When Korena Keys noticed her agency’s tech stack exploding a few years ago, she didn’t just start cutting tools; she started writing job descriptions for them. Literally. Every new piece of technology gets evaluated like a new hire: what’s it supposed to do, what are the accountability parameters, and does it get a 30-60-90-day review like anyone else on the team?
Korena spent fifteen years inside full-service agencies before founding KeyMedia Solutions in 2011, built around a simple frustration: smaller businesses were locked out of the enterprise-level tools and technology that bigger brands had access to. She set out to change that.
In this conversation with our host Ranmay Rath, Korena Keys, Founder & Visionary at KeyMedia Solutions, talks about why she chose to expand and hire during the pandemic when most agencies were pulling back, what real AI governance looks like operationally inside a client-facing agency, and why she believes AI search is pushing the industry back to fundamentals: quality content, real authorship, and answering the questions people actually have.
Rounding out the episode, Korena discusses building a personal brand through Forbes Council contributions and her book, why she’s pushing her team to build their own brand voice early, and the one piece of advice she’d give to young entrepreneurs starting out.
Whether you run an agency, manage a marketing team, or are figuring out how to responsibly adopt AI in your organization, this episode offers a grounded, experience-backed perspective on scaling without losing control.
Takeaways:
- Every new tool at her agency requires a written job description first.
- AI adoption needs a formal risk review before any team member tests it.
- Every AI prompt or agent includes a built-in governance layer automatically.
- She expanded hiring during the pandemic while competitors pulled back.
- Organic search is returning to fundamentals: authorship, credibility, and useful content.
- Personal brand voice differentiates individuals and agencies in a crowded market.
- Believing in your own vision matters more than convincing others upfront.