We recently connected with Kelly Hackney and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I always tell people that God blessed the broken road that led me to entrepreneurship.

Timing is everything, I truly believe that I had to go through what I went through and get to such a squashed place in my career to be ready to go out on my own. It’s been a wild ride so far and I’m excited to see what the future holds!

Kelly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I was in 2nd grade, I knew I wanted to be in Marketing as a profession. I remember that it was “Bring your Daughter to Work” Day and my dad, an accountant, brought me into the office with him. After sitting in a meeting with him and coloring on the spreadsheet he handed out, he knew that I wasn’t going to be a CFO like him when I grew up. For the afternoon he brought me to the marketing department and showed me what they were working on. I was enamored and overjoyed!

As soon as I could, I started taking marketing and entrepreneurship classes in school. In high school and college, I became involved in business organizations, such as DECA, and grew more in love with the profession.

When I graduated college with a marketing degree, my corporate journey began. After years of working for other people and other businesses and organizations, I started feeling squashed and undervalued. One September day in 2020, mid pandemic, I had reached my tipping point. I was being treated so poorly that I decided to take a huge risk and up and quit my job with no plan. During the pandemic, most companies were firing their marketing staffs, not hiring for more!

After talking with my mentor, I had mentioned that throughout my corporate years, I was helping smaller clients on the side with some of their marketing needs to keep my marketing love alive. He asked me why I didn’t go off on my own, gain more clients, and truly serve others the way that I wanted to. Needless to say, I panicked. I remember thinking, “there’s no way I’m built to run my own business, that’s too scary and no one will take me seriously.”

I got off of the phone with my mentor that day and walked straight into my husbands office. I told him that I was thinking of starting my own niche marketing firm and how I wanted serve others through my joyful spirit and passion for marketing. His response – “Of course you’re going to do that!”
I fell to my knees and cried with such gratitude for that moment.

The next day, I bought my LLC. and never turned back.

Caffeine with Kelly, LLC. is a marketing firm, driven by my love of coffee and positivity so that I can help spread joy, one marketing plan at a time. I specialize in marketing strategy and email marketing efforts.

In early 2022, I became the Co-CEO of Trifecta, LLC. with 2 other amazing heart-centered entrepreneurs so we can come together in different ways to help brands show up fearlessly, level up consistently, so that they can evolve into their greatest version of themselves.

As a young girl, I was in dance as well as would volunteer to speak in front of our church on Sundays. This is where my love for being on stage and speaking came from! Now, as a serial entrepreneur, I’m blessed to be able to travel and speak at events on topics such as marketing, mindset, entrepreneurship, and inspirational topics to help others see their caffeinated potential.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Within the marketing space, what sets me apart is my authentic brand and my voice. I created Caffeine with Kelly so that others could feel caffeinated, warm, and welcomed where my brand was concerned. I let my authentic self shine through, especially on social media, because I truly believe that we are all made for a purpose and we are all different – letting that shine is what makes us all special.

I have clients that come to me because they hear me speak on Clubhouse or on stages and feel connected with me and my brands.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

Over a year before starting Trifecta, I met my business partners on Clubhouse. Monica Allen and Monica Van Landingham are season entrepreneurs themselves and I’ve learned so much from them. What’s amazing about it is that we are so attached to each other and our individual missions and passions. From meeting on an audio-only app, to meeting on Zoom, to meeting in person, to now owning a business together! It’s been an amazing experience!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://caffeinewithkelly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkellyhackney/ and https://www.instagram.com/trifectagroupcoaching/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyhackney27/

Image Credits
Honest Mom Photography
D. Joseph Photography (photo of me in front of presentation screen)
Damon Peebles Photography (photo of me and 2 other incredible ladies – that’s Trifecta!)