Mentor Profile

Chris Kirksey

CEO | Direction Inc.

San Jose CA | Marketing and Advertising

"Previously a 6-year US Army linguist, currently the CEO of Direction.com, a Local SEO Software & services firm based out of Washington, D.C. and Silicon Valley."

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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 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

San Jose, CA 95126, US
Timezone

(GMT-07:00) America/Los_Angeles - Pacific 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

27 Reviews

Derek Leo

July 9, 2021

Had a great conversation with Chris. He has a ton of experience and I very much appreciated his insights.

Jill Quash

May 21, 2021

Loved talking with Chris! He was easy to talk with. We had a great conversation. Looking forward to speaking with him again!

Anica Adzievska

May 1, 2021

Chris was incredibly helpful and insightful throughout our phone call conversation. He made sure to thoroughly answer all of my questions while providing me with a realistic overview of the industry he is currently operating in. He is super knowledgeable about the digital marketing world, and I highly recommend everyone to consider his mentorship. Thank you Chris for inspiring me to pursue my business venture!