Our passion is helping local businesses attract and retain the right customers. We specialize in Branding, Lead Generation, Customer Engagement, and Business Consulting.

We consider every business as if it were our own, that’s why we invest the time to get to know you and your business and to understand the challenges you are facing. Helping businesses thrive is what fuels our fire.

Still Not Convinced?

Here’s a little bit about what makes us different:

We Know What You’re Going Through

What sets us apart is that we’re founded by entrepreneurs that have actually run a business. We’ve experienced everything from real-life gut-wrenching failure to over-the-moon success.

These experiences can’t be manufactured or faked. They’ve taught us how to be creative, quick-thinking problem solvers, to never take “no” for an answer, and have given us the grit to overcome any obstacle.

Since we've been there, seen it, and done it, we’re able to put ourselves in your shoes and utilize our experiences to drive change and make an impact.

You have Nothing to Lose

Before you decide to hire us, we first want to spend a good amount of time getting to know you and your business. We like to call this the ‘Three-Meeting Rule’ at Thrive.

We believe that it takes at least three interactions to fully understand a business and how it works on a day-to-day basis.

These meetings also gives you the opportunity to get to know us and decide if we’re the right solution for you. We do all this at no cost to you.

What you’ll get from us is an independent, objective perspective on your current marketing strategy and program. We’ll tell you what you’re doing well, what you need to improve or change, and where we see opportunities for growth and profit.

If we believe we can help, we’ll present you with a detailed plan on how we can work together to help your business grow by attracting and retaining the right customers.

Some problems we can help you solve:

  • You are struggling with acquiring customers or leads
  • Your website traffic is declining or in a free fall
  • Your ads are not converting
  • Your brand lacks visibility in your market
  • No one is reading or interacting with your content
  • You hate your website
  • You get a ton of traffic but can’t convert them into customers
  • You are struggling with Social Media
  • You don’t know what to do with your email list
  • You don’t know if your marketing dollars are paying off
  • You are not sure where to focus your marketing dollars
  • You are overwhelmed by digital marketing channels and are therefore doing nothing
  • You struggle with retaining your customers
  • You can never seem to meet your business goals
  • You have no insight into your customer experience or satisfaction level
  • You are not sure how to make your company profitable
  • You don’t have the proper financing to support growth
  • You are consumed by the day-to-day operations of your business and have no time to work on new business opportunities

If any of these apply to you and your business, we would love to help! Use our contact information above to set up a consultation with us. We will contact you within one-business day.

Our Team

Kwame Kuadey

CEO & Founder

Kwame’s passion for solving complex challenges with innovative and creative solutions is the foundation upon which Thrive is built. Having run a small business, Kwame has experienced and solved most problems that businesses face at one stage or another. He brings a wealth of knowledge to every client engagement, delivering out of the box solutions to help local businesses attract and retain the right customers.

Previously, Kwame was the CEO & Founder of Gift Card Rescue, which gained prominence when he successfully pitched his then startup on the debut season of ABC’s hit show, Shark Tank. The company went on to sell over $60 million in gift cards during its 8-year run and was listed in the 2013 Inc. 500 as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies. Gift Card Rescue also made the Inc 5000 list in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Kwame has since received numerous awards and recognition for his entrepreneurial success, including being named to Baltimore Business Journal’s “40 under 40” list. He is a 2014 winner of the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of The Year Award in Maryland. He has been featured in many leading publications, including The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Entrepreneur, Inc. Magazine, NPR, and Forbes.

Kwame is a recognized thought leader on Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing and is a regular speaker and panelist at business events. He has served as a mentor at incubators and business schools in the Greater Baltimore area, helping startup founders get their companies off the ground.

He has also worked as an advisor to early-stage companies, helping them navigate the chaos of a growing company. He is a member of the Betamore advisory board and since 2014, he has been an active member of the Baltimore chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), the world’s most influential community of entrepreneurs.

He is a graduate of Middlebury College, with a B.A. in Economics. Kwame also holds an M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School.

Outside of work, Kwame enjoys Crossfit as a way to stay fit and during the last few years, has discovered intermittent fasting. He has a passion for traveling and experiencing new cultures and food. He is also an avid soccer fan, and watches the English Premier League whenever he can make the time.

Kwame Kuadey

Expertise

  • Lead Generation
  • Content Marketing
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Business Analysis and Strategy
  • Startup Go-to-Market Strategy

Talk to him About

  • The big marketing opportunity local business are neglecting
  • What most entrepreneurs are too embarrassed to admit.
  • His two favorite cities in the world
  • The one question you should ask every job candidate
  • How intermittent fasting has helped him become more productive

On his Bookshelf

  • The Obstacle Is the Way By Ryan Holiday
  • The Power of Habits By Charles Duhigg
  • What I Know for Sure By Oprah Winfrey
  • As a Man Thinketh By James Allen

Carrie Brenner

Chief Operating Officer

Serving as Thrive’s Chief Operating Officer, Carrie specializes in helping clients achieve greater operational efficiency and evolve their marketing strategy. She has been especially successful in designing and implementing innovative digital marketing and brand strategies to drive engagement, improve conversion, and increase customer loyalty.

Prior to Thrive, Carrie was head of operations at Gift Card Rescue, an Inc. 500 company where she oversaw the day-to-day functions of the company, including Sales and Marketing. Her leadership in operations accelerated the company’s monthly revenue growth and lead to the achievement of multiple financial milestones.

Carrie brings a wealth of valued business experience to the projects she takes on. She has a reputation for being extremely detail-oriented and a problem solver, including her ability to laser focus on troubleshooting complex challenges. Carrie is known for her natural-born creative eye and particularly enjoys projects that focus on bringing the inherent power of customers and brands together.

Carrie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Marketing from Salisbury University. When she’s not working, you can find her unwinding at the beach, trying out a new recipe or local restaurant, or going on an adventure with her Golden Retriever.

Carrie Brenner

Expertise

  • Business Analysis and Strategy
  • Operational Improvement and Efficiency
  • Digital Marketing Strategy and Design
  • Brand Experience
  • Consumer Insights

Talk to her About

  • Your favorite Shark Tank episode
  • Her top 5 bucket list destinations or experiences
  • The best new product you’ve discovered

On her Bookshelf

  • Radical Candor By Kim Scott
  • In the Company of Women By Grace Bonney
  • Awake the Giant Within By Tony Robbins

Interested in learning more?

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