Don’t be scared to believe in yourself and what you want in life. Never be afraid to take chances and try things that you haven’t done before.
Rochelle White is the creative controversial business owner of Rochelle White PR (RWPR), a boutique consumer PR agency that believes that print isn’t dead and influencers aren’t the new print.
Her company serves as a happy medium for brands looking to move away from high priced London agencies, but still looking to achieve the same results as them.
Where did the idea for your company come from?
The idea came from freelancing. I wanted to work in fashion and lacked strong contacts. So, I started freelancing alongside working full time to build on them. Soon after that, my last contract role ended and I had enough freelance work to see me through until I got my next role. That never happened and that role never came. So, I started to put more effort into promotion across social media and this resulted in more interest. Then slowly more work kept coming through and Rochelle White PR was born.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
My typical day starts off with a 6am gym session three days a week, home by 8am, breakfast, (a strong coffee) and then emails, (I don’t check my emails or social media before 9am). I prioritise what needs to be done that day and delegate work to the team. I then call through to press offices with story/ feature ideas, create and send press releases and emails. I have catch ups with my team plus clients on a daily basis and action anything that comes in that is urgent. Also make time for lunch and then finish work around 5pm – followed by another gym session on Monday and Wednesday evenings.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I get creative with Moodboards – whether that is cutting out images and sticking them down or on Pinterest – I am addicted to this app. I tend to talk ideas through with my business coach and various mentors. Then include my team to get feedback and share and listen to their ideas.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I love that most people think that ‘Print is dead’ and influencers and bloggers are the way forward, I strongly believe it isn’t the case. I love that as an agency, we still focus on print and although we work with many influencers and bloggers – print is still very much alive. We love that we still achieve and drive print coverage as well as digital. The trend of print dying is not true and I feel it is evolving.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
I have and will always have is music on when working. I play it as soon as I wake up to when I am getting ready for bed. It helps me focus on projects, tasks and helps me get more creative. I always want to be on form and even when faced with tasks that I am not keen on, music helps get me through.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t be scared to believe in yourself and what you want in life. Never be afraid to take chances and try things that you haven’t done before. Develop a good work ethic and follow your gut feeling. If you feel that something isn’t right or going to be right then don’t do it. Keep being true and honest and it will work for you in the long term.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Don’t have a business plan and winging it works. To a certain extend this works well and can help many people and businesses. There is never a right time to launch a business and you can definitely over plan, but winging it can make you more focused and helps to just get started on what you truly want to do and achieve. Many business coaches, will tell you to plan and write a business plan, I don’t 100% agree with that.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I have two things, read a lot of books and celebrate every little win. Write down your successes, wins and failures, by doing this you can see what has worked and what hasn’t. It helps you to become a better person (in life) as well as a better business person. Doing this helps to keep track and review what you have done and after a year and you can see just how fair you have come.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Implementing a strong business strategy and growing a team. As much as I winged it, after sitting down and creating a strategy and process it helped me to break everything down. It has helped me work towards my goals and objectives, and focus on much more than I could have imagined. I still don’t have a business plan and I don’t intend to have one, but having a yearly strategy, which I can refer too has been key to my agencies growth. Taking the time to put it together is 100% worth it and something that I revisit often. I think if I had a business plan, I wouldn’t do that.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I wouldn’t say failure, but not understanding the true value of new business development. As well as people and brands not taking you seriously as a new business or in my case new agency. It is also very important to have clear policies, procedures and terms and conditions in place. This was a massive oversight on my part when I first started out; there was also a lack of respect from (some) clients who undermine you and your skills. There is also a lack of understanding the power of constant new business development. That was one big mistake and a lessoned learned at the end of 2016 going into 2017.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
If you have additional skills that you can bring into your business then do it. It can help you stand out against other companies within your industries, give you an edge, a unique selling point and add additional services. Talk through ideas with either your team, listen to their feedback as it can be so valuable to you and your business.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Oh it would have to be outsourcing certain tasks. If you have a small budget and can invest in someone part time to help you out, it is so worth it. The best £100 I have spent was at the start of year and taking on an admin assistant which has been a great assets myself and business.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
When I work with my external team, to cut down on emails I use Asana. It is great for team chats, projects and workload. From uploading images, documents and sharing updates, keeps inboxes pretty clear and much easier to manage and everyone on a project can be in one place.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
There are so many books that I have read and invested in. The one book that I loved and read in two days was, How to be An Overnight Success, by Maria Hatzistefanis. I loved this book. It is a great way to understand how to build a brand, learning from failures and taking a risk.
What is your favorite quote?
Your vibe attracts your tribe.
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Website: www.rochellewhitepr.com
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.