Our Story
Redefining Marketing Since 2013
When James La Barrie established Beyond Marketing, he knew his ideas regarding corporate culture were unconventional. It all started from a sketch of a segmented circle diagram that made so much sense in his mind; he just had to test it.
Here’s the gist: Happy employees take pride in amazing the customer. This leads to happy clients who are thrilled to tell of their stellar experience, which draws in more clients. And the cycle continues. A cared for team takes care of clients … and the money takes care of itself.
And it worked. More than a decade later, this is still the philosophy that underpins our culture.
Beyond Marketing is not successful because we provide great customer service. We’re a leader in our field because we are a customer service company that happens to deliver great marketing.
Against The Status Quo
Before hanging out his own shingle, James worked in the tourism, golf, and skydiving industries. In contrast to tourism and golf, skydiving wasn’t especially marketing- or customer-focused at the time.
He seized the missed opportunity and, over the course of his nine years as General Manager of Skydive Carolina, James grew the relatively small dropzone into a multi-million dollar enterprise. How? By mixing cutting-edge marketing techniques with old-school customer service and attention to detail.
The international skydiving community took notice of what James was doing and yearned for the secret sauce. And James decided it was time to share it.
A Crossroads Moment
Here’s what outsiders didn’t know. James’ work at the dropzone was revolutionary for the skydiving industry, but it came at a cost. He was seriously burnt out, and the harsh reality was that it was his own fault. He’d hired people for what they could do, not who they were, and he prioritized the customer above everyone else. His employees weren’t happy, the culture was toxic, and every day was a struggle. He resigned. There had to be another way …
James returned to his native Antigua to clear his head and solidify his strategic plan for the future. In the airport on the way, he picked up Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by then CEO at Zappos, Tony Hsieh. James was intrigued but skeptical – the book described a too-good-to-be-true story.
A few months later, James attended the Zappos Insights program. There, he witnessed first-hand that a company’s culture can have a profound impact on its customer base, reputation, employee satisfaction and retention, and, ultimately, the bottom line.
James’ time at Zappos didn’t spark a lightbulb moment … it lit a fuse. This is what he’d been missing throughout his career. On fire about a different way to do business, he wrote down the Core Values that would serve as the foundation for the culture of the marketing agency he was committed to growing.
Over a Decade Later
Today, Beyond Marketing engages more than 30 happy, full-time and part-time employees and contractors. They are valued for who they are, work a 32-hour workweek on a schedule that best suits their family, and do work that is personally fulfilling.
Our phenomenal clients – many of whom are repeat clients, and most of whom are referrals – span the globe. They range from startups to trusted brands and represent numerous industries. Beyond Marketing is big enough to fulfill their every need, while being small enough to give each client our full attention.
Most importantly, we’re successful because we’re principled. The same Core Values James defined more than a decade ago are in huge letters on the wall of our present-day conference room. They are the North Star that guides our every business decision.