DeepSpecialization_Josslynne Welch _EP 75_Audio_Edited_V2
===
[00:00:00] Corey Quinn: How do you position the, the agency? How do you differentiate? It is relatively crowded market. How do you differentiate or stand out in the market today? I'm joined by the president of Litsky PR Josslynne Welch.
[00:00:12] Josslynne Welch: I think our specialization goes a long way to helping us because there are a lot of PR shops out there.
[00:00:17] Josslynne Welch: And to be candid, a lot of us do similar work, right? We're pitching media. We're doing influencer campaigns. We're doing celebrity partnerships and brands, collaborations, and just having deep specialization in the market. I our space and being able to really say that we are experts talking to a specific audience helps us immensely.
[00:00:37] Josslynne Welch: And then it's just the relationships that we've built, not just me, but my team who have all been with me for a really long time.
[00:00:44] Corey Quinn: Welcome to the deep specialization podcast, the show where we blend focus strategy and client intimacy in order to scale and simplify our businesses and our lives. I'm your host, Corey Quinn.
[00:00:55] Corey Quinn: Let's jump into the show today. I'm joined by the president of Lidsky PR, Josslynne Welch. Welcome Josslynne.
[00:01:03] Josslynne Welch: Thanks Corey. It's great to be here.
[00:01:06] Corey Quinn: I'm super excited for our conversation. Gosh, your company has such a cool history. I am looking forward to this interview for sure. Can we just kick things off by, would you mind introducing yourself to the audience, a little bit about who you are and the company you work with?
[00:01:23] Josslynne Welch: Thanks. My name is Josslynne Welch. I'm president and now owner of Litsky PR. The agency is celebrating 36 years this year, and I am celebrating 26 years with the business. A quick background is that I started working out of Michelle Litsky, the founder's second bedroom when I was 20 years old. I met her, She was a professor at NYU and I, I took an intro to PR class with her.
[00:01:49] Josslynne Welch: We famously clashed, but she ended up hiring me for an internship and I have never left. I've never written a resume or been on a job interview. I've just grown up professionally at the agency and it is a great pleasure of mine that I have taken ownership and get to be the steward for the future.
[00:02:08] Corey Quinn: So I'm familiar with that story because it's on your website and I loved reading it.
[00:02:11] Corey Quinn: So. You, when you say you clashed with your then professor, future boss, what does that mean?
[00:02:18] Josslynne Welch: Well, we're both, we're both very headstrong women and I was young and foolish and I thought that the class was a pass fail. It was only half a semester, and so I really sort of, I blew off two of the seven classes and I didn't really.
[00:02:34] Josslynne Welch: I didn't show up in the way that I should have, and so when it was time for us to give a final presentation, which we would be graded on, I realized I was on scholarship, and I needed to do a good job, and I sort of called her out in class and said, Well, you haven't taught us enough to do a presentation of that nature.
[00:02:51] Josslynne Welch: And she said, Well, if you came to class, you'd be able to do it. And so, Got myself together and, uh, I went out to the thrift store and I bought a suit. I couldn't afford shoes. So I stood behind her desk and I gave a presentation. And on the last day of class, she said, you have to stay after. And so I did.
[00:03:09] Josslynne Welch: And she said, it's your attitude. I either want to fail you or hire you. And so she hired me and, and that was the beginning of an incredible journey for the both of us. She has since retired from the agency, but we remain really good friends and family. You know, I think that she has taught me a lot. so much.
[00:03:24] Josslynne Welch: And in turn, I've been able to really teach and mentor a great group of employees over the years.
[00:03:30] Corey Quinn: I was to ask her, well, what about your personality back then that she was attracted to? What would you, what do you think she would say?
[00:03:37] Josslynne Welch: That's a great question that no one has ever asked me. I think she knows, just noticed that I was curious and that I took her seriously and that when it mattered, I did show up and that I am passionate about, you know, what she was teaching and ultimately the, the, the business and the profession that I, and the career that I chose.
[00:03:54] Josslynne Welch: But it was my first brush with public relations. I didn't really know what it was before then. And I think she saw something in me that I didn't necessarily see in myself at that point. And so I'll be forever grateful for that.
[00:04:04] Corey Quinn: Absolutely. So 36 years later now, 26 having been the president of the firm, could you, could you tell us a little bit about what type of work you do?
[00:04:16] Corey Quinn: Obviously it's a, it's a, you're a boutique PR agency. But more specifically, what type of clients do you work with? Do you have a specialization?
[00:04:24] Josslynne Welch: We sure do. We specialize in working with kids and family brands. And so when Michelle started the business, it was with one client matchbox toys, um, which are those fabulous little cars that everyone knows and loves.
[00:04:36] Josslynne Welch: And we really played in the toy industry for many, many years. I mean, I would. God, almost the first 30 years of the business was really focused on the toy industry. And then, you know, as your business grows and you come to different crossroads, we decided to diversify our portfolio and move into adjacent industries.
[00:04:56] Josslynne Welch: Gee, I became president in 2018. And so that's around then is when I started to really think about. How can we leverage the expertise that we have in toy talking to parents and gift givers and caregivers, and sometimes to kid directly right with social media and sort of move that into adjacent industries.
[00:05:13] Josslynne Welch: And so now we do a ton of work in publishing with companies like Disney and National Geographic, we do live entertainment and animation. We still do a ton of work in toys and games, apparel. And so we were able to really. To find the vertical as you talk about it and make it work for all of us in a really smart way for both us and our clients.
[00:05:35] Corey Quinn: So I'm super curious about going from having a concentration of clients in one vertical market, realizing that you want to diversify and then you, you eventually land into kids and family brands. I think there's a little bit of just a logical progression there. But how did you make that progression in that transition?
[00:05:54] Corey Quinn: What was When, when did you realize that you wanted to make this the shift? And then what were some of the first things you did to begin to diversify your focus a little bit?
[00:06:04] Josslynne Welch: I think we realized we needed to grow beyond toy when we wanted to grow the agency in a smart way. And I also think that The world keeps getting smaller and kids are getting older, younger.
[00:06:16] Josslynne Welch: And so if they're putting down a toy, what are they picking up? Right? What are, how are they spending their time? And so just thinking about a kid's day, what are they reading, watching, playing? Wearing, enjoying, and then also thinking about so those products, those brands, those industries, and then thinking about the end consumer, right?
[00:06:37] Josslynne Welch: Parents. And so we are adept at reaching parents through, you know, our work with toys. So then that sort of, we started thinking about what else makes sense. And so publishing was a great new direction. We've, we built a ton, we do a ton of work in that industry. And then, you know, Schwinn Bicycles or Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey, you know, live entertainment in the circus.
[00:07:03] Josslynne Welch: And so just really being thoughtful about, I guess, the end, the end user, that the consumer in the audience.
[00:07:09] Corey Quinn: What was the first non toy client that you guys brought on?
[00:07:14] Josslynne Welch: Oh, if I can answer that, Corey.
[00:07:16] Corey Quinn: I don't know the
[00:07:17] Josslynne Welch: right answer to that, but I will tell you, I think the one that we thought was going to be most challenging was publishing, and it has turned out to be one of our favorite industries to work in.
[00:07:26] Josslynne Welch: We were doing work with National Geographic. And they reached out to us. They wanted to relaunch their consumer products business. And so, and we do a ton of work with the, in the licensing industry and the licensing international, the, the licensing industry association is also a client and we're a member and all that good stuff.
[00:07:44] Josslynne Welch: And so it's a space that we play well in. And so we helped them relaunch their consumer products business. And then they came back and said, Ooh, can you do some holiday product publicity? Sure. We can do that. And then they came back and said, can you do books? And I paused and I said, we can try. And so we really dove deep and, and took what we already knew and learned a whole bunch of new stuff, but it really is about relationships and conversation.
[00:08:10] Josslynne Welch: And I think one of the things that we do best across all of our product categories Is talk to niche audiences. So if you think about the amount of people that are, you know, focused or fans that love a certain brand, or, you know, so over, over the years in the toy industry, we worked with fans of my little pony and nerf and Scrabble.
[00:08:32] Josslynne Welch: And so when you think about publishing, what are the topics of those books? Is it stargazing? Is it cooking? Is it deep sea diving? How do you find the people that are passionate about that subject and then tap into them to make new books? News about that particular book product person. Wow. And so we realized that, you know, in essence what PR is, is we make news, right?
[00:08:55] Josslynne Welch: And whether that's on TV or on a website or a podcast or on social platforms, and it's just really thinking about how you reach the medium that your audience is consuming. And that can go across any industry. But for us, we really found a lot of success in just focusing on those kids and family brands.
[00:09:14] Corey Quinn: You mentioned that publishing has become one of your favorites. I don't know if you can have a favorite child, but as it relates to the publishing industry, what about it do you particularly like?
[00:09:26] Josslynne Welch: I think I'm going to speak on behalf of my team. There's a lot of newness, right? So we are, we work with a ton of different authors on different books and they range such on a variety of topics.
[00:09:40] Josslynne Welch: We work on kid books and adult books. And so I think. For my team, one of the things that's important to me is that they continue to feel challenged and motivated and fulfilled. And it's, it's fun for them to sort of have the same client, but within that client, they're bopping around and work and, and walk, working with different niche audiences and learning about different topics.
[00:10:01] Josslynne Welch: And so I think that sort of variety keeps it fun and interesting for them.
[00:10:06] Corey Quinn: Yeah, you mentioned that the, the publishing opportunity, it sounds like it came from, you said, National Geographic. Is that right? And that was an existing client who was hiring you for more of maybe your core business. But then they said, Hey, we have this other area.
[00:10:19] Corey Quinn: And as, as a natural result of that, as a good entrepreneur, as you are, you said, yes. Let's go for it. We're going to do it. And it turned out to be something that made a lot of sense and you're leaning into, which I love. You mentioned this, this, the importance of diversity of projects. And I think that that is a challenge that agency founders of all, of all different focus areas are concerned about when it comes to focusing on a vertical market, which is, well, Okay, if we're just going to focus on let's say toys, does that mean we're going to have to rinse and repeat the same playbook over and over and over again for the rest of our lives?
[00:10:55] Corey Quinn: And I think that's that's a real concern. One of the ways that it sounds like you're handling this is it. Actually, by opening up the aperture and focusing on multiple different types of mediums or, or let's call it adjacent industries to help bring some of that, that variety and the diversity in, is that, is that accurate?
[00:11:13] Josslynne Welch: Yeah, I think that's accurate to say, you know, I think it's accurate and there is always going to be. Overlap, I think, in some of the services or projects that we do for different clients only because when you think about at least for public relations, you know, there's a baseline of there's trade publicity.
[00:11:37] Josslynne Welch: There's consumer publicity. There's certain events that you need to take part of. And I think. What differentiates our agency and the work that we do for each client is that strategic layer that you put on all of it, right? So you have your sort of foundational nuts and bolts that, you know, table stakes of what your whatever your program is, whether it's, you know, a year long or three months long, and then it's how you are thoughtful about their business.
[00:12:02] Josslynne Welch: And whether you're doing an event or a specific influencer campaign or your, you know, news jacking and putting their story into the current cycle and conversation. So, and I think a lot of agencies approach it that way, right? That's, that's how you can make news for your client and not just, you know, be part of the pack.
[00:12:22] Corey Quinn: And so it sounds based on that, that strategy is fundamental to the work that you do. You can't just have a very productized service where it's. Yeah, you follow these five steps and you get this outcome. You have to have the thinking and the strategy to be able to take advantage of trends and, and, and different opportunities that are kind of more real time.
[00:12:43] Josslynne Welch: Yeah, I absolutely, especially in our business. I think two things have worked really well for us. The first is being opportunistic about trends and the new cycle. And so we have ongoing meetings and Brainstorms. We have something called storm shop at the agency, and it's half brainstorm and half workshop, and it's led by our strategist, who's the second thing that I will talk about.
[00:13:07] Josslynne Welch: And it's once a week. We get the whole agency together, and we are either thinking about what's in the news and how we can opportunistically insert our clients in into that conversation. Or if there's a trend, how can we leverage it? And, you know, one of the things that we know our clients are looking for is that we're going to create a program or a plan, but we can't just set it and forget it, right?
[00:13:27] Josslynne Welch: Because PR and news and social is an ever evolving 24 hour cycle. Sometimes it's a 60 minute cycle, right? And so making sure that we're not just doing these rote, you know, head down, just executing. And so the second thing I wanted to mention that's really been is we're a small shop. We're 15 people. And we have account teams that make up the bulk of the agency.
[00:13:52] Josslynne Welch: And then we have a creative department who acts as a service center. And she really leads a lot of the conversations, whether it's events or influencer mailers. But the piece that was missing for a long time was having a strategist because we really pride ourselves on our work ethic and our focus on results.
[00:14:09] Josslynne Welch: And so my, my team is, you know, heads down just working and sometimes it's hard when you're really in it to pick your head up and look around and just have time to think and our strategist is not connected to an account team. She supports the entire agency and all of our clients, and she's the one that has time to think and to research and to pull insights based on our clients.
[00:14:36] Josslynne Welch: or their competitors or the industry or trends. And she doesn't do it in a vacuum, but she leads the process and then pulls the agency in to be part of, you know, collaborating to take care of, to, to be opportunistic, to accept that strategy. And so that's been really helpful for not just the growth of the agency, but to grow existing clients, to win new business.
[00:14:58] Josslynne Welch: And then also to just keep people excited and thinking and challenged.
[00:15:04] Corey Quinn: I imagine that is hard to build, but it's, once you have that kind of infrastructure and you have the right people in those seats, it's a lot of value for your clients.
[00:15:12] Josslynne Welch: I will say that I'm very grateful for our strategist who started her career at the agency.
[00:15:19] Josslynne Welch: She worked for us for Seven or eight years, her first job. And then she left and went out into the world and learned a lot, worked for big agencies and worked across a lot of different industries. And then she came back in 2020. I was looking for a strategist and I was just sort of networking with her.
[00:15:38] Josslynne Welch: And she was like, that's me. I want to come home. This. This is the job I want. And it has been such a game changer for us. And I'm so grateful to have her back. And then, you know, she, my leadership team is completed by her counterpart, who has been with me for 16 years and is just dynamite. So really grateful that we have, you know, a strong team with deep.
[00:16:02] Josslynne Welch: Expertise, not just at the agency and how we do things, but also in the industries that we're in.
[00:16:06] Corey Quinn: Hey, it's Corey. I hope you're enjoying this episode and I want to let you know that I have a new bestselling book that has just come out that gives you my proven system to escape founder led sales. It's called Anyone Not Everyone, and it's been endorsed by Aaron Ross, April Dunford, Dr.
[00:16:23] Corey Quinn: Benjamin Hardy, John Rulon, and many others. If you'd like to get the audiobook absolutely for free, there's a link below in the description, or you could simply go to anyonenoteveryone. com and start listening right now. What do you attribute that to? I know that, based on my experience and familiarity with other agencies, that you don't get that kind of tenure.
[00:16:44] Corey Quinn: Are people, your employees staying for that long? Typically, what do you attribute that, that tenure to?
[00:16:50] Josslynne Welch: I think it's finding the right person. If who we are as an agency resonates with you and it's finding that fit and then building a culture that supports that. So I spend a lot of time with my team thinking about creating opportunity for fun and then also for professional development.
[00:17:08] Josslynne Welch: So we have, I break the agency up in two committees. And quarterly, and they each get a budget and they can do whatever they want with it for activities that are just fun. So, you know, we've done field days and movies and pizza and bocce. And so that's been really fun. And then we have committed to professional development and really investing in the person.
[00:17:33] Josslynne Welch: So we have monthly Litsky labs where we just had one today, actually on influencers. And we used internal subject matter experts to talk about some of the work we're doing in that space. What's new, what's different, which trends we should be watching, which tools we should be using. But we also bring in external partners to talk about things like DEI or public speaking or work life balance.
[00:17:58] Josslynne Welch: And so our employees know that once a month, they're going to have this opportunity, but then we're, you know, often there's conferences and webinars and all that good stuff. So I think. It's so important to me that the employees at the agency know that I care about them and I'm personally invested. And I think if they feel it, they invest right back.
[00:18:18] Josslynne Welch: Right. And so, you know, I would say a 3rd of the agency has been with me over 8 or 10 years. And I'm just so grateful for that. And it's. They are just as generous sharing back with, you know, the, the new members of the team, which is terrific to see.
[00:18:34] Corey Quinn: Looking back now, having 36 years,
[00:18:38] Josslynne Welch: 26 of it's 36 years. The agency was 10 years, 10 years old when I joined
[00:18:43] Corey Quinn: you for, thank you for that clarification.
[00:18:44] Corey Quinn: My notes were not clear enough. So a 36 year old agency, you joined 10 years in 26 years ago. So I guess that's 1998,
[00:18:53] Josslynne Welch: August 1st, yeah.
[00:18:55] Corey Quinn: Oh, it's coming up your anniversary and then assuming, or, or, or buying the agency and becoming the president, how, looking back on that, let's say 26 years ago, at what point did you, did you become president?
[00:19:09] Corey Quinn: 2018. 2018. Okay. Well, that was a short six years ago. How have you changed as a leader? Let's say the six year ago version of you versus who you are today as a leader. How have you changed your leadership style?
[00:19:25] Josslynne Welch: That's a great question. I think I got more serious about providing opportunity for our employees and for the business itself, you know, I was able to move from managing accounts and really client services and then also, you know, working on culture, but sort of moving that in and really thinking about the business, you know, I've yeah.
[00:19:50] Josslynne Welch: Learned a lot. So maybe seven or eight years ago, I realized that, okay, this is, this is what I want to do forever and had to recognize that I lacked all perspective because this is the only place I've ever been. I, you know, it was my first and last internship and I never went anywhere else. And so understanding that I needed to surround myself with people that I could learn from and share with and grow from was super important.
[00:20:16] Josslynne Welch: So I joined. Drew McClellan and the AMI network, I joined WorldCom, which is a, it's the largest network of independently owned PR agencies globally. And that gives me global resources in my toolkit to service clients and all that good stuff. And both of those networks meet twice a year. And so now I have this incredible community of peers that I can rely on if I need to workshop something or if I need a vendor or I have an HR question or if I just need to pick up the phone and scream into the void one day, right?
[00:20:51] Josslynne Welch: You know, everyone has that moment and I think leadership and especially ownership can be lonely. And so one of the most important things that I did for myself and my business was find a safe space of peers that were generous. You know, with their time and their expertise, and it inspires me to give right back to them.
[00:21:10] Josslynne Welch: And it really helped accelerate the growth of the agency. Not that we went from, you know, 10 people to a hundred people, but we were able to professionalize, you know, I really understood how to run the business of the business and started to standardize how we do things, thinking about processes and all that stuff that we weren't doing.
[00:21:31] Josslynne Welch: And it's really made us smarter and more efficient. And. And given us all time back, you know, to invest in, in service and clients or whatever it is that we need to do. So I think that was a big game changer for me.
[00:21:46] Corey Quinn: That's great. Let's shift the conversation a little bit to growing the business. A couple of questions around that.
[00:21:51] Corey Quinn: First off, do you hire people with a PR background? Is that required to bring on new employees or does it matter?
[00:21:58] Josslynne Welch: Typically, yes. I can name a couple of times over the years that the answer is no, but I think what we do is so specialized in that, you know, you need to understand and it depends at the level, right?
[00:22:10] Josslynne Welch: If you're right out of school, no, you know, I think we can, we can teach you, but in the more senior positions, we want someone that can come With not just relationships with media or influencers, but also just the ability to think strategically about what we do and how we serve clients. And so not to say that we're not open to people that don't have PR background, but I think it's been really helpful for them to sort of jump right in with both feet.
[00:22:39] Josslynne Welch: You know, we're a small business. And so when, when people join us, our onboarding is very thoughtful, but also like, okay, you know, we're just going to jump and get to it. So,
[00:22:50] Corey Quinn: Let's go. What about, what about a background in kids and family brands? Do they have to have that to be successful?
[00:22:56] Josslynne Welch: No, I think that PR skills can be translated, which has helped us sort of diversify from toy to adjacent, you know, industries.
[00:23:05] Josslynne Welch: So no, I think Consumer product experience is helpful experience and entertainment is helpful because I think it's really different to do PR for healthcare or fintech as it is for toys and bikes and books, right? So it's, you know, it's a little bit of a learning curve, but we're always open to have those conversations as someone just needs to be smart and curious and interested in the industries we play in.
[00:23:32] Josslynne Welch: I think that to your point earlier about. Why do I think people stick around? We're really serious about the business of play and, you know, working to improve the lives of kids and families. We started a grant program for it a couple of years ago. And so I want my employees to be invested in the work that we're, they're doing and actually care about the industries that we're in.
[00:23:55] Corey Quinn: You mentioned that, that word caring before we hit record. And I think it's something worth underlining and highlighting the fact that I believe companies such as yours. Successful PR agency, 36 year old company growing a key to success today is you can't just treat your the industries you you serve as commodities or, you know, a source of revenue there.
[00:24:21] Corey Quinn: It's those businesses that truly care about who they serve and the industries they serve are the ones that actually endure and create some big impact. And it sounds like you've done that as well. So you mentioned you have you guys launched a grant. Is that right?
[00:24:33] Josslynne Welch: We did. It's called the love Lidsky grant and love stands for lifting outstanding voices and endeavors.
[00:24:41] Josslynne Welch: And we, it's a biannual grant and we provide 25, 000 of strategy and services to an entrepreneur or small or small business. Who's improving the lives of kids and families. And so it's been really wonderful for us to To work with these businesses, everyone is so passionate about it, including my team, right?
[00:25:03] Josslynne Welch: They get to sort of really get hands on with someone that is, it's typically someone that's just starting their business and we're helping them build their brand or launch a product. And so, yeah, we're really proud of the Love Let's Keep program.
[00:25:16] Corey Quinn: That's, that's beautiful.
[00:25:17] Josslynne Welch: Yeah, and I think, you know, we were talking earlier about just being invested in the industry where you are.
[00:25:23] Josslynne Welch: And so we go to the trade shows. We are part of the associations in both the toy and licensing spaces. And I just had an incredible experience this past week. I was at a trade show, and there's an organization called Women in Toys that I'm not just a member, but everyone at the agency is a member. They have great programs, and they put on an empowerment day.
[00:25:45] Josslynne Welch: At this expo. And I was there as a mentor. And, you know, I just spent the day counseling people with one other PR practitioner on their business, answering questions, sharing expertise. And I think it goes a long way because, you know, I can remember when I was just starting out and you want the, you know, you want to, you want to be the person that you needed when you were there at that point in your career.
[00:26:09] Josslynne Welch: Right. And so it was a really great opportunity to do just that.
[00:26:12] Corey Quinn: Oh, that's just fantastic. I really love how authentic that is. And that kind of leads me to the next set of questions around, you know, you, you went from a primary focus in the toy industry, expanding the scope a little bit to the kids and family brands.
[00:26:27] Corey Quinn: I imagine as you were doing that, you probably didn't have a lot of awareness potentially in that space yet. You hadn't built that awareness. So. Yeah. Today, how do you position the, the agency? How do you differentiate it is, you know, relatively crowded market as relates to PR agencies, like how do you, how do you differentiate or stand out in the market?
[00:26:47] Josslynne Welch: I think our specialization goes a long way to helping us. Because there are, there's, there are a lot of PR shops out there and to be candid, a lot of us do similar work, right? We're pitching media, we're doing influencer campaigns, we're doing celebrity partnerships and brand collaborations. And so, just having a deep specialization.
[00:27:08] Josslynne Welch: In our space and being able to really say that we are experts talking to a specific audience helps us immensely. And then it's just the relationships that we've built, not just me, but my team who have all been with me for a really long time. So we have, you know, great relationships with people in the industry, trade associations, and then the consumer and business media that cover them.
[00:27:32] Josslynne Welch: And then it's just really being thoughtful about the approach for each client because we work with. Really big companies. We work with startups and it's asking the right questions and being good listeners at the beginning of the conversation and understanding that if you can't agree on what success looks like, then it's then it's not going to work.
[00:27:50] Josslynne Welch: Right. And I think something that I learned. The hard way is that you just have to, you have to say no, when you feel it in your gut, that it's not right, you know, and, and the stars aren't aligning, or you just don't feel like you'll be able to succeed in the way that you've been set up, then, then the smart thing is to not force fit it and to just know that you're not the right partner and, you know, And so that was a hard lesson to learn, but a really good one that's paid dividends.
[00:28:14] Josslynne Welch: Yeah. You
[00:28:14] Corey Quinn: have to learn that one by going through it a couple of times. You sure do.
[00:28:18] Josslynne Welch: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:28:20] Corey Quinn: What are some examples of, of things that you would say no to?
[00:28:24] Josslynne Welch: I think we say no to opportunities outside of kids and family brands. So if, you know, someone came to us and wanted us to do Alcohol or tobacco or healthcare, or, you know, we do apparel, but we don't do high fashion, right?
[00:28:43] Josslynne Welch: So just really being honest about who we are and, and what we do in being authentic to our brand as an agency. And then I also say no to jerks, right? We have a policy with a word that I won't say on your podcast, but it's just, you know, we, life is too short to work with awful people. And so there's no money and that's another lesson that is hard to learn, but you, you, you do it once or twice and you realize that it's just not really worth it.
[00:29:10] Josslynne Welch: And, you know, I want not just for me because I'm not on the day to day, but my team, I want them to work with good people who are doing good things. And if you're not going to respect us and the work that we're doing in our time. Then it's not the right fit. And then I think the last thing that is just, we say no when we can't agree, like I said, on what success looks like.
[00:29:29] Josslynne Welch: And if someone's expectations aren't grounded in reality, it's not fair to either one of us to move forward working together because no one will be happy. Right. And when we start partnerships, we're in it for the longterm. So making sure that we're set up for success.
[00:29:43] Corey Quinn: What, could you give like an example of, of, uh, of, of maybe a prospective client who's coming in and they have unrealistic expectations?
[00:29:50] Corey Quinn: Like, what does that look like in your world?
[00:29:53] Josslynne Welch: I mean, everyone wants to be on the today show, you know, and, and that's not, that's not, that's not reality. So, you know, and I think, you know, everyone wants to have their product sampled to Michelle Obama or Oprah, or, you know, name any big names that, um, Of course, getting your product in the hands of a celebrity would be a huge win.
[00:30:16] Josslynne Welch: And sometimes it is possible, but sometimes you have to realize that you can't go from zero to mega celebrity and that you've got to do some brand building and some other work along the way. So having someone understand that there's a journey that's to be had and that we can take it together, but it's, you know, So just really understanding and then being honest with themselves about what a win is, because sometimes a win isn't the today show, because it's going to build awareness, but it might not drive sales.
[00:30:42] Josslynne Welch: So if you really want to drive sales, then that doesn't really matter. So listening to them and having them recognize. What their business objectives actually are so that we can map the strategy against that is something that if we can't get that to align, I know that we'll never be able to move forward together.
[00:31:01] Corey Quinn: Brilliant. I love that. All right. Well, I have a couple final questions as we wrap up here. First one is, what would be your advice, whether it be to, you know, the, the younger version of you, however, sounds like you were already focused at that point. Through Michelle, the founder who was focused on the toys, initially toy industry, what would you say to an agency founder, let's say PR agency founder, who's just getting started and is interested in focusing in on a specific segment or an industry or a vertical and, but aren't really sure what would be your thoughts to that founder?
[00:31:41] Josslynne Welch: If the founder isn't sure about the industry they want to pursue, I would say just spend time in it. Meet the players, read the trade magazines. You know, I think you can learn so much by reading the business journals and the trade publications for a specific industry. Who are the thought leaders? Who are the, you know, challenger brands?
[00:32:03] Josslynne Welch: Who are the retailers or partners that are important to that specific industry? space, walk the trade show aisles, what's trending and just really immerse yourself to understand if this is a place that you want to be in, that's appropriate for your business and your services too, right? I think that PR shop specifically, you can be full service like us.
[00:32:23] Josslynne Welch: You can just focus on doing media relations and you don't really do strategic work. And so just understanding. What your services are and how they would impact the industry that you're considering will help you understand if you can, you know, really put both feet in and move forward.
[00:32:39] Corey Quinn: Wonderful. Last question.
[00:32:41] Corey Quinn: What's your motivation?
[00:32:43] Josslynne Welch: What is my motivation? I want to just I want to do good. I want to wake up in the morning and create a place that people want to be at. I want them to enjoy their work and their colleagues and the results that they put forth and go home and be able to like talk to their mom or their friend or their significant other and be proud of what they're doing and want to wake up and come back the next day.
[00:33:10] Josslynne Welch: Awesome.
[00:33:10] Corey Quinn: That's so cool. Dustin, thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing your wonderful story. I've learned so much from you and I'm sure the audience did as well. So thanks again.
[00:33:22] Josslynne Welch: Thank you, Corey. This was really fun. I really appreciate your time. Thank you.
[00:33:26] Corey Quinn: That's it for today. I'm Corey Quinn, and I hope you join me again next time on the Deep Specialization Podcast.
[00:33:32] Corey Quinn: If you received value from the show, please go to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review. Thanks, and we'll see you soon.
