Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Branch.
Katherine, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
There are a few things about me that have always been evident. I love people, I need to be creative, I am kind, I am empathetic, I work hard, and I understand systems.
As a kid, I opted for games where I got to play some kind of “leader” – a teacher, mother, or shop owner for example – and would organize my siblings and friends around the rules I designed. Today, as the Founder and CEO of Green Gate Marketing, I get to bring creativity, decisiveness, vision, confidence, flexibility, and a willingness to learn to work every single day.
Most of my education was frustrating to me. I have a deep love of learning, but it turns out I don’t thrive in situations with too much structure. I beat myself up for that for many years. I didn’t grow up with “entrepreneur” as part of my vocabulary. The concept wasn’t yet part of our social lexicon. The envelope-pushing, status quo challenging, questioning part of my nature never really fit in.
After many years working with kids, I got my start in advertising in my late 20’s, completely unintentionally. I was at a crossroads in my life. I had left a bad relationship and moved home to start my life over. I took a job as a receptionist at an ad agency and was soon after moved to the PR department. Within a few more months, the company president offered to move me to the advertising side as an assistant account manager on one of their largest accounts.
I remember him saying what a big opportunity this would be for me if I was interested in pursuing a career in advertising. I took it. I soaked up everything I could; I asked 10 million questions. I felt more confident and creative and exhilarated at work than I ever had in my life. To me, advertising is the intersection of strategy, creativity, collaboration, real problem solving, and understanding human behavior. And it just clicked.
When I first started Green Gate, I didn’t let myself dream the whole dream. I took it one step at a time, and once I proved to myself I could do it, my dream would get a little bigger, and I would take the next step. That’s how we’ve grown.
I started Green Gate out of my home in August 2014. By the spring of 2015, I was able to hire a junior designer – my first full-time employee. The spare bedroom became her office, and over that summer, my team grew large enough that we could no longer fit around my dining room table. In September 2015, we moved to our current office space in Decatur, a milestone that required my first financial investment. My husband and I used our savings to furnish the office space and purchase the equipment needed to operate.
Today Green Gate’s office space and staff have further expanded. Green Gate has become a successful marketing and design agency that makes a direct and positive impact on our community.
Has it been a smooth road?
There have been plenty of times in previous jobs where I felt unchallenged, unappreciated, or unsatisfied. It came naturally for me to question big picture issues that affected the work I was doing. I wasn’t just looking for quick fixes; I wanted real solutions to systemic problems. But, my ideas weren’t always met with encouragement from my bosses, and I was told on more than one occasion to know my role. I wanted to make a difference, to turn my conviction into action, and I was frustrated at the illogical pushback I experienced.
My career has taught me that you cannot let someone else define your worth – that is for only you to determine. I am very careful that my employees, especially young women, understand the difference between behavior and worth at work. I internalized too much in my career as a young woman and carried shame and doubt in myself as a result. I want to draw a line of distinction there.
I realize now that I always needed to be in a position of leadership. And because of my personal experiences as an employee, I now get to be a boss that empowers my team and encourages them to step up with their gifts and contributions. As a business owner, I feel like I am constantly struggling for balance. My job can be all-consuming, which doesn’t feel like a bad thing most days when you love your job. But over time, it’s easy to lose touch with some of the other parts of life that need attention. That’s something I am actively working on.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Green Gate Marketing story. Tell us more about the business.
Green Gate is a woman-owned, Atlanta-based marketing and design agency that partners with organizations to advance human and social impact. We are known for the quality of our work and our client relationships. We see our clients as partners, and we are passionate about the work they do.
With full-service capabilities ranging from website design and video production to branding and digital campaigns, we bring our broad expertise in strategy, marketing, communications, and design to everything we do. I like to say Green Gate is a Business with Soul, meaning we measure our success by the impact of what we produce, by employee satisfaction, community involvement, and financial and cultural health. I want to help more businesses with soul emerge and connect with communities and initiatives that need their help.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I believe that marketing at its best is about connection. Creating a connection in a big, busy, complicated world. And that, as marketers, we have an opportunity – a responsibility even – to guide mass communications toward connection rather than division.
My goal for Green Gate is that we get to keep working with companies and nonprofits that care about the world, that, through our work, we can reach more people, and that the campaigns we create affect people deeply and inspire them to do something good.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2752 E. Ponce de Leon Ave, Suite G Decatur, GA 30030
- Website: greengate-marketing.com
- Phone: 404-919-0708
- Email: hello@greengate-marketing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greengatemktg/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenGateMarketing/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreenGateMktg
Image Credit:
Matthew Warren
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