Martin is a lifelong advocate for differentiating and growing companies through smart brand leadership development, accountable marketing and purposeful leadership.
He founded his own agency, Thoma Thoma, in Little Rock, Arkansas, with his wife Melissa more than 35 years ago. During those 3+ decades, Martin grew the agency from a boutique creative firm into a nationally recognized expert in developing brand leadership. He effectively merged the firm with a social branding agency to broaden the service footprint and drive deeper into digital branding.?
Martin leveraged roots in journalism and writing to conceive, develop, and implement a diverse array of projects, ranging from new product initiatives for global technology companies to public information and safety campaigns for state agencies. He is as familiar working with billion-dollar companies as startup brands that want to become one. Always inquisitive, always learning, Martin wrote the practical guide, Branding Like the Big Boys for entrepreneurial leaders and is a sought-after author of articles and white papers on branding, marketing strategy, and communications.
In the final act of his agency career, Martin recently led his partners and team through the sale and successful transition to new ownership of his firm. As broker/advisor with Exit M&A, Martin now champions other business owners who are ready to realize the value of the companies they have built through their own successful sales and exits.
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Fun Fact: Martin loves anything in the water… from swimming to fishing to paddle boarding and snorkeling. He also enjoys border-to-border bicycling, where he is building his bucket list from transiting Iowa, Arkansas and Missouri. He’s an avid gardener, former beekeeper, private pilot, and Spanish speaker (un poquito)!
