Leap of faith: Appleton entrepreneur brings positivity to marketing

Meghan Diemel

Contributor

June 30, 2025

APPLETON – Inspired by the words of the biblical Book of James, Kyle Hackbarth said he ventured into entrepreneurship, pure of heart and sound of mind. 

As owner of James Marketing Company in Appleton, Hackbarth said he weaves his religious faith with his desire to do what’s right – for his clients and the world around him – as he helps businesses grow through marketing.

For his clients, Hackbarth said he applies his values to deliverables, such as content creation, strategy and the various components businesses need to establish brand identities – like photography, videography, logo development and social media platform management.

“It’s about encouraging businesses (and aims to) encourage people to make the right impact…,” he said. “It’s been an honor to be able to take my faith and take the leaps I’ve been able to take, to fully rely on God.”

Hackbarth said his commitment to service is foremost – even taking priority over his profits.

“The money will come later, and that’s okay with me,” he said. “It’s really about servantship, rather than leadership.”

Hackbarth said the Book of James is about action, integrity and the importance of living out your faith through your life’s work. 

It has provided more than just a name for his business, he said – rather, serving as the foundation of everything he does each day. 

In a time where segments of marketing can be marred by negativity, on and off social media, Hackbarth said it’s more important than ever to personify positivity in action.

“There’s a lot of negativity in the world,” he said, “but if we can be a company that can help spread positivity, I mean, that’s my No. 1 joy.”

Mindset meets action

Hackbarth said putting his positive mindset into action is always at the forefront for him. 

For each new client meeting James Marketing has, he said he brings along a gift of a candy cup from Kaukauna’s Festive Balloons – which happens to be one of his clients.

The cups also feature encouraging words, which Hackbarth said he sees as a small token of appreciation to encourage other business owners through kindness.

“It encourages them in general,” he said. “It’s just to say, ‘Thank you for being you.’ Each person is their (own) unique person, and that’s what makes the world spin.”

Hackbarth said he began developing his service-based work ethic at a young age, starting with his first job at 15 years old.

“I started in retail, worked my way up in a grocery store, ended up becoming a customer service manager and did a bunch of… process improvement, helping employees do better,” he said. “The customer (service) aspect was one of my favorite things, because we were able to see our customer base grow – because of the fact that our employees felt more valued.”

Later, Hackbarth said while he was in school pursuing his associate’s degree in marketing, he loved the knowledge he gained and the lessons he was able to put into action.

“I got into it because when I was 10 years old, I started making YouTube videos, and I thought a lot about growing social media as a whole,” he said. “And I (thought), ‘Well, how can I help companies grow their social media?’”

Hackbarth said his foray into entrepreneurship got a boost thanks to the sage advice he received from one of his mentors. 

He said the mentor noted that though he had many great ideas and was entrepreneurially minded, he hadn’t done anything with those skills yet. 

On that note, Hackbarth said she encouraged him to take a leap and move forward with creating a business that emphasized his talents in photography, videography and marketing.

“She told me… ‘I believe in you – you’ve got this,’” he said. “So, I ended up naming my company after my grandfather, as well as after the Book of James in the Bible. It talks about serving others, and the unconditional love that God has for you.”

Hackbarth said he officially opened his business nearly one year ago.

Positive results

James Marketing, Hackbarth said, offers packages to fit any company’s needs – from smaller packages for small businesses just starting, to more extensive and nuanced packages for businesses seeking a strong social media presence, videography or more.

Ultimately, he said his model is about meeting businesses wherever they may be on the spectrum of marketing efforts and helping them become something greater.

“We (are) very into explaining and working through the customer journey with them, because that’s one of the most important things,” he said.

Social media, Hackbarth said – even with its constant, rapid updates and ever-changing trends – is James Marketing’s specialty. 

He said the company’s social media software allows clients to schedule posts and content up to three years in advance, if needed, to organize the videos, photos, podcasts and other cross-platform content James Marketing creates. 

“One of our biggest podcast (productions) we’re starting with the De Pere Chamber of Commerce is the ‘Business with Christ’ podcast,” he said. “We are working on getting that nailed down. We released our first episode (in early June).”

As Hackbarth moves toward the start of his second year in business, he said he continues to be guided not just by the Book of James but also the legacy his grandfather, James Siddall, left for him. 

Hackbarth said Siddall, who passed away in 2015, was a well-known resident of Princeton, having been an entrepreneur himself. 

In addition to owning a painting and wallpaper business for many years, Hackbarth said Siddall also served as the local school board president for 15 years and as president of the chamber of commerce for six years, among his many civic contributions.

“There (are) many, many things he did, but it was all to be able to serve people, which kind of relates back to the Book of James,” he said. “It’s servantship – not leadership. It’s (about) serving… He was always willing to help people. And it was never, ‘Oh, I’ll help you, and you help me with this.’ It was… ‘How can I help you? How can I help you do better?’”

Now, with a year under his belt and a range of clients – which includes realtors, chiropractors, other entrepreneurs, physical therapists, bookstores, coffee shops and even a juggler – Hackbarth said he looks forward to continuing helping others as much as he can.

“It’s been a wild ride, (being) able to serve people,” he said. “God is everything to me. And that’s been my motivation to continue doing the right thing and serving people.”

Visit jamesmarketingcompany.com for more information.