Why this Delaware columnist became a marketing entrepreneur

Back when she was in high school, 30-year-old Lauren Ashley Golt was a teen columnist for the News Journal, where she reviewed music and film and put together opinion pieces on “pretty much anything they approved.”
Then, while Golt was attending the University of Delaware, she was brought back to the paper to write the Health section’s weekly “Get Fit” column.
“I caught the writing bug and wanted to move to New York City to write for a magazine,” Golt admitted. So, after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in English, film and art history, Golt decided to make the leap up north. But she didn’t land a writing gig.
“Instead, I ended up with a bunch of jobs and an internship at a fashion PR company,” she said. That gig got her thinking about delving into the marketing world. When she moved back to Delaware in 2008, Golt started working for a Wilmington shop, CASS — that’s where she met Carroll Ivy Laurence, who had previously worked for designers Michael Kors and Sue Fisher King.
“I learned so much from Carroll, and since CASS was a small business, we were able to execute a lot of projects and be hands-on with everything,” said Golt. Three years at QVC ensued for Golt, but it wasn’t long before she longed for room for creative expression — something she wasn’t quite getting in a corporate atmosphere.
“Carroll was freelance consulting for several local businesses and I asked her what she thought about starting a marketing consulting business together,” said Golt.
In March of 2012, creative marketing boutique Social Stylate was born.

The Wilmington-based boutique, comprised of cofounders Golt and Laurence plus employees Sydney Sullivan and Kelly Hockenberry, primarily provides social media/content consulting and management, web design, email marketing, SEO and event/promotion planning.
Golt also co-owns Delaware Attorney Services, founded by her father. For her, entrepreneurship runs in the family.
“My father started his own processing serving business when he was 30, so I like to think that I inherited his business sense and entrepreneurial spirit,” she said.
And while she’s still an actively published writer with consistent bylines at The Hunt​ magazine, her passion is still marketing.
“It allows me be analytical and creative,” she said. “It’s fun to think about ways to reach people and connect with them.”