Let's keep it real, failing sucks. It doesn't feel good. Yet, I push myself to take leaps in my personal and professional lives, facing the reality that the net might never appear. And if it doesn't, what will I do? Never take another leap again? Stay stagnant and uphold the status quo. I think not!

How can someone who is afraid to fail take risks and innovate? Well, they muster up the courage. They take action. They give themselves grace. They extract value, insights, and learnings from the experience and put them to good use. They accept it and move forward. And they do it quickly.

Let’s expand our view of leadership and shine a light on cross-functional leadership and lateral agility. We all know these skills are essential for success in larger organizations, yet they’re often underrated. As a marketer who has worked in both startups and enterprise companies, I’ve had to “reach across the aisle”—collaborating with other departments (some of which were pretty prickly) to achieve common goals. This meant building relationships, bridging gaps, coaching, and influencing without authority on a daily basis. To

Are you ready to lead the charge for change in your industry? Let me introduce you to Inclusive marketing.

Inclusive marketing strategies can empower underrepresented groups to reach their full potential and drive success for your business.

Did you know that 5.2% of marketing budgets are allocated to multicultural marketing despite a population size of 40%? (AIMM 2019).

😬

What do DEI principles in marketing look like?

Here’s a great example.

Etsy’s Gift Like You Mean It campaign shows a young girl’s struggle because of her uncommon name - Shiori.

🙁 It’s not on the gas station's personalized license plates.

🙁 It’s spelled incorrectly on her coffee cup.

🙁 Her teacher can’t even pronounce it in class.

(Btw, I can definitely relate to this 😒)

She has to repeat her name over and over because of its uniqueness.

Frustration brews.

Is your company ready to level up its marketing? Let’s start with your consumers.

The modern consumer has evolved; society is becoming a cultural mosaic. Groups formerly labeled as “minorities,” who currently make up 40% of the US population, are projected to be the majority by 2044. The population under the age of 18 is already 52.7% multicultural; and consumers, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are more diverse in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and differences in ability.

But here’s the disappointing news; despite the data, multicultural ad spend is only 5.2% of total advertising and marketing spend. *