July 13, 2015
GlobalHue’s Kelli Coleman Talks Female Empowerment and Being a Boss
At just 30-years-old, Kelli M. Coleman is known as a leading executive in the fields of advertising and marketing.
In 2010, she was spotlighted on Black Enterprise’s “40 Next” list and in 2013 she was also named one of Black Enterprise’s “Top Women Executives in Advertising & Marketing.” As the Executive Vice President of GlobalHue and the President/CEO of GlobalHue Ventures, Coleman knows all about the hard work and persistence needed to climb the executive ranks. From the young age of 10, she spent every summer working in her father, GlobalHue CEO Donald A. Coleman’s office and learning about the lessons and responsibilities that come along with starting a company from the ground up.
Now, with years of experience at GlobalHue where she manages campaigns for some of the largest Fortune 500 companies in the world, Coleman is setting out to accomplish her own entrepreneurial endeavors including a female empowerment series called “She Who Dares” and her own accessories line for mothers.
[Related: 40 Next: Kelli Coleman]
BlackEnterprise.com: After graduating from Spelman, did you know right away that you wanted to work at GlobalHue?
Coleman: It wasn’t until my senior year that I made the decision to work at GlobalHue full time post-college. I vividly remember the conversation with my father. We decided that at the very least I should give it a trial run. The rest, as they say, is history.
While working your way up the ranks at GlobalHue, what career lessons have you learned that will guide you on your own entrepreneurial journey?
The level of exposure and amount of knowledge I acquired at GH, at my age and rank, was definitely unique as well as vital to my development and desire to be an entrepreneur. In addition to honing my ‘hard skills’, I’ve taken away three important gems that are vital to successful business relationships and entrepreneurship.
1. Authenticity — Do not attempt to be all things to all people. Staying true to yourself and mastering your field, customer target, and skill is vital to success.
2. Relationships, relationships, relationships — It is so important to foster and build meaningful relationships and have a willingness to help others, as well as not be fearful to ask for help.
3. Tenacity- Perseverance and stamina can dictate the success or failure of any business. The rise is not something that occurs quickly or easily. GlobalHue’s team has always had tenacity in common. I’ve learned that it is required to build.
What motivated you to start “She Who Dares?â€
Throughout my professional career I’ve come to understand the importance of personal development and self-awareness to truly excel and live fully. So often I’d attend networking events, exchange business cards, and share peripheral relationships with professional peers. I didn’t see an opportunity to build a deeper connection with those colleagues, especially female peers, whom I was sure had interpersonal journeys I could learn from. “She Who Dares†exists to encourage every woman to live from her extraordinary side and work on herself first to truly be equipped to reach her full potential.