We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eve Chen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Eve thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

How The Growth Engine Propelled Clusivi’s FinTech Revolution
In the extremely competitive world of FinTech, innovation is the key to success. Clusivi, a Denver-based startup, emerged with a groundbreaking vision to revolutionize the Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) industry based on principles of inclusivity and equity. However, the journey from concept to market reality proved to be a formidable challenge.

As Clusivi approached its critical launch phase, three significant hurdles threatened to derail its aspirations: a lack of a robust go-to-market plan, the absence of comprehensive financial planning, and an incomplete platform plagued with technical issues. These challenges could have spelled disaster for Clusivi’s future.

Recognizing the complexity of their situation, Clusivi made the pivotal decision to partner with The Growth Engine, a strategic solutions provider specialized in transforming startup visions into market realities. This collaboration brought forth a comprehensive approach that addressed each of Clusivi’s pain points with precision and expertise.

The Growth Engine’s multifaceted strategy not only solved Clusivi’s immediate concerns but also laid the groundwork for long-term success. This included appointing The Growth Engine’s founder, Eve Chen, as Clusivi’s fractional CMO, crafting a bespoke go-to-market plan, developing a 3-year financial forecast, and deploying a software development team to overhaul the platform.

The impact of this partnership was transformative. What began as a struggling startup blossomed into a promising FinTech contender poised for significant growth. Clusivi successfully launched their pilot campaign on schedule, secured pre-seed funding, established an enterprise-grade platform, and secured their first pilot project with a Colorado school district, generating $45,000 in initial revenue.

Looking ahead, the continued collaboration between Clusivi and The Growth Engine promises to fuel the startup’s growth and innovation, driving them towards their ambitious goals in the competitive FinTech landscape. The Growth Engine’s targeted expertise and founder-level support have been invaluable in overcoming Clusivi’s market entry challenges and positioning them for future success.

To learn more about how The Growth Engine helped Clusivi turn its vision into reality and how The Growth Engine can accelerate your business too, visit https://growthengine.global/customersuccess/clusivi.

Eve, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My journey into entrepreneurship is a testament to the power of ambition and adaptability. After 15 years in the corporate world and an MBA from Macquarie Graduate School of Management, I founded The Growth Engine in Australia in 2014. A year later, I made the bold move to relocate to Denver, Colorado, drawn by the vast potential of the North American market and its cutting-edge tech scene.

At The Growth Engine, we’re not just a marketing agency or a traditional consulting firm – we’re a strategic and technological solutions provider dedicated to accelerating growth for tech startups and B2B enterprises. Our unique approach blends deep industry expertise, innovative methodologies, and a relentless focus on delivering measurable results.

What truly sets us apart is our ability to address the full spectrum of our clients’ growth challenges. Rather than providing siloed services, we offer end-to-end capabilities through specialized programs like Launchpad, StratRocket, AppSpark, FitLaunch, and Growth Hub. This allows us to seamlessly guide our clients from ideation and launch through to rapid scaling and market leadership.

We’ve developed proprietary frameworks, such as the Revenue Generation Value Chain™, Growth Experience (GX)™, and Ascending Growth Method™, and a unique GrowthEngine-as-a-Service methodology that enables us to tackle even the most complex growth obstacles. These methodologies are designed to bridge the gap between strategy and execution, empowering our clients to transform innovative ideas into thriving businesses. For details on our services, capabilities, and methodologies, visit https://growthengine.global/

But the story doesn’t end there. In the past year, I’ve embarked on an equally exciting new venture – the creation of Catalysi, a platform company that aims to revolutionize how B2B businesses generate revenue and target high-value customers.

The genesis of Catalysi can be traced back to a simple LinkedIn interaction. I connected with Stuart P. Turner, a fellow B2B growth professional, and we discovered a remarkable alignment in our experiences and aspirations. What started as a casual conversation quickly blossomed into a deep, almost daily dialogue, as we uncovered a shared vision for addressing the staggering $7 trillion growth wastage issue plaguing the global B2B sector.

Over the next three months, we are meticulously mapping out the products we want to build based on extensive research and understanding of customer pain points and deficiencies with the current solutions in the market, addressing the workflow, user experience, and accuracy issues we had observed in other Account Based Marketing (ABM) platforms. This careful groundwork led to the development of new go-to-market strategies, including a rebranding of my agency, and a global structure designed to help us scale across the regions we serve.

Our shared goal is to build out our new software platform in the coming years, with the vision of bringing all our business interests together under one umbrella within the next 2 years. It’s an ambitious plan, but one that we’re confident in, thanks to the strong foundation we’ve laid through our open, honest, and mutually supportive partnership.

This new phase of my entrepreneurial journey promises to further enhance the solutions we can offer our clients at The Growth Engine. As we work together to redefine what’s possible in the world of B2B growth transformation, I’m excited to share more about Catalysi and how this innovative platform is poised to change the game when it comes to revenue generation and customer targeting.

How’d you meet your business partner?

The story of how I met my business partner, Stuart P Turner, for our new business called Catalysi, is a testament to the power of genuine connections and shared vision in the digital age. It all began with a simple LinkedIn interaction – Stuart commented on an article I had written, sparking a conversation that would eventually lead to a transformative partnership in which we are turning our shared vision into reality.

As we discovered our mutual connections and shared background in B2B revenue generation, we decided to hop on a call to explore potential collaborations. That initial discovery call, which took place 12 months ago, revealed a striking alignment in our experiences and aspirations. We both encountered similar challenges while helping clients develop and deploy Account Based Marketing (ABM) programs, and we shared a burning desire to create solutions that could address these pain points.

What started as a weekly call quickly evolved into twice-weekly discussions, and before long, we found ourselves in almost daily conversations via Slack. Our talks were characterized by honesty, openness, and a shared ambition to tackle the staggering $7T growth wastage issue plaguing the global B2B sector.

As our conversations deepened, we uncovered a beautiful synergy in our skill sets. Stuart’s strong aptitude for digital strategy and data analytics complemented my expertise in growth strategies perfectly. It was, as Stuart put it, “a partnership made in heaven.”

Recognizing the potential of our collaboration, Stuart took a proactive step that truly impressed me. He suggested we enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize our partnership. This move gave me tremendous confidence, especially given some less positive experiences I’d had in the past. It demonstrated Stuart’s seriousness and commitment to our shared vision.

Over the next three months, we meticulously mapped out the products we wanted to build, addressing workflow, user experience, and accuracy issues we had observed in other ABM platforms. We didn’t stop there – we went through an extensive exercise to ensure our partnership was sound in every aspect, from decision-making processes to how our individual skills, experiences, and existing service businesses could complement each other.

This careful groundwork led to the development of new go-to-market strategies, including a rebranding of my agency, and a global structure designed to help us scale across the regions we serve. Our shared goal is to build out our new software platform in the coming years, with the vision of bringing all our business interests together under one umbrella within 2 years.

Throughout this journey, I’ve learned several valuable lessons about finding and nurturing a business partnership:

1. Take your time: We allowed our relationship to develop organically over many months, giving us the opportunity to truly understand each other’s strengths, working styles, and aspirations.
2. Be open and honest: Our conversations were characterized by candor and transparency, laying a strong foundation of trust.
3. Align on vision and values: We shared a common goal of addressing significant industry challenges, which gave our partnership a clear purpose and direction.
4. Formalize the agreement: Stuart’s initiative in suggesting an MOU showed his commitment and professionalism, providing a solid legal framework for our partnership.
5. Understand each other deeply: We even took personality tests to better understand how we’re wired and how we communicate, enabling us to work together more effectively.
6. Consider the personal aspect: We introduced each other to our partners in our personal lives, recognizing that a co-founder relationship is, in many ways, a business marriage. It’s crucial to enjoy spending time together beyond just work.
7. Share risks and support mutually: Our partnership is built on the principle of mutual support and shared risk. We’ve both demonstrated a willingness to invest our time, resources, and expertise into our joint venture. This reciprocity ensures that our partnership is not a one-way street, but a true collaboration where both parties are equally committed and invested in our shared success.

In essence, our partnership was born from a chance online interaction, nurtured through consistent communication, and solidified by a shared vision and complementary skills. It’s a reminder that in the digital age, meaningful connections can start with a simple comment and grow into transformative business relationships when cultivated with care, intention, and mutual respect.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Building a reputation, especially as an introvert, has been a journey of intentional growth and authentic connection. My approach has been rooted in a genuine desire to support others and contribute to the professional community, which has organically led to the establishment of a strong personal brand.

As an introvert, networking and building a professional reputation didn’t come naturally to me. However, I recognized its importance and made a conscious decision to step out of my comfort zone. This journey of intentional growth and authentic connection has been incredibly rewarding.

One of the cornerstones of my reputation-building has been a commitment to sharing knowledge and supporting others. I’ve invested significant time and energy in mentoring founders, marketing professionals, and volunteering on boards, as a podcast host, and facilitating conferences. These activities not only allowed me to give back to the community but also positioned me as a knowledgeable and approachable figure in my field.

To further solidify my expertise and share my insights with a broader audience, I took on the challenge of authoring two books (Ascending Growth & Growth Product Manager’s Handbook) on growth leadership and SaaS product management. This process of distilling my experiences, knowledge, and lessons learned into written form not only helped others but also reinforced my credibility in the industry.

Consistency has been key in building my reputation. I developed a discipline of regularly creating and sharing authentic content about my professional journey and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. This consistent output has helped me stay connected with my network and continually provide value to other professionals in my space.

Perhaps most importantly, I’ve always approached my interactions and initiatives with a “win-win-win” mindset. I constantly look for opportunities to connect people who can be stronger together, focusing on creating value for all parties involved. This approach isn’t driven by financial motivations, but by a passionate belief that collective growth makes us all stronger.

For other professionals looking to build their reputation, especially fellow introverts, I would encourage them to:

1. Embrace authenticity: Let your true self shine through in your interactions and content.
2. Focus on providing value: Share your knowledge and experiences generously.
3. Step out of your comfort zone: Challenge yourself to engage more, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.
4. Be consistent: Regularly create content and engage with your network.
5. Think win-win-win: Always look for ways to create value for others.
6. Volunteer and give back: Find ways to contribute to your professional community.
7. Share your journey: Don’t be afraid to discuss both successes and challenges.

Remember, building a strong reputation isn’t about self-promotion, but about consistently demonstrating your value, expertise, and willingness to support others. It’s a long-term investment that pays dividends in trust, opportunities, and meaningful connections.

In the end, building a strong reputation comes down to one fundamental principle: showing up. It’s about being present, engaged, and authentic in every interaction and opportunity. As Marie Forleo wisely said, “Showing up fully exactly where you are is the fastest way to get where you want to go!”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://catalysi.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evechen/
• Other: https://ascendinggrowth.com
  https://growthengine.global

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