Today we’d like to introduce you to Lydia Martinez.
Hi Lydia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started my first business at 8 years old, selling tree-climbing lessons to neighborhood kids. I studied both theater and broadcast journalism before discovering that my core love was actually telling a well-crafted story.
I started my career at Barnes and Noble, working my way up to a role as the community relations manager and event planner. In this capacity, I planned over 600 events designed to engage the community, reach a target audience, and delight attendees. Some highlights include the parties’ planning and execution around major book releases, including 3 Harry Potter books, the Twilight Series, Series of Unfortunate Events, and Eragon. I also planned and executed large-scale book signing tours, including for former President Jimmy Carter.
After 4 years working in a community relations manager capacity, I moved on to Whole Foods Market as a marketing specialist and event planner. During my time at Whole Foods Market, I developed her skills as a marketer specializing in food and culinary events. At this point, I saw digital marketing and social media marketing as a natural tie-in to event-based marketing. In this role, I oversaw a team of graphic designers and managed a creative team in charge of store design, decor, signage, and special events.
While at Whole Foods Market, I took on the additional role of Local Forager – going out and finding local food growers and producers to source products from. I worked as an internal consultant for over 300 small producers in getting their products ready for retail – from compliance, food safety, labeling, & marketing. I also founded and ran the Sugar House Farmers Market to give local producers more of an opportunity to sell their products.
After tackling over 11 years in strategic marketing, branding, social media, and event planning for powerhouse retailers Barnes & Noble and Whole Foods Market, I decided it was time to get back to her entrepreneurial roots. I launched what was to become Elle Marketing and Events in 2009 purely as a consulting business on the side. In 2015 I left my corporate career to become a full-time entrepreneur.
Since 2015, Elle Marketing has grown into a full-service digital marketing agency with a team of 22. With my culinary and event background, My team and I have been in high demand with food-based businesses, restaurants, e-commerce brands, and large-scale events. While I now prefer to climb cliffs in her spare time, you may still find me willing to show you how to climb a tree.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting and running a business is never a smooth road. And there are a lot of twists and turns.
I left my job at Whole Foods Market right when they offered me a promotion and raise while simultaneously eliminating my existing position. It was scary to walk away from my career but thrilling to work on building something that is actually mine.
When Covid-19 hit in early 2020, we lost half our clients overnight. With a lot of restaurants, food, and beverage clients, and local businesses, we had to help many of them shut down. But the amazing thing is, within 6 weeks, we were busier than ever. It was that moment when everyone discovered that they needed marketing now more than ever.
As you know, we’re big fans of Elle Marketing and Events. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Based in Salt Lake City, Utah we have clients all around the United States. With our one-stop-shop of digital marketing services. We provide our clients with strategic marketing planning, full-service implementation of marketing tactics, and a creative suite to tell brand stories through graphic design, web design, photography, and videography.
We are getting back to the core of what I’m all about – telling a well-crafted story. Our company motto is “Every business has a story. We help tell yours.”
Since working in the business full-time, I discovered that the key to growth was hiring the right team to provide expanding marketing services as well as working with a diverse mix of clients. We have a mix of creatives – copywriters, photographers, videographers, and graphic designers; along with strategists, analysts, and project managers – which gives us a perfect mix of unique solutions plus data-driven results.
The other key to growth has been investing in coaching and learning for both the leadership and the team as a whole. We’ve been able to document the explosive growth each and every time we invest in our team’s development. We specialize in clients who have a personal, visual, or brand story as a key component of their business. This includes restaurants, food-based businesses, real estate agents, spas, and visual e-commerce clients.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I’ve had a whole series of coaches, mentors, and cheerleaders as I’ve grown my business – starting out with the small businesses I was helping when I was at Whole Foods Market. It was hanging around with them that made me think I could maybe start my own business too.
I invested in coaching from Digital Distillery, The Academy Mastermind, and CAM School for my team from Dot and Co.
I also have had some amazing clients – some of whom have been with me since I launched my agency. I have loved growing up with them as business owners. They have grown, I have grown and we are all the better for it.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@ellemarketingandevents.com
- Website: https://www.ellemarketingandevents.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellemarketingandevents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElleMarketingAndEvents
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjxN3l33hC6a_J00HzFL6g
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elle-marketing-and-events
Image Credits
Lydia Martinez – Elle Marketing and Events + Cali Warner Media
