False Start

False Start

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I don’t care about your resume
How to get a job in marketing from someone who’s had eight.
Feb 19, 2025 • Kate Citron
One year on Substack: 2,200 subscribers and 2% of my income
Sharing 3 charts, 4 practices that I think worked, and pondering the mystery that remains.
Mar 4 • Kate Citron
You're not bad at marketing. You might just be unlucky.
On marketing, luck, and the mystery of life.
Feb 25 • Kate Citron
The no-BS guide to explaining gaps, pivots, and other weird career moves
Molly Levine, executive recruiter at Creative People, knows when you're faking it.
Feb 18 • Kate Citron
Grace Abbott was afraid to post online — then built a $60k personal brand
Meet the founder of How To Go Freelance.
Feb 11 • Kate Citron
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How to use AI like your smartest coworker, not just a productivity hack
Sep 24, 2025 • Kate Citron
“Personal brand” is a dirty word, but you might want one anyway
Dec 31, 2025 • Kate Citron
Marketers might be the reason marketing isn’t taken seriously
Dec 17, 2025 • Kate Citron
How I turned job insecurity into $30k (and a freelance side hustle)
Jul 16, 2025 • Kate Citron

Freelancing Guidance

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“Personal brand” is a dirty word, but you might want one anyway
Five marketers on using your marketing skills for yourself
Dec 31, 2025 • Kate Citron
How I decided to go freelance — and everything I did to prep
Because “feeling ready is a myth” doesn’t help you make big life decisions.
Oct 22, 2025 • Kate Citron
A week in my life as a self-employed marketer on “vacation”
What I learned about setting boundaries, and how I'd do it differently next time.
Oct 8, 2025 • Kate Citron
How to become the freelancer everyone wants to hire
Actionable tips to help you onboard new clients, project manage your work, and grow word-of-mouth referrals.
Aug 27, 2025 • Kate Citron

Marketing Advice

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You don’t need New Year’s resolutions — you need to reflect
A short, honest exercise designed to help you figure out what from your career.
Dec 10, 2025 • Kate Citron and Ashley Rudolph
Six things seasoned marketers do to make BFCM feel less chaotic
Practical, real-world advice you can actually use heading into Thanksgiving week.
Nov 19, 2025 • Kate Citron
An introduction to SEO for “non-technical” marketers (whatever that means)
How to spot a scammy SEO proposal, adapt for LLMs, and more with strategist Grace Wilkins.
Nov 5, 2025 • Kate Citron
Get out of your own way: How I’ve tackled insecurity at work
Get out of your own way with four hard-earned lessons from 12+ years in marketing
Oct 29, 2025 • Kate Citron

Career Reflection

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What’s next for False Start (big news!)
Sharpening my focus, and announcing a way to go even deeper into the world of False Start.
Jan 7 • Kate Citron
Marketers might be the reason marketing isn’t taken seriously
Why does the industry responsible for growth, storytelling, and revenue get treated like a creative hobby?
Dec 17, 2025 • Kate Citron
Four marketers on what it’s like to return to work after maternity leave
“I realize I put so much pressure on myself to 'return to work’...because career achievements felt more measurable than motherhood.”
Dec 3, 2025 • Kate Citron
What it’s like to know you need a career change — and still stay put
The 9 emotional stages of a career change (as I actually lived them)
Nov 12, 2025 • Kate Citron
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