Carissa Richardson found a way to achieve what we all aspire to have – a successful career with plenty of time left over to spend with family. The secret to how she achieved this balance is found in her “non-agency agency” Kindred Strategy, which provides top-notch, yet affordable paid advertising and social media services.
Carissa knows first-hand how difficult it can be to work in a large agency for a long period of time. She explained that working in a large agency gives you valuable skills and experience, but eventually the pace can lead to burn out. So, in November 2018, Carissa decided to venture out on her own and immediately received amazing feedback. This success came from her solid business plan, customer knowledge, and knowing the value of the work she was providing.
Passionate about helping people who feel a large marketing firm is not accessible to them, Carissa especially enjoys working with other women business owners. She understands how important it is for business owners to find and reach their target customer and loves helping clients do just that through paid advertising campaigns or organically through their own social channels. Currently, one of her favorite clients to work with is the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, a non-profit organization with a mission and values that align closely with her own. Carissa collaborates with their marketing committee by creating and executing social media content that is inspiring, educational and engaging. In the end, not only is she doing what she loves, but also she has found the balance in her life to prioritize the things that matter to her the most.
Luckily, Haven is not just a place of work for Carissa. It is a place where she finds inspiration and collaboration. Initially, she met Danielle, and was introduced to Haven, through a Women in Digital (now Together Digital) peer circle and loved the atmosphere. It’s easy to imagine how difficult it would be to transition from working in a large agency to working at home every day. Carissa found that Haven Collective provided the perfect in-between. By providing coworkers, friends, and other people to bounce ideas off of, it became an excellent place for her business to thrive.
As Carissa has continued to see her business grow, she has learned that success requires building strong relationships by treating others with respect and acknowledging that they are more than clients. Ideally, she would love to use all of her knowledge and connections to create a community of ex-agency talent that also feel burned out from the pace of that world. She has found that there is an abundance of talent within agencies who are not doing their best work due to over-scheduled days or unmanageable workloads. She believes that allowing for more flexible schedules and reasonable work loads could allow them to do their best work while also helping companies who don’t feel ready for a big marketing firm, find high-quality marketing help. She has found great balance and hopes to help empower others by providing a space where they can do the same.
By: Lexi Turner