In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, Emily Krause, Founder and Chief Marketing Strategist of Amped Up Marketing, shares her transition from a 25-year in-house marketing career to launching her own consulting practice. Having led marketing efforts across nonprofit, legal, IT consulting, finance, and professional services sectors, Emily built a reputation for bringing outside perspective into industries often stuck in “marketplace sameness.” When the opportunity arose in early 2024 to step into consulting full-time, she leaned on preparation, mentorship, and her strong professional network to launch Amped Up Marketing — growing from one nonprofit client to nine clients in her first year.

Emily dives into her sweet spot as a fractional CMO, providing senior-level strategic marketing leadership to nonprofits and small-to-mid-sized organizations that need executive insight but can’t justify a full-time C-suite hire. She discusses the power of relationships in business development, the importance of continuous learning, and her ambitious goal to increase revenue by 40% while securing additional long-term anchor clients. Reflecting on her journey, Emily shares a powerful lesson: fear often lives in the unknown — and sometimes the best move is to jump sooner.