Hona is a YC backed startup helping law firms update their clients on their cases. As VP of Marketing at Hona, Levi leads all things brand, creative, and performance.
Can you take us on the windy path from your first role towards your current role?
I started a video production company called VidArmy with a friend in 2018 after I graduated college. [We] built that up for 3 years to seven figures and 17 employees, doing work for Amazon, Pepsi, iHeart Radio and more.
That went up in flames in 2021.
I made basically every classic mistake you can make in business.
I had built up a good base network on LinkedIn while at VidArmy, so when I announced I would be leaving, Alex McArthur (CMO at Kizik at the time) DM'd me and asked if I'd like to go to lunch. We hit it off, he wanted to hire me but didn't really know where I fit within the marketing org at Kizik.
I hopped aboard as "Director of Content". After a while I was moved to VP of Content. I was only at Kizik for 9 months when I was offered Creative Director [somewhere new], being the ADHD kid that I am, I followed the shiny new opp. I'm grateful I did, but sad in the long run to have left the great team at Kizik.
The shiny new opp? Neighbor.com
At Neighbor in just one year we launched 6 national campaigns, 93 billboards, garnered 200M organic views on social, and grew the following on TikTok to 280k followers.
Once again ADHD called. I was given the opportunity to be CMO at Shyft, who were doing $21M in ARR already. That was a great experience, we learned a lot. The biggest being that in order to grow it is mostly a sales motion, not marketing.
Hona came at a great time, offering me VP of Marketing. I've been fortunate to have a well rounded marketing career, and each role has accelerated my learning exponentially.
Any interesting stories that happened along the way?
I think you'd just be shocked at where networking can take you. I have A list celebrities, or their significant others' phone numbers that I have no idea what to do with. But I've been able to rub shoulders with them. One time at Kizik I got a random call from a LinkedIn connection:
"Hey man, I'm sitting with Tyra Banks having dinner and she brought up how much she loves Kizik"
Given all the leadership roles, what would you say is the most impressive individual campaign you've launched?
My "magnum opus" was my time at Neighbor. 200M organic views with our Alien campaign.
Biggest failure or learning?
VidArmy was my biggest learning for the business "no no's". The biggest being that we didn't have a solid partnership agreement in place [when we started].
This became a big issue; it turned into a big he said she said. Agreements prevent disagreements.
Don't ever assume you don't need agreements with people, especially friends.
What should marketers being paying attention to right now?
Right now I'm geeking out over B2B, and how there is such a blue ocean for creativity. I think most creatives shy away from B2B, especially in boring industries. But that's where the low hanging creative fruit is, because no one is doing it and the bar is sooooo low.
What differentiates great marketing teams from average ones?
Great marketing is always the intersection between brand and direct response. The ability to entertain while educate. But I also believe inaction is the death of marketing. You gotta move, and pivot fast, and try a lot of stuff.
What advice would you have for someone junior looking to break-in, or grow their career?
- For creatives: build a portfolio. Don't wait to be hired to do it. Make videos or designs for yourself or for companies without being asked.
- For marketers in general: don't work in a silo, work collaboratively between creative and performance.
Build a portfolio. Don't wait to be hired to do it.
Looking back, what's something you wish you'd known when you were starting out in your career?
That it will all work out.
That thing you're stressed about? It will all smooth over. It's ok to drop a ball or ten. It's ok to lose a client. Don't loose sleep over a silly software, or product. As long as you're getting better as a human, that's the only metric you should care about.
What's something you've learned recently?
Focus less on making the right decision, and more on making the decision right.
I've often been faced with two great options [for jobs]. You just gotta go with the company you go with, then do everything in your power to make that company great.
If you weren't a marketer what would you be?
A Michael Jackson impersonator on the Vegas Strip.
Any mentors or role models throughout your journey you'd be willing to shout out?
- Alex McArthur, my boss [during my time] at Kizik.
- Alex Burdge, CEO at Shyft, one of my best friends and an all around good dude. He taught me so much about how to keep a level head when making big decisions, and how to be a well rounded human.
That's a wrap!
If you want to follow along Levi's journey you can join the 20,000+ folks following him on LinkedIn.
