If you haven’t met Kimberley yet, we’re pleased to introduce her. She’s a successful businesswoman, a content expert, and a dedicated mother. We’ll explore why she founded Creative Campbellville, what drives her and what the future holds for the business.

Origin Story

Kimberley had long been involved in writing, editing and education before she thought about creating her own content business. She graduated with a Master of Arts in Literature and Language from the University of Windsor, with the intention of working in publishing, which she did for several years.

From Woodstock, Ontario originally, Kimberley never felt quite at home in Toronto. She decided to leave the publishing world, which was primarily based in the GTA, and explore another passion: education. She earned a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto and taught high school English, History and Social Sciences for several years. Although she’s still a certified Ontario teacher, the pull to write drew her back into the world of content creation.

“I am lucky to live in a moment in time where writing is a valued skill,” Kimberley said in a recent interview. “Being able to make an honest living doing something I love is beyond my dreams – I never thought it was possible.”

The path to entrepreneurship wasn’t straightforward, though. Kimberley had been working at a publishing company for several years when she announced she was pregnant with her second child. Her employer seemed to accept that, asking Kimberley to train another editor before she left. However, once the training was complete, she was laid off.

“I was seven months pregnant, and pretty much un-hirable. What company is going to hire someone about to go on maternity leave?” Kimberley said. It was a challenging time for her family.

“The entire situation shook me to the core,” she explained. “I had this naive belief that as an employee I was protected from things like this. I also felt strongly that I was very good at what I did. This was a hard lesson for me that companies do not always reward hard work and talent.”

Kimberley began freelance writing to try to make ends meet while she had her son. “I did some side gigs here and there during the rest of my pregnancy and had a feeling that I could make this a full-time thing rather than go back into the corporate world,” she said.

So, she didn’t go back. Kimberley kept freelancing and grew her client base. Eventually, she realized that she needed to bring on more freelance writers and eventually a full-time editor to help her meet demand. Thus, Creative Campbellville was founded, on the principles that your content should be professionally written, high quality, and focused on your business goals.

What Sets Creative Campbellville Apart?

“Sure, there are a lot of marketing companies out there who offer content, but content is not their sole focus,” Kimberley said. “The people on our team are fabulous writers and editors – it’s all we do, which means we can do it extremely well. Plus, everything here gets a second set of eyes,” Kimberley said.

Another thing we do remarkably well at Creative Campbellville is listen.

“I don’t pretend to know my client’s business – this a mistake that I think a lot of people in my industry make. Some marketers (especially those who work with niche industries) think they know the industry better than their clients.”

Kimberley explained that she, and those who work alongside her at Creative Campbellville, take a different perspective.  “Instead, we focus on our own strengths; writing and research and use those skills to compliment the client’s industry knowledge and experience. In this way I see our relationship with clients as a partnership.”

During conversations with a client, Kimberley takes every opportunity to learn from them. “I listen much more than I speak. My approach is to enter the conversation with a sense of humbleness. How can I learn if I’m doing all the talking?”

Our Approach to Content Creation

You’ve probably heard that content can make or break your company. Your content is a contact point where you customers, new or old, interact with your brand. So, it needs to be powerful, consistent with your voice and grammatically correct. That’s all true, but it’s not enough.

“This is a surface treatment of content,” Kimberley explained. “Content can get a lot deeper – depending on your goals. For example, regular blogging is a great way to address common customer questions, showcase your expertise in your industry, and help with your organic ranking on Google through evergreen content.”

There are countless more examples of how content can help you meet your business goals, but don’t expect a neat, trackable ROI. “Content provides a lot of great value for your business, but these things aren’t tangible. For example, it’s difficult to know if someone converts from your website to a lead because of your content only. It’s more likely that your content is a factor, just like the graphics and the fast page load time are factors,” she explains.  “It’s more that your content is a necessity. If you don’t have it or if it’s not done well, customers will 100% disengage with you.”

What’s Next?

While she’d like Creative Campbellville to keep growing its client base and bring more writers on to the team, Kimberley isn’t about to sacrifice quality. In order to create quality writing, Kimberley has invested in a local team that is highly educated – not in marketing or business, but in fields that focus on writing.

“All of our writers and editors have post-secondary education that is based in the social sciences or humanities and this is purposefully done because I believe strongly that these disciplines teach good research skills, which is one of the foundations of strong writing.”

What else is in store for the business? Kimberley has a lot of projects on the horizon. “Like so many entrepreneurs, I’m looking at spending less time in the business and more time on the business.” She explains, “We’re re-launching our website soon (it’s in the works) with a new Senior Living section to better showcase the work we do in that industry.”

As for new services, Kimberley mentioned moving into the self-publishing realm, including audio books and podcasts. There’s a lot on the horizon for Kimberley, and for all of us at Creative Campbellville. We hope you’ll join us!

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