Today we’d like to introduce you to Blakeley Clark and Jana Bartlett.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Blakeley and Jana. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In 2013, we found ourselves at a personal and professional crossroads. We both had kids ages 3 and 1 and were facing the decision to go back into the corporate world or take a chance on a new venture that was presented to us by a friend who owned her own interior design firm and needed help with her marketing and PR. We decided to take the leap and go the road less traveled. We launched Chatterbox with her design firm as our first client while we built the Chatterbox brand and team and got our feet wet with a few willing clients.
Thankfully, through our professional connections from past agency and corporate experience, we were able to build an incredible team of creative professionals who were at the top of their fields and were interested in breaking out on their own as well. We call them our Curated Collection of CB Contributors. We are truly blessed with a seasoned, highly-skilled team that is a true joy to work with.
Our first major account started as a trade deal with a resort in Hiawassee, Georgia, just to get experience and start our portfolio as an agency. It grew into a 2-year retainer contract where we worked as the internal marketing directors for that resort’s parent company that owned and managed multiple marinas and resorts in the SouthEastern U.S. until they sold to a larger company in 2016.
Our other clients over the years have been in a variety of industries including hospitality, construction, insurance, interior design, education, and beauty. We pride ourselves on the personal service we are able to provide and truly value the relationships that we have been able to build with our clients.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting and operating a new business has definitely not been a smooth road; however, we have learned more and grown more in the past six years than we could have ever imagined. Neither one of us ever dreamed of being entrepreneurs, but sometimes God takes you on unexpected adventures that are way better than what you originally had planned.
Our first major obstacle was just learning the ins & outs of business startup (the non-glamorous side) and learning the actual business management side along with how to market our services. We realized very quickly that it was easier for us to help build brands and marketing plans for other people than it was for ourselves. When you are so close to it, it is sometimes more difficult to be objective, honest, and realistic. Through that process, it strengthened our belief even more that the service we were providing was valuable. Most companies and organizations are too close to their service, product, and brand to really be able to effectively market themselves. They are also so focused on creating that amazing product or delivering their service (as they should be) that there is no extra time to dedicate to building and maintaining their brand as well as getting the word out to new potential clients and customers.
In the past six years, we have also learned through trial and error what we do best and what we need to leave to others who do it better. When you’re starting out, it’s easy to say “yes” to everything, and just figure it out as you go. We feel like we are finally reaching our stride with what services we confidently and consistently can execute and what types of clients we are the best fit for. With this evolution, we went through our own re-brand last year to reflect this growth and help communicate where we have “landed” after six years as well as the direction we are headed. While re-brand projects are our absolute favorite thing to work on for our clients, we had to tap into so many outside resources and mentorships to help authentically define our new brand identity.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Chatterbox Marketing and Communications – what should we know?
Chatterbox is a virtual boutique marketing and communications agency based in metro-Atlanta. We build brand awareness and loyalty through strategic development and integrated campaigns. Because of our size, expertise, and unique access to experienced marketing professionals in the field, we are able to provide a seamless experience and unparalleled results for each client.
Our contributors are a source of our strength; they share our values and are highly experienced and talented. As a virtual agency, we provide a unique, flexible work environment for our team. We believe in work/life balance. The nature of the service we provide hinges on the quality of our creative professional team. Because of our structure, we allow for our contributors to work the way they work best, without the constraints of a traditional brick and mortar agency office. Our vision is to confidently strengthen other brands by utilizing the unique expertise of our team.
While we offer a wide range of marketing and communications services, we specialize in branding, graphic design, website development, photography, and social media strategy & management.
We value integrity, relationships, loyalty, open and honest communications, and results. As a boutique agency, we are able to provide a unique personal service to our clients. We truly become an extension of your team to provide a seamless, positive experience.
We are small, but mighty and give each brand the attention it deserves.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Trust.
Because we understand and respect the value of how personal and important each brand is to every client, it is vital to earn and keep their trust.
It is also crucial for our team to trust each other with each task and timeline because we are all completely dependent on each other to provide a seamless experience for our clients and for our team.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thechatterboxagency.com
- Phone: 770-596-7080
- Email: hello@thechatterboxagency.com
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
