Exploring Life & Business with Katie Kronk of Ignite Digital Marketing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Kronk

Hi Katie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When I was a junior in college, COVID-19 hit. I was working toward completing my degree in Integrated Digital Marketing at Mississippi State University. I had big dreams of landing a shiny marketing job with a major company like Southwest Airlines, Delta Airlines, or something in the travel industry. As many know, the travel industry was one of the hardest hit, and in fact, the entire job market was in a tough spot. Every time I applied for a job, I was met with rejection. “We love you, but we just let go of our entire marketing team.” “Yeah, sorry, marketing was the first to go.”

I felt defeated. I had just spent four years working toward a degree that suddenly felt useless. My advisor encouraged me to pursue the MBA program at MSU. It was an accelerated program that I thought could buy me some time, but it ended up being the most transformative year of my life.

During that time, I had been freelancing, doing digital marketing for a few private practices in Mississippi. I loved it, but I was eager to start applying for those big corporate jobs again. The job market was better when it came time for me to apply. Then, I had a conversation that changed the course of my career. My mentor said to me, “I don’t know why you’re applying for all these jobs when you could turn your freelancing into a business and grow it.” I laughed and brushed off the idea. I had just spent a year in an MBA program designed to set me up for what I thought was my dream job. But every time I applied or interviewed, a thought lingered in the back of my mind: “What if I did start my own thing? What if it could be successful?”

After a lot of prayer, conversations with mentors, professors, and other business owners, and encouragement from friends and family, I decided to go for it. I stopped applying for jobs and applied for an LLC instead. Two and a half years later, I haven’t looked back, and I couldn’t be more proud of the success I’ve built.

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?
I don’t think any entrepreneur would answer “yes” to this question! The hard truth is that entrepreneurship can be really lonely. At my age, I only know a handful of peers who are doing what I’m doing all on their own. Most of my friends have great, secure jobs and can’t relate to my day-to-day. They encourage and respect me, but they can’t truly relate, which, in the beginning, made me feel very isolated. It wasn’t until I made my first hire, Jack, that I finally stopped feeling this way.

Beyond that, I’ve learned a lot from failing. And really, who likes failing?! I hate it. But I’ve changed my mindset and adapted my business when things didn’t go as planned. It’s part of the journey, even if it’s not easy to embrace.

We’ve been impressed with Ignite Digital 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?
Our goal is to help businesses grow by creating, implementing, and sustaining effective marketing strategies that enhance brand presence and boost client revenues. We offer a comprehensive all-in package and branding services, including Social Media Management, Google Ads and Page Management, Content Creation, Website Design, Logo Design, Branding, Email Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization.

Our packages are designed with our clients success in mind, offering dedicated meeting time, content creation, and detailed, easy-to-understand analytics.

We’re dedicated to identifying the unique needs of small to medium-sized businesses and creating a distinctive marketing presence that delivers real results—without breaking the bank. We want you to feel like our team is a true extension of your business, not just another vendor. Our passion for igniting businesses to the next level drives everything we do, and we hope you’ll choose us as your digital marketing partner.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I started Ignite because I saw businesses paying egregious amounts of dollars in marketing without even knowing what they were paying for or if it was even working.

I’m a small business – I want other businesses to succeed and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

That’s why our packages include dedicated meeting time and detailed analytics (p.s. we even include a keyword description so you actually know what they mean – we’re the ones with degrees in marketing, we’re not expecting clients to know all of our language).

We want our clients to feel like our team members are truly a part of your business’s team, not just a contracted business. We hope you can see our passion for igniting businesses to the next level and we hope you will choose us when it comes to your digital marketing!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ignitedigitalmarketing.us/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ignite.digital.marketing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ignitedigitialmarketing