Elise Duchateau’s entrepreneurial spirit started when she was young. Leveraging this life-long drive and determination, she’s established marketing departments at two different companies and built out entire marketing strategies.

Nowadays, as the EMEA marketing director at Nuxeo, Elise develops the marketing strategy and hones in on the European audience. She emphasizes how impactful marketing resembles altruism, as it is essential to understand the audience as individuals with needs, expectations and feelings.

Shaheen Samavati interviews Elise in today’s podcast episode, visiting topics such as the ideal tone of voice when marketing to the European audience, the process of understanding the market’s challenges when creating content, and why channeling a “can-do” attitude is crucial.

You can watch the full conversation in the video above or on YouTube, and listen to the podcast on Apple or Spotify.

Rapid-fire recs

  • Useful books: 
    • Blue Ocean Strategy by Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne. “It really inspires me to look at new markets, new segments, new demands, new agencies and new audiences.”
    • The Ladies’ Paradise by Émile Zola. “It’s not a marketing book at all. It’s a novel about how to be at the risk of disruption for those who are not embracing change when it comes.”
  • Favorite software tools
    • Marketing automation software Marketo.
    • Content marketing platform Limber.
    • Marketing, sales and service software Hubspot.
  • Learning resources: 
    • Simon Sinek’s The Golden Circle. “He explains the why, the how and the what behind successful people and companies.”
    • Online courses through The Hubspot Academy  and blog. “This is another great asset to read.”
  • Productivity hack: 
    • Daily morning runs. “I run seven kilometres before I start my day. It helps really clear my mind and begin my day with dynamism and without stress.”
    • Writing down a to-do list. “I have a written to-do list. It’s not a new practice, but it works for me! It’s a good productivity hack.”
  • Source of inspiration: Jacinda Ardern. “She’s funny, she’s efficient, empathetic and transparent, and because of that she gains the trust of her people and an international admiration.”

“2020 has been a tough year and 2021 might be even harder, but I think we can take it as an opportunity to really create, innovate and rethink our content marketing approach. 2021 may actually be the best year to grow for us. So let’s embrace it.”

Connect with Elise and Shaheen on LinkedIn.

This post was edited by Jamie Albert.


For more insights into thinking like an entrepreneur:

The entrepreneur’s guide to content creation

Channeling an entrepreneurial mindset – Elena Solera, marketing expert at Finnovista

Overcoming imposter syndrome to become an effective leader

Artist-led creative solutions – Josh Moore, founder of Lawless Studio

To see the full transcript, click on page number 2 below.