People Don’t Believe Our Boss Exists, Part 8

Chelsea Ray – SMM Director
Let me preface this by saying our interactions are mostly virtual. I don’t think my perception of WHO Annie is will ever change regardless of how we interact.

We talk daily, but our AIM-like conversations (did I just age myself?) include a lot of capital letters, emojis, and overused punctuation!!!! And never feel like conversations you’d be having with your “boss” no less the founder of an internet marketing and advertising agency.

Annie is a one-of-a-kind CEO, that relies on the talents of her design, content writing, web development, and SEO team to make things happen for her clients and is not shy about condemning or praising them for their efforts. I think I’ve lost count at how many times she’s thanked me and our team for being “smarter” than her. But rest assured, she’ll be quick to call you out on your BS or if you try and hand in something looking like 2-month-old turkey meatloaf. Even if it is the special “recipe” your roommate made in college.

But in terms of gratitude, she always takes it a step further than just a compliment. A normal CEO displays their signs of approval with a nice compliment, maybe a pat on the back. But, for the team at Austin advertising agency Rock Candy Media, Nah. Annie likes to do things outside of the box, always. She’ll deliver that praise by paying for a hot slice of in-office team massage’s. Not the happy ones. But she would if the building manager wasn’t such a stiff. Screw you, Mike.

Unfortunately for me, since I do work remotely, I miss out on a lot of these candid displays of affection but appreciate seeing my fellow marketers enjoying the fruits of their labor. After all, I get to work a full-time salaried position (with benefits) from the comfort of my home (couch/bed/home office) and affiliate myself with one of the top advertising agencies Austin, Texas.

As an aspiring business owner, I admire her for several reasons:

1. For becoming the CEO of her own marketing agency after deciding she didn’t want to work for anyone else.
2. For never being afraid to say what’s on her mind (even if she knows her opinion isn’t coinciding with the majority).
3. For always staying steadfast with her vision and never compromising simply to please others.
4. For (mostly) being down to earth and allowing her team to make “boss calls” and be the decision makers on execution in their respective internet marketing and advertising fields.

If she trusts you, you’re golden. But, that doesn’t mean you must know-it-all. She looks fondly on those that aren’t afraid to ask for help or admit to their mistakes. Making mistakes is a part of the game, owning up to said mistakes takes character. Annie loves people with character.

She’s a fan of the “drink from a straw out of a can” tactic and loves a good d**k joke. Make her laugh and you’ve won half the battle.

All-in-all, Annie Jones has an eye for design and a knack for authoritative messaging that make people look and listen. This might lead to vomit or somebody pissing themselves, but most of the time it ends up with a dynamite idea. Client’s love her no f**k’s attitude and I should mention, her phone voice isn’t that bad either.