From Publishing to Personal Branding: Kelly Schuknecht Journey

She spent years as “the person behind the person,” building other people’s platforms, brands, and books—until a layoff pushed her to develop her own, finally. In this episode, Kelly Schuknecht, founder and CEO of Two Mile High Marketing, shares how she helps business owners step into thought leadership, land speaking and podcast opportunities, and turn their expertise into real authority.

In this conversation, Adrienne talks with Kelly Schuknecht, founder of Two Mile High Marketing and host of the Beyond the Best Seller podcast. Kelly walks through her journey from a decade in publishing to becoming the first marketing hire at an accounting firm, where she built a full marketing department and helped grow the firm from $4M to $12M in revenue—only to lose her role after the company was acquired.

Instead of going back to being “the person behind the person,” Kelly decided to start her own company and focus on what she does best: helping business owners build a thought-leadership platform. She explains what thought leadership really means, why clarity of message matters more than “talking about everything,” and how she and her team help clients refine their niche, develop signature frameworks, write books, get on podcasts, secure speaking opportunities, and strengthen their presence on platforms like LinkedIn.

Kelly and Adrienne also walk through Kelly’s Thought Leadership Quiz live on the website, demonstrating how it helps people identify their strengths and areas for growth. Along the way, Kelly shares real success stories—from the accountant who became “the guy with the book” for law firms, to the AI expert whose strategy had to shift because events in his niche were pay-to-play. She also discusses using AI as a tool (not a replacement for real human connection), why “done is better than perfect” when it comes to websites and branding, and why experts need to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

“Nothing replaces you getting on a stage or a podcast and connecting with people. AI can’t do that for you.”

• Thought leadership starts with a clear message, not “I can talk about anything.” Kelly helps clients clarify who they serve, what they’re known for, and the specific problems they solve, so their marketing and speaking actually land.
• Your experience has more value than you think—if you put it to work. Years of publishing and marketing taught Kelly that many professionals underestimate how much they know. Books, talks, podcasts, and LinkedIn content are powerful ways to build authority on that knowledge.
• Done is better than perfect—especially at the beginning. Kelly launched her business before her branding and website were “perfect.” She emphasizes that waiting for everything to look flawless delays momentum; you can refine as you go, as long as you’re consistently showing up and serving your audience.

http://www.kellyschuknecht.com

If today’s conversation inspired you to elevate your brand and grow your thought leadership, be sure to connect with Kelly! You can visit www.kellyschuknecht.com to explore her free resources, check out her podcast Beyond the Bestseller, or book a consultation to take the next step in your journey.