Today we’d like to introduce you to Anika Jackson.
Hi Anika, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in Lawrence, Kansas and have lived in multiple cities, primarily for my career. When I was 17, I would drive the hour to the Kansas City area to meet up with friends almost every weekend for shenanigans and to go dancing. It was during this time that a DJ asked me to start promoting his club nights – which allowed me free entrance, cache and set me on the path to my future.
I have always loved creating connecting experiences and collaborations – finding that inflection point for others that changes their lives, whether for a moment or a lifetime. This is how my career in marketing and public relations was born.
I parlayed my love of music into a move to Chicago to work in the house music scene at clubs such as Shelter and Karma and working for KBA marketing in nightlife and automotive promotions. Then, I moved to Los Angeles to work in marketing for RayGun Publishing and then to San Francisco to become a launch marketing manager for Future US’s Revolution Magazine and then Official Xbox.
After an eight-year stint at Future, I was back in Los Angeles and began my journey into entrepreneurship. I have had a few different companies, from PR and Marketing to real estate investment and management to a social club and retail store in Houston. In 2019, I moved back to the Los Angeles area.
Today, I am VP of PR and Operations at Full Capacity Marketing, an adjunct professor at USC Annenberg, and host and produce Your Brand Amplified, a successful marketing podcast.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My life and career path have not been linear. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience a lot in life. Personally, I felt an “otherness” of identity growing up that had a profound impact on shaping my journey. While on one hand, I performed in traditional Thai ceremonies for events growing up, I didn’t grow up speaking Thai. We celebrated every holiday in the United States along with Thai New Year and the Songkran Water Festival. There weren’t people who looked like me where I lived, and it took me a long time to figure out who I was and become comfortable in my skin.
That was magnified when I got divorced and had to rediscover who I was outside of wife and mother, learn how to date again after almost 20 years of being in one relationship and get back into the workforce. Since I had spent a great deal of time as an entrepreneur, I didn’t have one “niche” that employers could point to, so work was tough, especially when we moved back to Los Angeles in 2019.
I took on contract work and ended up on food stamps for a brief time until I could make enough money to take care of me and my daughter.
We’ve been impressed with Full Capacity Marketing, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
FCM is a national consultancy specializing in brand storytelling and strategic communications for those in the workforce, education, nonprofit, and entrepreneurship sectors.
Our thought leadership builds the capacity of public and private sector organizations and nonprofits to make informed choices in how to best communicate the value of their respective brands and engage customers, partners, and funders with their important missions.
I love working with our clients and helping them connect with and make a difference in the lives of their ideal customers.
One of the things I’m most proud of is The Brand Amplifier for Entrepreneurs – a program I launched and tested for years before recently relaunching it. In the ever-changing PR and marketing landscape, it’s important for entrepreneurs and small businesses to understand what goes into building their brands. Many clients would come to me for PR services but were missing key components and integrated strategies. This program delivers DIY, DWY, and DFY formats to help businesses succeed in these key tools for their businesses, without breaking the bank.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I have always enthusiastically thrown myself into everything I do. Some would say my attitude can be too optimistic or “Polly Anna”ish.
I participated in every school activity, from debate and forensics to theatre, to varsity cheerleading, to Junior Achievement, and the school literary magazine. I loved writing and dreamed of being an author, and couldn’t decide whether I wanted to be a social worker or a businessperson.
Pricing:
- Brand Amplifier Do It Yourself – $1295
- Brand Amplifier Done With You – $12950
- Brand Amplifier Done For You. $24975
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fullcapacitymarketing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amplifywithanika/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amplifywithanika
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikajackson/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmplifywAnika
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yourbrandamplified
- Other: www.yourbrandamplified.com
Image Credits
Laura Grier, Beautiful Day Photography
