Possessing a lifelong passion for etiquette, Zane Carson-Carruth loved beautiful manners and writing. She attained a certification in business etiquette and protocol, which enabled her to be published in a few magazines. People then asked her to write articles on the subject. She had written her first book about 25 years ago, but didn’t know how to get it published. When she went to get an etiquette certification, the women there had self-published a book and gave her advice, so she self-published her books. Ms. Carson-Carruth has always loved sales, and her career is an accumulation of everything she is passionate about.
Ms. Carson-Carruth was always an insurance marketer for hard-to-place risks. The company she was working for was sold, and that is when she opened up her own business. Since 2010, she has served as the president and owner of Carson Marketing, LLC, a Houston-based, full-service marketing company that provides integrated marketing solutions for businesses. Additionally, she is the president of Etiquette to Excel, which helps sales teams succeed in the international business world by providing a business etiquette and protocol guide tailored to a particular country or region. Ms. Carson-Carruth attributes her success to the grace of God, luck and having people around you who want to help you succeed. She believes having no “quit” in you is important when you self-publish.
In addition to writing etiquette articles, Ms. Carson-Carruth writes children’s books as well. She has published two books and a coloring book in in her award-winning trademarked series, “The World’s First Tooth Fairy…Ever.” Her third book “The Legend Begins” will be published in the fall of 2020. As a writer of children’s books, Ms. Carson-Carruth understands the value of childhood literacy. She does everything she can to promote early childhood reading. One of her greatest joys as an author is donating her books to young children. She sponsored the Storybook Opera and Northland Christian School, and donated a book to every child in pre-K through first grade. Over 125 students left the performance with their own signed copies of her book. Moving forward, she is working on a video game and will be writing more books, perhaps even a cartoon.
Active in her local community, Ms. Carson-Carruth was a board member of the Houston Grand Opera in 2016. Currently, she has served as a board member of the Houston SPCA since 2013 and the Discovery Green Conservancy since 2015. In light of her accomplishments, Ms. Carson-Carruth was named a Woman of Distinction by ABC13 Houston in 2019. Likewise, she was given a Fundraising Honor by the SPCA, as well as a Story Monsters Award.
Ms. Carson-Carruth would like to be remembered by her ability to listen to her clients. She is driven by wanting to succeed, pride and her sense of success. She advises those looking to go into her field that there is always someone who is going to try to hold you back, but you have to have imagination above the mundane.
