Meet Trailblazer Emily Hickey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Hickey.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in a suburb of Detroit and went to college at the University of Michigan. Upon graduation, I joined the marketing department of a large construction company. I was eager and adventurous and quickly landed a promotion and relocation to Phoenix, AZ where I grew my role from solely marketing to new business development as well. Construction marketing had never been my passion and I had always viewed it as a stepping stone, so when an opportunity to move to Chicago and work for an advertising agency arose, I ran toward it. I didn’t know the first thing about advertising, but new business development had taught me to fake it, talk a big game and confidently socialize with executives. So, it was no surprise that within two years, I had worked my way out of a stodgy retailer account and onto the flashy entertainment account, DIRECTV. It was grueling. The client was intense, passionate and demanding of time and patience. However, after a year on the account, they insisted that I relocate to California and run the account from the business side. While there I learned the ins and outs of direct response, targeted marketing and used my business development skills to woo and negotiate partnership opportunities with TV networks and studios. In six years, I grew the business to a fine-tuned and efficient $100MM marketing channel and brought in nearly 500k new customers.

In 2013, I realized that I was in a rut. I had been doing the same thing for six years and wanted a change. With no headcount for advancement, I decided to leave DIRECTV. I wanted to see the world and was in a great position to do so personally and financially. So, I sold everything I owned, left my job and bought a backpack. Over the course of the next 15 months, I backpacked around the world. I visited 26 countries on 6 continents writing, volunteering, hiking, sandboarding, blogging, and experiencing all of the love, sacrifice, and persistence the world had to offer. I witnessed the extremes of poverty and opulence and embraced the culture, heat, and kindness of strangers, friends, and acquaintances. I was forever changed by every moment and individual that I experienced.

So, when I returned, I knew that I wanted to do something – to be something – to grow something – to build something. I was a better human being having taken a beat from my life and I was determined to inspire others to be… more.

I jumped into the startup space, helping dreamers grow and became a witness to how passion alone cannot succeed. You need to surround yourself with good people that can provide checks and balances. You need to surround yourself with people smarter than you and have the will power to listen and alter your plan if needed, but also be courageous enough to trust your gut and run toward the fire.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think my path has been relatively smooth, though others might think differently. I was fortunate to get a couple of lucky breaks that were the result of networking and nurturing personal relationships. I’m an adventurer and risk-taker by nature so I was always able to tolerate making big leaps with rewards that weren’t always immediately visible. You have to trust your gut and more importantly trust your ability to thrive and succeed. I am a strong-ass woman with a village of emotional supporters that are empowering, insightful and forgiving.

My advice to other women starting their journey… ask for help when you need it and seek-out mentors where you can. It’s flattering to receive a sincere request for mentoring. Someone wants to learn skills based on the example you have made, the road you’ve taken and the success you’ve realized – that’s a feel-good moment for both the mentor and mentee.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Digital Influence Agency/GradVote – what should we know?
I actually have two companies right now.

In 2017, I teamed up with a friend to create a digital marketing agency called Digital Influence Agency (DIA). We pair celebrities and influencers with brands to elevate their content, presence, and relevance through social, digital, tv integration and live event marketing. While I am strategic, tenacious, creative and embrace my dorky side; my partner, Herman, is the Yin to my Yang providing the perfect counterbalance in skills and interests. He is the king of networking (and cool) and his relationships draw so much organic business that we can’t even keep the website current. We’re very fortunate that the industry is booming and the business is thriving.

I am very excited to share the news that this January I built a start-up company called GradVote. We’re targeting 16-18-year-olds to teach them how to vote using free in-school curriculum and an app. We hope to teach students the value of their vote, how to process competing information and how to register and practice voting so that when they turn 18, it’s a familiar process where they feel their ballot and their voice can make a difference. We want to balance the inequalities presented by socio-economic status, so we’re aiming to push 25% of proceeds back into low-income schools and scholarship programs for students heavily engaged in civic activism. It’s a lot of work, but worth it. 4 million people turn 18 each year and the last three out of five elections were determined by 3.2MM votes or less. If we can educate even a fraction of students, we can impact an election with informed voting.

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
So many. My husband inspired me to read more and listen to more podcasts and we have both vowed to read at least 1 book a month. So far, I’m on track. I am currently reading Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming, (for fun) and a start-up guide called, straight Talk for Startups (for work). I listened to a really good podcast about starting a new business called, BARS! by Dawn Dickenson. However, I usually listen to guilty pleasure crime podcasts like Serial, Crime Junkies, Dirty John, S-Town and others like The Mortified Podcast, Stuff You Should Know to disengage a bit.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gradvote.org
• Instagram: @ecmitche
• Twitter: @gogo_Em
• Other: www.digitalinfluenceagency.com

Image Credit:
Emily Hickey, Geoff Hickey, Herman Flores, Jen Darmafall

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