Kim Garst

"It's an amazing thing to find yourself on a Forbes list," says Boom! Social CEO Kim Garst. She should know, having been added by Forbes to its list of Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers in 2012. As a recognized influencer in the field, her approach is marked by the very same strategies that have propelled her to the top: being authentic, providing great social media content and resources, and continuing to seek out and connect with new people, businesses and brands each and every day.

Kim's recent accolades include: 2012 Forbes Top 50 Social Media Influencers List (No. 24), Kred Top 50 Social Media Bloggers (No. 1), 2013 Social Media Examiner Top Social Media Blogs (No. 2), Top 23 Social Media Power Influencers by Blogtrepreneuer.com (No. 11), Social Media Examiner Top 10 Small Business Facebook Pages (No. 7) and one of the Leading Moms in Business winners from StartupNation.com. Most recently, Kim was chosen to be a featured weekly writer for the Huffington Post.

It wasn't Kim's original plan to become a multi-million dollar business builder -- much less someone who trained other small business owners to similar levels of success. When she began her career after completing her B.S. in Political Science from Methodist College 23 years ago, she planned on being one of the many women balancing traditional jobs outside the home with the demands of marriage and motherhood. After the births of her sons, however, her priorities shifted. Still, her love of learning, determination, and desire for continued professional growth led her to begin her first business from her dining room table -- a business that over the course of nine years grew to a seven-figure enterprise.

Earning a Master's Degree in Distance Education in 2006, Kim began to use her education to teach others how to exercise influence, create brand value and sell products and services using digital platforms.

Kim's career took a major turn when she shifted her focus from other forms of internet-based marketing to the emerging technology we now know as social media. From the beginning she could see its potential and devoured everything she could on the subject. This led her to consider its role in branding and marketing other businesses. With the addition of social media strategy and services to her offerings, her business skyrocketed.

Throughout the start-up and growth of her businesses, Kim has repeatedly proven her ability for flexibility, innovation, and adaptation to changing markets and the diverse needs of her clients. As her own business providing social media management services to clients grew, Kim realized that there wasn't quality, comprehensive, focused training available for those seeking to use social media, so she added this to the companys line-up of services.

In 2011, Kim turned her attention to training and equipping other business owners to use social media marketing to achieve their business goals. She built a coaching program that within months grew to a seven-figure business and trained numerous professionals in diverse niches to build, market and grow their businesses using the power of social media management.

As Kim's training programs and online communities grew, participants clamored for a live event to bring together people and thought leaders for further education and networking experiences, and in September 2012, the Social Boom conference was born. With industry leaders such as New York Times bestselling author Gary Vaynerchuk delivering sessions on a variety of topics including specific social media platforms, Facebook advertising, using social media to build a network marketing business, and more, this sold-out inaugural event was a massive success.

It was at Social Boom! that Kim's current and most ambitious undertaking to date was revealed. In partnership with Terry Williamson, Kim created Boom! Social Media Marketing -- a personal branding and social media consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations build engaged communities and build their brand's influence in the social world. Securing several prestigious contracts in just a few months, Boom! Social continues Kim's tradition of results-driven business practices exercised in a collaborative, team-oriented organization that employs and draws from experts in each aspect of professional branding, social media marketing, and content marketing strategy and services.

Kim continues to expand her outreach professionally and within the community. Her training programs continue to grow, featuring entry-level online groups, innovative programs combining social media with systematic business education and training, and high-level program with top-level entrepreneurs.

She is a dynamic, sought-after speaker who regularly presents to business and non-profit organizations regarding the use of social media in their marketing endeavors. Numerous organizations, including IBM, Microsoft, and others have consulted with her on social media and branding best practices, while local news outlets have contacted her as their go-to expert when needing information about social media best practices for business and non-profit organizations.

Today, Kim resides in the Tampa area with her husband, Joseph, and younger son; her older son serves in the armed forces. She continues to look for strategic opportunities to grow her own influence in today's highly social business environment while remaining authentic and committed to the business values she has stood for from the very beginning.