Meet Kedran Brush
We were lucky to catch up with Kedran Brush recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kedran, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
I subscribe to the saying, ‘Nothing great comes from comfort zones.’ And that sums up the biggest risk I took in starting my own company.
I’m a goal-oriented person and each year on January 1st, I write down 5-7 goals for that year. Some goals are big (like run a marathon) and some are smaller (like clean out the attic). That year, I took out a separate index card and I wrote “12-31-2018” on the card and I taped that card to my vanity mirror. I made a promise to myself that by that date I would be in a position to jump from the corporate world and into fulltime entrepreneurship. I didn’t know how or what path I would take, but I was determined to figure out a way. But my dream was to have my own marketing agency.
And that card was a daily reminder of my risky dream/goal.
Throughout the year, I continued to pray to God to help me see the signs, make me smart enough to recognize the signs to chart the path. I kept saying to myself, “Have Faith.”
The year proceeded and the corporate powers were hinting that they wanted me to take on more responsibility. As CMO, I was the only woman c-level executive in the company and one of a few change agents. They offered me a promotion with more responsibility and long-term advancement possibilities. It was the job that most aspired to have and it promised security, stability and financial gain for years to come. But I knew in my gut that I craved more. I wanted to see if I could make my dream a reality.
So, I decided to have faith and made the decision to leave the comfort zone of my corporate job. I simply told myself that we’d figure it out along the way. That I couldn’t in good conscience take the promotion when my heart wasn’t in it. The company deserved better than that.
Later that very same day, my business partner and I were presented with an opportunity to create and and execute a marketing strategy for a startup national brand. This was the opportunity that would allow us a soft landing once we jumped from the security of our corporate cocoons!!
I resigned from the company and agreed to stay on for eight weeks to help them find a replacement and transition to a new CMO. My last day in my corporate job was 12-31-2018.
It always pays to have Faith.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
I graduated from college with a marketing management degree and immediately went to work at an ad agency as a receptionist because it was the only position they had available and I desperately wanted to work in an agency. I remember telling the owner that I would start out there, but made sure he new that is not where I would stay long term. I was the receptionist for 90 days before I was promoted to a position in the broadcast department.
Within 18 months I worked my way up to client services, which is where I wanted to be, and was hired away by one of my clients. That’s where my corporate marketing career started. Over the next 25+ years, I relocated over four times, advanced up the corporate ladder and achieved the pinnacle of marketing positions, chief marketing officer, for a major corporation.
I love everything about marketing. The strategy, the brainstorming, the concepting, the design, the execution, the measurement. I love seeing a concept come to life in a brand story.
I am proud of the many successes, grateful for the blessings and thankful for the failures that taught me the valuable lessons that challenged me and made me a better person and leader.
Life moves by so quickly. The key is to take every opportunity to live it to the fullest.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I met Cindy in 2006 when I was hiring for a creative director. I liked her immediately! She was smart, witty, straight forward and had an amazing portfolio. Her talent was instantly recognizable. What makes her unique is that she went to college to study accounting, but her creative genius had other plans. She has an exceptional business acumen and can understand a company’s business challenge and then design the creative to help overcome that challenge.
I hired her and she and I worked side by side in two corporations before starting our own company. She’s the creative and I’m the strategist.
Before we started the company together, we’ve jumped out of airplanes, run marathons, completed the warrior dash races, etc. We’re adrenaline junkies :).
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
100% of our business is referrals. Our reputation over 30 years, the relationships we’ve fostered, and our quality service has helped us gain the trust and recommendation of our clients. An endorsement from one of our clients is the highest compliment because we aim to be a long-term partner, an extension of our client’s team, not just a vendor.
We customize each strategy to the client’s needs- we don’t cookie cutter anything. We deliver on time and within budget and we shoot straight. We don’t make promises we can’t keep. And at the end of the day, results speak for themselves.
See the full article on CanvasRebel.
ABOUT BRAND825: Brand825 is a WBENC-certified, full-service marketing and creative agency that is passionate about building engaging, inspiring and successful brands. Since 2016, Brand825 has worked with clients nationwide to define what makes their companies unique and craft stories that deliver results through brand strategy, creative design, website design and development, content marketing, social media and more. For more information, visit brand825.com, or follow the agency @brand825 on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
