We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brandy Kemp a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brandy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with something countless entrepreneurs have had to figure out on the fly – how have you dealt with the rise of remote work?

Remote work isn’t for everyone, but it works for us.

At Kemp Marketing, we’ve built a fully remote team that thrives without micromanagement, burnout, or constant emails. How? It’s simple (but not always easy): we lead with communication, clarity, and care.

We’re a small but mighty crew. We have monthly Zoom check-ins, but our real success comes from constant connection. Whether it’s a quick message or a deeper chat, we actually talk to each other. And as the owner, I make it a point to check in regularly, not just on deadlines, but on how my team is doing as humans.

One of our best moves? We used the DISC assessment to understand each team member’s communication style. Knowing how someone naturally thinks, works, and handles pressure? Game changer. It helped us avoid unnecessary tension and put each person in roles that play to their strengths.

Some companies fear remote work because they assume people won’t care as much. And sure, no one will ever care quite like the founder, but that doesn’t mean your team can’t show up and own it. The key? Respect their time. Ask their opinion. Protect their bandwidth. If there’s a problem, I don’t immediately throw it on their plate, I guide them through it, or I handle it myself the first time.

We didn’t start remote because it was trendy. We started this way because it made sense—and we’ve stayed successful because we’ve made it intentional.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I didn’t take the traditional route into marketing, I built my business from behind the camera.

I started as a professional photographer over 20 years ago, helping small businesses look good and show up with confidence. But the more I worked with local businesses, the more they started asking for advice beyond the camera. “How do I get more people to see this?” “Should I be posting this?” “What should my brand even say?”

Turns out, I was doing marketing long before I called it that.

Today, I run Kemp Marketing, a digital marketing agency that specializes in helping home trades and small businesses stand out without selling their soul. We focus on SEO, social media, branding, content, and consulting, with a little guerrilla marketing flair thrown in when needed.

If you’re tired of cookie-cutter strategies and want something that actually feels like you, we’re your people.

What makes us different? We don’t just “post and ghost.” We dig deep to understand your brand, your audience, and your goals, and then we build a plan that works for you, not just for algorithms.

We work remotely, but we’re personal. We’re professional, but we’ll also tell you when your website looks like it was made in 2003.

What I’m most proud of? Every time a small business owner tells me they feel seen, understood, and confident in their message. That’s the win.

If you’re a small business or home services pro who wants a brand that works just as hard as you do—we should talk.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My first employee, Jodi, wasn’t hired from a résumé pile—she was someone I clicked with (literally and creatively).

We met when I photographed her daughter years ago, and through that connection, I found out Jodi had dreams of opening an art studio. At the time, I had a space downtown, and my youngest daughter loved art—so we turned the studio into a shared creative space for Jodi to hold classes.

That partnership sparked something bigger. Jodi became someone I trusted, laughed with, and built with. She’s the kind of person who says, “Yeah, do that,” or “What if we…” and suddenly the idea is better.

She keeps me grounded and true to who I am. That’s more than just a working relationship, it’s the soul of Kemp Marketing.

A lot of agencies talk strategy. We talk real life, real ideas, and real people. That’s our edge.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I started building my business, I was late to the social media game. No strategy, no planner, no curated content calendar; just real life.

But that’s what made it work.

Back then, social media still had some growing up to do, and so did I. So I shared what I had: the behind-the-scenes, the messy middle, the client wins, the learning curves. I showed us. The real work. The real people. The real moments.

And people responded.

Because here’s the truth: everyone is living real life every day. And when you show up without the filters (literally and figuratively) you give people something to relate to.

If you’re trying to build your business now and feel like you’re behind? You’re not. You just need one thing: consistency.

Pick one day a week. Post something true. Show your face. Share your story.

That’s how you build trust. That’s how you build anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brandykemp.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kempmarketing
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kempmarketing