Marline Henin is a Canadian marketing strategist, business consultant, and founder of a boutique consultancy that empowers companies to unlock transformative growth. With over a decade of experience and an MBA in marketing and strategic planning, Marline is known for guiding brands from stagnation to market leadership through data-driven insights, customer-centric strategy, and ethical execution. She began her career as an intern at a small business, quickly rising through the ranks thanks to her analytical mindset, intuitive leadership, and ability to bridge strategy with action. Within five years, she launched her firm, helping companies scale revenues from modest beginnings to multimillion-dollar milestones. Her work blends disciplined analysis with a deep understanding of market psychology, focusing on what sells and why it sells.
Beyond her consultancy, Marline is a mentor to young women in business and a dedicated philanthropist, particularly focused on improving the lives of homeless children. She believes financial success should be matched by purpose and community impact. Today, Marline works with clients across North America and beyond, advising founders, executives, and marketing teams on how to build lasting value in a rapidly changing world. Her approach is grounded, empathetic, and uncompromising in its commitment to meaningful growth for people, businesses, and society.
What made you want to do the work you do? Please share the full story. What motivates you when things get tough?
From my first internship at a local business, I was hooked on the power of strategy to transform outcomes. I loved helping small teams find clarity and grow. What keeps me going, especially when things are tough, is the impact I know I can make on profit margins and people’s lives. Seeing a client rediscover belief in their vision fuels me. I’m motivated by service, the challenge of making the complex simple, and proving that businesses can be both profitable and humane.
Tell us 3 surprisingly easy and 3 surprisingly difficult things about your business.
Surprisingly easy: Getting meetings with decision-makers when you bring real insight, building trust through transparency, and helping clients identify root problems.
Surprisingly difficult: Managing growth sustainably, maintaining creative energy under pressure, and aligning teams with conflicting interests.
About my job: Easy: Reading markets, identifying inefficiencies, and communicating ideas.
Hard: Saying no to clients when needed, managing expectations when results take time, and protecting my time from constant demands. Every part of my role involves strategy, but executing it requires daily emotional intelligence and stamina.
What are the 3 things you like best about your work and why? What are the 3 things you like the least?
What I love most:
- Helping companies pivot from lost to thriving, witnessing real transformation.
- Mentoring younger women and seeing them gain confidence.
- Strategic problem-solving – every day is intellectually engaging.
What I like least:
- Burnout culture in business – too many glorify exhaustion.
- Shallow marketing trends that distract from long-term strategy.
- Bureaucratic delays – when good ideas get stuck in red tape.
Despite the challenges, I’ve built systems to keep me grounded and focused on the bigger picture.
What are your greatest 3 skills, and how have they helped you succeed? Weaknesses? What do you need to feel purposeful at work?
Top skills:
- Strategic clarity – helps businesses focus on what matters.
- Empathy – builds lasting trust with clients.
- Resilience – I keep going when things get messy.
Weaknesses:
- Delegating – I often want to do too much myself.
- Perfectionism – slows me down at times.
- Overcommitting – I’m learning to set better boundaries.
To feel purposeful, I need:
- Alignment with client values,
- Room to innovate,
- Impact beyond revenue.
These remind me that success is more than metrics – it’s meaning.
Tell us about a time you were dead wrong about something. Tell us about a surprising outcome.
I once pushed a client toward a rebrand that would work. It flopped because the audience wasn’t ready, and I hadn’t validated assumptions. That taught me the power of real-world feedback over theoretical brilliance. On the flip side, a small campaign we ran almost as a placeholder went viral, leading to a 10x jump in revenue. It reminded me that creativity thrives in unexpected spaces, and not everything must be polished to perfection. Business often rewards experimentation.
Have you considered buying a business? Moved for a job? Biggest challenge each day? Getting out of a funk?
Yes, I once considered buying a struggling agency, but I passed when I saw that its culture didn’t align with mine. I have relocated for work, moving across Canada to pursue an opportunity that pushed me outside my comfort zone.
My biggest daily challenge is staying intensely focused amid constant noise. I use time-blocking and mindfulness to stay centred. When I’m in a funk, I get outdoors, read biographies of resilient leaders, or spend time volunteering, which reminds me why I do what I do.
What do you value most and why? A habit that helps?
I value integrity, doing the right thing when no one is watching. It builds trust, and in consulting, trust is everything. It also allows me to sleep well at night. Journaling each morning is a habit I stick to. It’s simple but powerful. It helps me clarify my thoughts, track emotional patterns, and prioritise what matters most. When days get hectic, that morning reflection anchors me and gives me a sense of quiet agency over my path.
What are your 3 goals? Proudest achievement? Celebrating wins? Doing something difficult?
Goals:
- Launch a fund to support women-led startups.
- Write a book on ethical marketing.
- Build a school for underserved children.
I’m most proud of helping a small female-founded business grow from $150K to $10M+ in revenue. That wasn’t just growth; it changed lives. I celebrate wins with my team through dinners, handwritten notes, and sometimes quiet solo moments of gratitude.
What’s difficult? Staying grounded amid rapid success. Ego creeps in easily. I counter it by staying in service.
Favorite movie, book, and motivational speaker?
Movie: The Pursuit of Happyness reflects the grit, heart, and hope I deeply relate to.
Book: Start With Why by Simon Sinek. It helped me articulate purpose more clearly for myself and my clients.
Motivational speaker: Brené Brown. Her insights on vulnerability and leadership are transformative. She speaks to minds and souls, balancing data with heart. Her work helps leaders humanize their impact.
Advice to younger self? Volunteer work? Advice from two years ago?
I’d tell my younger self: “Be bold, your fear is just misplaced imagination.” I do volunteer work with local shelters for homeless children. It keeps me grounded and reminds me what real struggle looks like. If I could go back two years, I’d say: “Rest is strategy. Don’t hustle yourself into burnout.” Slowing down doesn’t mean falling behind; it often means you’re preparing for a bigger leap.
Who is your Biggest mentor? Would you mentor others?
My biggest mentor was my former boss at my first internship. She believed in me before I had any results to show. She taught me to lead with conviction, compassion, and clarity. Yes, I mentor. I believe we rise by lifting others. The best way to reach me is via LinkedIn or my consultancy’s contact form. I always try to make time for those genuinely eager to grow.
Just for fun: Favorite ice cream, food, dessert?
Ice cream: Pistachio. It’s creamy, a little nutty, and unexpectedly sophisticated—just like great strategy!
Food: Thai green curry. I love its mix of spice, sweetness, and bold flavours; it’s comforting and daring all at once.
Dessert: Molten chocolate cake. It’s warm, rich, and full of surprises, just how I like my wins.