FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #33 The Creative Mind Behind Stratifi
Ever wondered what it takes to build a brand that truly stands out? Marie Linne von Berg, owner of Stratifi Creative, pulls back the curtain on effective brand building and website development in this engaging conversation.
Marie shares her unexpected path to entrepreneurship after graduating from VCU with degrees in creative and strategic advertising. When faced with a job offer that would relegate her passion to a "side responsibility," she boldly declined—unknowingly setting herself on the path to founding a thriving marketing agency. What started as a simple contract agreement blossomed into Stratifi Creative, now a six-person team helping businesses communicate their value through bold brands and effective websites.
With refreshing honesty, Marie challenges the marketing industry's tendency to oversimplify complex processes into "three simple steps." She explains that truly effective websites require an integrated approach addressing user experience, design, functionality, performance, and SEO simultaneously—insights that set her apart from competitors who might promise quick fixes.
Beyond business talk, we explore Marie's deep roots in Fredericksburg, where she enjoys boating on Potomac Creek with family and strolling through the historic downtown with her husband. Her balance between work and outdoor activities reveals the lifestyle that keeps her creativity flowing. Marie also shares powerful advice about the transformative impact of mentorship, crediting various mentors for both practical guidance and emotional support throughout her entrepreneurial journey.
What truly distinguishes Marie is her partnership approach to client relationships. Rather than pushing services through aggressive sales tactics, she focuses on building meaningful connections and creating win-win scenarios. She even encourages new entrepreneurs to embrace DIY marketing until they're ready for professional help—a philosophy that prioritizes client success over immediate profit.
Ready to communicate your value more effectively or simply curious about marketing strategies that actually work? Connect with Marie at stratificreative.com or follow @StratifiCreative on Facebook and Instagram for regular marketing insights from this local business leader who's redefining success on her own terms.
Marie Linne von Berg
Stratifi Creative
team@stratificreative.com
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another episode of the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I'm excited to introduce you to my guest today. She is the owner of Stratifi Creative, Marie . Welcome to the podcast. Thanks for having me, Dori. Well, I'm excited to learn more about you and more about your business. So let's start off there. Can you share with the listeners a little bit about your business?
Speaker 3:Yeah, Stratifi Creative helps business owners communicate their value through bold brands and effective websites. We provide full service marketing services in addition to those, but we really believe that having a strong foundation of a effective website and a brand that stands out is key to helping businesses grow and take their business to the next level.
Speaker 2:Amazing. And you are based in the Fredericksburg area, right, I am Amazing, amazing. So Fredericksburg is lucky to have you build their websites. It's important to make a good first impression, so tell me how did you get into this? Talk to us a little bit about your journey.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I initially I graduated from VCU and I double majored in creative advertising and strategic advertising and I got out of. I got an internship just like your typical new grad, and the internship offered me a full time position. But they had said that design and marketing would be my side responsibility and I had gone to school for this.
Speaker 3:I wanted to do this. I love helping businesses with their marketing and their brands and their websites, so I didn't want it to be my side responsibility. So I ended up saying no, um, and after that they offered me a contract. So at that point in time I had no idea that I was starting my business. I just took the contract, um, and had the thought of I wonder if there's other businesses out there that don't need a full time marketing person or don't need a full time web person or any of these areas, and if I could help them fill that gap. So I saw a need there and started looking for other companies and organizations in that opportunity or in that situation and kind of discovered this opportunity and it's grown into what it is today.
Speaker 2:That's amazing, congratulations. I love that story and the best businesses are created kind of by accident and based on a need, so I love that so much. So tell me, are there any myths or misconceptions that you hear about your industry or about your business?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was talking about it today in my networking group. You hear a lot of marketers talk about three simple steps whether it's three simple steps to succeed on social media, or three simple steps to have a bold website, or three simple steps and I find myself frustrated with that messaging because and I think other business owners do it's not that simple. So sometimes dumbing it down essentially to three steps, yes, that's really helpful for clarity of message and it's really helpful to not feel overwhelmed, but then the reality is is when you get into it, there is a lot more that goes in, for example, to an effective website. You have the user experience, you have the design, you have the functionality, you have the performance, you have the SEO, and if you're only focusing on one of those areas, then it's not going to produce the result you're expecting. So I think the myth for me is that it's not as easy as three simple steps. It's a lot more complicated that and it takes an integrated strategy to really get the most effective result.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for clearing that up for us. Nothing is as simple as three easy steps All right?
Speaker 3:well, don't we all wish? That's why those are so engaging and appealing. When you hear that is because we all want it to be as simple as three.
Speaker 2:Simple steps Right. In reality, it's just a hook. Yeah, true, yep, so clearly you are very busy with your business, so tell us, when you're not working with your clients and creating amazing websites, what are you doing for fun?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I am from Fredericksburg and my whole family is here, so we do a lot of things all together and very close with them. My parents live out on Potomac Creek and so there is boating and skiing and jet skiing involved, so we love to be outside. My husband and I we like to hike, really do anything outdoors. I sit at a desk all week.
Speaker 3:My goal when I'm not working is to not be at a desk and be outside and be active and move, and we're both into fitness as well. So the gym and all that kind of stuff just be out and about Nice.
Speaker 2:Nice, fernersburg, really is such a great place to live. It's we've got, you know, lakes and and trails and good restaurants and everything that downtown has to offer, but we're also so close to the beach for a day trip and the mountains, and then dc for all the culture.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, we live downtown, so uh walking around, then DC for all the culture. So yeah, we live downtown, so walking around and looking at all the historic homes is a favorite activity, as well as going downtown and getting food and really just walking around and being outdoors. The dog park's great. People there probably know me and my dog, so yeah, Nice, nice.
Speaker 2:I love that. So I imagine there were some hurdles. All businesses have hurdles when they are first getting up and running. So my next question is what is some advice that you wish someone had told you, or advice that you would give a new entrepreneur?
Speaker 3:advice that you would give a new entrepreneur. Yeah, I think this is probably advice I was given and that has been really beneficial to me. So something I would share is that mentorship is huge Having people in your life that have been there and done that and can really speak into how you're growing, how to structure things, best practices. I've had various mentors throughout the years, whether they lean more on the personal side, more on my specific industry or just business in general, and I think all of them have played a key role of providing helpful advice but also being an encouragement, because running a business can be frustrating and you can feel like you're stuck and you feel like you're beating your head against the wall and not getting the results you want. So, having somebody that can speak to hey, I've been in that position and I've been there and this is how we moved past that, or this is how I failed this many times until I finally succeeded and just to be able to encourage you and drive you along.
Speaker 2:That is such great advice. I love that. It's so important to network with people and be surround yourself with people who have kind of had the success that you are looking for, but at the same time being the mentor for others who have not yet reached your level. So it's really great advice. I love that, yeah for sure. So what is something that you wish the listeners knew about? Stratifi Creative.
Speaker 3:Let's see. I would say that I am not a salesperson. I love what I do. In regards to being creative, that's been something that I've been doing since I was really young. I love running a team. I have a team of six and they are all amazing, so talented, and I love my clients those clients that I have long term relationships with and they refer other business to us and we're able to help them in their business. They come to us with questions, just like problem solving or or business questions, and we're able to consult with them, and so it's really that partnership, and so the thing that I would pull out of there is I don't that the typical, traditional, like sales is not my vibe.
Speaker 3:I'm more about a partnership and a relationship building and really developing that win-win situation when we work with people. So if somebody doesn't need our services and is not interested, that's fine. And another thing is when businesses, entrepreneurs, are starting out, a lot of times they might not be able to afford an agency and sometimes they have to be DIY and scrappy and do it themselves, and I'm all about empowering that. Go for it. Build your own site, build your own brand and then, when you get to the place where you're like I really need this to take me to the next level and I feel like what I've put together. It worked for me in the beginning, but now it's not serving me because it's not reflecting the caliber and the level I'm at. That's when we love to partner with clients.
Speaker 2:I love that. I love that that's really powerful and I love that you approach everything with a win-win attitude, so that's awesome. Yeah, so if the listeners want to connect with you, learn more from you or work with you, where's the best place to find you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so stratificreative. com is our website, but we are also active on social media, so you can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Stratifi Creative, and we'd love to connect with you and just follow along to hear my journey and or pick up some marketing tips along the way.
Speaker 2:Amazing. Marie, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today and sharing Stratifi Creative with us. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 3:Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast in sharing Stratifi Creative with us.
Speaker 1:Thanks for having me. Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to fxbgneighborspodcast. com. That's fxbgneighborspodcast. com, or call 540-534-4618.