Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew ODonnell
Hi Andrew, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well, I guess I’ll start with where we are today and work my way back. My name is Andrew O’Donnell, I am 26 years old, and I launched 718 Marketing with one mission in mind — to Wake Up St. Louis. This city has so much untapped potential, and I have made it my mission to bring to light all of the amazing people, ideas, and culture this city has to offer. There are several ways my partner and I have planned to make this dream a reality; however, we understand that no big dream can be achieved to its fullest potential without the help of others. At 718, we believe that by focusing our attention on the small businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs, we can revitalize the city and captivate the country. We aren’t just a marketing team — we are a growth hub.
This dream started a few years back when I launched my first marketing company in New York City when I was just 21 years old. You see, I was born and raised in St. Charles, Missouri, and I have always had a wild ambition. Because of this, and the life I’ve had, I grew up quick and learned a lot at a young age. So, when I had the opportunity to work in one of the biggest cities in the world, I knew I had to take my shot. Now, this was during the year 2021, and for New York, Covid was still on the rise. To make a long story short, I had an amazing experience in New York with both tremendous successes and inevitable hardships, but in the end, I found a passion for helping others and an ability to develop people towards reaching their potential. I was in New York for a little under two years before I decided to make my way back home, where I had a new opportunity waiting for me.
When I moved back to St. Louis, I returned to the well-known street of Washington Avenue and pursued this new opportunity of business and marketing consulting, where I traveled the country to work with small businesses in helping them establish a name in their city. But when I first returned to St. Louis, there was a new energy that ran across the city — emptiness. At that time, I didn’t think there was anything someone as young as I could do to help, especially with the skill set I had then. But I believe life guides us in mysterious ways, and sure enough, during my time as a consultant, I learned the invaluable lessons and skills that I carry with me to this day. More importantly, my passion for helping others grew even larger.
I saw the impact I was making on the lives of those I was helping. Providing guidance, putting money in pockets, and more importantly, inspiring hope amongst these businesses allowed me to find what I believe I was put on this Earth to do. And today, I look back at those times — as difficult and as long as the road had been — and I am thankful for the opportunities that led me to where I am today. In fact, this is all a big reason why I chose the numbers 718 when naming the company. Not only were 7 and 18 my jersey numbers when I played sports growing up, but also 718 represents the path of awakening and abundance.
Now, I couldn’t do this alone. I have one of the most amazing and extremely gifted business partners, and she has made this mission even more attainable. Her name is Gabriella Holland, and she is beyond talented when it comes to creative and graphic designing. Together, we make an unstoppable team where we both love to empower others. Hence our company motto: “Empowering Unstoppable.” Like I said, we have quite the mission ahead of us, but we are both in this for the long haul and hope others will see our passion and the potential we can unveil as we grow our business.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
For 99% of success stories, it’s never a smooth road. The way I look at it, how good can a story be with no twists or turns?
I won’t get too deep into my personal life, but I’ve lived quite the story already. From being raised by a single mom to attempting to build multiple businesses from the ground up, I’ve realized something very important: the same issues, mistakes, and roadblocks will continue to present themselves over and over until you have learned the lessons at hand.
Some of my professional obstacles have been small, such as having a hard time finding the right resources to accomplish my goals at the time, to major disasters — such as losing my entire team and having to sleep in my own office. All of these lessons, big and small, created fundamental milestones I believe everyone learns at some point of their success story.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about 718 Marketing?
718 Marketing is a creative marketing agency dedicated to helping new businesses, entrepreneurs, and freelancers establish a strong, captivating presence. We specialize in brand identity development, social media management, website creation, and targeted advertising—all designed to give businesses the best chance at success.
What sets us apart is our hands-on, personalized approach and the way we utilize the local community to build local success stories. Unlike large agencies, we focus on affordable, scalable solutions that grow with our clients. We don’t just create content, we craft high-impact, strategic marketing that drives real engagement and business growth inside and outside of social platforms.
Brand-wise, we’re most proud of our mission: helping small businesses thrive while revitalizing St. Louis’ entrepreneurial culture. We believe in creativity, strategy, and results, ensuring every one of our clients has the tools to compete in today’s landscape.
To anyone looking to elevate their brand, build an audience, or drive better results—718 Marketing is here to Empower Unstoppable!
What makes you happy?
What makes me happy is seeing people work towards their potential and creating real results in their life. I love this because it connects on a personal level. For the longest time, I was always told that I had so much potential. But I wasn’t utilizing it, and instead rode on this vision of potential everyone said I had. Then one day, I realized that potential is nothing more than a word, unless it is captured by the one who holds it—and it’s fleeting.
To me, one of the more heartbreaking things is seeing that person you yourself thought had potential, yet they never found it. That’s why helping others discover theirs and creating real results in their life, makes me so happy.
Pricing:
- Our pricing is curated around our clients specific needs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://718marketing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/718marketing.stl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572216105194
