Running Into the Fog with Ellen Naylor

Ellen Naylor began her career in competitive intelligence in 1985 at Bell Atlantic, now known as Verizon. Originally working in sales, Ellen talked her way into a CI role, which she held for the next five years. Eventually, Ellen transitioned to a position with Northwest Airlines, where she quickly realized that she was unsatisfied, but couldn’t quite put a finger on why. It wasn’t until Ellen took a trip back home to Japan that she finally understood her frustrations with corporate and went on to start her own business, Business Intelligence Source.

More recently, Ellen also wrote a book titled Win/Loss Analysis: How to Capture and Keep the Business You Want. In Ellen’s opinion, not enough companies are incorporating Win/Loss Analysis into their business structure. Her book aims to prevent companies from focusing too much on their wins and instructs them on how best to learn from their losses.

Ellen tells us that she never imagined that she would be a business owner or an author until she stepped back into a place that made her feel grounded. She suggests that anyone who is unhappy with their current situation take some time to intentionally reflect while doing something that brings them joy.