Hello everyone and welcome to The Upstream Leader. Today, we are going to have a conversation about stories and marketing and getting away from just the numbers. This is a topic that I’ve always found fascinating—with a background in analytics, it was never about the numbers. I always thought it was in the beginning, and then I realized it’s really not about numbers, it is about stories and meaning and why we should care. My guest today is Kenzie Huling, marketing strategist at JHM CPAs in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Kenzie, welcome to the show.
Hi. Thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here.
Absolutely. I am looking forward to this. Kenzie shared an article on LinkedIn about a month ago on revolutionizing accounting marketing, and it started right out of the gate with, “I don’t want to see ads, I want to know stories,” which made me believe right out of the gate, this is going to be the perfect individual to have a conversation with. So I’m excited to do that, Kenzie. But before we jump into this topic, I’m going to ask you the same question that I ask every guest, and that is: How did you become the leader that you are today?
Awesome. I appreciate that question so much. The thing about me is I love to say that I’m self-made. I have actually no degree in marketing specifically, I have a degree in business that I went to college for two years for. But throughout my life I actually grew up with my father who put on a lot of events (with me) as a teenager locally in the area. He would do car shows and bring people together, and he did all the marketing for that. He completely pioneered everything from the ground up, and he really paved the path to a big community event. Seeing that and growing up around that atmosphere really inspired me to also want to take the initiative to be a pioneer in my community and my workplace, and to bring people together to tell stories. I also have a very creative background as well: I spent many years doing internships, graphic designing, a lot of volunteering. Building up my resume through experience specifically, and a lot advocating for myself and gaining that confidence to pretty much say, “Hey, this is who I am, this is what I do. I might not have the necessary, exact degree for this, but I do have the passion. I do have the skillset. I do have the experience that I need in order to get the job done and do it well.”
I remember when I was in high school, I said that I was self-made because I knew at that point that what I wanted to do was creative, and it would take a lot of extra work on the side to get to the position that I am now, and a lot of advocating for myself. I do take a lot of pride in that. I’ve worked very hard doing what I need to do to get to the position that I am. But it’s also a continuous process: We’re always learning, we’re always growing as leaders, so just because I have reached the point that I am now through a lot of advocating for myself and teaching myself a lot of things, I know that I have a lot more that I’ll continue to learn along the way too.
That’s outstanding. That sounds like an exciting path to leadership as well. It’s interesting, I was actually just having a conversation with somebody this morning, we were talking about the value of the college degree and do we see that changing. Our conversation was so much about, the degree does not necessarily indicate what somebody’s capable of. I’ve seen over the course of my career, lots of team members that I’ve had in various areas that had no degree, but they sure had a lot of passion and drive and initiative for what they did, and that’s really what drives success. So that’s such an exciting story. What brought you then, to public accounting? Because if you have a very creative background, that isn’t typically the natural segue into, “So public accounting was my natural next step.” Help me understand what brought you to public accounting.
Yeah, absolutely. I previously was a marketing director for a grocery store in the local area, and I also did graphic design for them. It was a very creative position that I was in, but I had reached a point in my own career and my own development where I wanted to challenge myself. When I came across JHM in public accounting, I will admit, at first it was a little intimidating because it is not necessarily seen on the surface as something that is creative naturally, but because of where I wanted to go with my career and the constant challenges that I wanted to keep putting on myself, I walked my way into it knowing that this was an industry that I needed to make a lot of room for creativity. I kind of saw it as almost like a blank canvas that is available for me to paint how I need it to look, or how I want it to look creatively, so I accepted that challenge and that’s how I ended up here.
So I’m curious then, as we start to segue into talking about revolutionizing accounting marketing, if you have this blank canvas—and I completely agree, I think it’s a profession that has so much opportunity for creativity. We can’t be creative with our accounting. That’s a totally different thing. That was why I had a great career in forensics, because too many people try to do that. But we can be creative as accountants. So building on the blank canvas analogy, I think most would see that and think, “All right, well let’s just hang that on a gray wall and call it good. A blank canvas on a gray wall, that’s creative enough for us.” Where did you find the inspiration to go find the paintbrushes and the colors and add the creativity there?
Yeah. I think an important part of myself, going back to my original introduction, was the community aspect of my passion. I remember looking around the office and looking in our community and going out to events and meeting other people, realizing there’s more to a story that needs to be told within the four walls of an office. I started looking at people’s history, I started looking at the staff stories. There was one time I featured women in accounting specifically because in the past, the industry has been seen as male-dominated. So taking that, I wanted to bring more focus to women in accounting, as an example, I wanted to pour some soul into the accounting industry. That involved interviewing staff, getting to know more about them, seeing the impact that their work is doing within the community, realizing that there are nonprofits in the area or other businesses that are building homes or helping people on the street that are operating and functioning because of the work that the accountants here are doing.
So it takes a little bit of digging, but I had to dig a little deeper to find that beauty. So when you combine the stories of other people and design and just bring that passionately together, I was able to kind of create a brand with JHM that emphasizes some of our core values, which is team-first atmosphere, giving back to the community, having hearts that serve, and really embodying those core values through just having to dig a little deeper and bring those elements together.
I absolutely love that. In your article, you mentioned you have the quote, “Since when is being different a bad thing?” I’m sure that probably took a little bit of convincing, that it’s okay to be different and start to tell those stories. When you joined JHM—and I know the leadership there, and they’re, I would say, a very open-minded group—I can see them just totally latching onto this, so maybe it’s a bit unique. But how did you get the leadership of the firm sold on storytelling and daring to be different and not just the traditional, “Here’s your latest tax update, let’s write an article about it?” How did you start to change the narrative internally with leadership?
Yeah, I mean it definitely helps, like you said, that leadership here is wonderful and they are open-minded to things. I think advocating for myself was also a very big first step. Being passionate is something that you just can’t fake. You can’t fake being creative and passionate and having motivation. It was really important that they fully supported me and trusted me, but also being able to pitch this idea and making sure that they’re seen as well. I remember after writing my article and even when I first started talking to staff here in the office and hearing stories of, “Oh, we did this 1099 for this person and we helped out this nonprofit and now they can do this event,” and I remember just thinking and telling them, “I really see you. I see what you’re doing. You have to remember that you are making an impact, you’re having a ripple effect through the community.” I feel like the culture here at JHM is also very helpful, very family-oriented, very personable, so when I had the concept of doing more storytelling instead of creating content like, “Get your tax forms in by this date,” or anything like that, it became more of a culture brand, and that was my intention. It was very nice to be able to be supported in that.
Yeah, I absolutely love that. You mentioned in your article that in your mind, “revolutionize” means seeking higher meaning, daring to be different, and making an impact. Talk a little bit about how you’re doing that on a regular basis. And I would be curious how you see the success of those types of marketing campaigns—how do they compare to the more traditional ads and just the education-based marketing? I would imagine you still have to do some of that. Because we are trying to—people want to be thought leaders. How do you see the difference in the two different styles, I would say, driving the results, and how do you blend the two together?
Yeah, that’s a great question. I have noticed that, kind of like you said, there needs to be both. You need to have the informative content, but also the culture content, the personable, creative content as well. I think daring to be different in that aspect really kind of boils down to heart and what kind of thought leader you want to be as well, like how do we want to be seen within our industry? Do we want to be like everybody else? Do we want to just follow the leader? Do we want to look at other firms and think, “Oh, well if they’re doing that, we need to do that too?” and that’s very important to me, and why I say revolutionizing it means daring to be different and taking the different step. If you really think about it, trends start from people taking that chance. Trends start from somebody saying, “This is really different. This could succeed or it could fail, but we’re going to try it anyway.”
That is kind of what I try to do, realizing that, especially within the accounting industry, we could talk about something that maybe other firms have never touched on, but to me, I would be willing to take that chance because sometimes things just need to be talked about. If we want change in the accounting industry, it starts with us, and it starts with the pioneers who are willing to pave that path in order to change it however they see that it needs to be changed. So it involves some risk, as long as it’s good and it’s for the greater good, I think.
Yeah. I like that idea that revolutionizing does still require some of the traditional, but then also the calculated risk of the new, which could become the next traditional. Like you said, every trend is started by someone. Are there any marketing campaigns, since you’ve been at JHM—and I think you’ve been there, what, about two and a half years or so?—are there any marketing campaigns at JHM that really stand out for you as being remarkably successful, not only from driving interest in the firm in the traditional marketing sense, but also, I would imagine that if you’re storytelling in the way that you’re describing, it’s got to have a positive impact on the people at the firm. Are there any campaigns that really just jump out at you over the last two and a half years, and could you talk a little bit about it and the impact that it had inside the firm as well?
Yeah, absolutely. I think maybe a year or two ago—one of our receptionists, her name’s Rhonda—she was part of the American Heart Association Go Red for Women event, which is a local event that we were involved in. We went to this event, and she was actually the main feature at this event locally. It was at a big convention center, she got to tell her story, which is very personal to her, and even outside of the firm, it had a dramatic impact on something that’s personal and involves somebody’s life and their health. But also within the firm as well, it really brought people together, I feel like, and it brought a lot of women together specifically. It really emphasized and kind of stitched up that sense of community and culture. I learned that through things like that, through telling stories about our staff or getting involved in their family life or even what they do outside of the firm, actually, it not only tells our clients and our audience that, “Hey, we are real people and we’re living our life,” but also brings people together within the office.
I could make a post about somebody having a baby or something, and maybe somebody in the firm sees it on social media and they’re like, “Oh, I would have no idea unless you posted about that.” Then they reach out to the person and congratulate them and things like that. I have learned that it’s almost—it’s interesting—it’s almost like the more personable you can get, the better. But of course, like you said, you have to also throw in some traditional aspects of that marketing in there. So it’s a balancing act for sure.
Very interesting. What do you find is most successful as far as a medium? Is it videos, is it written narrative, LinkedIn, email? Where do you find people in the business world connect most to stories?
I would say for us, especially, social media is a very big one. LinkedIn and Facebook are two main platforms. But also e-newsletters as well. We have a pretty decent audience that we—I actually send out two newsletters to our clients. One of those is called the JHM Client Newsletter that is specifically targeted towards the culture of JHM and what we’re doing, how we’re out in the community, any updates from our end, fun stuff, things like that. But then I also have another newsletter that is called Accounting Insights, and that is specifically tailored for accounting news, any tips, anything that our clients really need to know. So within one month, they’re getting two newsletters that are focusing on not only our brand and our culture, but things that they need to know as well.
That’s wonderful. Have you found that this approach to marketing has improved employee engagement within the firm? I know you’re on the marketing side, but I would imagine that when you start looking for those stories and talking to people about their stories, I would imagine that has to improve engagement and culture and almost reiterate the culture that you’re building and just continue that. Is that fair?
I would say so, yeah. I feel like if you have something as a recurring reminder of who we are and what we stand for and what we value in our culture, I think that is almost like a reinforcement, but in the best way possible. I do think, and I do hope, that it has had an impact on the culture and the people at the firm, and I know that if that is the case—and I’m sure I have heard at some point that it is the case—but if so, then I know that I’ve done my job very well.
Yeah, definitely. So I’m going to shift gears just a little bit. I’m curious, if there’s somebody listening and maybe they’re in marketing, maybe they’re not in marketing, but maybe they’re a client service professional, a manager, a staff, even a partner, and they’re thinking, “We have got to figure out how to tell more stories, but our firm is just so traditional.” What do you recommend to them as far as how they can work to revolutionize marketing within their firm? Is it something where you just try to flip a switch and go all in overnight, or is there a more methodical approach? If somebody’s trying to revolutionize what they’re doing, how would you recommend they start?
That’s a really good question—I love that question very much. It can honestly be as simple as just going for a cup of coffee, like 15 minutes, 20 minutes during your workday, asking how somebody is, what new is going on in their life, and starting from there. I think that the small steps that you take along the way can lead to bigger things, and it boils down to just being with the people you know, asking about their stories, asking about their life, how their day is going, how their week is going, what projects they could be working on. Having those personable conversations can actually give you a lot of information that you can then turn around and blend into your culture to create something beautiful with storytelling.
I’ve experienced it many times myself, where I am going to an event and then I’m hearing somebody talking about something that we did for a client and they were able to do something else in the community, or actually seeing it firsthand, can really make a difference. It boils down to how much you are willing to listen as a leader? How much are you willing to invest time into your people to learn these things? I feel like great storytellers are great leaders as well, so it just takes a little bit of time and some effort, but I love the saying that once you get momentum going, small steps lead to the bigger picture, and before you know it, you will have a brand and a culture that is about passion and is about community and is about something deeper than just surface-level accounting.
Definitely. I absolutely love that. I’m curious. There are many in our profession—there are probably many in every profession—that when it comes to the business side of things, they hear storytelling and they think, “Oh, that sounds like vulnerability and authenticity and sharing and a whole bunch of stuff that I’m not comfortable doing. Aren’t we supposed to just be focused on the business?” Help me make the business case for a leader as to why they should embrace storytelling as a business component and not view it as, “Oh well, it’s just oversharing.” I’m with you, I don’t believe that it is, but help me make that business case for someone that’s like, “I’m not sure about this whole touchy-feely sharing stuff.”
No, great question. I was once told after my article that being vulnerable was actually a strength. I was actually told, “Somebody’s got to say it. Somebody’s got to do it. Somebody’s got to talk about it,” and I think it boils down to how much courage a person is willing to have. People forget that it takes courage to be vulnerable and it takes courage to be kind. If I were to pitch it to somebody about just the business aspect of it and is being vulnerable worth it, I think I would say there is more to the world and there’s more to this industry besides numbers and money and reputation and status; I think there is such a deeper level to things that if you are willing to go to those depths, you’ll have greater reward. The more that you’re willing to give out, the more that you can get back, and I think that’s really important to remember. Although oversharing does have its fine lines and its boundaries that you need to have, if you have that strong foundation to go off of, you can allow more storytelling and more vulnerability to lay on top of that foundation and kind of keep it contained.
I think from a business perspective, really, I honestly say it’s 2025. People want real content. People don’t want to just look at a post about numbers or how revenue is doing and things like that. People want to know their personal impact, because I feel like that is the culture that we have moved into. It’s more about, “Yeah, we know the numbers, we get it. But I want to know more about what is happening, how is this feeling, how is this impacting people?” It starts with how much you are willing to be open about, pretty much.
Yeah, I absolutely love that. It reminds me of a conference I was speaking at, and I was talking to a fellow speaker after I’d given a session and he said, “You’re doing a great job.” I said, “I really appreciate that. Care if I ask you a question?” He goes, “Sure, go for it.” I said, “I know that I get good ratings and all these different things. Nobody asks me questions at the end of my session. Why do you think that is?” He goes, “Can I be really honest with you?” I said, “Sure. I mean, we just met each other walking down the hall. Why not? Go for it, full honesty.” He goes, “You’re kind of intimidating.” I remember thinking to myself, that is not a word I have ever been called. No, that is not my personality. I’m like 5’10”. Nobody has ever once looked at me and said, “Ooh, you’re an intimidating figure.” I said, “Okay, you’re going to have to help me with that.” He goes, “You present in a way that has authority but no connection. If you want people to ask questions, they have to see that you’re human too.”
That was when I really started connecting with the storytelling side of things and recognizing that it is one thing to go in and tell people stuff, and you can speak at or to people, but if you want to speak with people, they’ve got to know that you are like them. That it’s so much easier to connect with someone that feels like us than has an air of authority. I would argue that as I studied it more and got through it, it really gives you more authority because now you have a personal connection. So you have the trust. I love everything that you have said and it’s so important that we remember, like you said, it’s 2025, and people not only want real content, but they want real people. There’s so much—I don’t know if “fake” is the right word—but manufactured content and personas and everything out there. It’s, “Hey, can I just go connect with someone?” Stories are so valuable for that. Absolutely love that.
Thanks!
So Kenzie, I’m going to ask one question here as we conclude, and it’s a question that I’ve started asking guests and I’m very interested in your response based on the way that you opened this episode up. When you are thinking about who it is that you want to become, who is the Kenzie Huling that you are seeking as you are moving forward in your career, in your life? Who’s the person that you want to become?
Oh, that is such a good question. I’m so glad that you asked that. I actually think about that question often. Really, I want to be seen as not just a marketer, but I want to be seen as a passionate, down-to-earth leader, regardless of where I go in my career. I want to be seen as a person for the people, and I want to continue to maintain that path that I’m trying to be on, and I want to be the person that brings other people together, that brings the stories together and continues to keep pioneering a path. I always say that “if you give me nothing, I will make something out of it,” and that is what I’m all about. I love making something from nothing and bringing people together and maintaining that passion, and I want to say keeping life alive, really.
I can do that in the accounting industry. They always say that marketers have to wear many hats, and that is very true. Whether it’s the accounting industry, business, grocery industry, or retail, whatever it might be, I want to aspire to continue to be seen as a person who is really willing to have hard conversations if needed, and willing to open the space for others and give them a safe space to be vulnerable and therefore inspire other people, creating that ripple effect throughout whatever community I’m involved in—the friends that I have, the staff that I work with, my coworkers, whatever that looks like. That is such a great question, I’m so glad that you asked.
Absolutely. I love that answer. Thank you so much. Well, Kenzie, I have thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. If folks want to continue the conversation with you, find your articles, learn more about you or JHM, how can they connect best with you?
Yeah, absolutely. I am on LinkedIn under Kenzie Huling, and you can also email me at kenzie@jhmcpa.com.
Outstanding. Kenzie, thank you so much for this conversation. I hope we get to have some additional conversations in the future.
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. This has been wonderful.
