Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariko Hickerson.
Hi Mariko, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
began my career as a newspaper reporter in San Diego, CA, where I honed my skills in writing, graphic design, website development, and content marketing — skills I also used to support a few freelance clients on the side.
When I realized I could make a full-time living from that freelance work, I took the leap into self-employment. After moving to Nashville, a friend and I co-founded Huckleberry Branding in December 2013. I became the sole owner in 2016 after an amicable split with my business partner, who chose to focus on raising her young family.
From there, I made my first hire — a graphic designer who’s still with me nearly a decade later — and gradually built a talented team to support clients’ branding, web, and search marketing needs.
Today, Huckleberry Branding has six full-time employees and several long-time contractors serving around 70 active clients. We’re based in Nashville but designed to work seamlessly with clients across the country through our remote-first structure.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been a relatively smooth road over these past 12 years. We’ve experienced steady, sustainable year-over-year growth without a lot of financial volatility or team drama, which I’m incredibly grateful for.
Early on, the biggest challenges were attracting the right clients and finding a healthy work-life balance. As the business has grown, the challenges have evolved. Today, they’re more about building and structuring the most effective team to serve our clients, learning when to say “no” to work that isn’t the right fit, and continuing to adapt to the fast-changing landscape of our industry.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Huckleberry Branding specializes in graphic design, WordPress web development, and search marketing to help brands overcome key growth challenges. Whether revitalizing outdated branding, optimizing underperforming websites, or improving search visibility, we act as a highly skilled extension of our clients’ teams. Our collaborative approach focuses on increasing brand awareness, driving qualified leads, boosting conversions, and enhancing our clients’ reputation among their audiences, prospects, and strategic partners.
What sets us apart is how intentionally these services intersect. We’re not a “full-service” agency — a model that often spreads expertise thin across many disciplines for an agency of our small size. Instead, we’ve deliberately narrowed our focus to a suite of offerings that we have deep expertise in make sense for our core clients. This cross-disciplinary structure allows us to create brand systems that look beautiful, function flawlessly, and deliver measurable results.
Our core audience is primarily B2B service-based businesses — particularly in healthcare, financial services, and the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction/development) industries across the U.S. Our experience in these sectors has allowed us to develop strategies that drive meaningful, long-term growth.
What I’m most proud of, brand-wise, is twofold: first, our team — a talented, collaborative group of professionals who have helped shape Huckleberry into what it is today through their ideas, experience, and shared vision. And second, the caliber of work we consistently produce for our clients. We hold ourselves to a very high standard, and it shows in the lasting relationships we’ve built and the results we’ve helped achieve for our clients over the years.
At the heart of everything we do is a genuine desire to see our clients’ businesses survive and thrive. We truly care about the people and companies we serve. Many of our clients have partnered with us for years, growing and evolving alongside us — and that kind of mutual growth and loyalty is something we’re deeply proud of.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We love collaborating with other businesses, agencies, and entrepreneurs who share our passion for great branding and smart marketing. The best way to work with us is through our core services — branding and graphic design, WordPress web design and development, and search marketing. Whether you’re looking for a long-term marketing partner or project-based support, we tailor our approach to meet your specific goals.
We also welcome partnerships and referrals from other agencies or professionals whose clients might benefit from our specialized expertise. Beyond that, following our work and engaging with us on social media or subscribing to our newsletter is a great way to stay connected and support what we’re doing.
The easiest way to start a conversation is by visiting huckleberrybranding.com/contact.
Pricing:
- We have price lists for all of our services available for download on our website.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://huckleberrybranding.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huckleberrybranding/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/huckleberrybranding/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/huckleberry-branding
- Twitter: https://x.com/huckleberrybrnd
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1JiYK5gPVOuqyhidvlD84g
