I looked up from my IdeaPad and out the window to see a moving van being unloaded next door. Shiney, happy people carrying funky desks and red chairs. “Ah,” I thought, “Some sort of creative firm.” With that, down the stairs I went to welcome my new neighbors. That’s when I saw Ken Penkowski of Ulanguzi. Just when I thought my first week working in the Long View Center in downtown Raleigh couldn’t get any better, people I really like moved into the building next door!
Oh I am so so happy that I got office space in the Long View Center. The building has so much character and is in a great spot downtown Raleigh. Today, my first day in my new digs….I loved going to The Morning Times (no, I don’t really like coffee all that much but I do like the ritual of getting it), supporting a local merchant by making a necessary (yes, it was!) Holly Aiken purchase at Stitch, walking to pick up lunch around the corner and skipping (yes, at one point I did literally skip) across the street to the post office. Let my love affair with The City of Oaks begin!
I stood back and looked around after arranging a lamp & a few other things on the desk in the new Clairemont Communications office this evening. I had that old familiar feeling. The same one I had when I moved into my first dorm room, when I moved into my first post-college apartment and again when Dave & I moved into our first house, affectionately known as The Odd Pod.
It might be small, it might be cheaply decorated, but it’s mine, all mine, and I love every square foot of it. Independence is heavenly, even on a shoestring decorating budget. It’s all about new beginnings, and the place is just brimming over with excitement and possibilities. Or maybe it’s me who is brimming over just looking at my own little space in this world.
I wanted to share a pic from my work area — found my shabby chic desk at the NC Flea Market. Can’t wait to get my 1960’s patio set delivered that will become the Clairemont conference table.
Clairemont Communications was born out of a moment of clarity. It was truly one of those defining moments… convinced that no one loves this profession as much as I do, no one is as passionate as I am about teaching other communications professionals how to deliver the highest quality of client service, and realizing that few agencies have mastered a tactics-agnostic approach to building client strategies, it became crystal clear what I had to do. Now is the time! This is the opportunity to do not just great, not just outstanding, but monumental work for our clients. Clarity in vision + the promise of monumental results … This is Clairemont Communications.
So today I start a new venture, taking with me the incredible experience of building a successful business within the world’s largest PR agency. The safety net of a global network was an amazing comfort, and along the way I gained a great deal of confidence that has prepared me for this day.
Today is about doing what I do well… starting something from the ground up and working hard to grow it into something wildly successful. Along with the blood, sweat and tears that goes into anything worthwhile, there’s going to be a lot of gut-splitting laughter, random dancing and an occasional sharing of irreverent thoughts. Consider yourself cordially invited to participate. Oh won’t you join us?
