Step into the world of innovation and excellence with “Industry Champions”! Join us as we celebrate the trailblazers who are redefining success across diverse industries, sharing their journeys, strategies, and secrets to thriving in competitive landscapes. Today our host, Chris Budihas spoke with Charmaine Nokuri of Nokuri Digital Solutions
Charmaine Nokuri
Owner of Nokuri Digital Solutions
Website Address: www.allegiancebranding.com
Short company description:
A data-driven digital marketing agency that crafts a strategy focused on increasing revenue for its clients by leveraging business intelligence best practices.
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
Next to my children, implementing a web analytics system that allowed Karl Lagerfeld and DKNY measure ROI of their digital marketing dollars
What’s The Biggest Challenge you are facing in your business or industry?
In my industry, it’s clients understanding that the website needs to support a well-thought-out business plan
How do you see your field evolving in the next 3-5 years
Fractional CMOs with AI Copilots managing more accounts than some large agencies
Who in your industry do you see as a trend setter, and why?
Rand Fisk is the former founder of Moz and understands what it takes to beat algorithms.
Transcript:
Chris:
I’m your host, Chris Budihas. And joining me from Baltimore, Maryland is Charmaine Nokuri with Nokuri Digital Solutions. Charmaine, how are you? It’s good to finally see you.
Charmaine:
I’m doing well, Chris. Thanks for having me.
Chris:
So—you’re doing some amazing stuff. This whole world of AI, branding, and marketing can be very confusing. But before we get into the work you’re doing in that space, let’s give a little background on you. Where are you originally from, and how did you get into digital marketing?
Charmaine:
I’m originally from Northern Virginia—grew up in the Dulles Corridor. I actually went to computer camp with one of the founders of the internet’s son. Vint Cerf was one of the founders, and his son Bennett and I used to go to camp together.
So you could say I grew up with the internet.
My first job out of college was as a front-end developer creating CD-ROMs for government agencies. I worked for a boutique development company in Herndon, Virginia, doing projects for places like the IRS. That was back in the early 2000s when the internet was just taking off.
I also wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and put my children’s father through medical school, so I created my first company: Curry Technology Solutions. I was basically a 1099 contractor developing Flash CD-ROMs, doing front-end development and desktop publishing.
As the internet evolved, and especially when Flash started going out of style (thanks to Steve Jobs), I shifted into digital marketing. I got my master’s from Virginia Tech in Instructional Technology and focused on educational media. But once Flash was phased out, I moved into SEO, Google search, paid ads—basically every aspect of digital marketing as it was emerging.
Over time, I developed my own best practices, worked with billion-dollar companies, built processes, and now I run Nokri Digital Solutions—offering both digital marketing and technology consulting for startups.
Chris:
That’s wonderful. And you bring decades of experience into this field, even though you look like you’re twenty-one! So you focus specifically on startups—small to medium-sized businesses?
Charmaine:
Yes, mostly startups and small to medium businesses.
Chris:
So how is it being a business owner in this space?
Charmaine:
It’s definitely challenging. One of the biggest challenges is cross-functional communication. My background comes from the enterprise level, where people have formal marketing or business education. Translating terminology is easier there.
But with small businesses, you really become an educator. Many didn’t go to marketing school, don’t have MBAs, and may not understand how technology and business intersect. So I do a lot of teaching.
Honestly, that has been the core of my career—educating people on how technology and business work together.
Chris:
Absolutely. I was talking to someone about this earlier. The analogy I used was: just because you’re a great chef doesn’t mean you’re a great restaurant owner. Same thing here—even tech-savvy people don’t necessarily know marketing.
So someone like you can bolt on as a partner and fill that gap—at a far lower cost than hiring five or ten full-time people. Bringing decades of expertise is a huge value.
That said, what’s your value proposition? Why Nokri Digital Solutions versus someone else?
Charmaine:
We bring over twenty-five years of digital experience. We’re not a fly-by-night group that took a few YouTube bootcamps. We grew up with the internet.
We’ve worked with multinational organizations—Astellas Pharmaceuticals, Karl Lagerfeld, DKNY. We bring enterprise-level solutions to small and medium businesses, making high-quality strategy accessible.
Chris:
Where do you see the major pain points for small to medium businesses? What issues make them pick up the phone and call you?
Charmaine:
A huge challenge is how fast everything changes. A lot of small businesses don’t realize they’re on the same internet as the big players. There’s no “small-business internet.” If you’re an artist, you’re on the same internet as Beyoncé.
You’re competing with the big guys, and the digital landscape changes constantly. What worked yesterday may not work today.
A major issue is digital Darwinism—if you aren’t evolving fast enough with technology, you can become the next Blockbuster or Toys “R” Us. Small businesses have fewer resources, so having strong consultants is critical.
There’s also a lot of misinformation online—people selling courses claiming you’ll become a millionaire in two weeks. It doesn’t work like that. Algorithms change, platforms change, rules change.
You need advisors. As a person of faith, I always say: Plans fail for lack of counsel. Business is a team sport—you need good coaches and players on your team.
Chris:
I love that. Since you’re a woman-owned business, I want to ask this—especially for the young women watching: What advice would you give someone who wants to become a business owner?
Charmaine:
Get therapy.
And get a good pharmacist.
It’s a competitive environment. My daughter just graduated from Stanford Law and is in Silicon Valley now. We’re all in the pressure cooker—private equity, tech, startups. Business is a blood sport. You have to be prepared. It’s not for the faint of heart.
Chris:
That’s so true. Starting a business is easy—running one is hard. And unless you hire people, you’re the CFO, the CMO, the accountant, and everything else. That’s why having someone like you come in with experience is invaluable.
Charmaine:
Exactly. And many Americans are behind on tech because our education system didn’t keep up. That’s why H-1B visas became so critical—we imported tech talent because we lacked enough at home.
AI is now leveling the playing field. It gives Americans access to advisors and tools they didn’t have before. But people still try to “add AI” onto broken systems—without data governance, without process. You can’t just sprinkle AI on top of chaos.
Chris:
Exactly. And I love that you help companies figure out the actual problem they’re trying to solve before diving in.
So, Charmaine—how do people find you and Nokri Digital Solutions?
Charmaine:
Right now, the best place is LinkedIn. You can find me under Charmaine Nokri. We’re still building out the marketing side of my company—like they say, the cobbler’s children have no shoes. I’m always prioritizing client work over my own website!
But yes, LinkedIn is the best way to reach me.
Chris:
I know that struggle well. Charmaine, thank you for taking the time to join us on Industry Champions. We’ll put all your contact info in the show notes. I encourage everyone to connect with both of us on LinkedIn and reach out if they need your services.
Charmaine:
Thank you, Chris.
Chris:
All right, folks—we’ll see you in our next segment. Live with gratitude.
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