Leading with Clarity: KPI-First Leadership with guest Kym Insana

What does it take to step away from the corporate grind and build a thriving agency on your own terms?

In this episode of The Leadership Toolkit, host Mike Phillips sits down with Kym Insana — multi-million dollar business owner, digital marketing expert, and founder of AlwaysOn Digital. With more than 20 years of experience in advertising, Kym shares her inspiring journey from the demanding pace of NYC agency life to creating a women-owned agency that empowers working parents while delivering for clients like the U.S. Air Force, Enfamil, and Johnston & Murphy.

Kym breaks down her reverse-engineering approach to leadership and marketing, showing why asking “what’s the KPI?” must come before budget or tactics. She explains how small businesses can grow through referrals, how leaders can differentiate by finding their unique angle, and why consistency is the foundation for both leadership and entrepreneurship.

If you’re a leader, entrepreneur, or small business owner, you’ll walk away with strategies you can apply today — whether it’s clarifying your goals, choosing the right marketing channels, or simply showing up consistently in your own growth journey.

🧰 Tools of the Trade: Top Takeaways You Can Use

1️⃣ Start with the KPI. Before budget or channels, define what success looks like.

2️⃣ Reverse engineer outcomes. Ask what, who, where, how, then consider what is new.

3️⃣ You need less than you think to start. Begin lean, learn fast, formalize later.

4️⃣ Different channels serve different goals. Search captures active demand, social builds attention, outdoor and audio can lift other metrics.

5️⃣ Measure creatively. Pair third-party tech with old school surveys or follow-ups to attribute lift.

6️⃣ Differentiate. Offer multi-channel simplicity and unified reporting so clients avoid eight vendors.

7️⃣ Grow through consistency and referrals. Show up with useful content, network locally, and ask for introductions.

Contact Information:Kym Insana

Website: https://getalwayson.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyminsana/

Mike Phillips

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin.com/in/LeadTheTeam⁠⁠⁠⁠

Twitter: ⁠⁠@LeadershipTLT⁠

YouTube: ⁠YouTube.com/@MikePhillips

Credits:

Hosted by Mike Phillips

Produced by The Leadership Toolkit Team

Guest: Kym Insana — Entrepreneur, Agency Founder, and KPI-First Leader

🎧 Watch more episodes of The Leadership Toolkit at https://spotify.TheLeadershipToolkit.com

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