Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Hickman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I spent over 15 years working across PR agencies, corporate marketing teams, global brands, and media before launching Confluent. That cross-sector path wasn’t always linear, but it gave me something most communicators don’t have: a clear view of the same challenges from every side of the table.
What I kept seeing, regardless of industry or organization size, was a disconnect between communication activity and business strategy. Initiatives that didn’t connect to anything. Messages that didn’t move anyone. Work that looked productive but didn’t produce anything meaningful.
The pandemic was the inflection point. I asked myself a simple question: do I want to keep doing work that doesn’t always make sense, or do I want to do good work for good people that actually matters? The answer was obvious.
I launched Confluent Strategic Communications in 2021. The name reflects the model: just as a confluence is where powerful currents meet, Confluent is where business strategy, communication expertise, and execution come together. I partner with clients at their most complex moments, technology transformations, organizational change, high-stakes go-to-market launches, and I bring the kind of clarity and focus that internal teams often can’t when they’re stretched thin and closest to the work.
Four years in, I’ve had the privilege of supporting clients through some of their most pivotal business moments. That’s exactly what I set out to build.
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?
Honestly, the road has been smoother than I expected in some ways and harder in others.
The biggest challenge is one that most independent consultants won’t say out loud: imposter syndrome is real, even when you know your work is good. Being the expert means owning that expertise fully, every day, with every client. There is no team to defer to, no manager to sanity check with. The confidence has to come from you.
What I’ve built to counter that is a strong network of fellow communicators and independent consultants. People I can think out loud with, pressure test ideas against, and be honest with when something is stretching me. That network has been as valuable as any client engagement.
The flip side of the challenge is also the best part of the work. Being pushed into areas that stretch my thinking has made me sharper. That discomfort is where the growth is, and four years in, I’ve learned to recognize it for what it is rather than let it stop me.
We’ve been impressed with Confluent Strategic Communications , 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?
Confluent Strategic Communications is a Minneapolis-based boutique firm built around one core belief: the right message changes everything.
We specialize in two areas. The first is change and internal communications for enterprise technology transformations. When organizations are rolling out a new ERP, HCM, CRM platforms or even full tech stacks, the technology rarely fails. The communications do. We partner with change management teams, systems integrators, HR, and IT leaders to translate complex program milestones into communications employees actually understand, trust, and act on. We have reached more than 10,000 employees across a single global transformation and compressed a client’s go-live timeline by 50 percent after stepping in to replace a Big Four implementation partner’s communications team.
The second is integrated marketing and PR for B2B brands and nonprofits. We build earned-first programs grounded in media coverage, thought leadership, and real storytelling, then amplify through social and content channels. The goal is a brand your audience already trusts before they ever fill out a form.
What sets Confluent apart is simple: you work directly with me. No layers of account managers between you and the strategy. No junior teams running your account. Every engagement starts with a real assessment of your business goals and audiences before a single word gets written.
What I am most proud of is the caliber and range of organizations that have trusted Confluent to move their story forward. I recently made the two hour drive from the Twin Cities down to Northern Iowa and passed five clients along the way. Five well known brands in five completely different industries, each one a national or global organization that brought me in at a pivotal moment. Four years in, that says more than any metric I could put on a page.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Build your network before you need it. That is the single most important thing I would tell anyone starting out.
Most people treat their network like a safety net. They ignore it until something goes wrong, then scramble to activate it when they are looking for work, chasing a lead, or trying to solve a problem. By then it is too late to build genuine relationships. People can tell the difference between someone who shows up consistently and someone who only appears when they need something.
Feed your network when there is nothing in it for you. Make the introduction. Share the win. Show up to the event when you are busy. Celebrate other people’s milestones. That consistency is what makes your network actually work when the moment comes, and the moment always comes.
The other thing I would say is trust what you know. Early on it is easy to second guess yourself, to wonder if you have enough experience or credibility to take up space in certain rooms. You do. The work you have done, the problems you have solved, the instincts you have sharpened over years of showing up, that is real expertise. Own it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.confluentcommunications.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiehickmancommunications/
