We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kayla MacVean-Salaun. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kayla below.

Kayla, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Along with taking care of clients, taking care of our team is one of the most important things we can do as leaders. Looking back on your journey, did you have a boss that was really great? Maybe you can tell us about that boss and what made them a wonderful person to work for?

I’m going to flip this question a bit—but hear me out. The best boss I ever had was actually the worst boss I ever had, because she taught me exactly what not to do.

I don’t say that to speak poorly about anyone, but that experience was incredibly defining for me. It was a small team (similar to where my company currently is), and I was in an environment where boundaries weren’t respected, there was a lack of clear processes, credit wasn’t always given where it was due, and ethical lines sometimes felt blurred. It was challenging, but it gave me a level of clarity I don’t think I would have gained otherwise.

It forced me to ask myself: what kind of leader do I want to be? And more importantly, what kind of environment do I want to create for my team?

Now, as a business owner, I lead very intentionally because of that experience. I prioritize clear communication, strong systems, and making sure my team feels respected, supported, and recognized for their work. I’m big on boundaries (not just for myself, but for my team as well) because I’ve seen firsthand what happens when those are missing.

So while it wasn’t the easiest experience at the time, it ended up being one of the most valuable. It shaped my leadership style and helped me build a company culture that I’m really proud of.

Kayla, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Marketing has always been a clear path for me, so I pursued it through my college education and early career. After six years of industry experience, I founded Clearly Creative Co., a social media marketing agency focused on helping brands grow with intention.

At Clearly Creative Co., we offer social media management, paid social advertising, content creation, and email marketing—but what we really do goes beyond deliverables. The problem we solve is one that sounds simple but is often overlooked: most brands are present online, but they’re not converting. We don’t just create aesthetically pleasing content, we build strategy-driven ecosystems that turn social media into a true sales and relationship-building channel.

Our approach is rooted in the buyer’s journey, blending storytelling, community-building, and strong funnel strategy. We focus on humanizing brands, creating content that feels both elevated and relatable, and building loyal audiences that actually trust (and buy from) the brands they follow.

What sets us apart, beyond strategy, is how deeply we care. We don’t view our clients as just accounts or retainers—we see them as partners. We take the time to understand not only their business goals, but who they are as people. That level of care shows up in the details, the consistency, and ultimately, the results we deliver. It’s something that can feel rare in this industry, but it’s a core part of who we are.

What I’m most proud of is the culture we’re building, both internally and in the brands we help shape. Everything we do is intentional, from how we communicate to how we create, and that intentionality is what allows us to build brands that people remember.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Hahaha this question hits home! I could go on and on about social media strategy, but I’ll try to simplify it in a way that hopefully helps others.

We split our content into 3 categories, that align with (you guessed it) the buyer’s journey:

60% of our content is for reach and brand awareness, and we include:
– Audience pain points
– Strong messaging/problem awareness
– Unique takes on the industry

30% of our content is for engagement and community building, and we include:
– Brand personality
– Behind the scenes
– Employee-generated content
– User generated content

And, the remaining 10% of our content is for conversion, where we get our audience to:
– Purchase
– Subscribe to a newsletter
– Send a DM
– Sign up for a lead opt-in, etc.

We do this for ourselves and for our clients, and it’s the (not-so) ‘secret sauce’ everyone always asks us about.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Yes! I’m very picky with the content I consume, especially around business, and have found these to be my top recommendations:

Secrets of Six-Figure Women (book) by Barbara Stanny: a book that identifies seven key strategies for female financial success, based on interviews with high-earning women, all around the world. The book argues that women can increase their earnings by adopting certain traits, and it was a book that defined my mindset around business and success.

Love As A Business Strategy (book): a book full of real-world examples of mistakes, heartbrak, and redemption in business that offers a people-first framework for achieving any business outcome. It helped me define how I want to manage my team, how to navigate difficult situations, and that the typical ‘ruthless’ business and management advice wasn’t going to work for me.

Aspire by Emma Grede (podcast): an incredible podcast hosted by Emma Grede, one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time that I profoundly admire. She interviews other high-performing and extremely successful entrepreneurs, and they talk about their stories, struggles, ideas, etc. It’s an amazing resource and very inspiring!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.clearlycreativeco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clearlycreative.co/

Image Credits

@nicolelebriscreative