Q & A with Courtney

Q: Who are you and what inspired you to start Zealbird?

A: My name is Courtney! I am the owner of Zealbird, a creative service marketing agency serving central Indiana. I was inspired to start Zealbird after accumulating marketing experience and knowledge in several roles with non-profits and small to mid-size businesses via internships and the beginning positions of my post-college career. I fell in love with being able to provide value and impact through my marketing knowledge and unique skillset. I enjoy variety in my work and my entrepreneurial spirit led me to eventually launch my own company. I'm now more than 5 years into making meaningful impact for small businesses and non-profits in my local community.​

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Q: How did you first get into marketing?

A: My marketing career was purely accidental. With a Communication Studies degree, Business Minor, Theatre and Performance Certificate, and Dance Minor, I originally thought I wanted to work in administration for non-profit theatre. Anyone who has worked in non-profit settings understands that if there is a hat you need to wear or a role you need to fill, you figure out how to fill it. That means if a website needed to be built, I researched and figured it out. If a grant needed to be written, I researched and figured it out. If an email campaign or text platform needed to be utilized to reach clients, I figured it out. I learned quickly that being a self-starter and problem-solver is the best way to have a successful career in any field. It just so happens that the skills I acquired when "figuring it out" were all within the marketing discipline. My favorite phrase I used (and sometimes still use to this day) is "Well, I've never done that before but I can figure it out." After 13+ years of accumulating knowledge out of necessity, I am pleased to now be an expert and resource for all things marketing for my clients.​

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Q: What's the story behind the name Zealbird?

A: Zeal is defined as the "great energy, intense enthusiasm, eagerness, or passionate devotion in pursuit of a cause, goal, or activity." I approach each of my client's project with an unmatched level of zeal. The bird part is symbolic of a few things. First, my logo is a hummingbird because I feel they are my spirit animal. Secondly, the idea of soaring and flying for a business is what I aim to do - implement marketing tactics that help your business reach new heights. ​

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Q: How long have you been working in marketing?

A: I started doing photography, videography, and graphic design in high school for fun. I didn't realize I could treat those hobbies as a career until I was mid-way through college and people started offering to pay me for some of my skills. That later evolved into being hired in various marketing roles and acquiring new skills along the way. I'm continuously learning as marketing trends, tools, and consumer behavior are constantly shifting. That's why marketing remains interesting and engaging for me - no two days are alike.

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Q: What do you love most about being a business owner?

A: I like the "eat what you kill" mindset. My success in my business is solely as a result of the energy I put into my work. I also like the variety in what I do on a day-to-day basis. I wasn't built for the routine of a normal 9 to 5.

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Q: What was your vision when you first launched Zealbird?

A: Zealbird was born out of interacting with other large-scale marketing agencies in my past roles within marketing departments at companies. I didn't like parts about how they operated. There was a lot of smoke and mirrors, often a lack of transparency, and a failure to really understand the business needs and act as an extension of the business. I especially didn't like the expectation of payments before any strategy or value was provided in good faith by the agency and noticed a tendency of churn and burn rather than providing real value with retention. I ultimately started Zealbird to offer things to small businesses and non-profits that I felt the big marketing agencies simply couldn't. I structure my offerings in a way that is advantageous and transparent to the "little guy." I only want my success and financial gains to come from my client's success and financial gains otherwise how can they continue to justify the investment?

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Q: How has your approach to marketing evolved over the years?

A: My approach to marketing has remained pretty steadfast even as strategy, tools, and the industry trends change. I believe that if you have a product or service people want or need, all you have to do is put it in front of the right people. You don't need to be aggressive. You don't need to cold call. You simply need to present your product or service to the right person at the right time. Knowing HOW to reach those people using digital advertising, consistent social media marketing, text and email marketing, effective print advertising, and more is where marketing comes in.

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Q: What's the most rewarding part of helping other businesses grow?

A: I like helping people get organized. I like taking on the marketing tasks that a business owner always kept putting on their back-burner because more time-sensitive things in their day-to-day business operations took precedent. I like building the trust with business stakeholders so they can exhale and know that marketing efforts are not only in good hands, but that their investment can be tracked and justified by revenue growth.

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Q: What are you most proud of in your business?

A: I am especially proud to be a company that partners with college students for internships. I feel like no classroom can teach students what they will encounter in the real world and it is incredibly difficult to land your first job out of college without that real world experience and a portfolio of work. I wish I had better mentorship and career guidance in my past internships so rather than use interns to fulfill my business needs, I try and create opportunities that will prepare and further intern confidence and career readiness starting with giving them the exercise of researching and negotiating their own hourly rate during their internship.

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Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

When I'm not working, you can find me in my garden, cooking, reading, binge-watching tv series, or painting. My husband, Levi, and I also love to travel and hike!