A Chat with Flo.’s Founder: How A Business Was Born Out of Her Desire to Help Others

Meet our Founder & CEO, Richelle Holland. 

Richelle is a wife, a mom, a foodie, and a late-night scribbler of big ideas. She is equal parts creative and strategist. She is also our incredibly talented and humble leader—the reason we show up and keep getting better every single day. 

We recently sat down with her, had some iced coffee, and asked a few questions to get to know the woman behind our mission. Here’s what she had to say.

Let’s start with early life. What were some of your dreams and aspirations growing up?

It’s quite different from what I do now, but for the longest time, I wanted to be a scientist. I was especially fascinated by geology, biology, and chemistry. Science class was always my favorite class. A family friend was a scientist for Procter & Gamble, and I still remember thinking he had the coolest job ever.  

As I got older, my dreams shifted. I became more drawn to business—and eventually, the idea of having a business of my own. I didn’t know what kind or when it would happen, but the drive was always there.

Outside of my career ambitions, one of my biggest dreams was always to become a wife and a mom. And honestly, of all the dreams I’ve had, those are the ones I’m happiest came true.

How did your career begin?

My career started in D.C. at a supply chain management software company serving the aerospace and defense industry. I was part of a small but mighty marketing team of three, which meant I got to dive into a little bit of everything. 

Because the company was owned by major players like Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Rolls-Royce, the expectations were high, and I quickly learned what it meant to execute well under pressure.

From there, I joined a mid-sized engineering firm headquartered in NYC, just as they were launching a new profit center in D.C. Although I was hired for marketing, I ended up wearing many hats—everything from communications to business development to learning the ins and outs of managing a P&L. It was a crash course in business and leadership, and it taught me the value of clear, compelling communication, especially when working with highly technical subject matter (and people).

At one point, I even found myself reading Trane HVAC manuals and other technical publications in my spare time. I’ve never felt comfortable marketing something I didn’t understand. There was even a moment when I seriously considered going back to school for an engineering degree—but ultimately, I knew I would be a better marketer than I would be an engineer. It was just about finding the right way to bring both worlds together.

What were you doing before you started Flo.?

Eventually, I transitioned from the D.C. market to join the corporate team at the engineering firm’s New York City headquarters. Some time later, I was offered an incredible opportunity to join a company then known as Aligned Energy.

Also based in the city, Aligned was led by a visionary Founder & CEO at the time who was in the process of raising capital to launch a new kind of data center company—one rooted in innovation and built with sustainability at its core. He was widely respected in the industry for reimagining how infrastructure could be designed smarter, better, and more efficiently. For me, this felt like the chance to work alongside someone with a Steve Jobs-level mindset—an opportunity to learn, grow, and help shape something truly transformative.

Working at Aligned, there were a lot of long hours and late nights—many of them spent watching these things called “Doodlecasts” and trying to translate complex technical ideas into simple, compelling narratives that would resonate with investors. But the hard work paid off: the funding was secured, and Aligned Data Centers was born. It is now one of the most prominent, award-winning brands in the data center industry. 

Leading the marketing efforts for Aligned and its affiliates was a pivotal moment in my career. I was given the opportunity to work with truly brilliant people—across many disciplines. And it gave me the chance to collaborate with some of the top global branding and marketing firms in New York City—firms whose work, processes, and creative discipline left a lasting impression. A couple, in particular, set the bar for what a truly integrated, strategic partnership looks like.

This experience helped shape the vision for what I wanted to build with Flo.—an agency that not only delivers great work, but operates as a true extension of the client’s team, rooted in both strategy and heart.

What inspired you to start your own marketing firm?

I reached a point in my career where I had poured everything into helping the company I worked for succeed. I’d worked hard, gained invaluable experience, and had the privilege of learning from some truly incredible mentors. Many of them reminded me that I had gained the experience that it takes some decades to accumulate—and that I could make an even bigger impact by sharing that with multiple companies, not just one.

While on vacation in Australia, on a boat somewhere between Whitehaven and Cairns, I found myself sketching out the early idea for Flo. on the back of my travel itinerary. That moment (half daydream, half aha) quite literally set the wheels in motion.

The concept was simple: bridge the gap between senior, in-house marketing leadership and specialized agency talent. I wanted to create a model that helped bold, visionary businesses scale quickly with marketing that wasn’t just strategic, but deeply aligned with execution.

Not long after, I was asked to relocate to Dallas for my corporate role. As I considered the offer, that sketch I’d scribbled on a boat suddenly felt less like a dream and more like a direction. It became the blueprint for what would eventually become Flo.—and the beginning of a new chapter I was ready to write.

What makes Flo. different from other marketing agencies?

Our relationships. What truly sets Flo. apart, beyond our blend of in-house corporate marketing experience and agency expertise, is our relationships. The way we show up for our clients. And the trust we build with our partners. In a service-based business, relationships are the business.

That said, I think our clients’ and partners’ perspectives are the real tell here. We recently went through our own brand refresh and we asked them: What makes Flo. different? Their answers say more than I ever could.

We heard things like:

“You really do make yourselves part of the team and do whatever it takes.”

“Other agencies want us to pay them to learn. You all immerse yourselves more than anyone—but focus on helping us solve challenges, not tracking extra hours.”

When we asked them to describe us in three words, the most common responses were: thoughtful, personable, and adaptable.

I lean on their words more than my own because how others experience us is what really matters. 

The other piece that often stands out to clients is our private equity experience. I was first exposed to that world on the corporate side and saw, up close, what it takes not just to raise capital but to meet the expectations that come with it.

At Flo., we’re intentional about helping companies shape investor-ready positioning and go-to-market strategies they can actually live up to. It’s not like what some think and see on Shark Tank. It takes time, trust, credibility, and the right narrative to attract the right PE firm.

‍What keeps you motivated?

The honest answer? I genuinely like to work. Anyone who knows me is probably nodding (or laughing) right now, because it’s true. I get a lot out of seeing the results hard work can create. 

But what really drives me is seeing others succeed. I love when someone has a brilliant business idea and just needs help articulating it—then watching it take off.

I love it when a team member with incredible talent and quiet confidence gets the support they need to spread their wings.

I love when a partner brings us in early to bounce around ideas because they trust us to help them grow.

And I especially love it when we get to do all of this to create an impact in the communities around us—not just to move the needle in business. That’s what really keeps me motivated.

Outside of work, what do you like to do?

Spending quality time with my family and friends is one of my favorite pastimes. I also really enjoy cooking and traveling, especially when I get to combine the two. 

You could say I’m a bit of a foodie at heart. I’m always up for trying something new, whether it’s experimenting with a new idea at home or tasting a local delicacy in another country. I have to say, I’m really proud of some of the things I’ve tried, but also very confident in some of the things that I will never try again. One that is at the top of my “never again” list is a delicacy in Peru. No, thank you. I will most definitely not be tasting that again.

Flo. recently went through a brand refresh. Why?

If I had to say “shoemaker’s shoes” one more time…Kidding. Kind of.

We’ve been incredibly fortunate—Flo. has grown 100% through referrals since day one. We never hired a sales or BD person. We didn’t run ads. We didn’t do social media. And aside from launching a bare-bones website when we first started, we never really updated it.

We’ve helped clients build strong brands and scalable marketing strategies, but we never stopped to do it for ourselves. In some ways, it was a badge of honor—proof that our work spoke for itself. That sketch on the back of a travel itinerary? We have stayed pretty true to it. 

But as the business continued to grow, there became a disconnect. We realized we were limiting ourselves, especially when it came to attracting clients beyond our referral networks. And that in some cases, we were hurting our own credibility by not showcasing more of our work. In one particular case, a prospective client listed off to us some of their ideal clients, not realizing several of them were already some of ours. That was a wake-up call. 

We also noticed our team was spending too much time trying to explain what we do and how we do it—because we didn’t have a digital presence that did it for us. And when it came to attracting new talent, we weren’t doing ourselves any favors. People didn’t know who we were, what we stood for, or why they might want to be part of what we are building.

So, we needed a brand refresh to change all of that.

Your most memorable marketing moment–go.

That’s a tough one. It’s tempting to highlight high-growth campaigns or investor-driven milestones, but when I really sit with the question, it feels more nostalgic than that.

One of my most memorable marketing moments happened back in college when I worked for Dodge/Daimler/Chrysler. They were running a national competition between universities to raise money for charity, and the goal was simple: raise the most votes and win the top donation for your cause.

At the time, a local Blacksburg high school football player had suffered a rare stroke in his spinal cord. His name was Patrick. The medical costs were overwhelming for his family, and it hit close to home for the community. So, I launched a campaign called Play for Patrick.

With the help of my fellow Hokies, Play for Patrick got the most votes in record time. Patrick’s family was awarded $20,000 because of it.

That was one of the first times I saw the power of marketing not just to promote something—but to make a difference. It’s a defining moment I still carry with me today.

In your opinion, what’s one of the biggest marketing mistakes high-growth companies make?

They either do too much or not enough when it comes to marketing. And sometimes they don’t fully know why they’re doing what they’re doing. 

One of the clearest indicators of a leadership team that has launched or scaled successful businesses is how they view marketing. The ones who genuinely value strategy—and understand marketing’s pivotal role in driving growth—approach business differently.

If the focus is on vanity metrics or disconnected tactics, that’s usually a red flag. It’s not only ineffective, but it often creates confusion and burnout within a marketing team.

I’m a strong believer that every marketing effort should be tied to purpose and impact—and that sales and marketing should operate as one team, aligned around shared goals. When that happens, businesses move faster, make smarter decisions, and see better results.

Another common mistake? Making the company the hero or main character of the story. Too often, businesses focus on promoting themselves. A strong brand isn’t just about what a company does—it’s about the value it creates and making the audience the hero.

What’s next in marketing? Have you noticed any recent shifts or trends?

That’s a really good question. Marketing has changed a lot since I first started my career, and I believe it’s going to continue to change rapidly. 

AI has disrupted how people do things, and marketing is no exception. While I think AI can be leveraged as a tool in some cases, I don’t believe it can replace the core of what makes marketing truly effective. 

I believe great brands and marketing teams will continue to focus on authenticity and staying true to who they are.

There are many “tells” when someone is using AI for marketing. For those that do so with little human interaction, I believe it will eventually become detrimental to their brand. A very simple example is social media. You can tell when someone typed the prompt “You’re a social media expert. Write me a post on XYZ.” The posts sound very similar to others, and tweaking a word or two doesn’t negate that. 

I believe people are already getting tired of the amplified AI noise. And although I think technologies will continue to get better at doing some of the more mundane marketing tasks, I think there will be a greater need for more humanistic and authentic marketing than ever before.

What’s next for Flo.?

Honestly, we’ve got a lot of exciting things going on right now. In the near term, our focus is on continuing to grow—not just our own business but the businesses we support. Internally, we’re zeroing in on refining our processes to create an even better experience for both our clients and our team.

We’re also expanding our offerings, and while we can’t share everything just yet, what’s coming is designed to make high-impact marketing more accessible. We’re building tools and resources for those who may not be ready to invest in full-scale marketing, but still need a strong foundation to grow their business. More to come, soon!

Final thoughts and reflection?

Flo. has never been just about me or the original idea. It’s always been about others—helping people bring their visions to life, whether that’s our clients or our team. I'm incredibly grateful for everyone who has helped shape who we are today, and I can't wait to see where we go next!