Candyce Edelen: CEO and Founder
Candyce Edelen is a seasoned entrepreneur with plenty of road rash earned by co-founding two fin-tech companies, one of which made the Deloitte Fast 50 list in 2004.
In 2007, she launched PropelGrowth and enjoyed 10 years of growth from inbound leads based on thought leadership she was publishing and existing relationships in the financial industry.
But in 2018, she and her partner decided to pivot to a new target market where they didn’t have an existing network. She didn’t have a big travel or conference budget, so meeting people in this new industry was tricky. But she had to generate new sales quickly (or the company wouldn’t make payroll).
She hates cold calling, so she researched LinkedIn lead generation techniques. After a bit of trial and error, she landed on a strategy that worked. Within 6 months, she made 500 new connections and booked 125 sales calls, using only LinkedIn and Google. It worked so well, she started teaching other sales teams how to use the same methods. This approach allows her clients to develop a consistent and predictable strategy for bringing in qualified sales opportunities.
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Candyce also serves as an advisor for several small businesses. She organizes Fort Collins Scale-Up Day as part of the “Founded in FoCo” annual events helping small business owners learn the skills needed to scale their businesses. She also serves as a mentor and Bible study leader with an international student ministry.
Phil Donaldson: VP, Marketing & Creative
Phil brings over twenty years of award-winning creative and marketing expertise to the PropelGrowth management team. He is responsible for marketing strategy and tactics, which includes content strategy, thought leadership programs, social media, marketing automation and creative design. A creative and versatile professional, Phil has extensive hands-on experience in motion graphics, video, web/interactive design, print design, photo retouching, audio production, music composition and voiceovers. He has been responsible for projects as diverse as online applications, websites, banner ads, video documentaries, trade show presentations, animated character presentations, journal ads and print collateral. From outbound marketing to national sales meetings, Phil has demonstrated a “roll-up-the-sleeves” approach to getting the job done, crafting quality creative that communicates the sales and marketing story.
Phil has been involved with strategy, branding as well as product launches in the Pharmaceutical, Financial, Energy and Insurance industries. While at Business Edge Solutions (now EMC), Phil participated in the development and launch of a B2B energy procurement portal, where he ran creative and helped drive online marketing. For the launch, he produced a narrated Flash-based guided tour that communicated the value proposition and taught users how to use the site. Phil also provided tools to aid the sales process and ensure that the sales team communicated a consistent message.
Phil has experience developing a wide range of marketing and sales tools from sales presentations and slide decks to high end multimedia loops for trade shows to interactive training programs.
At PropelGrowth, Phil is responsible for inbound and outbound marketing that supports the lead generation and lead nurturing needs of our clients. He also develops microsites, sales decks, multimedia marketing promotions, interactive product demos, and produces audio and video recordings for promotional and training materials.
You can view Phil’s online portfolio by clicking the card below.
Phil is also the host of “On The One,” a podcast for musicians and anyone interested in the music making process:
Phil serves on the advisory board of Off The Hook Arts, an organization that provides low-cost music performance education for students while nurturing a love of the performing arts via public concerts and special events. He has been involved with churches and ministries, providing music for various functions. Phil has taught music technology to urban youth in New York City through City College.