Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Karki.
Hi Carrie, 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?
Wow! Hard, but a great question! As far as how I got started with WhiteBox Marketing and owning a marketing agency… by spirit, I think I have always been a “visionary”. I loved dreaming! I wouldn’t always say it was dreaming on one particular thing- but maybe dreaming of beautiful things or places. As a child, I loved art and creating. I also enjoyed dancing. I moved to NYC right after high school and went to F. I. T. (Fashion Institute of Technology) in Manhattan. I always aspired to move to the big city that I had envisioned and I was ready to “learn the world!.” Great things happened and also avenues took a new turn and I ended back in MN. Nothing yet gets my brain energy pumping like a visit to NYC yet today.
I worked for a national media company for approx 10 years (now I’m really dating myself), starting in sales and proceeding to management. I was back in the community I once sailed away and I was working hard, proving myself and making great connections! I always envisioned the next thing in which I could grow or help better something. I knew someday it was my desire to “do my own thing,” whatever that was. Loving design, I thought it would maybe be in some sort of interior design, bringing my fashion days into new form. I joined a great local agency, where at that time in life raising kids- was a perfect match and I worked for great people. I worked there for approx 12+ years and eventually, a few various ownership changes just at the end, I offered to take it over.
Things happened quickly! To be honest, I never dreamt of owning an ad agency but the agency needed changed, and I knew I could do this better. I had approximately 2 weeks to consider and set up a new company! Not only was I going to brand the agency as my own, so a new brand needed to be thought of, developed and set up, but I also set up all new operations from scratch. (Not sure I’d recommend that was the best or easiest approach, but it worked out! I started with myself and two contactors (who were past colleagues of mine) We were used to being a small close team and I was so fortunate they believed in me to stay, follow and help! We grew fast. We had some main stable clients, who are still our clients that we had earned their trust from a multi-year partnership, and so we had a foundation. We will always be very thankful to those clients and our relationships; we couldn’t have started without them. They have also witnessed and have been a part of our agency, now “marketing firms”, growth. We more than doubled (249% the first year )and we have continued to propel.
We started in a co-op with one small office and then quickly were up to four. From one official employee to now 4, we currently hold an 11+ core team employee group and we still have some contracting friends for extra bandwidth needs. In the first year, I was quickly seeing a need for more space and something to call and structure to our own! My team is amazing. We have formed a great team, we each have different skill sets and together we make magic! We are a very hands-on team. I’m grateful to each of them. We are a clock, we need each piece to make it tick!
Within one year, we purchased our own commercial space and making it a solid WhiteBox Marketing! Our property was not pretty, actually, I called it “the turd.” But I know the turd could be beautified! It was an old auto mechanic Quonset shop that had not seen much love & survived a fire. I’ll never forget, I was driving in my truck after presenting a campaign with some of my team, and I stopped quickly…. and said “I think I have a vision for that building.” I think Alison, my designer, most likely thought I was on the caffeine low. 😉 We had a PA within two days, and I was envisioning and dreaming of this new space. I needed to do this within a budget, but I wanted to bring some new style to our area. I quickly worked with an architect to help get everything on paper, I jumped in and got my commercial contractors license and we built, renovated and changed!
Growing a new business and maintaining building a structure and managing subs was a crazy time of life- but invigorating and something I am proud of. Who would’ve known a national pandemic would come right after, so let’s just say it made “building” more fun!
Our space is WhiteBox Marketing! Our space is branded, and we have small design elements that are very much intentionally decided to make it our own. We maybe times incorporate those elements into our own marketing- we love our cohesive look. Our punch of color in our brand is red. Our bright red doors will welcome you! Our space has helped us put our place on the map. It was new- it looked fresh. It was a great form of marketing on its own.
We are a group of good people doing good things. We are community stewards, helping non-profits where we can, volunteering and giving back the best we can. We have a current campaign going where we have invested in billboards and digital- it says nothing about marketing – but a vibrant array of people from all nationalities that says simply, “Do Good Together.'” Nothing makes me more happy than trying to make things better or to bring people together! We have done a different approach, we’re just doing us.
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?
Nothing in marketing is very smooth! LOL. I didn’t go to entrepreneur school or when you start a business, there’s no total “how to guide.” I picked a major in college based off of taking the least amount of Math and now I excel (no pun intended) on making strategic budgets and plans for client partners. (Though, leave me out of any detailed in-depth accounting.) So I’ve had to learn a lot and every day, I’m continuing to learn. I’ve learned how to get over not making every client or team member always happy. It’s a hard thing for someone wired like me. But my focus is the betterment for all and sometimes hard decisions and choices fall into play. I’ve learned to let go of things, and really develop people around me who all have different unique interests and skill sets. I’m learning how to “operate a business.” Many times just wanting to be a marketer.
But we are proud, developing and doing well!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
WhiteBox Marketing is today’s modern firm- done different. This is not my tagline. Tagline is: Strategic. Creative. Effective
We are a full-service strategic partner marketing firm! Aligning the left hand with the right, I say. We take a proactive strategic approach and align client’s goals with a strategic marketing and communications plan with a cohesive approach.
We are a team of movers and shakers, caffeine drinkers and excellent marketers!
We have taken a different approach to what many in our industry are doing today and where are industry trends. I’m holding my feet in the sand. Instead of us just focusing on one thing (digital marketing or the new craze buzz work “fractional marketing.” And there are fractional sales and CEOS… We do digital and all those great things of course! But we are in a partner relationship. Starting with the Why, understanding goals, and developing a plan that aligns and works together! Your brand voice and message are the same, the look is the same and cohesive, its timed right and layered throughout many things. (web, social, Google, Digital and don’t forget those traditional things! ) You still need print materials or ad designs at times etc. The value we bring is our clients know we get to know them. They don’t have to manage multiple companies and ultimately we deliver a better result not only now but in the long term! We have had clients for years, not months! (unique in our industry as whole.) Our longest client partnership is going on 19+ yrs. We’ve earned their trust, it worked, they see the value and save a lot of expense having a solid partner who knows them.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
We keep up with trends and communicate as a team within our focused areas. Much of my team is better than me right now. I’m working a lot, but I value downtime, time to decompress. Many times as a small business entrepreneur, there’s not a lot of extra or self-care time. However, I know it’s a must and something I am learning to put boundaries on.
It’s essential to remain inspired and stay connected to others further ahead of you to learn from, whether it be business or personal.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://whitebox.marketing/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitebox.marketing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitebox.marketing
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whiteboxmarketing/?viewAsMember=true
