Dani Kimble

Two years into running my marketing business, I almost quit.

Not because I lacked clients - but because I was buried in one-off requests for ads, SEO, and lead gen.

The problem?

Most of those tactics were built on shaky ground. 

No positioning. No story. No brand foundation. Which meant no real scalability.

So in 2023, I rebuilt my business around what was missing: brand strategy.

And in 2025, I layered in AI to help clients actually execute that strategy.

Today, I help businesses stop wasting money on disjointed marketing and instead:

Build a brand foundation worth recommending
Create a strategy that scales with them
Activate their story with an AI-powered system that turns strategy into consistent, on-brand execution

My core work:

Brand Audit – diagnose strengths + gaps
Brand Strategy – positioning, messaging, POV, story
Brand Activation + AI – a clear marketing plan + custom GPTs trained on your brand to help your team execute

Because brand strategy alone isn’t enough.

And AI alone is just noise.

But brand + AI together? That’s the multiplier that makes marketing work.

👉 Visit azeliestudio.com or DM me to see how your brand can run smarter, not harder.

Fractional CMO

5 kids later, and I finally gave myself permission to take a real maternity leave.

With my first four, I was back at my laptop within weeks. 

Answering emails from the hospital bed. 
Hopping on calls between feedings. 
3AM work sessions while everyone was asleep.

I wore the hustle like a badge of honor.

Baby #5? He slowed me down in the best way. 

He's almost a year old now - and for the first time, we've truly been home. 

Did I still tinker during nap times? Of course. 😉

Taking on a few little projects. Experimenting with AI. Posting here and there. Sending my weekly newsletter. Studying and obsessing over where branding and marketing are headed. (What a time to be in this industry!)

But those things? They filled me up. 

They didn't feel like obligations. They were curiosities I got to explore on my own terms.

The difference between "I have to" and "I want to" is everything.

I used to measure success by how quickly I could "bounce back."

Now I'm realizing success might look more like staying still long enough to actually rest and enjoy the season you're in.

To the families wrestling with that same guilt - it's okay to redefine what this chapter looks like for you.

You're not falling behind. (I know it can feel that way...)

You're exactly where you need to be. ♥️

P.S. Feeling ready (and really excited) to tip-toe back into a balanced work mode for 2026 - rested, with our little crew settled into a good rhythm here. Here we go!

Brand & Marketing Strategist @ Azelie Studio

"Do minifigures sleep with their eyes open?"

That's how the LEGO Group opens a job posting.

They're hiring a writer for their customer experience team. And look at the real customer questions they lead with:

"What are you doing to protect the polar bears?"

"Are there minifigures with prosthetic limbs?"

"My kid wants to know if minifigures sleep with their eyes open."

And then this: "If questions like these make you smile instead of sweat, you'll click perfectly with our team."

This is not corporate HR speak.

But here's the line that really got me...

Buried near the bottom:

"Children are our role models. Their curiosity, creativity and imagination inspire everything we do."

That right there is the culture filter.

More than a copywriter, they're hiring someone who sees the world through play.

The hiring manager literally says you might spend your day "playing with LEGO bricks for research." 

Most companies display values on a wall and call it culture. Then post job descriptions that sound like they were written by a compliance bot.

LEGO wove their entire brand philosophy into a job posting.

Warmth. 
Empathy. 
Imagination. 
Curiosity.

Not efficiency metrics. Not deflection tactics.

No wonder their customer service team is one of the most beloved in the world.

Job postings are brand moments. Most companies treat them like paperwork.

What does yours say about your culture when no one's watching?

📸 Pictured: the Kimble R&D department hard at work. ;)

Skull logos. Tallboy cans. A tagline that says "Murder Your Thirst."

This is a water company. Valued at $1.4 billion.

Liquid Death built a billion-dollar brand by doing something most companies are terrified to do:

They rejected everything their category stood for.

Every other water brand plays the same game. Clean. Pure. Blue. Natural. Soft pastels. Earthy imagery.

Liquid Death looked at all of it and said... nah.

Heavy metal fonts. Cans that look like they should come with a hangover. "Death to Plastic" as a rallying cry.

The water itself? Completely unremarkable.

The brand? Impossible to ignore.

Look at this ad below....

They're not trying to win over Michael W. They're using him to attract the people who think his disgust is hilarious. 

When we build brand strategy, one of my favorite exercises is mapping the trade-offs. What your brand refuses to be. What customers you're okay losing.

Most companies try to appeal to everyone... and end up blending into the noise.

Liquid Death made a different bet: Be sooo specific that some people hate you... and the rest become obsessed.

So, what are your trade-offs? What's your brand saying no to?

January 5th: New year, fresh goals, ready to finally get ahead.

January 21st: 5 of 7 Kimbles have been down with a virus, one by one. Sick days. Snow days. Early dismissals. Zero routine. Winter break vibes are back. 😅

I used to think the goal was to find the rhythm. Get the routine locked in. Then the real work could begin.

Turns out, there is no "normal" week waiting on the other side.

Most days actually hum along just fine. But I'm learning to build a life that bends when it needs to... and that's not plan B. That's just... how it works now.

The margins are where the magic happens for me. The 90 minutes at wrestling practice. The work sessions during nap times. The early mornings before the house wakes up.

Perfect conditions aren't coming. And I think I'm finally okay with that.

So to the ones already re-adjusting their 2026 goals:

Same. ♥️

How's your January going... really?

P.S. They're all back to school today (we'll see if anyone calls home 🤞). Even managed to sneak this lunch box note in for my daughter - the real priority this morning. Ha!

Nobody budgets for confusion. But everyone pays for it.

I talked to a CEO last month who'd cycled through three marketing directors in 5 years.

She said each one "just didn't get the brand."

I asked for their brand materials to do an audit.

What I got back was a target market bio and a few ad samples:

CFO
age 45-48
Husband and father of 2
Listens to business podcasts
Attends industry conferences

The ads? Generic stock photos and taglines that could've belonged to any competitor.

That was it. The entire brand foundation.

No story. No stakes. No reason a prospect would choose them over anyone else.

So every new hire started from scratch. Every campaign needed six rounds of feedback because "it doesn't feel right." The sales team was making up their own pitch on the fly - and every call sounded different.

Here's the thing no one talks about:

Clarity is infrastructure.

You can't build momentum on a foundation that shifts every time someone new walks in.

Confusion doesn't show up as a line item on the balance sheet. It shows up as prospects who can't explain you to their boss. As talent that leaves because the vision keeps changing. As years spinning instead of scaling.

Three directors. 5 years. And the real cost wasn't in the severance... it was in the momentum they never got to build.

Confusion tax at its finest.

P.S. 📸 The Kimble creative department hard at work... and also what your sales team looks like without brand clarity. ;)

BVU - The Center for Nonprofit Excellence

Volunteer consultant offering Marketing/Branding expertise to local non-profit organizations.   BVU provides nonprofit board and staff leaders with easy access to high value and proven consulting opportunities.   My clients include:

Chagrin Falls Park Community Center
Career Transition Center 
First Steps:  Parenting Advocacy Center
Women's Network

BVU training completed:   "The Role of the Board"  and "Insuring Your Future Through Fiscal Stewardship"

Foundation Center - Cleveland OH:   "Proposal Writing Basics" and "Proposal Budgeting Basics"

Marketing/Branding Consultant

ANG Marketing Group, LLC

ANG Marketing Group is a Northeast Ohio-based collaboration of business professionals founded by Tim Angbrandt. The roots of this consulting practice began in  2013 with Tim’s association with BVU | The Center for Nonprofit Excellence as a Marketing Consultant for the Greater Cleveland/Akron area.  

ANG is available to function as your Marketing Department on a consulting basis or as “fractional” staff members at your location.

Let us help without adding to your payroll.

We can also provide experts, on an interim basis, for other business functions such as IT, HR, Engineering and Finance.

Founder

Patina Solutions

The Mentor Bank, a mentoring service anchored on a technology platform, provides access to a large pool of experienced leaders ready to guide your employees to achieve better results.

Strategic Marketing Consultant

Decisionpoint Marketing & Research, Inc.

DecisionPoint Marketing & Research, Inc. is a full-service market research consulting service.

Support field marketing research and focus group recruitment.  Just completed an assignment with a major drug store chain.

Marketing Consultant

Profusion Industries

Market development & lead generation, branding, social media, web site design, content development and communications.

LEWCO, Inc.

$18 million manufacturer of unit conveyors and industrial heat processing equipment.

Selected to re-establish marketing and product management functions.

*  6% sales increase for targeted product line:  researched, developed and implemented recommendations for product portfolio.  Included market and product gap analysis, product specifications, pricing and sales tools.
*  Doubled unique visitors and increased page one, key word rankings:  initiated improved web site functionality, social media optimization and content.
*  5% increase in distributor sales:  created and implemented plan for improvements of Salesforce.com CRM tool for new sales follow-up approach and customer performance measurement system.
*  37% open rates for targeted email campaigns drive 10% increase in quote volume:  developed templates, designed targeted customer list and measured results using a third party tool.

Product Marketing Manager

BFL Marketing Communications Inc.

Marketing agency specializing in strategic planning, brand development, communications and social media.

Provided advice on strategy for using social media tools to client companies.

eMarketing Independent Consultant

United States Postal Service

$65 billion government agency providing mailing and package services.

Selected, from a national search, as a member of a new business team in a matrix environment.

*  Managed online program activities supporting $130 million revenue stream:  determined current market segments and proposed strategic direction for the change of address (COA) program.
*  Analyzed and provided weekly edits on key vendor contracts for the COA program which will set the pace for the next ten years:  facilitated multi-location, cross-functional teams in a matrix environment.
*  Achieved additional regional and national advertising for no marginal cost:  researched and presented a recommendation to improve USPS product advertising through the COA program.

Business Development Analyst / Marketing Specialist

Eaton Corporation - formerly Tuthill Coupling Group

Global manufacturer of quick couplings and leak testing components.  Part of $16 billion Eaton Corporation.

Chosen to develop marketing function, drive product launches and to provide sales team support. 

*  7% sales increase for re-designed product line:  led introduction which included all print and electronic communications:  data sheet, catalog updates, web content, sample kits and training.
*  9% sales increase in oil and gas industry:  researched customer needs, contacted standards organizations and company business units and spoke to industry experts to determine U.S. requirements.
*  5% sales increase in distributor channel:  created online, product training program, named "The Virtual Factory Tour," that increased understanding and promotion of quick coupling products.
*  Collaborated with global manufacturing and sales teams for market development:  worked closely with counterparts in France.  Led cross-functional teams and managed staff, budget and vendors.
*  Averaged 3% web conversion rate:  developed and implemented web learning tools, content and email promotions to support customer sales growth and retention.

Marketing Manager

Diebold, Inc.

$2.9 billion global manufacturer:  Integrated self-service, security, software and ATM solutions.

Picked to develop value-propositions and communications tools for global marketing plan.

*  Developed value propositions for 3 segments from primary research:  leader working with Product Management (Stage-Gate process) and outside agency to develop communication tools for the sales team and end use customers.  One result was a PC-based video used in sales presentations.
*  Created an electronic presentation, based on market research, for the North American sales meeting:  resulted in effective internal marketing communications.
*  Initiated the development of an internal ATM vision statement, a vital strategic document:  worked with product Management to create and obtain approval for a final version.

Marketing Manager (Contract)

Marketing professional and creative problem solver with a strategic mindset.    Skilled marketer who enjoys building relationships, and using technology & data analysis to drive critical market segment, product development, SEO & SMO, branding and communications initiatives.  Achieves goals through collaboration with customers, internal teams and vendors to support sales objectives.

Experienced in B2B and B2C marketing environments.    

Specialties: 

- Leadership | Creative Problem Solving | Project Management

- Strategy | Product Marketing |  Business Development

- Market Research | Market Analysis | Competitive Analysis

- Product Development | NPD | Product Launch | Product Management

- Go-To-Market Strategy | B2B Marketing Strategy | Channel Strategy

- CRM Database Management | Salesforce.com Administration | Voice of the Customer

- Web Site Design and Content | SEO | SEM | Marketing Automation

- Social Media Marketing | Content Marketing | Online Marketing

- Sales Enablement  | New Business Development | Email Marketing

- Value Propositions | PR and Communications | Trade Shows

- Brand Implementation | Public Relations | Advertising

- Customer Experience | Competitive Differentiation | Training

taplio

The Battle

Dani Kimble

Tim Angbrandt, MBA

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The Battle

Dani Kimble

Tim Angbrandt, MBA

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Dani Kimble's LinkedIn Performance

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