Brand Rescue: Marketing + PR Guidance for Small Businesses

In a time of uncertainty, True Story Public Relations experienced remarkable growth in 2020. While some clients had to step back, others stepped up, expanding their services! Join us today as agency owner Whitney Lee shares how her agency managed to double during such a challenging year. Whitney will delve into the strategic steps she took, how global shifts influenced the business landscape, and the enduring practices that have continued to drive success well beyond 2020. Have a specific topic you want us to cover? Send your ideas to Whitney on Instagram @thewhitneylee. ------------- Connect with Whitney on Instagram Visit TheWhitneyLee.com Connect with Whitney on LinkedIn Visit TrueStoryPR.co

Whether you want to or not, EVERYONE has a personal brand. Join us today as Whitney chats with fellow agency owner, Lexie Smith! They’re covering the ins and outs of building a personal brand as an agency owner. You won’t want to miss this behind-the-scenes look at agency life.  ------- As seen in Entrepreneur.com, Business Insider, NASDAQ, Create & Cultivate, and more, Lexie Smith, is a PR & Business Coach, Founder & CEO of GROWTH MODE PR & Communications Agency, Founder of THEPRBAR inc., and Host of the Pitchin' and Sippin' Podcast. ------- Connect with Lexie on LinkedIn Connect with Lexie on Instagram Pitchin' and Sippin' Podcast

Tune in today for a special announcement from Whitney Lee! For the past several months, Whitney has been working on a new resource to support agency owners and we are ecstatic to announce that TheWhitneyLee.com is now LIVE! Visit TheWhitneyLee.com/streamline to download the 4 Steps to a Streamlined Remote Agency! Applications for mentorship with Whitney are open with only two spaces available. Digital template downloads and roadmaps for remote agency owners will be available for purchase soon. We can't wait to support you in the process of streamlining and scaling your remote agency. ------- Visit TheWhitneyLee.com for more information!

Is niching down the key to success? Will it help you get more of the right kind of clients? How niche is too niche? Join us today as Whitney cracks the code on whether or not niching down your agency is the right move.  ---------------- Have a specific topic you want us to cover? Connect with Whitney on Instagram @thewhitneylee. 

Get ready to dive into the concept of confetti culture as Whitney explores the intersection of PR and HR with James Ferguson. James is the Director of Culture for Wurzak Hotel Group and is sharing how he used his passion for company culture to make his dream position a reality.  Whether you are a business owner, work in HR, or have a goal on your mind, you can expect to leave this episode fired up and ready to take on any hurdle in your path.  ------------- The Confetti Culture Playbook Connect with James on LinkedIn

Get ready for a round of hot takes as Whitney chats with Amy Colbourn, Managing Director of MONOGRAM, about controversial opinions on marketing. In this episode, two hospitality marketing and PR experts share their perspectives on hot topics, such as the effectiveness of using awareness as a marketing objective and whether the same strategies can be applied to marketing products and services. About Amy: Amy Colbourn is a marketing executive and brand strategist who serves as the Managing Director of MONOGRAM. Headquartered in Las Vegas MONOGRAM is a brand agency, and a member of The Harkey Group of agencies, specializing in luxury hospitality and casino marketing. Connect with Whitney on Instagram MONOGRAM Agency

Getting fired by a client can feel incredibly disheartening, but it's an experience every agency faces sooner or later. The key is to learn and grow from it. In this episode, Whitney explores common reasons why agencies get fired and offers actionable tips to prevent it. If you're an agency owner or part of an agency team, this episode is packed with valuable insights to help you avoid common pitfalls and cultivate lasting, successful client relationships from the start. -------------- Have a specific topic you’d like us to cover? Connect with Whitney on Instagram @thewhitneylee.

Join us today for a front-row seat to real talk from two agency owners! Whitney is chatting with Susie Timm, Founder and CEO of Knife & Fork Media. The two agency owners give you the scoop on things that they LOVE about owning an agency, tips for freelancers looking to scale, and things that they had to learn the hard way so that you don't have to. If you're a freelancer on the verge of scaling and growing a team, you won't want to miss this episode! ---------------- Knife & Fork Media Founder, Susie Timm grew up in the land of cow, otherwise known as Wisconsin. In 1992 she moved to the Valley of the Sun and graduated from high school in Scottsdale and is a proud alumni of Arizona State University with her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Political Science.. Interestingly enough, she started a booming career as a banker in 2000 and was named the youngest Bank President in Arizona at the age of 27. Susie worked in that industry until it became “un-fun” in 2009. She found her true passion in the food industry mid-2009 when she co-founded a food events company. That business morphed into the full service PR agency we are today! Susie and her team manage a marketing portfolio of clients ranging in size and scope from food to entertainment to accounting. With over fifteen years of experience, her proven marketing, media and sales models have helped grow small and medium-sized companies all over Arizona and the United States. Susie won numerous achievement awards for her sales skills during her years as a corporate warrior. Additionally, she has been honored as a member of the Phoenix Business Journal’s “40 under 40,” and “Women Leaders in Business,” the Phoenix New Times’ “100 Tastemakers in Phoenix,” So Scottsdale’s “24 Powerful Leaders Under 40,” and has served as a national trendspotter for the Specialty Food Association’s Fancy Food Shows. Susie is a proud graduate of Scottsdale Leadership, Class 23. Susie has been a recurring featured guest on many local TV stations for her passionate take on gourmet food trends. Susie believes strongly in community stewardship and to that end, she has served as a board member with Scottsdale Leadership, the Leadership Council of Careers in Culinary Arts (C-Cap AZ), and has served three times as the Co-Chair of Taste of the Nation Arizona, an event that raises important funds to feed hungry kids in Arizona. She currently serves as Vice President of Les Dames de Escoffier, Phoenix Chapter and is a founding member of the One More Ball Foundation, dedicated to bringing tennis to underserved kids. For fun, Susie plays tennis 4-5 times a week, cooks, reads cooking magazines, sits in the Jacuzzi and spends too much time shopping online. ------------- Connect with Susie Knife & Fork Media Connect with Whitney

Transparency and clear communication are key when starting a relationship with a potential client. By asking this one question, you can help prevent confusion and set realistic expectations for deliverables and the working relationship! Tune in today for a valuable episode that will help you when growing your clientele! -------------------------- Connect with Whitney on Instagram

Get ready to make your brand twerk! Today we’re talking all things branding with Lisa Boettcher, Founder and Creative Brand Strategist of LB Creative Studio. Buckle up for tips you can implement immediately to make your brand look legit and things you should be avoiding from a branding perspective!  ——————————— Lisa Boettcher is a Creative Brand Strategist and mom of 4. Lisa’s career is built on her strong sense of strategy and the intuitive, futuristic approach she takes to her work, some of which has been featured on Target, in Forbes and Vogue. Lisa founded, bootstrapped and sold a niche accessory fashion brand in under 5 years and with over a decade of experience helping female-founded brands scale through strategy, story, visuals, community building, product design and development, she’s now guided by her desire to share creativity and the inner workings of identity and transformation with her community, whether through experiential offerings, with clients or on her social channels. ——————————— Connect with Lisa on Instagram Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn Connect with Whitney on Instagram