We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kasey Childers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kasey below.
Hi Kasey, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Discovering my purpose in life has not been an easy road. For most of my twenties, I constantly struggled with the idea that I was put here for any specific purpose.
I come from a family of entrepreneurs and 9-to-5ers. Our family believes in the value of hard work and reaping the rewards of pursuing your career with excellence. The unfortunate exchange for that hard work meant long hours, less time together, and unwelcome stress at home. Working from home or online wasn’t an option at the time (the internet was still in its infancy), so I spent most of my childhood at school, in child care, or with extended family. But through it all, each of my family members were successful in their careers (and still are to this day). My parents did all they could to ensure we had a great childhood, and I knew I wanted to do the same for my family when I grew up.
After graduating college with a marketing degree, I decided to pursue a corporate career at full speed. The narrative in college was that to be successful and have a purpose in this world, you must continue to reach the next level in your career. I landed corporate jobs, made some money, and worked long hours…but none of it ever gave me the fulfillment I had been seeking.
So many of my family and friends had wonderful talents and abilities that they were capitalizing on to create extraordinary success—and here I was at 24 years old, feeling completely and utterly average. I prayed, read mindset books, and consumed motivational speeches. Why didn’t I have that one “special” thing about me? Why did it seem like everyone else was so confident in their pathways in life, but I was constantly questioning my own?
So, I continued to work hard in my career, pushing for the acceptance of my corporate peers and management. Then…the burnout happened. I could barely get out of bed every morning. I cried during my commutes to and from the office. My body began having physical reactions to stress and lack of sleep. I knew I couldn’t keep going at the rate I was. Corporate life was a never-ending cycle that I needed to break free from if I wanted any chance at discovering the life I was meant to live.
I began learning about online businesses and how people made money working from home. This was life before COVID, so working from home was nothing short of an amazing luxury. Even though I had a marketing degree, online marketing was never the focal point of my collegiate experience (traditional offline marketing was still the strongest strategy). The more I researched digital marketing strategy, the more I discovered that there was a way out of my corporate 8-to-5 world. Within three months of starting this process, I created my remote digital marketing agency (Childers & Co.) and had landed enough clients to quit my corporate career and pursue my business full-time. I have never looked back since!
The beginning of my entrepreneurial journey came with its own set of challenges. I got pregnant and had a rough first trimester, spent 18 hours a day working six to seven days a week, and was hit with the reality that entrepreneurship was not for the weak. When my daughter was born, I never stopped working (even in the hospital in active labor). I treated my business just like my corporate jobs and continued to attach my identity and purpose to my career. The fulfillment still never came, and my second round of burnout took over my mental health.
I had my son in 2020, the peak of COVID. By that time, my business had generated enough income to allow my husband to quit his job and stay home with our two children so the four of us could be together as a family. I struggled with trying to manage two under two, being quarantined from family and friends, and operating an agency during a global pandemic. But having my family at home 24/7 opened my eyes to a lifestyle that I didn’t even know was possible.
Over the next few years, our family’s dynamic began to shift. Our children and extended family needed us more than ever. Between doctor visits, unexpected events, and adapting our life to a post-COVID world, we leaned on our career flexibility and freedom to create our own schedule. After living this new remote lifestyle, I quickly realized that there was truly another way to live outside of the 9-to-5 and “hustle culture” we were taught by society. It was at that time that I started to slowly understand my purpose.
By the Grace of God, the agency grew. I was able to adjust my schedule to be there when my family needed me the most. I took days off to be a present wife and mom, go on vacation, or simply because I needed a mental break. I contributed financially to our family’s future and completely revamped our personal finances. I was no longer working to live—the agency was working for our life.
I had gained the one thing that so many people around me didn’t have: freedom. The freedom of time to be with those I loved; the freedom to serve when people needed me most; the freedom to choose the life I truly wanted to live. It wasn’t the career that would fill my cup—it was the life I wanted to live.
This was my purpose.
My purpose is to completely change the trajectory of my family for generations to come. I was put here to show that, by faith and hard work, you can have career success and be present for the life you desire. No more waiting for nights and weekends to experience life with my family. No more 8-to-5 and climbing the corporate ladder for fulfillment. No more anxiety wondering if there are enough PTO or sick days available. No more stressful home environments. And above all, no more missing time together.
My legacy is to encourage my children and their children to pursue a life full of quality and love above a career. I want to raise a new generation of believers that knows that you can build a career that works for your life while being mentally and physically present for those you love.
Through my journey from corporate to entrepreneurship, I have learned the value of time and that life is truly a gift. We now proudly homeschool our children and build our agency remotely from home. As our children continue to grow, they have been slowly integrated into our day-to-day processes so we can create this beautiful change together. Entrepreneurship is messy, challenging, and exciting, but it has allowed me to discover exactly what I was put here to do…and there really is nothing average about that. ❤️
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the Founder and Co-owner of Childers & Co., a full-service digital marketing agency specializing in strategic online marketing solutions for businesses and agencies nationwide. We offer consulting and done-for-you services such as website design, search engine optimization, social media management, and more. My husband, Dustin, and I have remotely owned and operated the agency since 2017 from our home office in Charlotte, NC, with our two amazing children. Dustin is our Senior Graphic Designer and manages our design team while I am our Senior Marketing Consultant managing our digital marketing team.
What makes our agency unique is our approach to client relationships. We see ourselves as our clients’ partner rather than a third-party vendor. Our goal is to ensure the client receives excellent service, clear communication, and feels they can approach us to answer their questions and meet their needs in a friendly and effective manner. We strive to offer a personal touch that only a small agency can provide while delivering the highest quality results of a big agency. Our Southern hospitality helps, too!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. FAITH. I am nothing without God’s Love for me. It needs to be HIS Will, not mine. I do my best to bring every idea and decision to Him before moving forward and take action on what I feel He is calling me to.
2. RISK: You’ll never discover what could be if you don’t take the risk. Discover a skill you are good at, and jump with both feet in. Worst case – you go back to what you were doing before!
3. NETWORKING: You have to have people in your corner cheering you on and supporting you as you make these big transitions.
For those who are early in their journey, the best advice I can give you is to not give up. Even when it seems like everything is falling apart, even when you are completely exhausted, even when no one believes in you…don’t give up. There is a reason these desires and ideas were put on your heart. Pursue them at full speed!
How would you describe your ideal client?
Our ideal clients are family-focused business owners or partners who understand that life happens. We love working with REAL people – people who understand that we pursued entrepreneurship for the flexibility and freedom it provides. I want every interaction we have with a client to be authentic, H2H connection – not stuffy corporate jargon.
We currently serve small businesses, national brands, and agencies nationwide who need help navigating the complexities of a digital marketing strategy without hiring an entire in-house team of professionals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://childersandco.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/childersandco
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/childersandco
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/childersandco
Image Credits
Kate Lynn Imagery (photographer for all images)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
