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” You make your own luck.”
Having mentioned her favourite quote about success, it is only accurate to share how the Founder & CEO of Axle Eight, Kim Grennan, feels about her success, “I’ve always been a “do things differently” type of person. I don’t love going with the grain of things if I can help it and like finding new, better, more fun ways of anything. I think that most entrepreneurs have a big hint of this in their DNA. I have had a lot of help and support from family, friends, my husband, people in my network, even strangers. It’s hard to do anything on your own, so help continues to be key to my personal success.”
AS the digital revolution came into the picture in a massive way, the marketing industry saw its vertiginous rise and the arrival of new marketing firms with modern techniques that have thrown open new avenues for brands to reach their target audience. Scottsdale-based Axle Eight, a niche digital marketing agency, is one such firm that found its genesis in 2016 as the brainchild of seasoned entrepreneur and marketer Kim Grennan who specializes in strategic planning, start-ups, and web analytics.
With over a decade of experience as an entrepreneur, Kim has helped build and oversee multiple products and enabled businesses to perfect their road from zero to one. Born in Los Angeles but raised in Arizona, the dignified woman holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Loyola University Chicago.
Talking about the inspiration behind the inception of Axle Eight, the leading lady stated My background originally began in finance and corporate strategy but my love for creativity is what made me fall in love with marketing. Because unknown to many, marketing is one of the greatest true mixes of analytics and creativity. You need a very diverse set of skills to be broadly functional across all the various components that marketing holds; from design and copywriting to web analytics, technical SEO, and paid media. And I loved that I got to exercise a diversity of skills in this field.”
More about the Firm
As a full-service boutique digital marketing firm, Axle Eight offers a wide range of marketing solutions from paid media, content creation, PR, email, and social media services to mid-sized companies. As a service-based business that’s highly commoditized, it’s hard to differentiate on a completely unique level.
Kim further apprised, “There are not dozens, but hundreds of thousands of people who offer aspects of the services that Axle does. But it’s the people, and our process for how we get things done for our clients, our work quality, and how we pride ourselves on building unique relationships with our clients that set us apart. We like being very personable, more casual, and results-oriented. We tend to have a human approach to relationships and less of a white-collar business approach. We want to be approachable and transparent while achieving results you’ve only dreamed of.?
“We take a roll-up-our-sleeves approach to not only developing the strategy but actually executing tasks and objectives on a monthly basis for a fraction of the cost that a single full-time marketing employee might cost you”, she added.
The Source of Inspiration
Kim Grennan has always been attracted to how one could build a business and accomplish financial success through that, and she started Axle Eight with that goal in mind. It has been the most difficult endeavour in her life to date as an entrepreneur, but by far absolutely the most rewarding thing she has ever done. She proudly said that they have the best team around. Kim truly values each and every person along the way who she has had the privilege to call a colleague and a friend. In a service-based business, you’re only as successful as the people you surround yourself with. And the team at Axle has been very fortunate in this capacity.
Clientele & Corporate Ethos
Axle works with brands typically with 10-100 employees who are looking to do more with their marketing budget. The team works really well with B2B companies or B2C service-based companies who want to do things differently than the status quos of their respective industries. When it comes to building relationships with the clients, Kim and her entire team put a lot of emphasis on building trust through just being good people, being flexible, and getting results fast. At the end of the day, they are all just humans and they want to work with people who they like. It’s so important for Kim that her team can prove their value and show you that they are approachable, transparent, and are going to make the right calls for your business within the first 30 days. “We want you to fall in love with what we do for you. And the clients we work with love this mentality that we have”, shared Kim Grennan.
Hurdles on the Way
Axle works to improve their operational efficiencies every single day. It is something that has improved so significantly over the years, but will never stop. There is always room for improvement and we take great pride in sharing ideas amongst the team and having people internally take the lead on new improvement projects, and more! As a marketing agency, how you operate is a big part of your value, so for them it is a living and breathing “challenge” of making this excellent every single day.
Kim’s Favourite Book
Kim’s favourite book has always been Rich Dad Poor Dad. It’s an old one but a classic! The first time she read it she was 14 and it completely changed her life. It’s funny because she re-read it every year and she is always at a different stage in her life at the time and it provides new insight and perspective just solely based on where she is at that moment while reading it. It’s the book that keeps on giving because it always keeps her motivated in new ways.
Future Outlook
A larger team delivering services and results to the right clients in a systematic way that continues to be scalable. They have big growth goals, and luckily, they have never had a year where they haven’t achieved them. Kim plans on not breaking that streak! That keeps things most exciting for her, when they continue to crush their goals then get to create new ones.
Jewels in the Crown
Here is the list of awards won by Kim and her venture:
- 10 Most Influential Women in Tech – Analytics Insight
- 30 Most Reputable companies 2020 – The Silicon Review
- 10 Most Influential Women Leaders 2020 – As pioneer
- 10 Most Admired Business Women to Watch 2021 – CIO Views
- Best Boutique Digital Marketing Agency 2021 – Arizona – Corporate Vision Magazine
- 20 Best Scottsdale Digital Marketing Agencies – 2019, 2020, 2021 – Expertise
- Most Empowering Women in Business in 2021 – CIO Views
- Top 10 Inspiring Women Leaders Striving for Change – Perspective
- The 10 Most Influential Business Women to Watch in 2022 – Mirror Review
- Most Inspiring Business Leaders to Follow 2022 – Business Iconic
A Piece of Advice for Female Entrepreneurs
Do it now – it’s not going to get any easier as the years go on. You will likely only continue to get salary increases and feel more stuck and content in your employment. So, rip the band aid off and take a chance in building something for yourself!
