Today we’d like to introduce you to Ralitsa Carter.
Hi Ralitsa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I have had the privilege of learning about many different cultures from very early ages. Over the years with the great support of my family, and the opportunity to live on three continents, I learned to accept, appreciate, and respect different cultures and methods of expression. That is the foundation of the person I am today.
I never stopped learning and pushing to be a better version of myself, every day. I left my home and family at the age of 17 to start college in the UK. At the time communication was not as accessible as it is today, which made it emotionally difficult, as I come from a very tightly-knit family. Aside from my professional aspirations, I set it as a life goal to find a way to “gather” my family back together again…
In the first years of my career, I specialized in 2D (traditional) animation. That allowed me to combine my passion for telling stories and art. I completed a number of independent short films, which received international awards while working on commercial productions for the U.S. market. Eventually, I started my own animation studio and through the pursuit of that, realized that there were fundamental business and management skills I needed to learn and improve on if I wanted to continue running my own operation.
That led me to California where I completed my master’s degree in business and administration with a focus on marketing strategy. I am not sure whether it was the statistics projects or the finance and accounting exams I had to successfully complete, but something unlocked a keen interest for the stories numbers could tell.
Long story, short, I had the luck of being trained by some of the best digital strategy professionals in the field, which started the next phase of my career. I worked on the agency side and in-house for a few different employers where I had the opportunity to develop and lead digital strategies for corporations as well as local businesses.
Along the way, I met my incredible husband who also carries his profession deep in his heart. It is easy to continue the pursuit for professional success when the person you share everything with has a similar mindset. As we started our life together, we saw opportunities to combine our skillsets.
The years of experience, knowing how great it feels to build and run something of your own, and having the support of family, allowed me/us to start our video production and digital marketing agency.
My two incredible parents teach and inspire me every day to not give up, be smart with my choices and be brave with the consequences of those choices.
I have a younger sister, who is truly my best friend. She also inspires me and teaches me something new every day, whether that be from her life learnings or simply what’s trending in Europe.
My husband is more than I can ask for, allowing me to be who I am and supporting me in the pursuit of what is close to my heart.
Sharing my personal and professional life with my family, daily is not always easy, but I would not change it for anything.
Today, I stand proudly behind the importance of family, the joy of running a family-owned business and pursuing happiness through the lens of your own life.
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?
No life story is a smooth road… At least not one that I’ve heard of 😉
The first big challenge I had to overcome was leaving my family early on. Even though they were always there to support me, not being able to see your loved ones when I wanted/needed to or picking up the phone to hear their voices, because of distance and time differences, was my reality for many years. Of course, any challenge has a positive side too – that life road taught me to rely on myself and my own capabilities, as well as know my limits.
The second big obstacle I ran into was after I had worked successfully in the U.S. for a few years and my work visa got denied. On the verge of a big promotion at work, I had to pack my bags and leave a life I had worked hard to build, friends I loved, and a relationship I was excited about. Finding the road back and starting literally from scratch was not easy. Yet again, looking back, that experience taught me to never give up, appreciate what I have, and respect and value the opportunities I am given.
Lastly, I am sure that any business owner can relate to this one – on the outside the concept of the freedom of running your own business looks very glamorous. But let’s be honest, it is pedal to the metal every day and having two consecutive days off is a luxury 😉
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Twelve Legs Marketing?
Ragtag bunch of misfits or a perfectly-assembled force of talent and experience? Perhaps a little of both. Fertile young minds, marketing mavericks, award-winners, well-connected community stalwarts, and seasoned vets—the sum of our parts equals a team fine-tuned to produce results.
Twelve Legs Marketing is based in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO and supports content and marketing efforts for organizations, nationwide.
We know that your content and marketing campaigns only matter when they get seen by the right people.
That’s why we believe content creation and distribution are two complementary art forms. You can’t have one without the other, and we’re experts at both.
When you work with us, you’re collaborating with a team of award-winning artists, marketing experts, and real people who care about what you have to say. Our commitment to you is to get your message out there in a way that drives business results.
We can support your vision and business with:
– Professional video production
– Drone videography and photography – our team is fully insured, and FAA licensed
– Content strategy
– Digital marketing – we have in-house, dedicated teammates who specialize in SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing), paid social, streamed audio, streamed video, programmatic display – we are a Google and Facebook partner agency
– Website design and development
– Mobile web application development
Our proudest moments are the ones that move the needle for our clients, whether that be fine-tuning a website and skyrocketing organic visibility or producing content that breaks social media records for respective brands.
Each business/organization is unique and we work to develop the custom solutions that make a difference for you.
In our spare time, we love telling stories and utilize our channels People of Colorado (IG: @people_of_co) and Elevated By Art (IG: @elevated.by.art).
Drop us a line, say hi, we’d love to meet you!
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
In my professional opinion, an ongoing trend will lead to a major shift:
1. Privacy regulations in the online space will continue becoming tighter, driving even more segmentation between channels and (for some forcefully) the realization that developing your own database of contacts will be the most profitable effort
2. As a result of the above, becoming great at telling your story strategically and positioning it accurately on the available segmented channels will be a necessity for big and small businesses who want to remain successful
Contact Info:
- Website: https://twelvelegsmarketing.com/
- Instagram: @twelvelegsmarketing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwelveLegsMarketing
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-_ziuYK3yhmqEJDFpGQjFw
Image Credits
Twelve Legs Marketing
