Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Gullatt.
Hi Natalie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started my official journey into marketing in 2012. I was a paralegal for a couple years and was not interested in going to law school at the time. So, I researched career that would allow me success, options of success, some flexibility, and a lovely combination of creativity with analytics. I also wanted a career that was challenging so I found marketing and eventually decided to get an MBA.
After about a year of planning, preparing, and applying, I began my full-time MBA program at Case Western Reserve University. During that time, I spent the first semester in China, the second in India, and then my final year in Cleveland, Ohio. During my time in grad school, I spent time learning and working within various internships. For example, I was a marketing communications intern with a Fortune 500 company for more than half a year.
Once I graduated in 2015, I moved back to my hometown of Atlanta, because I hate the cold and started my full-time marketing journey at a B2B SaaS company. I spent my time there focusing on customer marketing, social media marketing, blogs, customer advocacy, etc.
After that first role, I dipped my toes in other areas of marketing including corporate brand refreshing, content marketing, internal/corporate communications, project management, email marketing and more in manufacturing and consulting industries.
During this whirlwind in corporate, I sought out a network of marketers who looked like me to feel empowered and get advice without getting judged or held back in my career because I didn’t know a lot. So, I began networking in as many spaces as I could such as National Black MBA’s Atlanta chapter and the Caucus of Emory Black Alumni. While I loved networking in the spaces I found, I still wanted to find a space for marketing specifically. I looked for a safe space for a young, ambitious Black female marketer who wanted to succeed in corporate America. Once I didn’t see the space, eventually, in May 2017, I decided to start my own small Black Marketers, digital networking group, through the app GroupMe.
Flash forward, Black Marketers Association of America (BMAA) was officially the very first Black Marketers organization set out to celebrate and empower Black Marketers to be successful. From a small digital group to two online communities, a website, executive board, various partners, and multiple events, I am happy and proud to lead an organization and movement that will ultimately make the marketing industry better and provide even greater opportunities for Black professionals.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest challenges with leading BMAA is creating an organization while working full-time. There is so much to do and being the first Black marketing organization means I’m making a lot more mistakes than I would like.
I’m very fortunate I have a passionate team, my executive board and the BMAA team members truly are game-changers. They’re involved, passionate, and proactive. We’ve made considerable strides and many accomplishments that we are so proud of and this is just the beginning.
Another challenge is getting more members, so shameless plug, if you’re a Black marketer or know a Black marketer, sign up for BMAA today at blackmarketers.org/membership. There are so many resources, networking opportunities, jobs AND more so learn more, sign up, and get involved today!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Black Marketers Association of America (BMAA) is a national organization developed to connect Black Marketers with one another. Whether you specialize in content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), or social media management, we’re dedicated to helping Black Marketersyou build your skillset, empower you to start and build your business and help you expand your professional network. Our members are Black Marketers who have an extensive knowledge base and years of experience while also managing to stay up to date on the latest trends and developments in the industry.
Our vision is to build a space for Black Marketers to obtain invaluable and applicable resources for job success through our organization for all areas of marketing. Our vision is also to continue to generate a place where Black Marketers can tap into the secluded knowledge of job matriculation in order to gain a well-rounded success. We want our members to be celebrated, acknowledged, and valued as leaders not only in the marketing industry but in the professional world.
Our mission is to empower, elevate and educate Black Marketers financially, mentally, and emotionally through their marketing careers. Our mission is to improve the marketing industry by highlighting and supporting Black Marketers’ careers as employees, freelancers, and business owners.
BMAA is here to further the careers of Black marketers across the U.S. through programming and partnerships with colleges and corporations. We strive to bring premium benefits to our strong community of talented marketers.
What’s so unique about BMAA is that we don’t have chapters which means location is NOT a barrier to entry for members joining, as long as you work and reside in the United States of America, you can join and see benefits for your business or career. Another thing that’s so unique about BMAA is that we have digital communities. A lot of organizations are centered around events and yes BMAA has events too BUT we have two digital communities. The first community is public for members on LinkedIn and the second is our private community that’s a safe space for members only.
What’s next?
In the future, I am going to be an executive marketing leader in corporate America. I may be an SVP, CMO, or maybe a CEO; the sky’s the limit! So, stay tuned on that.
For BMAA, I won’t give too much away now, sorry! We plan to expand our membership offerings, have more events, and keep innovating how we support Black marketers. We’ll also look at not only corporate marketers but supporting Black Owned Marketing Agencies, Black Marketing Freelancers (sign up for FREE to join our database at blackmarketers.org/join-our-freelancer-directory), and more!
I definitely encourage people to get involved, stay involved and join us for this great ride!
Contact Info:
- Email: info@blackmarketers.org
- Website: blackmarketers.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/blackmarketers
- Facebook: facebook.com/blackmarketersassociation
- Twitter: twitter.com/blackmarketers1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0qrIrhrwaCbw4LSFTU2rwg
- Other: www.tiktok.com/@blackmarketers
