Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandy Kemp.
Brandy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I spent over 20 years as a professional photographer, and if you had told me back then that I would eventually own a marketing agency, I probably would have laughed. But looking back, it makes perfect sense.
When you own a small business, you learn pretty quickly that being good at what you do is only part of the equation. You also have to figure out how to get people through the door. I spent years learning how to market my own photography business, and somewhere along the way, I realized I loved the business side of things just as much as the creative side.
I started helping other business owners with their marketing, and one thing led to another. Eventually, I sold my photography studio and put my energy into growing Kemp Marketing.
I think what makes my approach a little different is that I’ve been on the other side of the table. I know what it’s like to own a business, worry about making payroll, wear 15 different hats, and wonder if the money you’re spending on marketing is actually doing anything.
I didn’t want to build an agency that just made pretty social media posts. I wanted to build a business that actually helped other businesses grow.
Today, Kemp Marketing works with businesses in all kinds of industries, helping with everything from social media and websites to SEO, content creation, and overall marketing strategy. We’ve grown into a team, and I’ve also started spending more time coaching and educating business owners, which has become something I really enjoy.
One of my favorite parts of what I do is sitting down with a business owner and hearing their story. I love finding out how they got started, what keeps them up at night, and where they want to go. Sometimes they just need someone to look at their business from a different perspective and help them connect the dots.
I’m still learning, still growing, and still figuring things out just like every other business owner. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I’ve learned a lot along the way, and I enjoy sharing that knowledge with others.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Oh, there have definitely been struggles along the way! I think anybody who tells you owning a business is easy probably hasn’t owned one very long.
One of my biggest challenges has been learning that I can’t do everything myself. When you’ve been self employed as long as I have, you get pretty good at wearing all the hats. But as Kemp Marketing grew, I had to learn how to take some of those hats off and trust other people to wear them. And I’ll be the first to admit, that hasn’t always been easy.
Another challenge has been learning that I can’t help everybody. I genuinely want to see people succeed, and sometimes I find myself caring more about someone’s business than they do. I’ve had to learn that I can give people the tools, the strategy, and the advice, but I can’t do the work of building their business for them.
And then there’s the marketing industry itself. Just when you think you’ve figured something out, Google changes something, Facebook changes something, or some new technology comes along and changes everything. You have to be willing to keep learning, and sometimes that means admitting you don’t know something and figuring it out.
I’ve also had to learn to value my own time and experience. When you work with small businesses, you understand what every dollar means to them. It’s easy to give too much of yourself away because you genuinely want to help.
I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that growth isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it means making hard decisions, having conversations you’d rather avoid, and accepting that you’re going to make mistakes.
I’ve made plenty of them. But I’ve also learned that some of my best lessons came from things that didn’t go the way I planned.
I’m still a work in progress, and I think that’s just part of being a business owner.
We’ve been impressed with Kemp Marketing, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Kemp Marketing is a full service digital marketing agency, but I like to think we do a whole lot more than just marketing.
We help business owners tell their stories, get in front of the right people, and grow their businesses. That might mean managing their social media, building a website, improving their Google presence, creating content, or sitting down together and figuring out why something isn’t working.
We work with all kinds of businesses, from small family owned companies to larger, established organizations. And that’s one of the things I love most about what we do. No two businesses are alike, and I don’t believe their marketing should be either.
I think what sets us apart is that we take the time to actually get to know the people we’re working with. I want to know how they got started, what they’re struggling with, what their goals are, and what success looks like to them. I don’t want to just send somebody a monthly report full of numbers they don’t understand. I want them to know what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how it’s helping their business.
We’re also pretty honest with our clients. If I don’t think something is a good idea, I’ll tell them. If I think they’re spending money in the wrong place, I’ll tell them that too. Sometimes the best marketing advice I can give somebody is to stop doing something that’s not working.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that a lot of business owners don’t necessarily need more marketing. They need a better understanding of their business and a plan that makes sense. That’s one of the reasons I’ve become more involved in business coaching and education. I really enjoy helping people understand the bigger picture instead of just checking marketing tasks off a list.
As far as what I’m most proud of, it’s definitely the relationships we’ve built. We’ve become more than just a marketing company to many of our clients. We’re somebody they call when they have a new idea, a problem they can’t figure out, or just need a second opinion. I don’t take that trust lightly.
I’m also proud of the team we’re building. I want Kemp Marketing to be a place where people can learn, grow, share ideas, and take pride in the work they do.
If there’s one thing I want people to know about Kemp Marketing, it’s that we’re not interested in making a business look successful online if it’s not actually helping them succeed in real life.
Pretty pictures and clever captions are great, but at the end of the day, our clients need customers, phone calls, and opportunities to grow.
And that’s what we’re here to help them do.
I love marketing, but I love seeing people succeed even more.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a pretty independent and stubborn, and I can’t say that much has changed! I’ve always been creative, curious, and a little adventurous, or at least I wanted to be adventurous. I was always interested in things that were a little different, and if somebody told me I couldn’t do something, that probably just made me want to figure out how to do it.
I wanted to be friends with just about everybody. I tried to be anyway. I was curious about people, their lives, and their stories. Looking back, I think that’s probably why I’ve enjoyed careers that have allowed me to meet so many different people. I think as I have aged I ask more questions than I use to.
I had a pretty big imagination growing up. I remember renting movies from Patterson’s Grocery, and while my sister would gravitate toward something familiar, I always wanted to find the oddball movie that nobody else was renting. I guess I’ve always been curious about what’s out there beyond what everybody else is doing.
Music was another big part of my childhood. My grandfather brought home a record player from one of the sales he used to go to, and that started a lifelong love of music.
I think I’ve always had a little bit of a rebellious streak, but not necessarily in a bad way. I just liked doing things my own way, asking questions, and figuring things out for myself.
When I look at my life now, I can see a lot of that same little girl. I’m still curious, still creative, still a little stubborn, and I still love getting to know people. The adventurous side of me has probably gotten a little braver over the years, too.
I guess the biggest difference is that now I get to make a living doing a lot of the things I’ve always loved.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brandykemp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kempmarketing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandykempmarketing
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/kempmarketing
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/kempmarketing
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kemp-marketing-adamsville
- Other: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/form/3U3kyHicHzbyul7mTlz9
