FROM OUR CEO
May 10, 2024:
After 20 years driving growth for Silicon Valley rocket ships, I've seen firsthand the mounting pressures marketing leaders face. From influencing executives to managing remote teams to capitalizing on AI, the job is only getting harder. But success takes a network, so in 2014, I founded Fiddlehead to be the partner I wished I had. We were one of the very first fully remote fractional CMO consultancies under the name Timeshare CMO.
Melinda Byerley, Founder & CEO of Fiddlehead Marketing LLC
Less than 5% of women owned businesses ever cross the million dollar revenue threshold. In 2021, in the middle of a global pandemic, we hit that mark, but we didn’t rest on our laurels- we rebranded under our trademark, Fiddlehead®.
In late 2022, I tackled the biggest hurdle of my own life: early stage breast cancer. Coming out of treatment to see ChatGPT taking the world by storm; I knew it was time for us to change yet again. I scaled down the company to focus on adapting to the role of Generative AI advisor for our most strategic clients, and to double down on the work I love the most: advising and coaching senior marketers , building cultures that use data to drive action; and training teams to deliver insights instead of reports.
What has not changed: our singular focus on strategically expanding the marketer’s leader’s impact and visibility through practical, data-informed, and proven marketing strategies that deliver measurable results. At Fiddlehead, we approach each engagement through the lens of a fellow marketer. We combine strategic perspective with roll-up-our-sleeves practicality. And we have had our clients’ backs through all kinds of challenges big and small.
So if you seek a partner more invested in your success than their own ego, let's chat. At Fiddlehead, your wins become our wins. We're driven to help savvy marketers gain the visibility and influence you deserve by implementing strategies that produce hard results. With open communication and transparency, we can move mountains.
Here's to delivering marketing success together. The solutions to today's challenges await - we can't wait to embark on the quest with you!
- Melinda Byerley, Founder and CEO
ABOUT MELINDA BYERLEY
With more than 20 years of industry experience, Melinda Byerley has established herself as a premier authority in marketing analytics and an executive advisor. A pivotal member of PayPal's early growth hacking team, she was instrumental in the 2003 integration of Omniture (now Adobe Analytics), setting a precedent for data-driven strategies in emerging tech companies.
Distinctive in her dual role as both a consultant and a former in-house executive, Melinda has contributed to marketing and product initiatives at preeminent tech companies such as eBay, PayPal, Linden Lab/Second Life, Check Point, and Poll Everywhere. This breadth of experience amplifies her capacity to identify valuable technology and analytics applications and expedite their incorporation into both established and expanding organizations.
Serving as Chair of the Digital Analytics Association's Data Ethics Committee, Melinda champions data privacy, security, and governance. Her stringent commitment to ethical data practices will be an asset in any engagement.
Since launching her agency, Fiddlehead Marketing, in 2014, Melinda has built one of the most successful women-led firms in the sector. With client partnerships averaging over three years, Fiddlehead has yielded transformational results for a diverse roster, including Netflix, Impossible Foods, GitHub, Amplitude, LaunchDarkly, Malwarebytes, Stack Overflow, Daffy.org, and Dropbox.
Melinda frequently advises leading Silicon Valley startups and executives on fostering data-centric organizational cultures and crafting insightful data narratives. Her recent transition into the marketing AI sector is reinforced by direct implementation know-how and a keen analytical mindset, enabling her to identify actionable AI applications and facilitate their prompt assimilation into marketing teams.
Armed with an MBA in finance from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management, Melinda is adept at formulating rigorous business cases and financial models. Her credentials as a Certified Scrum Product Owner further attest to her ability to create pragmatic solutions that seamlessly integrate into existing workflows.
“Data Problems Are People Problems.”
Melinda blends specialized expertise with a proven track record at top-tier companies. Her approach emphasizes rapid adoption of marketing analytics, underpinned by a focus on real-world applications, ethical considerations, and return on investment.. Her journey with breast cancer in 2022 inspired the creation of "Let's Get Real," a Substack focusing on accessible and practical marketing AI, and revitalized her podcast, "Stayin Alive in Tech," the first and only long-form oral history of Silicon Valley, now in its fifth season with a focus on AI.
Outside work, Melinda's curious mind leads her to explore bridge, snorkeling, and pondering life's big questions with ChatGPT and Claude.ai. Her lifelong experience with ADHD shapes her approach to coaching fellow high IQ and neurodiverse executives, infusing her guidance with empathy and understanding.