Meet Liz Mbwambo

We were lucky to catch up with Liz Mbwambo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Liz, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

My resilience comes from being raised by a single mom. She always worked two jobs to keep our family afloat. With her working so much, I learned early on to be self-reliant. I always figured out homework on my own, handling responsibilities around the house, and solving problems without much guidance. Watching her persevere through those challenges while still making sure we had what we needed taught me that obstacles are just problems waiting to be solved. That foundation of independence and determination has carried me through every challenge since. It showed me that if you want something, all you have to do is have your heart in the right place and work hard.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m the founder of LMB Marketing Group, an Orlando marketing agency that empowers small and medium-sized businesses. We focus on data. The market is changing faster than I can blink and we can no longer rely on “gut instinct”. We must always turn to the data.

What makes us special is our partnership approach—we don’t lock clients into long-term contracts because we believe in earning trust every month through real results.

My journey into marketing started from passion. I saw firsthand how hard small business owners work, often wearing multiple hats with limited resources for marketing. That’s exactly who we serve today.

Having seen the inner workings of the media landscape, I knew there was a crucial need for an agency that genuinely prioritizes client success through complete transparency and strategic negotiation, At The LMB Marketing Group, we’re not just service providers; we are an invaluable partner and asset to every small business we work with. Our data-first approach ensures we determine the best strategy to maximize ROI and help our clients thrive.

What excites me most is our ability to combine deep expertise in conversion rate optimization and media buying with insights.

We’re not just another agency throwing spaghetti at the wall—we create precise, personalized strategies that deliver ROI our clients can actually measure. We don’t do long term contracts, we believe in proving ourselves. Which speaks to the real partnerships we build.

What sets us apart is our ‘no-fluff’ approach. We focus on high-impact tactics that drive actual business growth, not just vanity metrics. Whether it’s increasing qualified leads, optimizing ad spend, or improving website conversions, everything we do is designed to move the needle for our clients’ bottom line.

For small business owners reading this: your business has limitless potential. Sometimes you just need the right strategic partner to help unlock it.

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

Hmm, looking back, three qualities have been absolutely crucial to my success:

1. Industry Insider Knowledge

Working on the vendor side of media and digital marketing gave me an invaluable ‘behind-the-curtain’ perspective that most agency owners never get. Understanding how strategies are actually priced, executed, and negotiated has allowed me to secure the best possible value for my clients. Vendors can’t BS me. Sorry! My advice: Whatever industry you’re entering, try to understand it from multiple angles. If possible, work for vendors, suppliers, or partners in your space before going out on your own. This insider knowledge becomes your competitive advantage.

2. Self-Reliance and Problem-Solving
Growing up with a single mom, I learned early that if something needed to get done, I had to figure it out myself. This translates directly into entrepreneurship—you can’t wait for someone else to solve your problems or teach you what you need to know. For those starting out: embrace the discomfort of not knowing something and develop the confidence to figure it out. Start small, learn by doing, and don’t be afraid to fail forward.

3. Genuine Client Advocacy
The biggest differentiator for The LMB Marketing Group is that we truly negotiate on behalf of our clients, not just execute what vendors suggest. This stems from seeing how many agencies operate more like order-takers than strategic partners. My advice: Always put your clients’ success before your own convenience. Build your reputation on results, not relationships with vendors. When clients see you fighting for their best interests—even when it’s harder for you—that’s when you build the kind of trust that leads to 3-5 year partnerships and referrals.

The common thread? Stay curious, stay scrappy, and always remember who you’re really working for.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

The number one obstacle I’m facing is the massive knowledge gap around AI’s true potential in marketing. Most people including potential employees and clients—still think AI is just a novelty tool for writing emails or generating pretty images. They haven’t grasped the transformative power of what’s actually possible today. Or they find it to be just “something else they have to spend time learning.”

For example, tools like Claude MCP allow us to integrate AI across our entire workflow, from analyzing client data with unprecedented accuracy. We can leverage AI to process insights from our data partners in ways that would take traditional agencies weeks to accomplish. But when I explain this to prospects, I often see glazed-over looks because they’re still thinking about AI as ‘that thing that writes social media posts.’

This creates two major challenges: First, finding team members who understand AI’s strategic applications is nearly impossible. Most candidates either dismiss it entirely or only know surface-level applications. Second, clients often undervalue our AI-enhanced capabilities because they don’t understand what they’re getting.

Here’s how I’m addressing it:

I’m positioning myself as an educator, not just a service provider. Instead of leading with AI features, I lead with results and then explain how our AI integration delivered them. I’m also creating educational content that demonstrates real AI applications—showing clients actual ROI improvements, not theoretical benefits.

For hiring, I’m focusing on people with the right mindset over current AI knowledge. I can teach someone Claude MCP, but I can’t teach curiosity and strategic thinking.

The reality is that agencies who master AI integration now will have an insurmountable advantage in 2-3 years. My job is helping clients understand that this isn’t future technology. It’s available today, and their competitors might already be using it.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

The LMB Marketing Group

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Tactics & Strategies for Keeping Your Creativity Strong

With the rapid improvements in AI, it’s more important than ever to keep your creativity

Productivity
From Burnout to Balance: The Role of Self-Care

Burning out is one of the primary risks you face as you work towards your