What’s your career origin story?

As a child I was always interested in art. A second-place ribbon in a second-grade art competition sealed my fate. When it was time to go to college, a local college in Maryland (where I grew up) had the most respected fine arts program in the state, so I started there.

While earning my associate's degree in art, I was always more pragmatic than my fellow "artists". The business of art and design interested me as much if not more than the art itself, the "why" and monetization of creative endeavors. I decided to pursue industrial design (the design of functional items like cars, cameras, cell phones...) but the schools with this major were all out of state and financially out of reach. So, I went to plan B, and studied advertising through the school of Journalism at the University of Maryland. After graduating and completing several internships at top agencies around the country, I realized that the role I wanted and would be suited for was that of a creative director.

Creative directors oversee copy and art direction to deliver powerful, conceptual, and recognizable branding and marketing campaigns. This, as it turns out, is what I was meant to be doing! Thank goodness for that second-place ribbon in the second grade.

As an advertising creative director, I also ended up being the right hand to many top chief marketing officers and CEO's. I was their secret weapon. Now I am the CMO.

What does success mean to you?

To me, professional success has always been based on profits, client satisfaction, and the impact of the work. With that mission accomplished, personal success now has more to do with "am I happy?" Do I have work/life balance, quality experiences (both career and personal), and meaningful relationships?

There is a famous quote by Steve Jobs: "We're here to make a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why else even be here?" So, what does each person's dent look like and how do we know if we've achieved it? If we are always striving and never complacent, eventually, there will be a dent with our name on it.

You had a successful business for a decade. Tell us about that.

In 2008 I launched a company called It's All In The Box. After years in advertising, I wanted to "be the client" and I needed a flexible schedule while raising two young children. This was the first of its kind internet "boxed gift company" for major life events. Now there are many. After a year, I pivoted and focused on one box and renamed the company, “The In Loving Memory Box.”

My father died when I was 13, and I literally had no personal items or remembrance of him. The In Loving Memory box was my answer to that life-altering loss. It is a memorial service kit to collect memories at a celebration of life and a box to keep those memories along with personal items from the deceased.

I invented the product line, designed it, manufactured it in the US and oversees, set up the business side and accounting, set up a warehouse, built the brand and website, marketed it and fulfilled orders nationwide. This was an incredibly fulfilling labor of love, mainly because of the testimonials from families who had received and experienced the power of this memorialization gift.

In 2018, my unexpected divorce pushed me to sell the business and take a corporate position as CMO of a holding company serving the energy space.

Tell us about the role mistakes play in our professional growth?

I think mistakes are the most valuable learning tools we have. Often, mistakes aren't actually mistakes; they are simply dead ends right around the corner from success. At every dead end you have a pivotal choice: give up or reroute. I don't believe in giving up. My favorite two words are "what if?". Without mistakes, how often would we get to say, WHAT IF?

In your opinion, what are the top three things someone should consider before starting a business?

The first three things I’d want you to consider before starting a business:
1. Fully explore the competitive space. Do you have competition, and if so, what makes your product or service superior to the competition? Once you know this, be able to communicate your unique selling propositions clearly and decisively.
2. Be willing to do anything and everything to succeed. There is no place for pride or ego in entrepreneurship. Be willing to do every job necessary, from cleaning the toilets to cashing the checks. Your unwavering belief, passion, and drive will fuel your success.
3. Be conservative in your financial planning. All too often, start-ups fail due to a lack of funding as they grow. There will be a pinch-point where your capital expenditures exceed your revenues, and if you aren't prepared, your dreams can end there.

What does the world need more of? Less of?

The world needs more loyalty, genuineness, and kindness. The world needs more real and less fake. After an unexpected, incredibly painful and humiliating divorce in 2018, the insult to injury was realizing that 90% of my "friends" weren't really "friends". My social circle disappeared along with my marriage. I had to survive, rebuild, and find my power, my voice, and my self-worth all over again, on my own two feet.

Five years later I am thankful to be on the other side of this time with a clear view of what matters in my life and with a few true friends for the journey.

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Kelly Marshall is an Advertising Creative Director, Chief Marketing Officer, and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in marketing, branding, and communications. She’s also a certified corporate coach who empowers teams to deliver creative and innovative solutions that drive results. She can be reached on LinkedIn

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