A Love Letter From Monica C. Smith

Colleagues, Partners, Friends and Family,

Growing up in a house of 6 boys, starting my own business was never a conversation – at home or at school; they didn’t teach, let alone empower, girls to be anything other than “traditional.” And while my parents may not have explicitly taught me how to run a business, they were always very clear in showing their love, ultimately instilling a confidence in me to believe anything is possible. I will always love them for that.

To us, Valentine’s Day is way more than just a Hallmark holiday; it’s a day when we show and receive gratitude to the ones we care for the most. My mom, Peggy, would light up around this time, expressing how grateful she was to know that we loved her (it could have been the chocolates, but let’s say it was a combination of both). And we’d feel the same (easier to admit now than when we were kids). Even as an adult, my mom and dad would give me a beautiful card reaffirming their love and pride for me. That reassurance never got old and wasn’t ever forgotten; knowing that there are people here who love me and support me has been my motivation since day one – which is why I’m writing to you now: This is my love letter to those who started us off and to those who are part of this wonderful agency today. I truly believe there aren’t enough holidays centered on expressing love and gratefulness.

Over the past year, I have had more time to reflect upon the past 21 years of Marketsmith Inc. – it’s truly all about the people I have spent this journey with. Between my family, employees, colleagues, partners, clients, and even (some) sales reps – you all make this worth it. I find myself in a state of deep gratitude, whether we’ve known each other for 20 years or 2 weeks. I am beyond grateful for the wonderful clients that we have served through the years; I think about the people I started working with at Tumi, where I still have the great honor of working with them to this day. To my close friends and colleagues at Cross, Solstice, Lowes, Amazon, Shark/Ninja, Broder Brothers, Brother, Lovesac, and GameChanger, to name a few: You have all allowed for a relationship to be built upon trust, challenge, and execution driving our team towards extraordinary growth and opportunity.

You’re all titans in this industry and working with you has shaped me, made me better, and pushed me to be the best version of myself. I am forever grateful that you’ve included me on your journey; because of you, I continue to get more passionate about the work we do.

So, on this holiday, which is very important to me, I felt it necessary to share my deepest level of appreciation and gratitude for you. Besides being an essential part in building one of the largest women-led agencies in the country, you’ve also helped deliver many gifts to those in need. Through our work together, we’ve been able to help support under-resourced families, pets without shelters, and children without food and family – and there’s still so much more left to do and so much more to be grateful for.

Thank you for being a part of my life – professionally and personally. If you couldn’t tell, I love this holiday – I love that it empowers us to be passionate about each other and to be authentic in sharing how we feel with each other – it’s my favorite. With so much going on in the world, I wanted to make sure I took the time to say I am grateful for knowing you, thank you for being you, and I am here for you. We have done and will continue to do great things together. Thank you, and happy Valentine’s Day! Stay healthy, happy, and safe.

My best always,