In a digital world of rapid communication, it's important to convey the right message to your clients. It's up to professionals like Karen Maria Alston of AM & G Marketing Communications to project the finest image in the best possible way.
Karen Maria Alston
By Rodney Wayne Branche
Copa: Where are you from?
Karen: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
|
Copa: What gave you the idea or gave you the reason to leave corporate America?
Karen: I remember my boss at AOL gave me some great advice, "Karen, get out sooner than later because the packages are much better in the front end than they are on the back end." At AOL I worked with Harvard, Yale, Wharton School of Business, Stanford, Brown, MBA's. All of my cohorts were from top schools in America. So I was advised to raise my hand sooner and not at the end of these layoffs. So the package I received was a year's severance. So I walked away, took a couple of months to relax, so I stepped out on faith and became an Entrepreneur.
Karen: I remember my boss at AOL gave me some great advice, "Karen, get out sooner than later because the packages are much better in the front end than they are on the back end." At AOL I worked with Harvard, Yale, Wharton School of Business, Stanford, Brown, MBA's. All of my cohorts were from top schools in America. So I was advised to raise my hand sooner and not at the end of these layoffs. So the package I received was a year's severance. So I walked away, took a couple of months to relax, so I stepped out on faith and became an Entrepreneur.
Copa: Where did you attend school?
Karen: Howard University, Bachelors Business Management. Harvard University, Graduate School of Design. Kellogg School of Management, Graduate School of Business. |
Howard University
|
Copa: Who did you work for at your first job?
Karen: JP Morgan
Karen: JP Morgan
Copa: Who was your first client?
Karen: The National Trust for Historic Preservation. I took awhile to find my first client, it didn't happen over night. I remember that day very well, I went downstairs and looked at all of my bills piled up on the table in 2002. They asked for me to consult on something in the Midwest to help brand communities and neighborhoods. I remember the person at the trust asking me what my day rate was...I had no idea what the answer of that question was, no clue at all. There was about $300 worth of bills out on the table at that time that were due. Before I could answer something stopped me. So I asked her, "What do other people charge?" She answered "About $1,000 to $1,100 or so a day. So in my mind I figured a thousand dollars a day would be right for me. It just blew me away to think that I could receive that much money per day. So that was my first client, I travelled across the country branding different urban communities. That became my billable day rate in 2002.
Karen: The National Trust for Historic Preservation. I took awhile to find my first client, it didn't happen over night. I remember that day very well, I went downstairs and looked at all of my bills piled up on the table in 2002. They asked for me to consult on something in the Midwest to help brand communities and neighborhoods. I remember the person at the trust asking me what my day rate was...I had no idea what the answer of that question was, no clue at all. There was about $300 worth of bills out on the table at that time that were due. Before I could answer something stopped me. So I asked her, "What do other people charge?" She answered "About $1,000 to $1,100 or so a day. So in my mind I figured a thousand dollars a day would be right for me. It just blew me away to think that I could receive that much money per day. So that was my first client, I travelled across the country branding different urban communities. That became my billable day rate in 2002.
Copa: When did your company begin to expand?
Karen: After about a year and a half I started at contract with Baltimore County, the Trust recommended me. The County wanted the Trust to do it but they insisted that Karen Alston do the work. So it was a campaign called 'Rediscover', it was a $112,000 contract at the beginning of 2004.
Karen: After about a year and a half I started at contract with Baltimore County, the Trust recommended me. The County wanted the Trust to do it but they insisted that Karen Alston do the work. So it was a campaign called 'Rediscover', it was a $112,000 contract at the beginning of 2004.
Copa: So you are highly recommended now, how do you feel about that?
Karen: With all of my accomplishments I have sustained a business that supports my lifestyle for all of these years.
Karen: With all of my accomplishments I have sustained a business that supports my lifestyle for all of these years.
Copa: What is your personal philosophy as it pertains to business?
Karen: I believe the key is in networking and relationships. You have to be able to do the job, there is no question about it. I use a baseball analogy, you have to know when to get a single, a double, a triple, or hit a home run and bring every base home. You have to know in the process, do I need to start getting to first base. Sometimes you just need to get into the door to prove yourself, especially with huge corporations that don't know you or don't need to know you. They already have relationships established with much larger entities. Some people start at the gate and think that Lockheed Martin is going to call and give them a 5 million dollar contract, no...it doesn't happen that way. Normally Lockheed Martin will call and say here is a $100,000 contract to prove yourself...then a half million dollar contract to continue to prove yourself, then you get the 5 million. Most people don't come in the door with that much not unless they have a long standing relationship with that company.
Karen: I believe the key is in networking and relationships. You have to be able to do the job, there is no question about it. I use a baseball analogy, you have to know when to get a single, a double, a triple, or hit a home run and bring every base home. You have to know in the process, do I need to start getting to first base. Sometimes you just need to get into the door to prove yourself, especially with huge corporations that don't know you or don't need to know you. They already have relationships established with much larger entities. Some people start at the gate and think that Lockheed Martin is going to call and give them a 5 million dollar contract, no...it doesn't happen that way. Normally Lockheed Martin will call and say here is a $100,000 contract to prove yourself...then a half million dollar contract to continue to prove yourself, then you get the 5 million. Most people don't come in the door with that much not unless they have a long standing relationship with that company.
Dress by Jody Davis,
Copa: Do you maintain a large team?
Karen: Not any more, but I used to. I scaled back about two years ago and realized that I felt like a hamster on a treadmill realizing having staff, overhead and payroll was a lot. And I needed some time to step away from that and not be in a situation that I had to make a certain amount of money a month, this would create a degree of stress and I didn't wish to find myself in that position, so I pulled back to reduce staff and overhead.
Karen: Not any more, but I used to. I scaled back about two years ago and realized that I felt like a hamster on a treadmill realizing having staff, overhead and payroll was a lot. And I needed some time to step away from that and not be in a situation that I had to make a certain amount of money a month, this would create a degree of stress and I didn't wish to find myself in that position, so I pulled back to reduce staff and overhead.
Copa: How would you describe the operation of your company in it's present state?
Karen: I would say that my company works very well, I'm very fortunate that I live in a town with very talented people. There are many individuals here that wish to work in a project based environment as opposed to full time jobs. They may have parents who are elderly, or have children to care for, possibly a lifestyle in which they don't really care to report to a job everyday. There may be a specific project that will come in for a year and I will choose someone to manage it. As a matter of fact last year there was a large project in which I had someone manage the entire contract.
Karen: I would say that my company works very well, I'm very fortunate that I live in a town with very talented people. There are many individuals here that wish to work in a project based environment as opposed to full time jobs. They may have parents who are elderly, or have children to care for, possibly a lifestyle in which they don't really care to report to a job everyday. There may be a specific project that will come in for a year and I will choose someone to manage it. As a matter of fact last year there was a large project in which I had someone manage the entire contract.
Copa: Do you consider your company to be regional or national?
Karen: I would like to think that I am regional because it's easier for me, I can be more effective in more places being larger sounds great but you must meet the clients expectations and it's much better this way. For instance let's say I had a client in Los Angeles, would I take on a client from there...of course I would but I would have to have someone there on the ground to manage the client's expectations. I am very established and comfortable in this region and understand it extremely well.
Karen: I would like to think that I am regional because it's easier for me, I can be more effective in more places being larger sounds great but you must meet the clients expectations and it's much better this way. For instance let's say I had a client in Los Angeles, would I take on a client from there...of course I would but I would have to have someone there on the ground to manage the client's expectations. I am very established and comfortable in this region and understand it extremely well.
Copa: How would you compare the area of the DMV to an area like New York or Chicago?
Karen: Well to compare them to what I do, I would say that Chicago is the big Mecca, everyone is in either New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or Atlanta, these are the key areas. Washington, DC is a government town so people don't come here to do the big campaigns. For the most part outside of GEICO you want to be in Chicago or New York for a big national advertiser. For instance if you wish to work on a Proctor & Gamble account or General Motors you wouldn't find it here in DC. But there are many talented people here.
Karen: Well to compare them to what I do, I would say that Chicago is the big Mecca, everyone is in either New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or Atlanta, these are the key areas. Washington, DC is a government town so people don't come here to do the big campaigns. For the most part outside of GEICO you want to be in Chicago or New York for a big national advertiser. For instance if you wish to work on a Proctor & Gamble account or General Motors you wouldn't find it here in DC. But there are many talented people here.
Copa: How do you set your goals?
Karen: I am very goal oriented, I am obsessed with achieving my goals. I work through to seek clarity to find exactly where the goal is. I don't set the goal based on what I think I want, I spend time in deep reflection of my main objective. Government is my best client so there is always start, process, implementation and delivery, that's the way my goals are structured. That's my world! I take advantage of my downtime as well by thinking about the next set of goals I would like to hit, always striving to achieve my current goal and then look for new ones.
Karen: I am very goal oriented, I am obsessed with achieving my goals. I work through to seek clarity to find exactly where the goal is. I don't set the goal based on what I think I want, I spend time in deep reflection of my main objective. Government is my best client so there is always start, process, implementation and delivery, that's the way my goals are structured. That's my world! I take advantage of my downtime as well by thinking about the next set of goals I would like to hit, always striving to achieve my current goal and then look for new ones.
Makeup by Flaminia Garioni
Copa: What does the future hold for Karen Maria Alston?
Karen: Well, that's an easy answer. I've spent the past 13 years marketing other people, Now I'm going to start some personal projects. I'm very good at marketing my client's project and choosing ideas and turning it into specific brands that I create to launch to the public. Now there is one big project I'm working on and hopefully by the time this article is out I can share it with everyone in 2015. This will be a game changer that will catapult me to another level and I'm preparing myself for the good and the bad consequences of being a national brand.
Karen: Well, that's an easy answer. I've spent the past 13 years marketing other people, Now I'm going to start some personal projects. I'm very good at marketing my client's project and choosing ideas and turning it into specific brands that I create to launch to the public. Now there is one big project I'm working on and hopefully by the time this article is out I can share it with everyone in 2015. This will be a game changer that will catapult me to another level and I'm preparing myself for the good and the bad consequences of being a national brand.
Copa Style Magazine's Award Ceremony for Woman of the Year
Karen Maria Alston
~Copa
