The DigiStrat Story
Was climbing the corporate ladder really my definition of success? That question hit me hard 15 years into my marketing career, as late nights became my norm and 'intentionally present' became a distant memory. The answer, I realized, was no. And that realization sparked the creation of DigiStrat.
This didn't feel like the success I had envisioned. It was, however, the catalyst that led to founding DigiStrat, a fractional marketing agency. Even that was an evolution, as I found myself asking what is 'fractional marketing'? Turns out, it's about providing businesses with access to experienced marketing leadership and expertise on a part-time, flexible basis – without the overhead of a full-time executive. Something I had been doing for a while but didn't know there was a wider need for it in the market.
The Winding Path to Marketing
My route to creating a fractional marketing agency wasn't planned or straightforward. After completing university, I started in finance – the numbers appealed to me, but I wanted something more dynamic. After earning my MBA, I faced a practical challenge: finding a job quickly to secure a work permit to remain in Canada.
A classmate from Ivey introduced me to David, an Account Supervisor at a major advertising agency. Our meeting wasn't a formal interview by any stretch, yet he saw something in me. After introducing me to Sherry, a Senior Partner, I was surprised when she simply asked if I could start on Monday.
David and Sherry took a tremendous leap of faith – hiring a finance graduate with zero advertising experience. Their decision fundamentally changed my career trajectory and established my foundation in Canada's marketing industry. For years, I thrived in advertising, working with global brands on diverse digital marketing campaigns like Lenovo, IBM, Mattel, EnStream, Reckitt Benckiser, and Energizer Personal Care. Each campaign and client taught me something new about effective marketing strategy, but my understanding remained limited to the agency perspective.
From Agency to Brand and Back Again
When my first child arrived in 2012, I made a pivot to a search marketing agency. Those two years were transformative – I built my foundation in SEM and SEO, skills we hadn't deeply explored in traditional advertising. I learned how search engines actually worked, how to optimize websites, create effective PPC campaigns across Google and Facebook, and leverage local search strategies.
Then, after my second child was born, I faced an unexpected setback: being laid off upon returning from maternity leave. Yet this challenge pushed me to take all that accumulated knowledge into my first brand-side role as Digital Marketing Manager at Allstate Insurance.
The Unicorn Job and What It Taught Me
Allstate was my unicorn – the perfect alignment of role, environment, colleagues, and leadership. I started managing their digital marketing efforts and eventually led all Digital and Social Marketing across their 92 locations in Canada. For the first time, I experienced what true partnership between internal teams and agencies could look like at it's best.
This perspective was invaluable. I now understood both sides of the equation – the agency striving to deliver with limited information, and the brand trying to communicate complex needs while managing internal politics and shifting priorities.
When Success Feels Like Failure
By the time I joined A Farber & Partners as Director of Digital Marketing, I had a robust understanding of digital marketing from multiple angles. On paper, leading a team of professionals at a respected firm looked like success.
But beneath the surface, something was profoundly wrong. I was ignoring my mental and physical health. I was missing my children growing up at home. Outside of work, I was living on cruise control – present in body but absent in spirit. I knew if I didn't change something, I'd end up hospitalized from burnout, with a list of regrets too long to reconcile.
That was the breaking point. I made the leap. I quit and started DigiStrat. Was I ready? Absolutely not. I don't think anyone is truly ready for entrepreneurship. It's always a leap of faith. But at least this time, I'd be working hard for myself, not someone else.
The Gap in the Market
My years straddling agency and brand sides revealed critical gaps in the marketing ecosystem – gaps DigiStrat was born to address.
The Partnership Gap: The Knowledge Divide
The most significant problem I observed was a fundamental knowledge gap. Brands would bring in agencies to "grow the business" but would only show them a fraction of what was happening inside their corporate walls. The targets shared weren't the complete picture – just a slice of the pie.
This created a troubling dynamic: agencies trying to solve complex problems with incomplete information. There was an unwillingness to share – even when supposedly on the same team – and without full disclosure, the people brought in to help couldn't effectively navigate emerging challenges.
True success requires everyone to be a partner at the table, not just a vendor executing tactics in isolation.
The Silver Bullet Myth: Marketing is Iteration, Not Magic
Another common pitfall: brands believing there's a silver bullet for their marketing problems. There isn't. Marketing is trial and error, requiring patience and persistence.
Effective marketing demands willingness to test repeatedly because the variables are numerous and constantly shifting. Speed to testing and comprehensive data gathering are essential to learn what works. Yet many organizations lack the systems or culture to support this iterative approach. And if you're going to fail, fail fast and move on to the next test. Every test provides you with valuable insight, don't be afraid to gain knowledge.
Beyond Tactics: The Missing Strategic Fundamentals
Strategy and organization – these sound fundamental because they are. Yet they're frequently missing in marketing operations, for various reasons: small teams, limited budgets, insufficient resources, too many competing goals, or sometimes, no clear goals at all.
But the most critical misalignment I've witnessed is one of values. I've worked on accounts where I neither understood the purpose behind the product or service, nor agreed with what the business stood for. When profit becomes the only common goal, it rarely creates a sustainable partnership.
It took years to recognize this, but now I know: I only want to work with brands that share the same values as I do, as DigiStrat does.
The DigiStrat Solution
DigiStrat was founded on a simple principle: Your success is our success in digital marketing. We genuinely want to see your business grow through effective marketing strategies, and we want to be part of that journey. I'm committed to the people behind the business – their goals, challenges, and aspirations. We measure our success by the results our efforts generate, and if we're not seeing results, we recalibrate.
This isn't just a business transaction. We are partners, not vendors.
A New Definition of Success
DigiStrat represents my redefined vision of success – one that balances professional achievement with personal wellbeing and purpose. It allows me to work with integrity, transparency, and authenticity while honoring my commitments to myself and my family.
The corporate ladder I once thought I needed to climb revealed itself as someone else's definition of success. Building DigiStrat has shown me that creating value on my own terms is infinitely more rewarding.
If you're seeking a digital marketing partner who understands both sides of the equation, who values transparency and results over transactions, and who believes in authentic partnership – I'd welcome a conversation about how DigiStrat might help your business grow. After all, your success is our success.
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