Today we’d like to introduce you to Kira Johnson.
Hi Kira, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started my marketing career as a receptionist/communications assistant at Gabbert & Beck the management company for the Galleria in Edina. I went to UW-Madison and was a personal care assistant on weekends. Once I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Portuguese I did two brief stints and Honeywell and 3M and decided I was not a fan of a big corporate environment.
I didn’t know what I was going to do as that is what I went to school for so I went back to being a personal care assistant. While job searching a family friend was the manager of the Galleria shopping center and they had a receptionist position to fill so she asked if I would be interested as it would get me benefits and time to make connections and figure out what I wanted to do. After 3 years of working at Galleria, I started looking for other opportunities as there was no room to grow there.
I enjoyed working with the marketing director and was looking at some marketing opportunities when the Galleria’s marketing director resigned after over 20 years. Warren Beck, the owner of Galleria, then offered me an opportunity to train as the new marketing director which I accepted and did for the next couple of years before being named the new Marketing Director at Galleria.
I was with the center for 17 years. In 2013, the shopping center was sold and I decided to start my own marketing consulting company which I have been running for the past 10 years!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been a smooth road. There have been many twists and turns along the way. Owning your own business is not for the faint of heart. There have been many days I wanted to quit but I never gave up and kept moving forward with my goals. Sometimes I had several clients and other times I was struggling to find clients.
It all ebbs and flows. After year 5, I felt like I had hit a milestone and was feeling solid but then COVID hit and overnight I had lost all but one client and had no business.
At that point, I felt like I would have no choice but to go back into the workforce but I hung in there and focused on what needs there were in the marketing world during that time and made it happen. I am beyond blessed to have made it through that challenging time and be back at a great place in 2023.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Kira L. Johnson Marketing Consultants is focused on providing high-quality marketing services and customer satisfaction – we will do everything we can to meet your expectations.
With a variety of marketing services to choose from including retail property marketing, corporate and nonprofit marketing development, small business marketing and event planning, implementation, and marketing we’re sure you’ll be happy working with us to develop customized marketing services to increase traffic and sales to your business.
We are a small, local woman-owned BIPOC business and we utilize specialized contractors to assist with a variety of marketing needs for our clients.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
I am a huge dog lover so my favorite childhood memory is when I got my first dog for my birthday!
I was over the moon as she was the cutest sweetest girl! She was a Golden Retriever and I named her Caramel. I have had dogs my entire life since and now own 2 boxers.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kiraljohnsonmarketingconsultants.com
- Facebook: Kira L. Johnson Marketing Consultants LLC
- Linkedin: Kira Johnson
Image Credits
Eden Prairie Center, Maple Grove Business Association, Ridgedale Center and Hope Chest for Breast Cancer
