Meet Kimberly Hogate | Marketing Agency Owner

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

Hi Kimberly, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m proud to be from Chicago where I grew up feeling like there was “something more” out there to be discovered. I grew up in Cook County about 30 minutes from the downtown area, so I was right outside of the super urban environment, with just a quick drive or train ride to get right in the thick of it.

I loved the divergence of culture, the many languages I heard spoken around me, the fast pace, and the feeling of opportunity. I also loved the history and music and food.

While I’ve grown up near a large urban environment, I’ve also lived straight up in the middle of nowhere. I lived just south of the Canadian border in the Selkirk Mountain range near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, on a road that became famous for being so hidden (ironically) – Ruby Ridge Rd. I lived there in an organized facility during high school with other teenage misfits that were causing a rukus growing up.

The two divergent experiences taught me my greatest skill – independence. I was always an independent “I can do it myself” kind of kid, but having to fend for myself in both environments really made me – “unmesswithable.”

And that’s a skill you definitely need if you want to survive as a business owner, because it can shake you to the core, but you have to separate yourself from the business and not take anything personally. You have to just grow from whatever is thrown at you and whatever you experience.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business started from rejection.

Yep! I’m proud of it too! I asked my boss for a raise because I was barely getting by, despite the most stringent budgeting and financial practices. I was struggling. I couldn’t afford but one pair of shoes a year and that was a luxury.

I put together a huge presentation with stats and numbers explaining my worth. I was met with total rejection. I wouldn’t be receiving anything. On top of that, my boss gave me a pineapple. Yeah. Him: “About that raise, not going to be able to. But I did grab this pineapple for you from the Farmer’s Market this weekend.”

You can actually read more about that particular story here:

The Pineapple Story

I quit that job shortly after that experience because I was done letting others determine my worth.

I left with a co-worker actually and started my first business. I was in charge of sales and business development and had the title of Co-Founder. A while into that business, someone from the community came in (ironically with the same name as me), bought into the business, then fired me. Yeah. The business I started.

Welp, that was officially that! I decided that it was much more risky to start a business myself and potentially fail, than have my fate decided by others.

That was 13 years and 10 years ago respectively.

I’ve been the owner of Faceted Media since 2014 now and it’s been the longest, most stable, most valuable, and best “job” I’ve ever had!

Moral of the story? You are worth it! And take a chance! It might be the best thing you ever do.

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?
Welcome to Denver! This is what I would make sure to check out while you are here if you are an entrepreneur.

– Visit the downtown Denver library (the history archives are especially interesting, but you can also learn all about enterprise in our lovely city – and enterprise is how it boomed!) My favorite one is the Brown Palace Hotel which was a “crazy” idea to folks in town, but turned out to be a huge draw for East Coasters to come check out the golden city in the Wild Wild West.

– Check out Union Station (the buzz here takes you back and it’s a great place to pop on the computer and get some work done). Plus, read up on the story of Dana Crawford – an amazing and industrious woman who helped shape what Denver is today – and created the multi-use vision of historic neighborhoods that is common place today.

– Hit up RiNo neighborhood. The art and energy will give you tons of inspiration for your business. Grab a cider at Stem Ciders, sushi at Sushirama, or anything you want, truly, at Denver Central Market.

– Grab a coffee at Enterprise Coworking and check out their incredible rooftop for the BEST view of the city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my Shout Out to Karen Marshall, our project manager at Faceted Media. She has been able to help us support our clients in a new and unique way. Where I focus a lot on strategy, she focuses a lot on the mindset to get to the strategy. It’s been exactly what was missing in our day to day, week to week, month to month work. Also, her ability to see big picture, long term, and be aligned in the philosophy of going slow to go fast and work and live mindfully – is beautiful.

Huge shout out to Karen!

Website: https://facetedmedia.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faceted.media

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlyjohnson1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shivermekimbrz

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

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/faceted-media-a-socially-conscious-marketing-agency-denver

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@facetedmedia5101

Image Credits
SD Photography Vadim Elkind