Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Taylor.
Hi Elizabeth, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Witnessing someone’s a-ha moment is like an instant joy boost for me every time I see it.
With over 20 years working in a commercial setting, I develop authentic and effective leaders to help shift the narrative on what it means to work in a corporate environment.
My corporate adventure kicked off when I was just 16, with my very first job at Starbucks. That’s where I found my love for training people. I was a high performer who caught on quickly and was able to train others on how to do things well, too. I spent the next 11 years working at Starbucks, constantly seeing corporate businessmen and women come in, have meetings, and I remember being so eager to start my own corporate journey some day.
Because I am so passionate about learning and development, I decided to pursue a career in education. I really believe we can help students reach their potential when we set examples of what great looks like and what is possible. I eventually landed a job at a school teaching children who had emotional and behavioral needs.
This work was so rewarding; however, the reality of life began to settle in. My husband and I bought our first home and quickly realized we would need to find a more effective way to pay bills, because juggling two jobs isn’t for the faint of heart. It was then I was given the opportunity to join the corporate world.
I was able to join TransUnion and become an Information Security analyst and I supported the customer security audits. With no experience, I was destined to make a name for myself and climb the corporate ladder to reach my dreams of making an impact on a broader scale helping both the business, the customers, and employees. I spent a couple years in different roles trying to find my place, but my heart was always in learning and development.
In 2017, I found myself on a Sales Enablement team. Turns out learning and development exists in many varieties across a business. I spent the next 9 years leading learning and development strategies for our enterprise sellers, I developed 3 new hire onboarding programs, created leadership development frameworks and programming, and provided training and development for continuous learning focusing on seller skills. I emersed myself in all things sales training and I loved it.
Sales enablement allowed me to expand my business acumen, support a side of the business whose values were similar to my own, and exercise deep expertise in learning and development. In 2021, I earned a Masters in Adult Learning and Organizational Leadership.
I am incredibly motivated and passionate about creating workplaces where everyone can thrive. While though I enjoyed my job, my team, and my boss, I knew I wanted to expand my reach and impact to help others. In March of 2025, I left my corporate job to pursue my own leadership development and training business.
I am now founder and CEO of The Corporate Bestie. The Corporate Bestie is a B2B sales training and manager development company with a focus on helping first time managers and emerging sales talent reach their potential so they can sell faster, smarter, and make more money doing it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. I started my business back in 2024 and worked as a side hustle, building a brand and generating buzz around what I was wanting to do. Working a full time job and trying to build your dream at the same time is incredibly challenging.
At some point, you have to decide what you are going to invest in, and I knew I was at a crossroads. I could either continue to both of my jobs poorly, or I could commit to one, give it my best, and see where it takes me.
That’s when I realized, I would regret not giving my idea an honest go, but I would always regret not trying. Life is too short to work a job that doesn’t fulfil you, challenge you, or help bring you to new heights.
I’ve been out of my corporate role for 8 months and there are challenges everyday. Everything from finding the right support in helping me make decisions to trusting my own decisions to finding new clients.
The biggest challenge is learning how to influence others to understand the impact proper development has on talent and the business. People tend to think training is an hour worth of PowerPoint slides adults attend and then, voila! behavior has changed. This is not the case. Adults require a very methodical and long term approach to development.
Despite the challenges, the best days still outweigh the hard ones.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Corporate Bestie?
I am founder and CEO of The Corporate Bestie. The Corporate Bestie is a B2B sales training and manager development company with a focus on helping first time managers and emerging sales talent reach their potential so they can sell faster, smarter, and make more money doing it.
I turn sales managers into real leaders. I train teams to sell better. And I fix the gaps in your enablement so performance stops depending on personality. I do it all with one focus: your people. Because when leadership clicks, revenue follows.
The Corporate Bestie was a brand idea developed out of two fundamental pillars: (1) Being a go-to person that is reliable, trustworthy, and personable, (2) while also having the corporate expertise to execute with high standards, have a keen eye for attention to detail, and never sacrifice quality over quantity.
Customers are not one size fits all and so your experiences with sales training and leadership development companies shouldn’t be either.
Working with fast growing SMB’s, Midmarket, and Enterprise organizations, I offer a catalog of ways to help these sales teams grow and increase revenue.
Needs Assessments – When you have a leaky faucet, you don’t replace the kitchen sink. You find the source of the leak, determine if you have the tools to fix it, and then make a plan for how to do it. Same for sales training. You may have identified some issues, but before you come to the table with a solution, it’s important to understand what it is you’re solving for. Needs assessments and diagnostic tools can help uncover the unique challenges a sales team may face when it comes to understanding performance, attrition, and leadership gaps.
Sales Enablement Consulting and Strategy – Terrific! We’ve identified the the leak and I’ve also given you some recommendations on how to fix it and enhance how it operates. Now let’s make a plan for what that looks like in practice. Sales Enablement Consulting and Strategy work helps teams better understand what technology, reporting, training, and incentives are going to make for a sustainable environment, so you don’t experience a leaky faucet down the road and maybe even make a plan to bring on some automated technology.
High Impact Workshops – Let’s make sure we never experience a leaky faucet again. My training sessions and workshops are anchored in your unique needs and designed with learner experience in mind so we are creating teachable moments they can put into practice immediately. Clients can select from “off the shelf material” or create a completed customized approach to what their unique learning needs are.
Not only do these offerings help customers make the most of their training approach, but there are also plenty of opportunity to enhance the sales process and revenue operations as well. Partnerships allow The Corporate Bestie to be the go-to business for your sales process needs. Capabilities such as CRM services, call recording tools, and AI lead Market Signal Insights helps sales teams elevate their performance to exceed their revenue targets.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I have so much advice to share on mentorship and networking and I’ll share what I’ve picked up over these past 15 years or so.
First of all, you may find a mentor and it doesn’t always click, and that’s okay! Everyone has something you can learn so absorb what you can and find a mentor you is aligned with where you see yourself being in the future.
Next, a successful mentor/mentee relationship is a two way street, but the mentee is driving it. Come up with goals and what you want to get out of a mentor/mentee relationship. If you don’t know what you want, your mentor won’t be able to help you. Be specific and be clear in what you need and the value it brings.
Lastly, when it comes to mentorship and networking, intention is everything. You have to have an intention or a plan for why you are networking or seeking a relationship in the first place. It goes back to, people cannot help you if you aren’t clearly articulating what it is you are looking for. When you are intentional about who you spend your time with, you will maximize the value you receive in the time spent.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thecorporatebestie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_thecorporatebestie_
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thecorporatebestie/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lizthecorporatebestie
