It is never too late to be what you might have been.
George Eliot
Most professionals reinvent themselves at some point in their careers. The four independent public relations practitioners I spoke to recently are no exception. All four started out working for someone else as employees. As they remolded themselves as business owners, the learning didn't stop. Here are their stories about how professional development has helped them, both before and after going independent.
But first, here are some introductions.
Bernadette Adams Davis, APR, spent the first 20 years of her communications and public relations career in newspapers, an agency, and other organizations before landing at Walt Disney World Resort. In 2014, she left her position as a senior communications manager and relocated with her family to Texas. There, Davis established her company, Bernadette Davis Communications. Today, she operates as a small agency.
Christine Eason, MBA, worked as a communicator in a public school system and then in higher education for 25 years before she went out on her own. After about a year-and-a-half of working as a subcontractor, she launched her company, CannaComm. CannaComm is a full-service integrated marketing communications company serving the Midwest's cannabis industry.
Jennifer Hudson, APR, started her professional career at American Airlines as Spanish international reservations agent, eventually managing that department of more than 100 employees. When Sabre—the founder of Travelocity—spun off from American Airlines, she moved into a senior position at the new company. There, she was responsible for handling all corporate public relations worldwide. After a few years at Sabre, Hudson moved to British Airways, where she was vice president of communications for Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Southeast USA. After leaving the corporate world, Hudson founded Think Beyond Public Relations. The company offers strategic communications consulting and workshops on strategic communication planning, messaging, and core values, vision and mission. Hudson is president of the PRSA Greater Fort Lauderdale chapter.
Annette Malkin started in public relations at Hunter Public Relations in New York City. There, she founded the agency’s multicultural practice and was a lead of the wine and spirits practice managing brands such as Buchanan's and Tequila Don Julio. In 2019, she founded Culturewise Collective. This boutique marketing communications agency helps emerging brands and nonprofit organizations find their place in culture via an integrated approach to brand positioning, media relations, social media and branded content creation. She is on the Public Relations Society of America Miami Chapter (PRSA) board and recently launched the Independent Practitioners Alliance for PRSA Miami.
Professional development as an employee
Many of today's senior public relations professionals launched their careers in a time when colleges and universities did not offer public relations programs. Thus, some of them had to complement on-the-job learning with formal professional development workshops. When public relations became available as an academic program, it provided a level of professional development that supercharged many practitioners' careers.
As a former journalist, Davis relied on PRSA Orlando Chapter and conferences to learn the public relations profession. "I knew that I needed to strengthen my knowledge base and skills to become a stronger practitioner," says Davis. With encouragement from her PRSA colleagues, Davis began to pursue her APR and completed her review. "I've always valued PRSA, whether it's online or in-person events and going to things that I thought would help extend my knowledge."
Eason's first job out of college was at one of the largest public school districts in Missouri. She needed to learn the basics of the public relations profession, so she joined the Missouri School Public Relations Association. "I dived in," says Eason. "I learned a lot and became infected with a passion for the practice of PR in the school environment." Her enthusiasm earned her the "Rookie of the Year" in the state organization. Later, Eason moved to a position in higher education so that she could pursue an MBA.
Eason's supervisors in higher education did not generally encourage her to pursue professional development. Yet, she did not let the apathy of others slow her down. She mentored students from the PRSSA chapter at the university. Off-campus, she served as a board member for several United Way organizations and provided public relations counseling for them. Also, during that period, she completed an MBA and a master's in public relations. Additionally, she participated in PRSA for professional development. "PRSA was always a part of my life," says Eason.
Hudson participated in American Airlines' management training program, where, she says, "I always made sure that I kept my hand in communications." With her focus on communications, Hudson transferred to American's corporate communications department. Her move to Sabre coincided with her decision to pursue a master's in journalism and public relations. "While I was in school, I learned this beautiful planning process, that we were not using in my job," says Hudson.
Malkin notes that as an employee, she had ample access to professional development opportunities and that learning also took place by sharing resources among the staff.
Professional development as an independent
For some solo practitioners, formal professional development workshops substitute for the informal peer-to-peer learning that often occurs in the workplace. Davis describes such workshops as a substitute for water-cooler conversations. "It's almost like for an hour and a half, you are learning something from team members, from peers who are senior level people," says Davis.
An independent practitioner often discovers that running a business requires a new set of professional development experiences. For example, after six years in business, Davis now looks for opportunities to learn how to grow her business, operate as an agency, and build her leadership skills. For Hudson, the need to sharpen her marketing skills came into focus when she launched her 5-week online messaging program for PR and marketing consultants. "It launched to crickets," admits Hudson. "I realized that as a PR person, I needed to learn how to market and sell." After investing in an expert in online courses, she successfully relaunched with five senior professionals. She has since invested in a LinkedIn content development expert to ensure she continues to up her game.
When she founded Culturewise Collective, Malkin immediately recognized the critical need for professional development. She knew that staying on top of industry trends was crucial to counseling her clients and adding value to their business. Likewise, Davis points out that, "if you don't continue the professional development, then your ability to add business can be harmed. If you're not growing your knowledge and skills, you may not be offering what clients are looking for."
Impact on business
Improving their skills helps independent practitioners to serve their clients better. For example, Davis recently participated in a workshop that focused on working with influencers in the social media space. "That was something I had not done, and it was helpful for me to hear," says Davis. "Even when it's something like that that our agency doesn't do, I understand it better." Even if her knowledge of the topic is limited to what she learned in one workshop, Davis can discuss the concept with her clients and guide them to make smart decisions, including bringing in other resources.
Hudson adds that "Acquiring new skills and continuously developing helps you improve your business, helps you make more money," says Hudson. "When you learn these skills, it's not only professional growth for you but revenue growth for your business."
For Eason, the most significant impact that professional development has had on her business is the people she has met at workshops and events. "The relationships with people that you know you can trust, that won't judge for asking whatever questions you need to ask are valuable," says Eason.
Hudson says that having access to the resources offered by PRSA has been the most beneficial to her business. She often uses PRSA case studies and other information to inform her work as a consultant and inform her workshop content. "The biggest impact on my business is following those case studies, staying abreast of what other folks are doing, and networking, having people that I can bounce ideas off. It's so valuable as an independent practitioner."
Malkin notes that short courses on social and digital media have had the most significant impact on her business. "I always worked on the social strategy for clients but managed a team that executed the tactics," explains Malkin. "Now, as an independent practitioner, I need to have a better handle on both aspects to best service and counsel my clients."
Budgeting time and money for professional development
Balancing the time and money for professional development can be a challenge. Employers will pay for professional development, whereas independents have to handle the cost for themselves. And when independents are getting started, they may have enough time, but not enough money. As their business grows and they earn more money, they have less time. Also, when independents take time off for professional development, the time spent there is subtracted from their billable time with clients.
Such was the situation for Davis. Since she is now busier, she goes to fewer professional development events. But she emphasizes that she always keeps her eyes open for good opportunities. She goes to at least one local networking or development opportunity per month. "This does two things," explains Davis. "It helps me learn, but also as an independent who home offices, it allows me to grow my network and to have some of that camaraderie you have when you're in an office." She also tries to attend one sizeable professional development event per year.
When Eason joins a professional group, she goes "all in." This level of enthusiasm not only applies to PRSA but also for other organizations. Eason admits that the membership fees add up, but she does not hesitate to make this investment. "There's no question that I would be all in, even if I ever retire," says Eason. "I can't imagine professional development not being part of my life." But costs do limit her attendance at such conferences as PRSA's ICON.
Malkin points out that, because of the pandemic, many companies such as Hubspot and General Assembly are offering courses free of charge. Malkin takes advantage of those as well as the webinars offered through PRSA. “One of the main reasons I launched the IPA committee for the PRSA Miami Chapter was to create a local community of solo practitioners that could learn from one another and support each other. One of the hardest things when going on your own is not have a sounding board. We now have a network of PR pros with different areas of expertise that can now go to each other for gut checks. We’ve created new connections and relationships, which are invaluable in our industry.”
Davis points to additional unintended positive consequences of the pandemic on professional development. "There's so much more professional development content available now that organizations and companies have switched to virtual content," notes Davis. She adds that virtual formats also offer the opportunity to attend events that she would not have attended in person. "I'm not going to fly to Chicago for a two-hour event," says Davis. "But if it's featuring speakers I'm interested in, now I can attend."
Importance of Professional Development for Public Relations Practitioners
Each of the public relations practitioners interviewed for this article placed a high value on professional development. Hudson noted that "Public relations practitioners have such an opportunity to impact our companies and our clients in a much more profound way if we would just act boldly and get the skills and expertise to do that right," says Hudson."
Eason summed up the importance of professional development, saying, "There is no option. You have to be involved in your profession, lobbying organization, or peer professional development organization, whatever form that takes. Get involved and learn from the people in your industry, not just the people that you work with from across the hall. You're hedging your bets when you're involved in professional development. It's an insurance policy."