
Artificial Intelligence in Marketing
Brian's vision for AI goes beyond internal efficiency. He's focused on creating free tools that empower nonprofits and small businesses to make informed marketing decisions without necessarily hiring an agency.
"How do we create tools to help these organizations implement these things essentially for free, even without our help?" Brian asks. This might seem counterintuitive for an agency, but it aligns with Goldiata Creative's mission of maximizing impact in the mission-driven sector.
AI applications for empowering clients:
Research tools for evaluating marketing agency performance
Question generators for assessing campaign effectiveness
Decision-making frameworks for marketing strategy
Workflow automation for resource-strapped organizations
The Future of Goldiata Creative
Brian identifies a significant opportunity in the market. While many agencies excel at storytelling, design, and branding, few focus on measurable impact and data-driven results for mission-driven organizations.
"I think there's a place for us to really help: how do we actually make this change? Because we're talking about hundreds of millions, probably more than that, that get spent towards these efforts that are intended to create change that I just personally believe probably are not being spent in the most effective manner."
His goal is to multiply the impact of Gold Creative's $250,000 donation goal by helping multiple organizations nationwide optimize their marketing spend for maximum social impact.
Key Takeaways and Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs: Trust Yourself
When asked what advice he'd give his younger self, Brian emphasizes self-trust. "Things aren't as grandiose as they may seem. People who are your idols, they're just normal people. So just trust yourself more and just go figure things out."
He reminds aspiring entrepreneurs that most successful people aren't doing anything magical; they're simply willing to learn, try, and persist. YouTube University and Google can teach you most of what you need to know.
The Most Underrated Entrepreneurial Skill: Asking for Help
Brian identifies asking for help as the most underrated skill for entrepreneurs. "You cannot know everything that's possibly gonna go. We're eight years into the company, we're at $2 million. Have I ever run a $2 million organization? No."
His advice: Be humble about what you don't know and ask people who've been there before. "More people are willing to help you than we think," Brian notes. "I think sometimes we think we're being an inconvenience or we're bothering people, but more people are willing to help if you just ask."
Marketing as a Force for Social Good
Brian's journey with Goldiata Creative demonstrates that business success and social impact aren't mutually exclusive. By combining strategic marketing expertise with authentic commitment to mission-driven work, agencies can create sustainable businesses while driving meaningful change.
Connect with Brian on LinkedIn or search for Goldiata to learn more about their work with purpose-driven organizations.
