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Kim Darragon’s Desert Island 5

The 5 things this Mailchimp partner can’t live without

Meet Kim Darragon, the London-based marketer who heads up Kim Does Marketing. Kim officially became a Mailchimp partner in May 2020, but she’s been using the platform for 12 years. According to Kim, “Many marketing platforms aren’t intuitive and make everything more difficult than it needs to—all that techy, specialized jargon! My consultancy’s mission is to make marketing fun and easy to understand for my clients. Mailchimp helps me do that: It’s quirky, easy-to-use, and has incredible resources.”

Kim’s marketing and events consultancy is only a year old, but this communications expert boasts more than a decade of experience. Kim started her career in the corporate world, where she worked for global media (Monocle) and tech companies (Widespace).

Since going solo, Kim has focused on working with startups, small businesses, and entrepreneurs. Half-Laotian and half-French herself, Kim’s a passionate supporter of people from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds. The majority of Kim’s clients are small business owners and founders from this demographic.

Here are 5 things Kim can’t live without:

BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen

This product is my favorite and has been my go-to pen since I was 12 years old—my father gave me my first one. It’s very popular in France because it was invented by the French entrepreneur Marcel Bich in the 1970s. I’m a pretty practical person, so it’s great because I can color-code my work and keep it all organized with just one pen. It’s always in my bag, next to my lipstick, and now, thanks to COVID, my antibacterial gel.

Canva

This is a great platform for marketers, especially if you aren’t a graphic designer. Everything you see on my social media platforms, my infographics, ad visuals, flyers, presentations, and even invoices are all done on Canva. You can get a free subscription; however, you’re not able to add fonts, branding, Pantone colors, or your logo, so I pay a small monthly fee. The paid platform offers a massive database of graphics and images for you to use, which is really helpful. There’s also a great Mailchimp integration for Canva that’s so useful for creating newsletter graphics.

Wes Anderson Playlist on Spotify

I love this playlist because it keeps my mood lifted and mind focused. There’s such a healthy mix of music: great instrumental pieces, classic rock (The Rolling Stones, The Kinks), as well French songs from the ’70s. My favorites are the Indian tracks from The Darjeeling Limited. This playlist makes my mood happier and is very versatile. It’s just so good!

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

This is my go-to documentary. On the surface, you think it’s just a film about this 80-year-old Japanese chef making sushi in his tiny restaurant. But for me, it’s a documentary about work ethic and dedication to craft. When I watch it, I get all of the feels. It teaches you the mastery of a craft, how to perfect something, and that you should never stop learning. It’s not about sushi, it’s about life and achievement.

Hype Yourself

This book is by Lucy Werner, a U.K.-based PR, design, and marketing professional, who’s also a Mailchimp partner. I really love this book because there’s no fluff, no fillers or anything. It’s all about useful and practical PR tips that you can implement. When I launched my consultancy, I was pretty shy. I didn’t want to praise myself too much, or show my face on social media…I was hiding behind my infographics. That was my online identity. After reading this book, I had a revelation: Kim, you have to push yourself if you want to position yourself as a marketing expert and thought leader. For me, this book was eye-opening. When you’re a marketer, you know how to market every single client, but when it comes to your personal branding, that’s another story. This book has so many actionable tips—I really recommend it.

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