The InstigatorWhen Ellen Yin (@missellenyin) quit her corporate marketing job five years ago, she didn’t plan on becoming an entrepreneur. But after landing her first freelance client, she realized she had a skillset she could leverage beyond working for someone else and the traditional 9-to-5.
Within the first 12 months, the then 23-year-old was bringing in six figures. As she became more involved in her new career, her focus shifted and she evolved into the role of media founder, educator and speaker/podcaster.
Ellen is the founder and host of Cubicle to CEO® (@cubicletoceo), a global Top 100 entrepreneurship podcast & media platform spotlighting the stories of women-owned businesses with the motto: “We ask successful entrepreneurs the business questions you can’t Google.” Her vision of financial transparency has built a unique trust with her audience as she shares her vulnerability and insights while normalizing conversations around money.
With an international audience of podcast listeners in 216 countries and national impact, Ellen has mentored more than 10,000 students through her online programs and her podcast has amassed more than half a million downloads. She understands the power of relationships and community connections and aims to make a change in the media world, right from our own backyard.
So stop and take a moment to meet this media mover who’s making an impact in Salem and beyond.
What is your favorite thing about Salem?
My favorite thing about Salem is how welcoming and collaborative the small business community has been, as well as how relationally driven the people I surround myself with are. I feel like I run into a friend or familiar face anytime I’m out and about. I understand now what locals mean when they refer to Salem as a “big small town.”
What is your favorite thing to do in Salem?
I love trying new coffee shops—the kind with character and an eclectic vibe, plus it’s such a great meeting place for connection and friends. I’m an extroverted introvert, so I like being in the energy of other people and the white noise of people watching and things happening around you. And I like going at odd times of the day, especially later in the evening, because it reminds me of sitting at a cafe in Paris late at night and people-watching. Yeah, that’s probably my favorite thing.
What is something unexpected that has changed about you in the past few years?
My vision for where my life can lead has expanded exponentially in the last few years. I left my corporate job because I knew it was not the right fit for me. When I first started my business, I had no grand plans for what I wanted to build. I started very small as a freelance social media manager and built that up to a boutique marketing agency, and since retiring that arm of our business, we now primarily serve women entrepreneurs as an online education and media company.
Over the last few years, since starting my podcast, I’ve grown my community through online courses and expanded my network globally. I’ve been introduced to so many people and had so many different experiences traveling the world that it’s really opened my mind. The dream I have now is to build a media company that has the potential to change millions of women’s lives and eventually get acquired by a larger media company with more resources.
If you had a different career, what would it be?
My original career choice, which is still a dream of mine, was to work as a TV personality, like a daytime television talk show host. I wanted to go into broadcast journalism. I have kind of created that world for myself with my podcast; obviously not at the same scale. Ultimately, it comes down to anything with people, a people-driven business I would do well with.
IG or FB?
Instagram. However, I do think people discount Facebook significantly and I actually love my Facebook community too, on my personal profile. It is an untapped gold mine—such a powerful driver of business. Same with LinkedIn.
Stories or Reels?
To watch or to create? Oh, this is so hard. I am so bad at questions where you have to just choose one. I enjoy creating Reels more than Stories.
Who is the person you most admire?
My sisters and my parents. For my sisters, I admire their dedication to their craft, they’ve been so focused on their dream of being writers and filmmakers. It’s never changed. For my parents, I’m so inspired by the huge sacrifices they made to move to a brand new country where they had no roots, no support, to give me and my sisters a chance at better opportunities. I am so inspired by what they’ve created for themselves from nothing here and they’ve always been so selfless.
A childhood memory that’s stuck with you?
Summer nights in our neighborhood with my sisters and the neighborhood kids. I just love the simplicity of summers as a child…laying in the grass and cloud watching or going to the library and getting lost in books all day. It’s really the simple things of life for me that bring the most joy when I think back.
Favorite movie?
You’re going to laugh at me. I don’t really have a favorite movie in the sense that I think it’s the greatest cinematic masterpiece ever. But I think if I had to choose a favorite I could watch over and over again, I always go back to Parent Trap, the one with Lindsay Lohan. There’s something about the nostalgia of that movie for me. It’s connected to core childhood happiness. I just love everything about that movie.
Favorite stage performance?
Definitely Taylor Swift. Not because she is the best vocalist in the world, I objectively and respectfully can discern that she is not, but I have been a Swiftie since I was 14 years old. I’ve grown up with her music and am in awe of her ability to storytell through her lyrics. It’s literally like a soundtrack to different seasons of my life. Having had decades plus growing up with her music, I just love the experience that she creates for her audience. She is a brilliant marketer; but in another life, I think she would have been one of the best marketers and publicists of all time. I think she just really understands audience and that connection piece.
Favorite book?
I love different books for different reasons. Anything that makes me think or look at the world a little bit differently is a book that I enjoy. Currently reading “Love People, Not Things” by The Minimalists.
This story originally ran in Press Play Salem issue 16 (Spring/Summer 2023)
Carlee Wright
