Today we’d like to introduce you to Candi Marshall.
Hi Candi, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Have you ever had one of those moments when you say I’m going for it? The one where you stop operating in safety as a defense mechanism? Yeah, I had one of those moments in December 2021 when I decided to sell everything and move to Texas. It had been an extremely rough year financially but also an amazing year because I was able to focus solely on my social media marketing agency and online clothing store. It was my first year fully self-employed. The plan had always been to move to Texas in 2022 but I wanted to move “established,” self-employed. Initially, I was reluctant, but I begin applying for jobs. One day an HR professional slid in my LinkedIn DMs stating she wanted to chat with me about a Marketing Director position. Long story short she fell in love with me and shared my info with this black-owned med spa. Next thing you know I was relocating. Keep in mind, all of this happened within weeks. Doors opened when I decided to surrender to all possibilities, and it worked out so beautifully. I lived in hotels for a month until I chose an area to live in. I then made the decision to take a break from my company so I could get acclimated in my new position. During my time there, I didn’t realize how it was shaping my rebrand for my social media marketing agency. When I started my business in 2019, I wanted to work with black-owned businesses only, but I was afraid, afraid of how it would be perceived and if I would be limiting my clientele. What’s funny is that although I never advertised it, 98% of my clients were melanated. I’m currently launching my rebrand from iCanSocialYou, a social media marketing agency, to Mars Marketing, a full-service marketing agency for melanated business owners. I feel like this part of my story is just beginning and I’m so excited about where it’s going and that I get to share it in this way. Be sure to tune in as I share why I decided to rebrand and niche down.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road hasn’t been smooth, but I attribute a lot of that to myself. Sometimes we get in our own way. Perfectionism has been a gift and a curse during this journey. I found myself wanting things to be perfect but after exploring that feeling, I found out a lot of the time, it was actually fear posing as perfectionism. So now when I have those moments, I take a little break to refocus my thoughts.
Another bump in the road came from including people. It’s so great having a circle of people who support you, but I had to realize it’s my vision, and no matter how hard I try to explain it, everyone won’t get it. I had to understand that’s ok. You can waste a lot of energy on other people’s feedback. Trust your gut.
As you know, we’re big fans of Mars Marketing. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Mars Marketing is a marketing agency for melanated business owners. We offer an array of services from social media management, content creation, marketing and branding strategies, to lead generation, advertising, influencer marketing and more. We meet you where you are so we can get you where you desire to go. Hiring a marketing agency can be intimidating so I wanted to create a safe space where we not only provide a service, but we teach you. In my 10 plus years of being in this industry and working with small business owners, I’ve found that we often struggle with delegating tasks. We try to do it all which ultimately stunts our growth. I say all the time there is power in partnership. Black women are the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs but also struggle the most with running mature businesses. This is due to serval factors ranging from limited access to capital, white counterparts owning the sector and so much more. This is why Mars Marketing is here, to give melanated business owners an opportunity to grow despite the disproportions we face. In short, we rooting for everybody black.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I read a quote recently that said, “Validation is for parking.” Wow! We often seek validation from others about a vision that was given to us. No one else. It’s ok to share it but understand everyone won’t understand and although people mean well when you start seeking validation you will find yourself getting away from the vision. Your dreams only need your voice. Also, be open to all positive possibilities. Don’t alter your vision but be open to how you bring it to fruition. You will look back and realize that you were just creating momentum. All things work together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/candimars
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/candimars?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candi-marshall-3b91301b/
Image Credits
Kitaen Jones
