Entrepreneurs live in a constant chain of change. This state is just another home for them. They always look for scope of growth in whatever business they are involved in. No matter how much they have grown, they know there’s always room for improvement. However, when an entrepreneur translates all of his traits of adaptability to his team, keeping them invested for learning and growth, that’s when he/she evolves into a transformational leader.
Kelli Maxwell also lives by the said understanding and believes that a true leader is someone who is willing to help his/her team to continuously learn and grow. She has been a leader from her early years, building up her marketing skills in a finance firm, setting up her own princess party company, and, subsequently, founding Ember Marketing Group.
A Natural Leader
Kelli is the oldest of five children in her family. And, for as early as she can remember, people always described her as a natural leader. They also described her to be mature for her age and a person who would go the distance. “I believe part of it was my personality type accentuated by the circumstances of having much responsibility at a young age; helping around the house and helping take care of my younger siblings,” recalls Kelli.
She also remembers how self-motivated she was back then. Since the age of five, Kelli used to wake up at dawn and have coffee with her grandfather, and see him exercise. As a lifelong rancher, her grandfather used to say, “you are wasting daylight,” a saying that has gone on to become the foundation of Kelli’s work ethic today.
The Emotional Struggle
As Kelli grew up, what people celebrated as leadership during her childhood quickly became negative. “The same people who said I was ‘going places’ began to tell me that my dreams were too big and that I couldn’t succeed.”
This took a toll on Kelli from an emotional standpoint. She describes it as one of the biggest roadblocks of her career.
“After enough years of being told that I can’t and that I’m not good enough or deserving, I still struggle with negative self-talk. There are still days where I wonder who am I kidding and if I actually deserve the success and lifestyle I’ve worked hard for. Or maybe I’m just a fraud that everyone can see right through.” It took Kelli well into her late twenties to learn how to cultivate this negative talk into wit and learn how to leverage it to her favor.
However, the biggest learning for Kelli was not giving in to her fears. Instead, she chose to continue and level up, transform, and adapt to the situation. “Just like a fire that started as a tiny spark, the more I feed it, the bigger it will grow until it’s so bright and puts out so much heat, there is no room for negative self-talk or thoughts.”
Standing back on her toes, Kelli met many mentors, coaches, and advisors who saw her potential and encouraged her to see things differently and embrace growth. This phase of her life helped Kelli Maxwell change forever.
This has also become the reason why she emphasizes that she won’t change anything in her entrepreneurial journey. All the negativity and personal talk provided her with the necessary opportunity to evolve into a transformational leader. “I wouldn’t have the confidence I have if it weren’t for those painful periods of growth and adjustments,” she mentions in a tone of gratefulness.
Adapting to the Situation
For ten years, Kelli was the marketing director of a financial firm. During this time, she started her own business venture – Ever After Events. It was a princess party company where she would dress up as fairy tale characters and perform at birthday parties and events. While she always knew that she wanted to be her own boss, she was not sure what she was meant to do.
Working with Ever After Events went on to become the biggest period of both personal and professional growth for Kelli. It even gave her the courage to quit her full-time job and take a leap of faith and start her own marketing firm. “Thinking outside the box is my specialty and living life as a fairy tale pushed my boundaries for unlimited potential as a marketer and strategist.”
Today as CEO of her marketing firm – Ember Marketing Group, Kelli Maxwell makes sure to constantly focus on delegating work to her team efficiently. She has a special way with the clients, wherein she molds herself in accordance with their vision and creates unique solutions as per their requirements.
Kelli possesses the power to spend a small amount of time with someone and inherently understand their personal and professional brand even when they don’t. “I personally have the unique talent of becoming a chameleon when I create content.” And the clients reply with just four simple words — ‘you just get me.’
And for the rest of the agency, Kelli has made sure to focus on delivering outstanding, authentic content while valuing the clients for who they are and the uniqueness they bring to the table. “No matter the industry, we take the time to really get to know them, listen to their verbiage and how they present to potential customers, and we bring all of that through the content we create for them.”
The Voice of Authenticity
The journey for Kelli Maxwell has been a tumultuous one. Defiant by nature, she has taken big risks and fallen hard. She has made decisions out of spite and been the one to get burned as a result. Nonetheless, every single one of those instances has provided Kelli immense growth. She has constantly upgraded on her knowledge and continues to challenge her biases and transform herself and her company.
And for the future, Kelli claims that she will live up to the same philosophy.
In the world of filters and automated messages, she will stand out from the competition by staying true with her voice of authenticity. She has set her eyes on some big plans to continue to grow and increase the client base. And her company will expand on the basis of the recent rapid developments it has witnessed and the unique experiences it has encountered thus far.
“We believe the best marketing practice is to be authentic and focus on people over profits and we aim to continue to create that for our clients and live it in our personal and professional lives as well,” she concludes.
