I am super excited to meet Valarie L. Harris of Varris Marketing, what a power house, and a wonderful person to highlight this week following, international Women's Day. A call to action for an interview was answered by Valarie, with openness and enthusiasm.
Fourteen years ago, Valarie L. Harris took a leap that would change the course of her life. In February of 2012 she launched Varris Marketing with no loans, no startup capital, and no safety net beyond her own determination. What she did have was vision, resilience, and a deep desire to build something that aligned with both her values and her family.
Today, Valarie, also known as Coach Valygrl, is a Marketing Clarity Coach who helps entrepreneurs simplify their marketing, embrace new technology, and grow their businesses without burning themselves out.
Her journey into entrepreneurship did not begin overnight. Valarie spent twenty six and a half years climbing the ladder in corporate retail management. She was successful and respected, yet something never quite fit. She admits with honesty that while she was good at her job, she was never truly meant to be an employee.
At the same time she was raising a special needs child and needed flexibility that corporate life could not provide. Starting her own business created the space she needed to support her family while still building a career she believed in.
Entrepreneurship was not entirely new territory for Valarie. Her entrepreneurial spirit showed up early in life. She sold Kirby vacuums door to door, ran a home daycare, and worked with companies such as Mary Kay, Avon, Herbalife, and several affiliate and direct sales businesses while still maintaining a full time job in retail.
Varris Marketing began humbly as a personal assistant business. Over time, clients started asking for help posting on social media. That small request slowly evolved into a full marketing service. Then in 2020 Valarie shifted her focus once again and stepped into coaching. Today she guides entrepreneurs as a Marketing Clarity Coach, helping them create smarter strategies that support both their business goals and their personal lives.
One of the things Valarie loves most about her work is watching the moment when everything finally clicks for a client. That spark of understanding when someone sees the path forward is what fuels her passion.
She now offers coaching programs that help business owners navigate modern marketing tools, including her AI Marketing Coaching Bundle and her YouTube Marketing Coaching Bundle. As a certified AI Prompt Engineer and Data Machine Analyst, she enjoys helping entrepreneurs remove the fear around artificial intelligence and learn how to use it in practical ways that save time and simplify their work.
Video marketing is another area she loves teaching. Valarie believes YouTube is one of the most powerful long term lead generation tools available to business owners today. Helping entrepreneurs learn how to use video strategically is something she finds both exciting and impactful.
While business success is important to her, Valarie is deeply connected to her community as well. She has lived in the area for eighteen years and continues to give back in meaningful ways. She is a founding member and volunteer with the Silverdale Greendrinks committee, which supports local businesses and nonprofits. She regularly supports the Central Kitsap Food Bank, an organization that helped her family years ago and left a lasting impression on her heart.
She also supports Scarlet Road and serves on the Olympic College Advisory Board for the Business Management Department. In that role she shares her experience as a business owner and helps students prepare for the realities of the business world.
Even after fourteen years in business, Valarie continues to evolve. She is currently preparing for the release of her first book, Shattering the 24/7 Myth, which will be published this summer. The book reflects one of the most important lessons she learned along her journey.
There was a time when she said yes to everything. She worked constantly and had no boundaries between business and personal life. That pace nearly cost her both her health and her marriage. A serious health scare and the threat of divorce forced her to reevaluate everything.
Through that difficult season she learned the power of boundaries, time blocking, and protecting her peace. Those lessons not only changed her life but became a cornerstone of the message she now shares with other entrepreneurs.
Her passion for helping others avoid burnout has become a mission. Valarie hopes to help shift the culture away from the constant pressure of hustle and toward a healthier model of success. She believes people can achieve meaningful growth without sacrificing their wellbeing.
Outside of business, Valarie is most proud of her role as a mother. She is the mom of a special needs child, a Marine, and a daughter who is a competitive weightlifter. Even though her children are grown, she says that nurturing instinct never fades.
Looking ahead, the future is filled with both adventure and purpose. In five years Valarie and her husband plan to travel the country in their RV while continuing to speak, coach, and write. After thirty two years of marriage they are ready to explore parts of the United States they have never seen before.
With an internet connection and a passion for helping others grow, Valarie plans to keep doing the work she loves from wherever the road takes her.
When she is not working, you might find her enjoying a simple cup of coffee at Cup Espresso and Café in downtown Bremerton, dancing to music that lifts her spirit, or diving into a good book that ranges anywhere from science fiction to self growth.
Her story is proof that entrepreneurship is rarely a straight line. It is a journey of learning, resilience, reinvention, and courage. Fourteen years later, Valarie L. Harris is still growing, still teaching, and still proving that success does not have to come at the expense of the life you want to live.
