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Killa Martí is the principal immigration attorney behind the Martí Law Firm. The Martí Law firm strives to provide compassionate immigration legal services backed by experienced and communicative attorneys. The Martí Firm serves people with all types of immigration issues. From ICE detention to non-immigrant visas to naturalization and citizenship, the Martí Law Firm is known for its exceptional customer service and for establishing a deep trust with its clients. 

The Passion Behind the Project

Killa Martí grew up believing being an attorney is a special call to serve the people. As a Honduran native who was raised by a family of attorneys, Killa points to her lawyer mother as having influenced her the most.

“My mother took her responsibility very seriously. It was a way of life for her,” explained Killa. “She was very passionate and gave everything to her clients and her practice did well. It was amazing to see someone who gave so much get so much in return,” said Killa

After graduating from college in the United States, Killa dove into a career of serving the public. She worked with churches and immigrant populations needing help and witnessed first hand the “other side of immigration.” 

“People were living in fear and being denied basic things. Men and women were sacrificing to provide for family back home. I saw the devastation that separation causes. Because of my position of privilege, I felt compelled to make life better for the immigrants around me,” recalled Killa. 

Making an Impact

Killa began practicing law in 2012 and never looked back. She began her legal career litigating in the immigration courts of Omaha and Chicago and defending immigrant clients in the state courts of Iowa.

In the last five years, Killa has worked in Georgia, assisting the launch of the Immigration Services program at the nonprofit Lutheran Services of Georgia. She has also litigated cases before the Atlanta Immigration Court and the Board of Immigration Appeals as an attorney at the Solano Law Firm.

In 2018, Killa founded the Martí Law Firm, a practice dedicated to providing quality immigration legal services to motivated and invested clients. Killa is passionate about revolutionizing the practice of law by running a client-centered firm that empowers, listens to and cares for its clients.

Paving the Road for Women

Breaking from an established firm to launch her own practice was not an easy decision according to Killa. “Ten years ago if you had asked me if I would start my own firm, I would have never said I would do it,” said Killa. She was scared to take the plunge, but needed a different environment to accommodate her lifestyle. 

“Law is a white male dominated industry and the business is geared to that,” explained Killa. “I am a woman with a child. I purposely created my firm to fit me and my needs. I’m no longer working 60 to 80 hours a week. I’m working smarter,” she said. 

Today, Killa supports other people – especially women – who want more control of their professional lives. 

“Don’t be afraid of not getting clients,” advises Killa. “The best referral is the work you do. Business ownership changes you in the best way. The perfect job doesn’t exist. You have to create it!” exclaimed Killa. 

Hire Martí Law Firm

We specialize in the following areas of immigration law:

• FAMILY BASED IMMIGRANT VISA PETITIONS (ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS OR CONSULAR PROCESSING)
• BOND FROM ICE CUSTODY AND DEFENSE FROM DEPORTATION
• HUMANITARIAN IMMIGRATION: ASYLUM, SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILE STATUS, U-VISAS, HUMANITARIAN PAROLE
• NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP
• NON-IMMIGRANT VISAS
• INADMISSIBILITY WAIVERS
• BUSINESS IMMIGRATION

For More Information visit: https://martilawfirm.com/en/home/

Aparna Sharma and Karen Jones are the co-founders of Changers + Makers, a PR and Marketing firm helping individuals, startups and established brands CLAIM and sustain their brand.

What does the word CLAIM mean?

CHANGE and transform your professional footprint 

LEAD with confidence and influence thought leadership

ATTRACT customers, investors and shareholders

IMPROVE connection with colleagues, customers and employees

MAKE a difference in your industry and community

Joining Forces

Marketing executive Aparna Sharma and seasoned publicist Karen Jones banded together in 2019 to form Changers + Makers. A shared passion for entrepreneurship and a desire to provide comprehensive solutions for their clients led the duo to establish the startup. “Karen and I bring separate and strong abilities to the table,” said Aparna. “We challenge and compliment each other everyday. We are constantly bettering ourselves,” Sharma said.

Experience, credibility and execution set Karen and Aparna apart from other Atlanta based agencies. Changers + Makers is known for taking its clients on a deep journey of discovery and goal setting and delivering on objectives set from the beginning of engagement. “We assess our clients’ current marketing strategies before developing a comprehensive and attainable plan of action,” said co-founder Karen Jones. “We work to clearly outline specific objectives that will impact our clients on a monthly basis. Our success is dependent on meeting the objectives that we state in our initial proposal,” explained Jones.

Startup Savvy

Aparna and Karen bring a wealth of experience working specifically with startups. Aparna serves as a mentor for Techstars, a world-wide accelerator that helps founders succeed and has developed and executed go-to-market strategies for over a dozen companies. Karen, a long time mentor for IgniteHQ, has helped dozens of clients in the marketplace. They both understand how to maximize impact on a tight budget.

“Doing more with less is a fun challenge for us,” quipped C+M co-founder Aparna Sharma. “We take a very creative yet practical approach in order to serve startup clients.” 

As entrepreneurs and marketing/PR professionals, Aparna and Karen understand the needs of startups going to market. In fact, C+M offers a special turnkey go-to market service for IgniteHQ members. To find out more about C+M’s specialized marketing service for IgniteHQ members, please reach out to rachel@ignitehq.com.

Work with C + M

C+M offers the following services:

• STRATEGY& PLANNING
• DIGITAL MARKETING
• SOCIAL MEDIA 
• PUBLIC RELATIONS & ANALYST RELATIONS
• BRANDING & MESSAGING
• DEMAND GENERATION & EXECUTION
• EMAIL MARKETING & MGMT
• WEBSITE AUDIT & RECOMMENDATIONS
• OTHER SALES ENABLEMENT

To learn more visit: www.changersandmakers.com

Digital Media & Content Meet Advocacy
A digital voice for National Industry Associations, Businesses and Non-Profit

Arc 3 Communications

IgniteHQ member Patrick Burns of Arc 3 Communications has combined two of his passions – marketing and advocacy – to form a niche firm serving big name clients. Burns, a two-decade marketing veteran started his own business seven years ago after years of agency work. He credits the decline in traditional media as the impetus for his decision to branch off on his own.

“I wanted to start my own agency that embraced the approach of content marketing and advocacy together,” explained Patrick. 

The Focus
Public Policy, Advocacy, Public Affairs

Arc 3 Communications develops content and digital strategies to support advocacy for national and state association clients at the state and local legislative levels. Arc 3 operates in both the civic and business world helping clients achieve regulatory and policy objectives.

According to Patrick, he and his team have a unique approach that differentiates them from other shops.

“We understand content marketing and leverage content online. We combine with tactics that have to do with government, advocacy and campaigning. We leverage online analytics to assess traditional approaches,” explained Patrick. 

Arc 3 Customers

Arc 3’s clients include trade associations, chambers of commerce,  business councils and more. Specifically Arc 3 has worked with the Georgia Secretary of State, Georgia Agribusiness Council and Grady Health Foundation (just to name a few). Patrick and his team have been responsible for the passage and defeat of legislation at the state and local levels of government in multiple states. 

Arc 3 Growth 

Patrick says he enjoys the milestones and challenges of being a business owner and considers his firm in the Early Stage where he continues to learn and expands his offerings.

“I love having my own business. It’s never boring,” said Patrick. “By having my own agency, I’m able to learn quickly about clients’ needs, changes and improve on our deliverables for them. I’m always looking for new products in the digital space. I’m always able to strive toward excellence by working with my clients,” he explained.

Why IgniteHQ

Since joining IgniteHQ in 2017, Patrick has slowly expanded his team. His former KSU intern Paul McNally is now an account executive. Arc 3 also utilizes outside contractors to develop content. 

“We love being at IgniteHQ,” said Patrick. “This is the professional environment I was looking for. Mark and his team are very helpful and a lot of great shared learning takes place here. We’ve partnered with other IgniteHQ members to serve our clients,” Patrick added. 

As an advocacy expert, we asked Patrick if he would like to share any final thoughts about the entrepreneurial community in Cobb.

“I hope civic and community leaders in Cobb County continue to embrace concepts like IgniteHQ,” said Patrick. “It’s important to build the economy in Cobb. Supporting entrepreneurs and encourage startups will bring new business,” he said. 

To learn more about Arc 3 Communications visit: https://arc3communications.com/

This past March, Atlanta was named the best ‘non-New York or San Francisco’ startup city in the country by FitSmallBusiness.com. So, basically, we’re number three. Hey! We’ll take it! Incubators are sprouting everywhere and entrepreneurs have more resources than ever. Yet, with all this support, there are still some misconceptions about startups. Below we debunk a few of these startup myths.

1. Most Startups Succeed

According to the Startup Genome Project, up to 90% of startups fail, mostly due to scaling too soon. Fortunately, there is no shortage of advice articles from reputable sources explaining how NOT to fail. The good news is most entrepreneurs share two important characteristics: resilience and persistence. In the words of Spanx founder Sarah Blankely, failure is “a chance to build character.”

2. The majority of startups are technology focused

While technology companies seemingly make all the noise, most startups are not technology companies. In 2018 the industries with the top number of small business startups were:

Business services: (11%) Food/Restaurant: (11%) and Health/Beauty/Fitness: (10%) according to a study by Guidant Financial. While the technology is at the heart of most major startups, often it is not the focus. At the end of the day, Startup behemoths AirBnB, Uber and Lyft provide a service consumed by the masses.

3. Startups need big funding to launch 

Only a small percentage of startups receive big funding. In fact, in today’s market, entrepreneurs are opting to bootstrap their own businesses instead accepting VC funds. “Reliance on VC funding gives the entrepreneur no control over their company’s destiny. Whether a company succeeds or fails is up to VC investors,” writes Jonathan Breeze, CEO of AardvarkCompare. Conservative money handling and creative sourcing can lead to entrepreneurial success as easily as receiving a fat check. 

4. You need to eat, breathe and live your startup

We hear stories of Elon Musk sleeping in his Tesla factory and Tim Cook beginning his barrage of emails at 4:30 in the morning, but the fact is the majority of us can’t handle that type of physical and emotional stress. Burnout, depression, anxiety – these are all real conditions that affect entrepreneurs at a higher rate than the general population. Keep yourself balanced. A healthy mind is crucial to the success of your business.  

5. Everyone needs my product 

Don’t ever assume there is a market for your product. As a founder, it is crucial to test your market for validation. Interview customers in your target market and get to the bottom of “why.” Why do these people need (or don’t) your product? Why would they buy it? Early legwork will lead to later success. 

In the end (or beginning) it is important to associate with like minded entrepreneurs.

Every startup is unique and faces different challenges. Be sure to pick the right environment for you. And create your own playbook for success by following IgniteHQ’s startup advice on LinkedIn and Twitter!

Building a solid IP for success
Hear it directly from the Patent Attorney Mr. Rob Madayag

IgniteHQ’s newest mentor is patent attorney Rob Madayag, a 20-year legal veteran with a passion for working with founders and startups. From all his experience, Rob says he can quickly recognize a founder who will succeed simply by one trait: their willingness to learn startup and intellectual property law. 

“Founders and startup executives are not going to know all the answers, but they need to know the right questions to ask,” explained Rob. 

A partner attorney at Lee & Hayes, P.C. and a recognized expert in intellectual property, Rob has assisted clients through at least seven different exit events. According to Rob, when it comes to protection of intellectual property rights, the process can go well beyond patents, copyrights and trademarks. Rob and his colleagues create a path for their clients to grow, addressing everything from branding to best practices. He says it is crucial for founders get it right. 

How to stand out among your competition

“It is important to build barriers to entry using your intellectual property rights,” explained Rob. “No matter what’s being sold – a device, service or experience – you need to make sure your intellectual property is solid,” said Rob. 

Rob finds his creative outlet by working with founders and inventors and he is excited to mentor IgniteHQ’s entrepreneurs. 

“I love what I do!” exclaimed Rob. “I see things that won’t come to the marketplace for four to five more years. I get to see people who really do have that spark of inspiration and I get to protect it,” he added.

Access to Mr. Madayag & his expertise

Rob plans on holding regular office hours at IgniteHQ in order to make himself easily available for members with questions. 

“I’m a very pragmatic thinker. I understand business concerns and I like to give advice that makes sense in the real world. The greatest legal advice is meaningless if the client cannot implement it,” said Rob. “I chose to be a mentor at IgniteHQ because the people here are truly excited about what they do. IgniteHQ is where companies want to be helped and IgniteHQ’s leadership want their companies to receive help,” Rob added.

If you have a question about protecting your intellectual property assets, reach out to Rob Madayag, IgniteHQ’s newest resident advisor. 

Hear it directly from the Patent Attorney Mr. Rob Madayag

IgniteHQ’s newest mentor is patent attorney Rob Madayag, a 20-year legal veteran with a passion for working with founders and startups. From all his experience, Rob says he can quickly recognize a founder who will succeed simply by one trait: their willingness to learn startup and intellectual property law. 

“Founders and startup executives are not going to know all the answers, but they need to know the right questions to ask,” explained Rob. 

A partner attorney at Lee & Hayes, P.C. and a recognized expert in intellectual property, Rob has assisted clients through at least seven different exit events. According to Rob, when it comes to protection of intellectual property rights, the process can go well beyond patents, copyrights and trademarks. Rob and his colleagues create a path for their clients to grow, addressing everything from branding to best practices. He says it is crucial for founders get it right. 

How to stand out among your competition

“It is important to build barriers to entry using your intellectual property rights,” explained Rob. “No matter what’s being sold – a device, service or experience – you need to make sure your intellectual property is solid,” said Rob. 

Rob finds his creative outlet by working with founders and inventors and he is excited to mentor IgniteHQ’s entrepreneurs. 

“I love what I do!” exclaimed Rob. “I see things that won’t come to the marketplace for four to five more years. I get to see people who really do have that spark of inspiration and I get to protect it,” he added.

Access to Mr. Madayag & his expertise

Rob plans on holding regular office hours at IgniteHQ in order to make himself easily available for members with questions. 

“I’m a very pragmatic thinker. I understand business concerns and I like to give advice that makes sense in the real world. The greatest legal advice is meaningless if the client cannot implement it,” said Rob. “I chose to be a mentor at IgniteHQ because the people here are truly excited about what they do. IgniteHQ is where companies want to be helped and IgniteHQ’s leadership want their companies to receive help,” Rob added.

If you have a question about protecting your intellectual property assets, reach out to Rob Madayag, IgniteHQ’s newest resident advisor. 

While much fuss is made over tech companies these days, non-tech companies are proving to be equally profitable and scalable. Large companies such as Uber and AirBnB to smaller companies like Dancing Goats Coffee and Judith Bright continue to gain market share.

This month, IgniteHQ is focusing on non-tech scalable business. Many of IgniteHQ’s members are non-tech companies in the process of scaling their business.

Throughout June you might have noticed a number of tips for non-tech startups on IgniteHQ’s social media channels. Below are the top noteworthy tips from our posts.

1. Test your product feature and demand before doing development.

Non-tech scalable companies don’t rely on tech, they rely on the customer. Whether it be a service or a product, the customer you serve is your most important consideration. Audit your audience first. Survey your community and build focus groups to be sure you’re hitting the needs of the user/consumer.

2. Focus on your brand, not the technology.

A solid company brand will attract customers, increase recognition and eventually build customer devotion. Invest the time on design and your company’s story. Why do you do what you do? What prompted you to develop the product? People value honesty, integrity and quality. Conveying your company’s story paired with well-designed marketing tools can help propel your startup.

3. Don’t scale your business until you’ve found success in your existing market.  

Companies fail because they scale too quickly. A non-tech company must first find success within its existing market prior to expanding further. Be sure to create a fresh business plan for every new market you aim to enter with revised financial goals and considerations. Assess your competition and focus on your unique selling position.

4. Don’t run away from technology.

Infuse tech in your non-tech company. In today’s modern world, one does not survive without technology at their fingertips. In addition, it is easier than ever for founders to utilize all types of technology to benefit their business. Spend resources to research and implement the right technology for your company. Be it a savvy website, a sales platform or a powerful CRM system, technology will enable growth of your company.

5. Hire the right team.

Your team is integral to the health of your company. Think about both the culture and needs of your business as you interview candidates. Working at a startup has its ups and downs, so it’s important to find people who are passionate as well as business focused. Take time to find the right candidate. Bringing on the right team from the beginning will save you time, money and headache in the long run.

Moms on Call Grows Exponentially While Reaching Moms Worldwide

Laura Hunter and Jennifer Walker are the power pair behind Moms On Call (MOC), a coaching and educational resource company for new parents.

Hunter and Walker, two pediatric nurses with children of their own, started MOC after fielding many similar questions from patients suffering from information overload.

“We started our company after the explosion of the internet,” explained MOC co-founder Laura Hunter. “New parents were inundated with so much information and they constantly had similar questions and concerns. This is when we decided to launch a consulting service to help parents,” Hunter said.

MOC began as an in-home consulting service, helping parents with swaddling to nail clipping to a nighttime routine.

MOC’s best practices resulted in happy, healthy babies sleeping through the night and parents loved it!

Laura and Jennifer continued serving clients one household at a time until a celebrity client urged the women to package their valuable intellectual capital into a book.

“Baker Publishing picked up our book and it exploded,” said Laura. “From there we began doing online classes and posting videos to our website,” she added.

Laura and Jennifer published 3 books for different infant stages of development and designed specialty swaddling blankets. The partners packaged and shipped products from their basement.

Today, more than a decade after Laura and Jennifer launched MOC, the company is booming. MOC has a contract with Gerber to private label their swaddle blankets, a distributor for their products and trained consultants operating worldwide. A team of two now has a team of 30, with the operational team of four meeting at IgniteHQ.

“Our biggest growth jump happened in the past two years. Until now we’ve sold upwards of 175,000 books. We’re projected to sell 65,000 books in 2019 alone,” said Laura.

Laura and Jennifer have just relaunched several basics videos on their website and have been busy filming since January for the relaunch of their online classes due out this summer.

“We eat, sleep and breathe this stuff,” exclaimed Laura. “Jennifer and I easily put in 60 hours per week.”

Laura is proud of the success of Moms on Call and grateful she and Jennifer can positively influence and help thousands of new parents.

At the end of the day, MOC is about being “ a voice of hope and encouragement to families around the world. You see our families have everything they need to be great parents, they just need someone to believe in them.”

For more information visit: https://momsoncall.com/

May is Female Founders Month and we are excited to celebrate IgniteHQ’s own female founders! From nonprofits to agencies to small businesses, IgniteHQ’s women entrepreneurs are impacting their industries with thoughtfulness, compassion and creativity.

Daniela, Karen and Stephanie Carvajalino, Biz Nation

The entrepreneurial Carvajalino sisters founded their first company while just in elementary school. Fast forward nearly two decades later, the sisters are now helping other young entrepreneurs through their online platform The Biz Nation.

Read more here.

Rhonda Jones, Ask Y Analytics

Rhonda Jones’ passion for understanding the behavior and preferences for online customers led her to launch marketing analytics firm, Ask Y Digital Analytics. Ask Y Digital Analytics utilizes Jones’ original methodology of getting clients to dive deeper into their marketing data by asking ‘Why?”

Read more here.

Melinda Mayton, Blue Skies Ministries

Melinda Mayton, a former pediatric nurse, plays a profound role in helping families of sick children through her nonprofit Blue Skies Ministries. Mayton’s organization “lifts families above the clouds of childhood cancer” with all expenses paid weeklong beach retreats.

Read more here.

Valerie McConoco, Smart Pathways

While attempting to assist a colleague complete immigration paperwork, Valerie McConoco encountered a complicated application and a serious shortage of licensed immigration consultants to help. Valerie founded Smart Pathways, an immigration consultancy agency that strives to empower and educate individuals seeking to become an Immigration Assistance Provider.

Read more here.

Wanona Satcher, Makhers Studio

Landscape architect and builder Wanona Satcher is solving the housing crisis one pod at a time. This dynamic founder is the woman behind Makhers Studio and nonprofit ReJuv, two entities building affordable housing and community spaces through recycled shipping containers.

Read more here.

Christine Yarbrough, Get Slender

Christine Yarbrough believes in the power of the mind in changing behavior. This chiropractor and physiology teacher has started a practice, Get Slender, dedicated to utilizing the breakthrough method of Neurolinguistic Programming to help clients feel and look their best.

Read more here.