As a virtual company experiencing massive growth, Jennasis & Associates is putting systems, processes and people in place to keep up with the pace of incoming business. A significant step in that direction earlier this year was introducing Kelly Waite as our new Chief Strategy Officer and right hand woman to company founder and president, Jennifer Malcolm.
This dynamic duo started working together in 2014, with Kelly contributing to Jennasis on the side while working another full-time job. Eventually, Kelly quit her office job to work full time for Jennasis in 2016 and to embrace remote work for a company she truly believed in. Since then, Kelly has been an integral part of the Jennasis team and has contributed to the recent explosion of growth for the company.
Growing Jennasis
Jennifer Malcolm began Jennasis & Associates as a very small virtual administration firm, raising the business from the ground up. As a visionary and master networker, Jennifer was initially able to wear all the hats as needed – virtual assistant, business owner, social media strategist, content writer, recruiter – basically whatever needed to get done. As Jennasis grew, though, it became more and more difficult to manage all those hats, so she began assembling a power team of like-minded professionals to help fill in the gaps, an ongoing process that the latest round of promotions will drive forward. In 2018 Jennasis more than doubled its revenue, and the influx of new clients, team members and services offered is only continuing to grow. Some internal changes were needed to support the growing team of professionals and manage ever increasing client demands.
Last year, Steffani Baker was promoted to Director of Operations to oversee all internal operations and put systems in place to streamline work and ensure high standards of quality. In addition, a strong leadership team was formed to help manage other day-to-day operations of the business. The team began following the concepts from Traction by Gino Wickman to help manage and grow the business, with an emphasis on leadership and putting people in roles that best suit them.
The book explains that a business needs a visionary to dream big dreams, meet important people and focus on business growth. To balance that role of visionary, there needs to be an “integrator” – someone who takes those big, beautiful ideas and not only asks the hard question of, “How do we make this happen?” but also figures out the answer.
Jennifer Malcolm, as visionary and president, appointed Kelly Waite as her “Integrator.” Serving as an account manager, executive team leader and marketing strategist over the past three years has given Kelly significant insight on the ins and outs of the company. She understands the culture of Jennasis – putting family first and working remotely to deliver high quality marketing solutions to clients. Granted the official role of Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), Kelly works behind the scenes to make sure things are running smoothly, that team members are in the right seats, and that there are practical steps in place to make sure the Jennasis dream stays alive and thriving – also determining if ideas make sense and how and if they will bring in revenue. She is well versed in marketing strategy, so this benefits not only the Jennasis team but clients who look to Jennasis for marketing solutions as well.
With Kelly as CSO, Jennifer is free to be the visionary she has always dreamt of being. She is no longer stuck in the mire of day-to-day business but is free to network, develop relationships, grow her business and focus on the culture of her company, especially empowering women by allowing them to work from home and find a work / life balance where they aren’t forced to choose between caring for their families and developing their careers.
About Kelly
Kelly Waite grew up in the business world, finalizing her business degree later in life. She spent years in corporate America, working behind desks and in cubicles. Over the years, she learned that there were two types of women she met in the workplace – those that were threatened by someone younger and smarter, and those women that wanted to train up and empower the next generation of women by helping them learn the ropes in a man’s world.
She determined very early on in her career that she wanted to be the latter type of woman – that if she were ever in a position of power, she would use it to empower other women to find the light inside themselves and help all women thrive in the workplace and in life.
The opportunity to work as a leader for Jennasis gives her the perfect opportunity to put these dreams into practice. Jennasis is a company filled with women (and men) from all backgrounds. The company is all about putting family first. Many team members are moms who want to stay home with their kids or young professionals who want to focus on personal endeavors without a 9-5 restriction. Kelly embodies this vision, serving as mom to two teenage daughters and as a caretaker to her aging father.
As the new CSO, Kelly is fully committed to growing clients’ businesses and empowering team members to discover their talents, thrive in their gifts and reach their full potential. She is the yin to Jennifer’s visionary yang, and with the two of them together Jennasis is definitely going places.
Led by these amazing women, Jennasis & Associates is only scratching the surface of its potential. The company hopes to double revenue each year and continues to grow in leaps and bounds. Are you looking to take your business or brand to the next level? The Jennasis team would love to help you with all your digital marketing needs, from social media marketing to fractional CMO. Give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to partner with you!
