We recently connected with Galaz Bibbs and have shared our conversation below.

Galaz, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

This is a great question. Having experience in both the nonprofit and digital advertising sectors, I’ve observed some common misconceptions in corporate America across both industries. I’ll start with marketing and public relations. In my experience working in corporate America, with small businesses, and for myself, I’ve noticed that many people don’t fully grasp the breadth of marketing. They often think it’s limited to print or social media, but it’s much more nuanced. Marketing includes subcategories like email marketing, SEO, PR, analytics, social listening, influencer marketing, paid and organic social media—the list goes on.

Let me share a story from my first corporate job in Atlanta, Georgia, where I worked as a marketing coordinator for a company that had been around for about 20 years. It was a midsize company with around 150 employees. When I started, they didn’t have many expectations of me beyond fixing up their social media sites and developing email marketing campaigns. I was the entire marketing department—just me, myself, and I. After 30 days, I realized this wasn’t a company where I could grow, as they didn’t have clear marketing goals or even an understanding of where they wanted to go. But fresh out of college and excited about my first “real” job, I accepted the challenge.

My goal was to create a strategy and guidelines to help the next marketing team understand the company’s needs. By month three, I was full of energy, even interviewing employees to understand how the company functioned. But after a few months, I realized I hadn’t been doing what I was hired to do—marketing. I then began advocating for myself and for expanding the marketing department, but it didn’t go well. That’s when I learned a crucial lesson: whether in business or personal life, you need to identify your “why.” What are your goals? What are you trying to achieve? After sitting down with the CEO and realizing they were more focused on sales and had no real grasp of marketing, I had to make a decision.

There’s also a common myth that nonprofits don’t generate revenue. While it’s true that many nonprofits don’t start off as big money-makers, their focus is on their mission—whether that’s to create, educate, or inspire. It can take years before they see substantial revenue. However, the same level of attention and effort applied to a for-profit business must be applied to a nonprofit if you want to see success.

Here’s another story: I once interviewed for a marketing position with a Fortune 500 company in my early 20s. The interviewer asked me about my background, and at the time, I didn’t have a lot of experience beyond internships and education. I started explaining how I had worked for a nonprofit organization and how my skills could translate to the role. The interviewer cut me off, saying, “Nonprofits don’t make money. I’m looking for experience with for-profit businesses that generate significant revenue.” What he didn’t realize was that the nonprofit I had interned with generated over $1 million annually. While I don’t want to toot my own horn, some of my marketing contributions as an intern may have played a part in that success. This experience highlighted the gap in understanding that many people have when it comes to nonprofits.

In both the corporate and nonprofit sectors, it’s critical to understand the full scope of marketing and business strategies to be successful.

Galaz, 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?

I am a passionate, ambitious, and innovative individual who loves making an impact, building lasting relationships, and creating beyond the standard norms. I truly believe this industry found me. Growing up, when asked what I wanted to be, I didn’t have a clear answer, but I always knew I wanted my career to be an integral part of my lifestyle. With that in mind, I decided to major in Mass Communication in college, as it combined many of my interests and offered the flexibility to explore various concentrations until I found what truly excited me.

It didn’t start off as easy. I use to question myself daily. Like is this for me? Did I chose the right career? Why isn’t anyone hiring me? Why am I this least paid here and running this department by myself? What do I even want out of life? A client that I worked for always spoke about mindset and at the time I did not understand. Having that shift in mindset completely altered my perspective, leading me to realize that everything I once perceived as working against me was, in fact, working in my favor. I was running a department myself, because I would soon be leading teams. I did not know what I wanted out of life at the time, but this made me do the dirty work to figure out what type of tone I wanto set and how I want to show up in spaces. I am not just a marketer, I am not just a founder. I am Galaz Bibbs and the values that I adopted are not just instilled in who I am, but also in what I do.

I specialize in elevating brands to unprecedented heights, ​steering them toward resounding success. I help clients and businesses first identify their “why,” then define the objectives they aim to achieve within a specific timeframe.

My ability to pivot between B2B and B2C spaces, while building authentic relationships and driving measurable results, demonstrates my adaptability. Additionally, my hands-on leadership in curating large-scale events, combined with my passion for innovation and storytelling, allows me to approach challenges creatively and deliver impactful solutions. This combination of skills, along with my commitment to continuous learning and my experience in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors, makes my approach holistic and people-centered—something that’s not always common in the industry.

I am so excited to challenge social norms and bring a new perspective to storytelling and community engagment. A few things that got me where I am today are:
– Trying new things
– Having a mindset shift
– Continuously learning how to pivot
– Avoiding burnout
– And simply just being thankful for having experiences that challenge me professionally, good and bad.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My journey is continuous in showing who I am and how desire to live a life made by me with my own rules. Embracing continuous learning and evolution within my journey has instilled me with the ethos of being my ‘Own Boss’. This isn’t confined to entrepreneurship; it’s about seizing control of your narrative because, in essence, you are your own brand. This is the secret to me being successful; showing up, craft impactful narratives, cultivate connections, and set a tone for my brand.
Recently, I made a significant move to Los Angeles to advance my career in PR, focusing on nurturing relationships, enhancing brand perception, curating events, and engaging with audiences.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I love this question. So often, we go through life without realizing that many of the things we’ve been taught come from a place of fear or limitation. Communication is essential—never assume, and don’t take things too personally. What many people don’t realize is that effective communication is a skill, and it’s one that not everyone fully utilizes. It requires being open and transparent.

Assumptions lead to conclusions that we create in our own minds. It’s always better to ask questions first, because you never know what’s happening behind the scenes that influences someone’s decisions.

We’re all human, constantly learning and growing—at least, we should be. Once you understand that so much of how we perceive the world comes from within, you start seeing things differently.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bibbsfoundation.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everything_galaz/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/galaz-bibbs-207a19138/?trk=in_page_go_back_click

Image Credits

SFS Atlanta Panelist – 2023

Back-to-School Bash – 2023

New York Fashion Week – 2024

Memory House Downtown Los Angeles – 2024