Q. What did you want to be when you were a little kid?
A. I loved reading, writing, design and all things fashion and style. The majority of my travel, cultural experiences and understanding of the world came from being a voracious reader. From elementary school, I thought I wanted to be a magazine editor, reporter or designer. By the time I graduated from college as an English major into a mid-aughts recession economy, it was pretty clear that the publishing sector didn’t have the growth potential it once had.
In some ways, though, I still found my own version of that childhood dream to be a creative. Instead of working to create a magazine, I’m advising clients on their own storytelling, engagement, marketing and social impact strategies while building a brand and company myself. I like to think I found a really happy compromise.
Q. What does your company do?
A. KM Strategies Group (KMSG) is a social impact advisory firm. We specialize in creating and implementing strategies that promote social good, working with clients like USAID, Global Citizen, NYC Health and others. Our services range from strategic communications to digital strategy and influencer partnerships, all designed to amplify our clients’ impact.
We’ve been honing in on specialized offerings in philanthropy, nonprofit leadership and management, corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability and strategic communications. We help companies, organizations and initiatives tell their impact story. Some of that work is done through annual reports, landscape evaluations and audits that come with recommendations on how to improve messaging, engagement and brand affinity. Other work we do is around strategy and implementation work to help executives, brands or teams grow their own profiles through opportunities in new and digital media like podcast interviews, panel appearances, brand partnerships, editorial thought leadership and media profiles.
Q. How long has your company been in business?
A. KMSG was founded in 2021.
Q. Can you tell us about why and how you started the company?
A. After a number of years with leading social justice organizations, I observed a need for strategic guidance in converting vision into impact. This led to the founding of KMSG. The goal was to harness my experience in digital strategy, media relations and social advocacy to elevate organizations striving for social change. We live by this at KMSG, too, dedicating 10% of our revenue to nonprofits and ensuring our team maintains a healthy work-life balance with a four-day work week.
Q. What has been your biggest business challenge in the past year?
A. The expansion of our professional network in the new norm of remote work. Traditional face-to-face interactions and serendipitous encounters at events were significantly reduced, impacting the organic growth of our contacts and opportunities. To address this, we’ve adopted a multi-faceted approach.
First, we increased our digital presence, leveraging social media platforms not just for outreach but for engagement, positioning ourselves as thought leaders and starting conversations that matter. Second, we made it a priority to connect with organizations that host supplier diversity events, ensuring that our name is on the list when invitations are sent out. Third, we have encouraged and supported our team members to be ambassadors for our company, empowering them to build their own networks which, in turn, contribute to our company’s growth.
Q. What is one thing that makes you stand out from your competition?
A. Our firm not only advises on social impact, we live it. By dedicating part of our revenue to nonprofits and advocating for work-life balance, we embody the values we promote, setting an authentic example for our clients and competitors alike.
Q. What do you wish you had more time to do?
A. Everything. I especially love extremely long walks, audiobooks, podcasts and deep conversations over dinner with friends and my husband, Raúl.
Q. What’s your favorite place in the world you’ve ever visited?
A. For working remotely: London. Culture, design, transportation, and grad school friends!
For zoning out: Bermuda. 90 minutes from JFK and still a world away.
For a city to immerse myself in completely: Madrid. Heat, architecture, tapas and churros. Heaven.
Q. What is one piece of business advice you would offer your LGBTQ+ peers?
A. Be direct, be kind and be helpful. A mentor once told me that colleagues, clients and partners will like you based on one characteristic alone: whether you make their lives easier or harder. I always try to make their lives easier, and as a result, I like to believe it makes mine easier, too.
How to connect … kmstrategies.group
Leave A Comment