Meet Karin Samelson & Alison Smith

 

We recently connected with Karin Samelson & Alison Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Karin & Alison, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

Our resilience comes from a mix of curiosity, responsibility, and creativity. We’re people who take on a lot — running a business, managing complex projects, and constantly learning new tools and skills. We’ve both learned to stay grounded by breaking down big challenges into smaller, achievable phases and by remaining solutions-oriented, even when things feel overwhelming.

At the core, we’re motivated by helping people — not just brands, but the people behind them — and we know that building anything worthwhile takes persistence. Resilience for us isn’t just about pushing through; it’s about adapting, iterating, and always moving forward with intention.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

At UMAI Marketing, we help CPG brands grow through thoughtful, performance-driven marketing. We’re a boutique agency founded by two women who’ve spent our careers moving through the trenches of CPG, building brands from the ground up and scaling them with heart and strategy.

What makes UMAI special is that we don’t just “do marketing”—we act as true partners. Whether we’re building a high-converting paid media funnel, optimizing retention through email and SMS, or refining a brand’s creative direction, we always lead with a blend of data and creativity.

One of the most exciting parts of our work is helping values-driven brands—whether they’re just gaining traction or already established—grow with smart, intentional marketing. While we work with a range of brands, from scrappy startups to legacy names, what they all have in common is a passion for their product and a desire to connect with their audience in a meaningful way.

We pride ourselves on being both strategic and nimble—bringing structure, performance, and creative thinking to the table without unnecessary fluff. Everything we do is built to drive results and help our clients scale in sustainable ways.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

We’ve learned so many things throughout our journey, but what stands out the most is:

1. Strategic Thinking: Whether you’re building a brand or an agency, having the ability to zoom out, see the big picture, and make decisions based on long-term goals—not just short-term wins—is everything. For anyone early in their journey, we recommend practicing this by regularly stepping back to audit what’s working, what’s not, and whether your efforts align with your vision.

2. Adaptability: Marketing is fast-paced, and building a business even more so. Being willing to test, pivot, and learn quickly has helped us grow UMAI and help our clients do the same. Our advice? Don’t wait for perfect conditions—start, iterate, and stay curious.

Our biggest piece of advice overall? Don’t be afraid to start before you feel “ready.” Clarity often comes from action, not planning. One of our core mottoes here at UMAI is to “Always be testing”!

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

We believe in going all in on your strengths AND surrounding yourself with people who complement the areas where you’re not as strong. For us, that’s been the key to building a business that feels both effective and energizing.

We’re both creative thinkers, but we bring very different strengths to the table. Karin is incredibly organized and meticulous—she has this superpower for refining ideas, improving communication, and making sure nothing slips through the cracks. I tend to think big-picture and love diving into strategy and data. Rather than each of us trying to do everything, we’ve leaned into our natural lanes—and the result is a more powerful team.

That said, we do believe it’s helpful to understand areas you’re not strong in, even if you don’t try to master them. For example, while I don’t naturally focus on micro details like Karin does, I’ve learned to appreciate how those details shape a stronger client experience.

The truth is, trying to be good at everything is exhausting. But when you double down on your strengths and collaborate with others who bring something different to the table, you build momentum faster—and enjoy the process more.

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