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Marketing with Purpose: Meet Caitlyn Grad

When I sat down with Caitlyn Grad, social media manager and founder of Caitlyn Grad Marketing, I knew I was in for an honest conversation about what it really takes to build a business intentionally. What struck me most wasn't just her expertise in marketing - it was her clarity on why she does what she does: to be an amplifier for good. Whether she's helping a pediatric therapy center reach more families or an e-commerce business bring joy through knitted Christmas stockings, Caitlyn sees herself as part of a larger cycle of positive impact. Here's what she had to say about marketing with purpose, creating opportunities for yourself, and why boredom might be exactly what we all need.

Who is Caitlyn Grad and what is Caitlyn Grad Marketing?


Caitlyn Grad is a passionate, driven person who runs Caitlyn Grad Marketing, helping businesses with social media and, more importantly, short form content. I'm a social media manager, but I'm not just posting content. A lot of people, when they think of a social media manager, think you're just posting photos - anyone can do it. But it's so much more if you're actually looking for business revenue-generating activities.

You have to create videos, and you can't just create videos. How do you repackage your knowledge in a way that's actually going to retain and engage a community? I really focus on helping businesses create better content so they can build their community and reach their goals.


What inspired you to pursue marketing and entrepreneurship?


Back in 2018, I started a handmade necklace business doing ocean-inspired designs - sea glass and fun summer pieces that you could wear to the beach or working out. I designed a product that wouldn't rust or tarnish and was inclusive in size, adjusting from 12 inches to 32 inches.


During COVID in 2020, there were more people online and I was right there on the rise of social media and short-form content. Not to toot my own horn, but I was really good at marketing. Every week, my business was going viral on TikTok and Instagram because I cracked that code of how to create content that people are going to care about - pushing my product as a solution.


People naturally started reaching out asking, "Can you help me?" So I started helping them, and I realized I really love the strategy part and the content creation more than I ever liked making the products. I decided to sunset the jewelry business, go to school for more formality, and then start my freelance business full time.


Why did you choose freelancing over working for someone else?

It was kind of a natural evolution. I'd gone to Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, and my teacher liked the value I brought and asked me to be a freelancer for the school on a short-term project. That got me into the freelance world. Then I started freelancing for another marketing agency, which got me into the world of agency life.

I entered the job market and there really weren't any opportunities. I learned very quickly that I needed to create the opportunities for myself. No one was coming to save me, no one was coming to offer me a job. The job market for marketing especially is just so competitive that I thought, "I'm not going to compete with everyone else - I'm just going to create my own opportunities."


How did you discover your sense of purpose?


I think it's recognizing I'm this amplifier for good. A lot of the businesses I work with - whether it's a pediatric therapy center or an e-commerce business selling Christmas stockings - they are all making a difference in their own way in the communities they serve.

The pediatric therapy center is helping kids talk, walk, develop daily life skills. The e-commerce business with knitting products is bringing joy. I know we're not solving world hunger by selling knitting products, but we are making people happy and giving them this sense of purpose.


I see myself as this amplifier. I may not be boots on the ground like a doctor, but I'm able to help businesses reach more people so they can serve more people. The more I help these businesses grow, the more they can hire and create jobs and opportunities. I like being part of this positive feedback circle. That's what really fuels me.


Social media for social media's sake - like, "Yeah, I can create you some graphics" - that's not helping anyone. But when I can really get into a business's world and understand the impact that my efforts will have, that's what keeps me going.


How do you incorporate intentionality into your work?


In the business sense, I'm being intentional where you're so inundated with opportunities. You could charge really low and have all these clients, but I really want to work with people who just bring me joy.


I could say yes to all of these clients, but then I would be drowning in work and not being able to give my best work. There's this pressure to always grow big, become these big agencies. I'm being intentional by working with a few clients who really excite me, really light me up. I feel more like a partner in their story than just a service provider.

The more projects I get to work on that make me excited, where I can see the impact and the value that I'm bringing - that's how I see the most intention.



Why does intentional marketing matter?


Everyone wants to hire their cousin or the intern to manage their marketing, but they're just creating more noise. We want to be intentional with our marketing efforts. What are your goals? Are you trying to build brand awareness so everyone knows your name? Are you trying to get more signups for an event?


That requires strategy and intention. If you have a goal of signups, we have to create enough content to get you enough clicks back to your website to continue the marketing funnel. Yeah, you can hire anyone, but you have to be intentional.

A lot of businesses create content that's very self-centered—and not even on purpose. Most of the time, they just don't know how to repackage their knowledge. You're so knowledgeable, but you need to create content that's going to stop the scroll.

This goes back to my passion for focusing on short-form video content—the hook, the structure, the flow. If more businesses were strategic and actually sat down (this is what I help my clients with) to repackage their expertise into something people want to share, follow, and buy from, they'll see better results.

You don't need just the intern posting random things. A lot of business owners make decisions based on their feelings, but you should be making decisions based on data. That's being more intentional. You may think, "Oh, I think that's what we should do," but I'm making decisions based on data. I'm only doing this to help you reach your goals.

What impact have you seen from intentional marketing?

From a client standpoint, one clinic was doing a free hearing screening and we marketed it intentionally. Now 10 new kids are going to be diagnosed with potential hearing disorders that their families didn't know about.

With the Christmas products, we're selling more stockings, creating more happiness and joy. When I'm intentional with marketing efforts, everyone's able to do more good in the world.


What are you being deeply intentional about in your own life right now?


I'm trying to find the balance of work and life. I just know for myself, I think I need more clients, I need to grow. But I need to take a step back. I've noticed in the last few months I'm not self-caring, I'm not exercising, I'm on my phone thinking I'm "working" or "researching," but I'm actually wasting time.

I've been trying to have slower mornings. I'm still working on the no-phone part for the first hour, but trying to get there. I'm having meals without my phone, leaving it upstairs so I can be intentional and eat a meal without multitasking.

When I'm working, I'm trying to group meetings on certain days. Some days will be heavy with meetings, then I'll have what I call "get shit done" days where there's just a calendar block, no one can book anything. I put my phone in a drawer and just get work done.

I'm slowly finding the balance and finding time to work out. You can't grow a business if you're dealing with diseases and health issues because you're not working out or eating well. The more I make healthier decisions, move my body, and add strength training, the better I'll feel as a person. My business will flourish more because it's very hard to run a business with a chronic illness or health issues.

Tell us about the morning routine you're cultivating.

I joined a 30-day challenge called the dopamine detox. The idea is we're all on our phones, always scrolling. It's starting the morning and evening with one hour of no phone. You're supposed to go outside and ground yourself. (I haven't perfected it yet - I'm right there with you!)

There's the detox part - no sweets, clean eating, minimizing scrolling and TV watching. I like the whole idea of getting bored again. Boredom scares all of us. How do we put away the phone and distractions and just get bored? Do things that are less on screens, read things that educate or just for fun.

Before bed, you're supposed to stretch, journal, and read. I've been so busy with work and projects, but I finally cleared my schedule. I need to prioritize myself and slowly restructure my life, then slowly start plugging business growth back in there.


What advice would you give to overwhelmed entrepreneurs?

Two separate answers - business and marketing.

Business: If you're feeling stressed, you're probably not charging enough for your services or products. That's a whole other conversation, but it's something I realized. You're never going to have time for self-care or enjoying life if you have to work with so many clients to make ends meet. Restructuring your business and raising prices will allow you more time for self-care.

Marketing: If you're struggling, my best advice is repackaging. You're knowledgeable, you have expertise. You need to learn how to structure videos.

Today, go watch 100 videos in your industry. If you're a health coach, watch 100 videos with other health coaches - or 50/50, watch 50 health coaches and 50 random videos. Look at videos getting 100,000 views and start learning how they're packaging and sharing information.

Very quickly, you'll learn there are proven formulas and structures to videos you can start using to better package your knowledge. If more businesses understood that marketing is all about patterns and recognizing patterns, they would see a whole lot of success.

Start simple. Your first video is going to be completely different than your 100th video. A lot of people are only a few videos away from their social media really taking off. Just don't give up.

Any final thoughts on living intentionally as an entrepreneur?

If you're struggling with entrepreneurship, one of the best ways is to time block in your day for your time. I always find that exercising at the end of the day is harder for me because everyone else in my household is done exercising. I just never get to it. Maybe you have to block an hour earlier in the day for exercising, journaling, stretching, your hobby.

Try to play around - you don't have to be defined by a 9-to-5 schedule. You can shake up your schedule and find the best flow that will make you happy and more productive.

Connect with Caitlyn:

Caitlyn's story reminds us that intentional entrepreneurship isn't about doing it all - it's about doing what matters, with purpose and joy. Whether it's choosing clients who light you up, protecting time for self-care, or creating content that amplifies good in the world, intention is the thread that holds it all together.

 
 
 

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