Meet Kerri Paizzi

We recently connected with Kerri Paizzi and have shared our conversation below.

Kerri, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I began working at a deli in New York when I was 14 and to some degree it molded a lot of who I am today. Even as a teenager I wanted to be independent and be able to make my own money. It helped me learn the value of hard work, responsibility, and independence, which I believe to be all key elements of a strong work ethic.

Many teens might focus on after school clubs or sports, but you chose to take on a job, it usually speaks to your maturity and drive. Working in a busy setting like a deli, especially in a place like New York, taught me the importance of being quick on my feet, staying organized, and interacting with a variety of people.

Having that early exposure to the workforce also helped find a confidence that grow would grow with me over time.
I don’t typically look at obstacles as such, but more as challenges that I’m willing to conquer. I feel as though if you put your mind to something and figure out the way to accomplish whatever “it” is, it suddenly becomes very easy.

I really enjoy working – some may say it’s a flaw but to me it brings me so much joy. Within my three companies, Monarch Marketing. Flavor South Florida, and Monarch Music, they all encompass one similar thing and that is to help others grow. To be able to help others succeed is a very fulfilling “job” to have and I am so grateful for the people that I get to work with and help on their journeys. I’m not competitive when it comes to business and I feel as though you accomplish more when working together. My first boss always said, “teamwork makes the dream work.” and he was right.

If the only one you are competing with is the yesterday version of you, then you’ll always win.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I consider myself to be a passionate entrepreneur with a love for the food and music industries. I’m the owner of Flavor South Florida, a month-long food festival that highlights the incredible culinary scene in our region which takes place every September. The program helps drive diners to participating restaurants during our slowest month of the year. I acquired Flavor is 2021 and it has been such a wonderful experience meeting people and getting the community involved and excited about the event.

I also own Monarch Marketing and Design, which is a boutique marketing firm that I founded in 2018. After having a job as the marketing director at previous companies, I decided I wanted to be able to help a broader scheme of people and so this venture began. We manage social media accounts for businesses, handle ad placements, offer web design services. graphic design, and basically anything that falls under the realm of marketing – and if you think outside of the box, that list can become pretty long.

Last but not least, I own Monarch Music which helps showcase South Florida’s talented musicians. My partner and I handle musician placement for restaurants and bars, to wedding and music festivals. My love for music drew me in this direction and what better thing to do than listen to great live music and help others been and heard?

Balancing these ventures takes a lot of organization, dedication, and commitment, but I thrive on the challenge. I’m someone who believes in delivering on my promises and staying true to my word, which has been key to building strong relationships with my clients and partners. My work isn’t just a job to me—it’s a true passion. The fact that I get to work on what I love every day, keeps me energized, happy and motivated.

I’m deeply committed to supporting and promoting small businesses, especially in the food and music sectors. Each of my projects allows me to make a difference, and I’m proud of the impact I can have in my community.

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

I think that when you really want something, you will find a way to get it if you really want it badly enough. Confidence is key to a lot moves that we make in life. I think so many people get hung up on the what-ifs that they get too nervous to take that next step.
I find this to be true in both business and personal aspects of life. For instance, I knew I wanted to open my own marketing company two years before I actually did it. My company name and logo had been created well before I opened and it just sat there in my computer because I thought, what if I failed? My answer to myself looking back would now be, you will fail 100% of the times that you don’t try. So my advice to others is that you have a dream or a passion, don’t sell yourself short and at least give it a try. It may not work out and you might fall down more times than you get up, but I promise you – you’ll always get back up.

Most of my skillsets are self taught. Either through continuing education seminars, tutorials or learning from my peers. Always have an open mind and be open to learning from others, because we are all in this journey together and I find that if you are willing to ask questions and listen, you’ll get a tremendous amount of knowledge out of it.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When I’m feeling overwhelmed I like to write things down. I find that lists help tremendously. Once you start checking them off one by one, what you thought was something huge and unmanageable becomes a small task that you have just completed. Then one by one you’ll have tackled the tasks that were overwhelming to you and are able to put it behind you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.KerriPaizzi.com / www.FlavorSouthFlorida.com / www.MonarchMarketingandDesign.com
• Instagram: @kerrip316 / @flavorsouthflorida / @monarch_marketing_

Image Credits

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