We recently connected with James Kaatz and have shared our conversation below.

James, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

Every business has an origin story.
Ours began with a skeleton—in a dress—with flowers in her hair.

One afternoon, my wife and co-founder and I were driving through town when she noticed something impossible to ignore: a huge, vibrant Mexican Catrina standing proudly outside a new restaurant. The colors, the artistry, the personality—it all jumped out like it was calling our names.

She pointed and said, “We have to go eat there.”

I didn’t even think about it.
We turned the car around on the spot.

What started as lunch quickly became one of those life-changing moments you only recognize in hindsight.

We walked into Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen and instantly felt the energy—warm, welcoming, alive. The food smelled incredible. The décor had soul. And when the plates arrived? Mind-blowing. But the hospitality… the hospitality was on another level.

This wasn’t a restaurant.
It was a celebration of culture.

As we ate, something unexpected happened.
At a table near us, the owners were meeting with their marketing company. We weren’t listening on purpose—but it was impossible not to notice the tone. It was tense. Quiet. Heavy.

When the meeting ended, no one smiled.
And we believe something deeply: marketing should be the most fun part of running a business.

A few minutes later, the owners got up and started making their rounds—touching tables, greeting guests. My wife looked up and simply asked:

“Did you guys just finish a marketing meeting?”

They sighed. “Yes.”

That’s when the door cracked open.
We started talking—humbly, respectfully, without selling—just genuinely exploring whether they’d be open to seeing a new approach. Something fresh. Something driven by passion and creativity instead of cookie-cutter campaigns.
They said yes.

Of course… saying yes and actually getting the meeting were two different things.
For weeks, we called, followed up, checked in, tried again. We weren’t pushy—just persistent. Because we believed in what we could help them build.

Finally, we got the meeting.
We put together the proposal.
We brought every ounce of strategy, creativity, and heart we had.

And they agreed.

The deal wasn’t glamorous.
It wasn’t five figures.
It wasn’t even mostly cash.

It was a small sum… plus a healthy amount of payment in food credit.

But that deal?
That humble beginning?

It changed everything.

Over the next 12 months, we partnered with them to rebuild their brand communication, elevate their customer experience, and create marketing that matched the personality of the incredible restaurant they had built.

By the end of that first year, Ambriza had doubled their revenue.
Not by gimmicks.
Not by luck.
But by spotlighting the magic that was already there.

And that Catrina—the one that caught my wife’s eye and made us flip a U-turn?
She’s the reason Illumination Marketing exists today.

Because sometimes, the universe doesn’t whisper your calling.
Sometimes… it stands outside a restaurant wearing a massive hat and shouting it at you.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

For readers who may not know me yet—here’s my story, my background, and why Illumination Marketing exists.

My name is James Kaatz, and I’ve spent more than 20 years in the world of marketing, branding, and human communication. But my path into this industry wasn’t traditional—it started in a wrestling ring.

From the Wrestling Ring to the Boardroom

Before marketing, I spent eight years as a professional wrestler. It was an incredible experience—performing in front of crowds, storytelling in real time, and learning how to capture attention and hold it. But eventually, I realized I was beating up my brain for far too little money, and I needed a new chapter.

So I went to college, earned a degree in Communications, and stepped into the world that would ultimately shape my life.

Early Career: Learning the Industry From the Inside

My first major opportunity was in Houston, Texas, joining a local ad agency as a media buyer for Fortune 500 brands.
That role taught me how big companies think, how they spend, and how powerful strategic messaging can be when executed with precision.

After several years, I needed a new challenge, so I transitioned into a marketing agency focused on the automotive industry. I quickly moved into management, and together our team grew the client roster from 19 clients to more than 120 in just two years.

Those experiences built my foundation as a strategist—understanding numbers, psychology, media, and scalable systems.

Becoming a Marketing Executive

My next chapter was in healthcare as a marketing executive, where I helped the company achieve record-breaking revenue in my first year. I loved the impact we were able to make, but something deeper was stirring—an entrepreneurial pull I couldn’t ignore.

The Moment That Changed Everything

The reason my wife and I ultimately started Illumination Marketing wasn’t business-related at all—it was personal.

We took our autistic daughter to one of her favorite restaurants when she was about ten years old. She ran ahead of us to the door, excited as always. But when she pulled on the handle, it didn’t open.

By the time we caught up to her, we saw a sign that stopped us cold:
“Thank you for the last 5 years.
We’ve gone out of business.”

Seeing the look on her face—and feeling the heartbreak of a place she loved disappearing overnight—hit us harder than we expected. On the drive home, my wife and I started talking:
“What if marketing was the thing they didn’t have?”
“What if the skill set we’ve spent our entire careers building could have helped them stay open?”
“What if there are hundreds of businesses just like this—amazing at what they do, but struggling simply because the right people never discovered them?”

That was the moment the light bulb turned on.
That was the moment Illumination Marketing was born.

What We Do Today

Today, our agency helps businesses—especially those earning $1M to $10M+—grow through strategic, full-stack marketing. Our services include:
SEO & Local SEO
Google & Meta Ads / Paid Media
Branding & creative direction
Story-driven content & campaigns
Website design & conversion optimization
Fractional CMO and strategic consulting

But to us, marketing is more than services.

The Real Problem We Solve
Most businesses don’t fail because of their product.
They don’t fail because of their team.
They don’t even fail because of economics.
They fail because too few people know they exist.
We fix that.

We illuminate brands so the right customers can actually find them.

What Sets Us Apart

We blend art and analytics. We’re creatives who understand data—and strategists who understand design.
We make marketing fun again. Energy, momentum, and excitement matter.
We obsess over psychology and storytelling. Every campaign starts with understanding humans first.
We act like partners, not vendors. We show up in your business as if it’s our own.
We’re outcome-driven, not activity-driven. Results matter. KPIs matter. Growth matters.

What I’m Most Proud Of

I’m proud that our origin is rooted in service—not opportunity.
I’m proud that our first client came from a genuine conversation over lunch.
I’m proud that we’ve helped companies break revenue records, expand locations, and transform their brands.
I’m proud that our clients often tell us we’re “the easiest part of doing business.”

But above all, I’m proud that Illumination Marketing exists to keep the lights on for great businesses—so fewer families experience the heartbreak my daughter felt that day.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

One of my favorite—and most terrifying—marketing stories isn’t about a client.

It’s about us.

When my wife and I launched Illumination Marketing in 2018, we built our company on social media marketing. It was the right move at the time. Organic reach was strong, content was performing well, and we were helping businesses grow their revenue in very real ways.

But by 2023, everything started to shift.
The platforms went all-in on video.
Algorithm changes became constant.

Clients began obsessing over vanity metrics—likes, shares, impressions—rather than the one thing that truly matters: revenue.

We found ourselves working harder than ever, producing more content than ever, and getting trapped in the grind of interruption-based marketing. It was exhausting, unsustainable, and—worst of all—no longer aligned with our values.

Marketing should be strategic.
It should be intentional.
It should move people from curiosity to conversion—not just entertain them in a feed they scroll half-asleep.

In January of 2024, we made the biggest risk-filled decision of our entire career:

We pivoted our entire agency from social media services to intent-based marketing.
SEO.
Conversion-driven PPC.
Full-stack performance marketing.

This wasn’t a small tweak—it was a foundational shift in who we served, how we delivered value, and what our brand meant.

There was one problem:
SEO takes time.
You can’t flip a switch and become the agency known for search.
You can’t publish one blog post and rank.
You can’t build trust with Google overnight.

And because of that lag time, the risk hit fast.

Revenue dipped.
Profit dwindled.
The phone wasn’t ringing as much.

We questioned ourselves.
We wondered if we had just made the biggest mistake of our careers.

There were nights I lay awake staring at the ceiling thinking:
“What if we miscalculated?”
“What if clients don’t follow us into this new direction?”
“What if we just set our business back years?”

But here’s the part most people don’t see in glossy agency highlight reels:

Growth often looks like a downturn before it looks like an upswing.

We stayed the course.
We kept refining our offers.
We built authority through content.
We leaned into our experience with data, psychology, and performance strategy.

And slowly—very slowly—things started to move.

Rankings improved.
Inbound leads trickled in.
Case studies solidified our new positioning.
Momentum built.

Then, around the 18-month mark, everything clicked.
Search traffic surged.
Inbound leads exploded.
Clients started finding us instead of the other way around.
Revenue climbed to the highest level in our company’s history.
And profit followed right behind it.

Today, Illumination Marketing is stronger, more aligned, and more profitable than ever before—and it all came from taking a leap into something we believed in before the results existed.

What I Felt Then vs. What I Feel Now

Back then?
Fear. Pressure. Uncertainty. A pit in my stomach I couldn’t shake.

Now?
Gratitude. Confidence. Clarity. And pride that we didn’t take the easy path.

Looking back, that pivot wasn’t just a business decision.
It was a declaration of who we are:
We are an agency that chooses purpose over popularity.
We are an agency that follows results, not trends.
We are an agency that will walk through the valley if it leads our clients—and ourselves—to higher ground.

And that decision is why we now do the best work of our entire careers.

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

I believe our reputation was built on three things: results, relationships, and radical transparency.

From day one, we made a decision to operate differently than most marketing agencies. Instead of hiding behind vanity metrics or vague reports, we focused relentlessly on what actually moves a business forward—revenue, qualified leads, and long-term brand equity.

Clients quickly recognized that we weren’t just creating “marketing activity.” We were building systems and strategies that generated measurable growth. That consistency in outcomes became the foundation of our reputation.

Just as important, we treated clients like partners, not transactions. We communicated openly, set clear expectations, and told the truth even when it wasn’t convenient. That earned trust, and trust multiplied into referrals, long-term relationships, and opportunities we never expected.

Finally, shifting our agency to intent-based marketing—SEO, PPC, and conversion strategy—showed the market that we prioritize sustainable, scalable results over chasing trends. That move reinforced our identity as a strategic, data-driven agency built for businesses ready to grow.

In short, our reputation was built by doing what we said we’d do, delivering results that mattered, and caring deeply about the success of every client we serve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marketingillumination.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/marketingillumination
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marketingillumination
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketingillumination/
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mktillumination
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/illuminationmarketing
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/illumination-marketing-houston