Meet Ashley Steele | Founder & CEO of Obtain Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Steele and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I grew up thinking if I just “followed the rules” my life would turn out just fine. I quickly found that having a “check list life” is not a way to live (in my opinion) and often keeps us away from a truly incredible one.

I like to look at the big decisions in my life through a lens of calculated risk. You won’t find me jumping out of an airplane for the sake of it. Heh. But you will find me deciding to start a digital marketing firm in the middle of a pandemic when options were looking less than rosy.

I think the important thing in risk taking is to assess why you’re doing it, how it could benefit your life and soul, what the absolute worst and absolute best outcomes could be, and know that you’ll most likely fall somewhere in the upper middle. — If that “upper middle” scenario brings you joy and betterment in your life, what do you have to lose? Go for it!

Big milestones for me have all been based on calculated risk. Moving to Colorado when I was 17 having never visited (but done a TON of research). Reaching out to the editor and HR team at a large Fashion, Entertainment and Lifestyle Magazine in Los Angeles when I had very little experience and landing an internship through my very persistent emails, eventually leading to the start of my career. Starting a company in the middle of the pandemic. — And the list goes on.

I’m grateful for times in my life when I felt stuck, because those often led to big risks and the greatest improvements in my life.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Starting and growing Obtain Creative has been one of the biggest challenges and joys for me. I am so very proud of our team, and know we are offering something pretty rare within the digital marketing community. Not only are we data-backed in everything we do, but we also truly care about our clients and their business.

We don’t just have a product that is templated that we churn out. Each client receives dedicated time through our Strategy Jam sessions which focus on learning and understanding their business and what is important to them. We then take that information and perform research through a number of tools and hand-pulled research. — In my 15 years of experience, I found that most marketers don’t ask the hard questions like, “Why?” and certainly don’t tend to support that “why?” with data to back it up. Most just decide, “hey, this is fun, pretty, cool, let’s do that!” And while it may be all of those things, if it doesn’t also provide value to our client’s business goals, it’s not successful marketing.

At Obtain this is a core principle of ours: listen to our clients, ask the hard questions, perform thorough research, design a strategy that reflects back to our clients tangible goals, and measure against those.

This is certainly not the easiest way to do our work, but it is the most valuable and satisfying, for both ourselves and our clients.

Seeing the results on paper tells us that we’re doing something really good and special. When times get tough, our team gets to celebrate, seeing that our hard work is paying off.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Gosh, there is SO much to do here, and it’s changing all the time. My go-to favorites are visiting MCA Denver, especially if they have a special event or exhibit happening, and stopping by before or after for a beer at Denver Beer Co nearby (you can walk). I would also recommend biking across the city one day on the Cherry Creek trail. There are so many spots to get off and grab a bite to eat and just see a good chunk of the city. My favorite place to grab a fancy cocktail is still Williams & Graham. If you haven’t been, try to book a reservation. This place looks like a book store from the outside, but has a speakeasy in back. They also have great food! Forest Room 5, also in LoHi, is another favorite spot. For hiking, I would recommend driving out towards Boulder and parking at the NCAR parking lot. There is a trailhead at the top that is gorgeous and connects to some of the best hikes. Whatever you decide to do with your week, you will have PLENTY to choose from. Stop by RiNo arts district, check out the dive bars on South Broadway, or pick from a million different breweries. (Depending on the time of year, a Mexican Chocolate Stout at Copper Kettle Brewery is a find.) For a laid back but delicious meal, head to Dio Mio for some handmade pasta. Okay, I’ll stop. Machete Tequila + Tacos in Cherry Creek…

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not have made it this far in my career or life if it weren’t for my Aunt Catherine and Uncle Gary. I grew up with very little traditional, family support, and Cath and Gary were there for me in my most difficult times as a young person trying to find my way. Thank you, Aunt Catherine and Uncle Gary for providing me shelter, support, a listening ear, and sound advice when I felt so lost. You have been my ever going cheerleaders and the best role models I could have asked for. Love you both dearly!!

I would also like to thank my husband, Rich for walking beside me through the last 10 years! You have stuck with me throughout it all, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you, my love.

Website: https://obtaincreative.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/obtaincreative/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/obtain-creative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/obtaincreative

Image Credits
Sarah Oden Photographer