Mentor Profile

Chris Kirksey

CEO | Direction Inc.

McLean VA | Marketing and Advertising

"Previously a 6-year US Army linguist, currently the founder and CEO of Direction.com, a digital marketing agency based out of Washington, DC."

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ABOUT

https://Direction.com is the culmination of my 15+ year obsession with digital marketing and online sales: I ran an eBay business at nine years old & built my first website at fourteen. It's also been an opportunity to apply the values I learned serving my country.

As a Signals Intelligence Lead in the U.S. Army for 6 years, I led missions & teams of up to 20, including three overseas deployments (Afghanistan & Iraq). I bring a sophisticated approach from high-tech signals intelligence to digital marketing intelligence and some of the planning and precision of military campaigns to marketing campaigns.

Most importantly, team cohesion & motivation are keys to success in almost anything. That's why I've created a company culture & incentives for the Direction.com team that ensures they're excited about marketing your brand and are personally invested in their own success, our success, and the success of our clients.

Since founding Direction Inc., I’ve launched a new local SEO software - Direction Local (https://direction.com/local), as well as variety of other companies: https://wpfarm.com /, a managed Wordpress hosting service, and https://defineawesome.com, a fun shopping site where all profits generated are donated to a different charity each month. I'm also on the Forbes agency council, a member of Elite Success Partners and a member of Entrepreneurs Organization.

BADGES

I have a large professional network and like making introductions

I am a veteran

I have access to jobs

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Ask me about transitioning
Ask me about my career
Ask me about how to brand and market to employers
Ask me for advice on your startup
Ask me anything; I'm here to listen

Profile Info

Location

McLean, VA 22101, US
Timezone

(GMT-04:00) America/New_York - Eastern Time
Industry

Marketing and Advertising

Military history

Branch of Service

Army
Job Code

35p
Military Grade/Rank

E4
Years of Service

6
Military Status

Active Duty

Skills

SEO
Digital Marketing
Web Design

22 Reviews

Veeron Wilson, MHA

July 11, 2020

Chris is easy to talk to and very helpful. He provided me with valuable insight and resources related to my development as an aspiring digital marketer. I highly recommend him.

Kenny Goranson

July 5, 2020

Chris did a great job of providing me with some much needed advice and some resources to keep me focused and accountable.

Jason M. Sealy

June 28, 2020

Chris was a pleasure to talk to! I felt he was able to quickly relate to my transition. He story and his advice resonated with me. He is a wealth of knowledge and valued his perspective. As we completed our call, I felt reassured in my journey and I will be following his recommendations! If digital marketing is where you see yourself in the future, make time to talk with Chris. You be will better for it!