Building a business

For the last several years OutreachPR has had a heavy focus in the construction industry. I've written about great architects and high rise condos. I've promoted custom home developments and helped launch new building products ranging from structural sheathing to steel roofing to decorative fence and deck products.

But perhaps the most satisfying work I've been involved in -- and remain involved in -- is the kind that "makes a difference."

For a long time my clients have furthered energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives and been part of developing incredible therapies or cures. I've enjoyed promoting solar technologies and green building systems. I have the privilege of working with a professor who helps schools cut down on bullying and a business man who employs widows in Africa whose families might otherwise starve. A new client sells a product that helps cops bust meth labs.

I've worked for companies that make sports equipment for people in wheelchairs, and utilities that turn garbage piles or wind into electricity. That's the kind of work I like to do.

The best part about these companies is that they are run by people who aren't in it solely for the money or the fame. These inspirational people do what they do to improve some aspect of some segment of somebody's life, and they do it without polluting the earth or exploiting foreign nations.

I made the decision a few years ago to be selective about the types of assignments I accept. It's not just the subject matter of the product or service. Other factors come into play.

As an asthmatic, I've been known to avoid work that forces me to drive too often to smog or traffic-choked locations in Dallas, while building long-term client relationships with businesses in New Hampshire, Seattle, L.A. and Denver.

I've also been forced to walk away from great companies with good products and decent people because their corporate polices and uncontrollable accounting log jams made my life financially difficult.

But I also won't turn down the chance to work for free for months or even years on end to help a the right business launch an important initiative or spread the word about a life-saving cure or life-changing set of values.

The result of this business policy of mine is that, although I remain gainfully employed and happily busy most of the time, I'm certainly not building a PR empire.

What I am doing is building my legacy by joining with clients that do the type of things mentioned here -- people who embody and subscribe to the values of helping their fellow man. By working with good people to get good products and services to more people, I'm a part, albeit very small part, of making a whole lot of great things happen in the world.

That feels good.

Spring Fever

Spring is the one season that makes me realize how much I like Texas. It's the only time of year when it isn't blistering hot or incredibly dry and ugly. The grass is an almost neon green, the fields are full of baby cows, and the lake outside my office window is nearly full again and swarming with ducks and pelicans and lots of "bird" activity.

Spring is also that time of year when I really feel the need to start some new projects, find some new clients, and break all those bad habits that I developed over the winter (like eating too much, exercising too little, and stockpiling far too many magazines and journals in my "read later" pile).

But the real mystery of spring is that, despite all this newness and vitality surrounding me and my desire to start anew, I'm still sitting in the middle of files and piles of the "old" stuff that really needs to get done. Finding the motivation to deal with the "same old/same old" is particularly difficult this time of year. There are so many other things to do -- like paint the window boxes in front of the house or fill the borders of my yard with fresh flowering annuals. Who has time for work when it's 70 degrees out and the birds are singing?

The real mark of a professional, I guess, is the ability to ignore all the excitement of spring, ignore the chirping birds and the outdoors that is beckoning me to pick up a tennis racket or garden hoe or paintbrush and instead proofread this 20-page brochure that's been on my desk since Friday (and in the hopper for longer than I care to admit). The true mark of a professional is knowing that, when all the work is done and all the clients are happy, I can go outside and play.

Welcome to my blog

I consider myself old school, so a blog is something that is a bit foreign to me. However, I have lots of opinions, a bit of professional experience to draw upon, and a little time on my hands, so I'll start this exercise and see where it goes.

My field of expertise -- if there is one -- is PR. For those who don't know, that's P for public and R for relations or Public Relations. Most people think about PR and think it means "media relations," and dealing with the media is a big part of PR, but that's not the whole deal. Public Relations means the relations a company or entity or individual has with the various "publics" it works with. That might mean the media, but it also means investors or employees or general community members. You'll hear terms like investor relations, employee relations and community relations. It's all a part of PR.

So that's post number one. If you're reading this because you're looking for someone with experience managing the messages you need to communicate to a variety of different audiences, I can probably help. If you came to this site looking for public speaking assistance or a public defender, I can't help you there, although I'm the type of know-it-all who just might try. Again, welcome to my blog.