Building the Largest Dermal Filler Manufacturer in North America: A Retrospective with Kaitlin Daley
Dec 12, 2024
We are thrilled to present a special guest blog from Kaitlin Daley, SVP, Head of Global Marketing for Prollenium Medical Technologies, whose invaluable experience and perspective in building the largest dermal filler manufacturer in North America offer a wealth of knowledge for leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators. Kaitlin’s insights reflect her journey, the lessons she’s learned, and the principles she applies to navigate the complex world of business growth and team building.
In this post, Kaitlin shares her thoughts on building a strong team, fostering mentorship, staying customer-focused, cultivating resilience, embracing agility, and finding innovation in resourcefulness. Her approach is a masterclass in leadership, demonstrating the values that have propelled her career and the organizations she has been a part of.
(Revanesse Products)
The right team is everything. You might be tempted to hire based on an impressive resume or technical skillset but as your company grows, cultural fit and alignment to the values and goals of your organization becoming increasingly important. When challenges arise (and they will often) - a motivated, passionate, collaborative team can overcome almost any obstacle. You can teach skills but you cannot teach attitude, work ethic or grit. Hire for the fundamentals, and if they don’t have them- fire fast.
Mentorship isn’t just about offering advice- its about creating an environment where others can step up, take risks, make mistakes and gain exposure to experiences that will shape the future. When I look back on my journey, one of the most pivotal moments in my career was when I interviewed with our founder (Ario Khoshbin) in my early 20’s. I had limited experience, but he saw potential and took a chance on me. Ive sat in rooms, faced situations and been given opportunities that no classroom or MBA program could ever replicate or prepare me for. Becoming a mentor and paying it forward is just as transformative, creating a ripple effect of talent development through your organization.
(Pace Studio Being Built)
Customer-centricity is your north star. Always listen to your customer and use their feedback to iterate your product, service and/or business model. Its easy to get hyper-focused on your product and fall in love with your own ideas- instead fall in love with solving the problems your customer faces. Never lose sight of what the customer actually needs if you want to succeed.
Resilience is key. Building a company and/or brand is a rollercoaster ride, and setbacks are inevitable. You’ll face times of uncertainty, discouragement and as the stakes get higher- the challenges become more complex. Leadership can also be lonely, you need to make tough decisions that not everyone will understand. However, if you can foster resilience by remaining calm under pressure, being transparent with your teams about challenges and using setbacks as learning opportunities- you, and your company can weather any storm.
It's important to remain agile. As your company scales, an evolution of structure and process will be necessarily implemented. However, the real world often throws unexpected challenges and opportunities your way and without maintaining the ability to stay nimble and agile, you might miss key opportunities to course-correct quickly.
(Prollenium HQ)
Sometimes, less is more. Resourcefulness can spark innovation. The best ideas often come when you have limited budget and you are forced to think outside the box, discovering new and more effective ways to market your product or service. While its tempting to rely on traditional strategies such as ads, influencers, large-scale print campaigns etc. you will often end up overinvesting in channels that do not connect you to your audience. Work smarter, understand your target audience and engage them with compelling content that resonates and ultimately converts.
About Fello Agency
Fello Agency is a Toronto-based tech marketing firm specializing in branding, web design, creative content, and marketing strategy. Since 2017, Fello has partnered with innovative companies across industries like AI, robotics, and defense, helping them elevate their brands and drive impact. Known for its visionary approach, Fello creates compelling campaigns that set trends and propel tech brands to the forefront of their fields.
