RPR Firm President Emily Reynolds Bergh, candidly shares her business mistakes and seeks to empower other mom-led, female owned businesses to learn from them.
Her top mistakes and how to avoid them include:
-Starting out with hand shakes and not contracts and invoicing- this is the first step for all strong businesses.
-Taking out a loan and paying 75K for a business coach- good advice should be given not bought and being a good entrepreneur is learning how to be self-taught.
-Poor management and no training or onboarding for clients and staff and hiring client family members as staff members - keep business separate- be your own manager and learn how to lead effectively and create boundaries with clients and employees.
Emily + RPR has recently unveiled The Launch Program, a 6-month bootcamp for startups, authors and small businesses looking to jumpstart their exposure, dedicated to the following types of clients:
-Literature: A newly published author to help sell books, including the key to having an effective angle to gain more exposure
-TECH: New to the startup world.
-Entrepreneur: A solopreneur that has no press, but a great business and backstory.
-Product: a product that is locally popular, but needs to expand the message.
-A Private Practice you want the public to know about locally to get business through the door.
I had a chance to interview her to learn more.
What is the difference between marketing and PR and how can businesses utilize both for success?
Marketing is the message and PR is sharing the message to the masses, that is the best way I can describe it. Successful marketing incorporates a bit of both. You have a solid message about who you are, what you are doing that others can do too, and a call to action step. The idea of marketing is to gain exposure and ideally increase sales. As such, most marketing is what you would call paid media (i.e. advertising, paid search) The idea of PR is to build trust and a relationship with your community/the public. In public relations, you work directly with the media to help a brand get exposure and your story be told with earned editorial.
Then there is the difference between publicity and PR. Publicity is something that gains attention for a person or event and, more often than not, it is curated by a PR team to help gain exposure. The Kardashians are great examples of what is often referred to as “publicity stunts.” They get some bad press and boom they have a baby announcement on Instagram to deflect attention and get the public back in their good graces.
Both are necessary to gain exposure for growth. Otherwise, you would be sharing your business or service or product, just at the dinner table.
What are some things people often overlook when it comes to PR in the digital age?
PR is available to all businesses and business owners or entrepreneurs of any sort. If you have a good story to tell, a good PR rep will help you tell it. Don’t think you are too small to share your story!
If you don't have a budget for a rep there is a world of information available (check out R PR for some great tips or PR on the Go is also a great palace for info!
Social media is a great place for PR. Represent yourself to the best of your ability, and consider it a workplace if you own a business. No “Karen” catfights in comments to your neighbors, that will reflect poorly on you and your business and leave a lasting mark!
As businesses grow, why is it important to have policies that support working parents?
I think every business needs to have family-friendly policies no matter how big or small. Families are a part of all businesses and things happen in families—life, death, marriage, moving, birthdays, vacations, to just start. At R PR we are a family-owned and operated business. We never want our staff to miss an event or time with family that’s important to them. They can work anywhere and take as much time as needed to support their family. Our policy is to work and play as needed but be sure the to-do list gets done. And honestly, it always does!
Can you share a little about The Launch Program?
Absolutely! Launch is a special application-only program that offers a small business, author, or entrepreneur a slice of PR at a lower rate than a retainer but also helps them align their messaging with tools like social media plans, marketing sales funnels, and SEO backlinks! It’s a way for us to give our services to those who have a good story to share but need help with growth!
New York native. Nomad by choice. Mermaid hair aspirant. Vintage-shoe hoarder. Cycling junkie. Mother. Hugger. Boutique hotel seeker. Lover of all pink drinks.
Emily is a consummate marketing and public relations pro with more than 14 years of experience. Emily’s career started after she co-wrote the book Beyond Burning Bras in 2008 which was published by ABC Clio. She found writing was the best form of advocacy and information networking. It is through her previous pivotal roles at Jason Dady Restaurant Group in San Antonio, Bread & Butter in Austin, and Bay Bird in San Diego that Emily has been able to acquire the professional knowledge and accolades that have propelled her career and the success of R Public Relations Firm which she founded in 2011. Emily has been featured in The New York Times, spoken on a plethora of podcasts, honored as a woman in business by Inc. Magazine and R PR has been honored as the best PR in Nashville two years in a row by Expertise.
At the helm of R PR, which specializes in the technology, hospitality, and business spheres, Emily’s passion is guiding her clients’ companies and brands to flourish. Her degrees in psychology and philosophy and her master’s in social work uniquely and strategically inform her firm’s initiatives and campaigns, empowering her clients and employees to continually evolve and thrive. She is driven by the intention to better the world around her through creative efforts and can honestly say that she admires each and every client she signs for sharing that vision and making an impactful mark on their neighborhoods and communities.
When she’s not rapt in the work she relishes, Emily prioritizes time with her family—her husband, Colter, and their five children (nope, not a typo), “her peaches,” as she calls them—traveling the country with them to explore all its bountiful offerings, always on the lookout for R PR’s next great find along the way. Emily’s philosophy on life and lifestyle are one and the same: Your stories have power—make them move mountains and in her case live on the top of one!
More About EMILY REYNOLDS BERGH
Emily is a marketing and public relations pro, with 14+ years of experience through R Public Relations Firm, launched in Texas in 2011, and through her previous pivotal positions at Jason Dady Restaurant Group in San Antonio, Bread & Butter in Austin, and Bay Bird in San Diego—all while running the award-winning Defining Delicious website she founded. Her degrees in Psychology and Philosophy and Master’s in social work uniquely and strategically inform her firm’s initiatives and campaigns.
Headshot photo: https://www.dropbox.com/s/
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