We’re looking forward to introducing you to Madi Balman. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Madi, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I live a lot of my “personal brand” life with transparency, but I think the thing I’m most proud of building that not everyone necessarily sees is a life and schedule that allows me to go through the hardships of life with more ease.
Beyond being a first time mom and a military spouse, I recently got diagnosed with Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Sjögren’s Syndrome, three autoimmune diseases that cause a lot of pain and discomfort in my everyday life.
There have been days where I quite literally open my hands, let alone work on my every day tasks for my marketing agency with ease. It’s been so bad some days to the point that I can’t pick up my little one for more than 5-10 minutes at a time, which breaks my heart over and over again.
But, due to the nature of my self-employment, I am able to tailor my work to my life, not my life to my work.
I’m really proud of myself for working hard the last few years to have that flexible schedule to take days off when needed.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Madi Balman (some people like to call me Madi Mae!) and I am the Owner and Creative Director for Skellydog, my USA-based marketing agency that specializes is building and maintaining bold brands. We’re based in Southeastern Connecticut, and many of our clients call the East Coast their home.
Skellydog is a marketing agency that takes the no-BS approach. We try to hold our clients accountable with tough love and expertise, kind of like a Best Friend would, but also know that life happens and we should tailor their business’s needs towards that. There is never a one-size-fits-all approach, especially in your digital marketing strategy and brand strategy, and we know that. Having the skeleton dog, Zero, as our mascot encompasses what we are: loyal to our clients until the end.
Creators, Innovators, and Change-makers find that our branding services ranging from social media marketing, to brand strategy, to web design, offer them a unique experience that “Joe Shmo the marketing bro” can’t. We are honest and faithful to what can and can’t be done and realistic about getting results without promise of going viral. No shiny object syndrome here.
Started from my college Mac computer labs, I have built this business from blood, sweat and tears since I was 18 years old, and have no plans on stopping. My team is absolutely amazing and is my lifeline for projects. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to help our clients build such amazing brands.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
I have had many mentors throughout my entrepreneurship life: from my middle/high school art teacher Jaeson, to my first “real” boss Stephen, and my three graphic design professors in college (Andrea, Carla, and Ed). They have all made a lasting impact on me, guiding me to the person I am today. They helped me through some of the hardest times in my life and instilled confidence in me that got me started in the first place.
However, in most recent years, I found a group coaching community called More Creative Academy with an amazing Creative Business coach, Mike Janda, that has really helped me gain momentum in my career. Not only did Mike and the group help me rebrand the business, but we all hype each other up and I’ve become amazing friends with many of the community members.
I went from shy, eager but scared, and not totally myself to a total powerhouse in the last two years, even despite my recent diagnoses. The confidence, clarity, and drive I’ve gained in the last two years as helped me get out of the survival mode I’ve outgrown and into flourish mode.
I really can’t thank all the people who have mentored me and supported me in the last 10 years enough.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I sat down with my younger self for coffee, I know some things would be the same: our coffee order, the color of our aura, and that voice in the back of our head that we’re not good enough. While it’s not as prominent in my head today, I still have that lingering voice pestering me from time to time.
I would tell younger Madi that what she’s doing in her life did, in fact, set us up for success. The long nights, working several jobs, starting therapy, networking at a ripe age of 18, all the internships… EVERYTHING has set up a foundation for the future.
I would also tell her that social media, while it’s our job now, is a lot of noise. I would ask her to hold on to her confidence and not be afraid to raise her voice, if needed. Create before you consume. We both have a bull-headed, stubborn personality where failure is not an option, so it makes sense as to why she holds herself at such a high standard.
But, I would tell her it’s okay to relax – because our productivity does not equal our value.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I think my closest personal friends would say that reciprocation and loyalty is one of the biggest things I value. My business friends would probably say the same, but adding more about providing quality services and not being sleezy like a lot of marketing people get slack for.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What light inside you have you been dimming?
Honestly, a lot of my personality is hiding behind being too scared to speak up and be loud.
People who know me would tell you that I have a very big personality – even to the point where I’ve realized that I’m the personality hire that started her own business (haha).
But is that really a bad thing? Why would I want to be like everyone else when I am my own unique me? Your power lies in where your confidence is, and I tell people that all the time so I need to take my own advice.
My main goal in the coming year is to make sure that I allow myself to shine the light that I have – and not dim it for anyone. Whether that just be in my regular life or my career, I’m looking forward to just allowing myself space to be myself and build my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://skellydog.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/by.madi.mae/
Image Credits
Profile Image: Ellen Charis Photography
Portfolio Images: Skellydog
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
