We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelli Maxwell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelli, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The fundamental belief in collaboration over competition. Ember Marketing Group was founded on it and it’s how Matt and I got connected in the first place. Matt was in Billings visiting his family and my mom called and asked if I’d meet with her friend’s nephew, he wanted to pick my brain about marketing, how to start an agency, how I grew and content creation. I always want to be the person in someone’s life that tells them they can or helps them brainstorm how,, when everyone else is telling them they can’t or their dreams are too big. We believe that there is space for everyone, even in competing industries, to succeed. That philosophy paired with an inherent desire to create authentic content for brands and businesses, is the reason for our success.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The whole point of art is to evoke emotion and nothing does that quite like video. Using different shots, lighting, sound, scenes to tell a story is an experience. From a beautifully done promotional video that included drone footage to a funny little reel, we get to pour our creativity into every single thing we film and edit. Now take that one step further- our clients agree to be on film. There’s a trust and vulnerability attached to that and we don’t take it lightly. Authentic content creation is just that; we film on the job, at the event, rarely scripting or rehearsing anything to capture the most authentic shots and our clients trust us to edit them for their brand. It’s pure magic. Not many people have this gift to do what we do and we’re proud to do it. Because of this it’s easy to set ourselves apart from other media and marketing agencies. We build and loyalty and trust to others, believe in earning our paycheck, and taking the time to get to know them. We don’t believe in cookie cutter content or taking people’s money to produce content that isn’t 100% authentic to them and their brand. Our retention rate is over 90% and our consistent growth is also because of this. We go for quality over quantity.

I think the hardest thing to overcome as a business owner is the imposter syndrome. Entrepreneurship isn’t for the weak of heart, at the end of the day everything is your problem to solve or pay for. We don’t have the luxury of clocking out and going home without a second thought about work. But there is also that burning desire to be at least 1% better every day, to see how big we can really grow and how many people we can help grow along the way. More than the money or the satisfaction or making clients money through our work is the freedom. The time freedom to live the lifestyle we design for ourselves, by using our gifts and talents for other businesses. The imposter thoughts are fleeting when you remember who you are, what you do and take a 10,000 view of how far you’ve come and where you’re going.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Downtown Tempe, great spots to hang out, have a drink on a patio. I like to google taco shops close to me and find new spots in the metro area. Blanco Cocina Cantina is a favorite for dinner. I’m a sucker for the zoo and aquarium if my guests want to do that too!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shoutout to Matt Dewar, for his referral for this feature, his willingness to learn and grow with our company and the fact that he is in Phoenix. Even though we are based in Billings, we’re able to continue to expand across the country by partnering with incredible videographers and content creators who are loyal to the team and believe in the vision.

Website: www.embermg.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embermarketinggroup/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelli-maxwell/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embermg

Other: https://vimeo.com/user169425340

Image Credits
Daniel Kessel

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