Where it all began

Meet 2012 Alex. 👋

This is me in Switzerland. One of my best friends was getting married and we flew across the world to watch her marry the most amazing man. Now, back to me.

Remember, it's 2012. My pink razor phone didn't have international calling, or I couldn't afford it, I don't remember. Either way, I would check my voicemails at the end of each day while on this trip.

I returned to our temporary home and received a voicemail from a client I had worked with the previous year (2011). They wanted to know if I would be willing to do freelance marketing work for them. Five or so hours a week - pitching their company to various publications and news outlets.

I returned to the USA, back to my office on 5th Ave, and asked my supervisor if it would be okay to freelance for them. Once approved, the rest was history.

Fun fact, this company is still a client, 13 YEARS later.

I didn’t know it at the time, but this client turned into helping another, then another, and another. Now, let me be clear—at this time in my life, I was working for one of the Top five PR Agencies in the country. I was 24 or 25 years old, working 70+ hours a week and making barely enough to keep myself alive. When opportunities arose to support other PR teams on campaigns or for specific events, I jumped on them.

Hold on tight, we’re about to do a 180…fast forward to 2024:

I live in Louisiana (1,200 miles from my family)

I have 2 sons and 2 step-kids, and they are as close in age as you can get (ex: 3,4,5,6)

I’m married to my second husband

I have two dogs (Brady the boxer & Louie the golden doodle)

I drive a minivan

I work in-house as the Executive Director of Marketing for a local company in the construction industry

I was “doing it all.” Except, I wasn’t.

I was missing a lot of time in the office because well, I’m a mom. Sick kid? Mom. Parent-teacher conference? Mom. Kid in trouble? Mom. You get it…

I was missing soccer games, baseball practices, productions at school, etc. I was stressed to the max and mad at myself for missing out on my kid’s lives. A few weeks later, City Girl Strategy was “official” and my husband and I had some heated discussions about how our family could survive on his salary and income from my “side hustle”.

Why I started City Girl Strategy

The marketing industry, as I saw it, was broken. Clients were often left underserved, locked into bloated contracts, and forced to endure a "wait and see" approach that resulted in little value to the client and a lot of value ($$$) to the agency. The system was rigged in favor of larger agencies, prioritizing size over personalized service, creativity, and results.

Agencies - even small ones - get wrapped up in fancy metrics. Impressions, likes and follows can be great IF the client values them. If they help the bottom-line. These metrics DON’T matter if they do not grow your business. Hence the phrase “vanity metrics” 

I started this company to change that narrative—to provide clients with the marketing services they truly deserve, with transparency, agility, and a focus on real, measurable impact.

where we are now

We are very much a boutique company. I have two full-time employees and a kick-aaaaa roster of contractors who help when called off the bench.

We intentionally keep our client roster small. In our opinion, this is the only way we can provide the best possible service to our clients.

We say “no”, often. There is enough work out there for all of us. If we can’t help you or don’t believe we are the best fit for your business, we’ve got a list of other agencies (“competitors”) to refer you to.