THE TEAM
RACHEL BEISEL
Rachel hails from music-city Nashville, Tennessee where she got her start in marketing and public relations in the country music scene. Her experience ranges from writing copy for shot gun shells and jib furlers (now she’s writing Solidity and Python) to building marketing teams for growth and scale for both startups going from 0 - 10 MM ARR and mid-market companies trying to hit 100 MM ARR. From the music, outdoor, textiles, nonprofit, and government sector, Rachel found herself in the tech industry in both software and infrastructure. She’s worked in a variety of executive and C-suite leadership positions in marketing, sales and culture development for the growing startup to the Fortune 500. Rachel has a rough time with idle time, so she also co-founded the largest women's cycling team Colorado Women’s Cycling Project and BABs Outside, and co-organizes Southern Colorado Startup Week. She is an investor and advisor as well as a guest lecturer at CU Boulder and Galvanize. After taking a sabbatical in 2021 to write her book, her memoir “Children in Suits” will be published in the spring of 2022 (Amazon, Kindle, Audible). When not working, you’ll find her at a 24 hour mountain bike race, climbing Colorado 14ers which she plans to complete in 2022, or playing with her adopted cats Pippin and Pickles.
JOY KNOX
Joy Knox is an innovative, collaborative, entrepreneurial leader with public, nonprofit and private enterprise experience. In the public sector, Joy was recruited into the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships where she used her experience in cross-sector program planning and strategy implementation to help boost the grant-winning capacity of Denver’s nonprofits, securing $22 million in federal and national foundation money for the Denver nonprofit community.
In the challenging non-profit sector, Joy has not only trained other non-profits on how to prepare their organization to receive grant funding but has also secured six-figure grants from high-profile foundations with her established techniques, including clarity in non-profit financials, successful quantification of the social impact of non-profit programs, and the implementation of social-enterprises.
In the private sector, Joy has experience in developing multiple businesses from the ground up. Her publishing company, JoyRox Publishing, published and marketed three craft books, which obtained international distribution and sold over 5000 copies in the first year. JoyRox Publishing is currently operating a monthly magazine with both traditional and digital distribution, and leading the effort with our newest client, Village Trading Co. Joy excels in advising entrepreneurs, politicians and activists with her experience and leadership.
Joy is not afraid to dive into the most difficult social, financial, managerial, or political spaces to assure the projects she is involved with thrive. As well, Joy’s vast experience in fundraising and event planning is an added bonus to our clients who can benefit from spectacular events.
ERIC SMITH
An entrepreneur and highly creative business leader, Eric has been instrumental in disruptive technology innovation for the past 20 years, from the infancy of highspeed Internet to very recent advancements in wireless technology. During his career, Eric has developed and brought to market products deployed, purchased, or acquired by industry-leading public companies including Comcast, Mitel, Windstream, and Zayo. An accomplished musician, Eric artfully blends technical and creative product direction, which has translated into building successful business strategies for a cross-section of companies across multiple industries.
In the early 90s Eric was engineering and producing records for both domestic and international release, working with both well-known and emerging artists. After 10 years in entertainment, he took a hiatus from the entertainment business to develop his career in Internet technology and tech start-ups. Eric has now spent 20 years in technology, while continuing to write, produce and record music.
As a Senior Consulting Partner for Engine Room 8, Eric is an innovative and intuitive corporate development professional with 30+ years’ experience in entertainment & technology, simultaneously focusing on vision and execution. Eric has been instrumental in the success of multiple companies, acting as a confidant to C-level executives by providing strategic input, and executing implementation strategies in product development, financial operations and corporate governance.
Born and raised in the Silicon Valley of California, sharpened in Hollywood, and currently residing near Boulder, CO. Eric is also a rock music engineer-producer and singer-songwriter with dozens of professional recordings to his credit.
CAYLEY CREDIT
Cayley is a Colorado Native who earned her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Colorado. After completing her education, she was able to launch into an exciting career in marketing and social media management. Cayley had always always dreamed of a way to combine creativity and art into business, and digital marketing was the answer. Cayley brings a fresh, young, perspective to building strong brands and cultivating data-driven strategy. Cayley approaches brands like flowers who often just need sunshine, water, and love to flourish. Perception is everything, and telling a compelling story is often the missing ingredient in the "secret sauce" of brand building.
Cayley's mission is to catapult your brand into the next level of success, whatever that means to you and your business. She does not believe in a "one-size-fits-all" approach, and can provide a level of personalized service that is unmatched and tailored to your exact needs.
When Cayley is not working with clients, you can often find her drawing, lifting weights, hiking, cycling, kayaking, or exploring local eats. Fitness and art soothe her soul and keep the creativity flowing.