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Category: Starting a business

Doing Our Best at Doing Our Part

November 2, 2010January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Starting a business, SustainabilitySustainability3 Comments on Doing Our Best at Doing Our Part
Josie rides her bike to work!
 

My son has a little sing-songy expression that he sometimes uses when he’s working through a task: “Doin’ my best, just doin’ my best.” I think it is a good motto for most anything, and especially for individuals and companies trying to live a greener life.

 

When I launched Clairemont, I knew that I wanted our agency to be sustainably aware, and that I wanted to work with sustainable clients. Being green is largely about taking baby steps. I selected office space downtown Raleigh so that hopefully some employees could travel to and from the office without getting in a car (which has become a reality!) and so that we are in walking distance of lunch spots (our faves buy from local farmers), the bank, the post office, etc. to minimize during-the-day driving.

 

Upon opening the office, we’ve found other small ways to do our part including the implementation of a reusable cup policy, participation in our building’s recycling program and printing on carefully selected recycled paper only when printing is a must!

 

When Josie joined Clairemont, I gave her an extra title of Clairemont’s Green Ambassador. The fact that the way she lives her personal life demonstrates that she loves her Mother Earth warmed my heart during her interviews. From a professional perspective, I knew her experience of living in Asheville serving in the AmeriCorps Project Conserve with a focus on conservation issues in North Carolina’s mountainous region would be a great asset to Clairemont clients.

 

In the coming weeks, our Queen of Green will be sharing sustainable tips here on our blog. As we also continually seek ideas on how to protect the environment, please send us your thoughts so that we can keep on doing our best… just doing our best.

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A Rose By Any Other Name…Might not be as Marketable

October 28, 2010January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Furniture PR, Public Relations, Starting a businessfurniture, Furniture Marketing, Furniture PR, naming, naming process, PR

Last month I had the honor of guest blogging on Spin Sucks about the art of naming. Since then, Clairemont has named three furniture collections that debuted last week at furniture market, so we thought it would be appropriate to share the post in its entirety on our blog, too. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we enjoyed naming the new collections!

A sampling of the furniture we named that was introduced during fall market.

In a few weeks, I’ll experience my annual ritual of kicking off Fall Furniture market by walking into the showroom and checking out my client’s toenails as I greet her. Yes, her toenails.

My client and I share a love. A love of OPI Nail Lacquer. Take a fashionable color, add a fun, catchy name such as Kiss on the Chic, Gliterzland from the Swiss collection or the best-selling I’m Not Really a Waitress Red, and it goes from a hue we might select once at the nail salon to a bottle we’ll buy to use again and again.

If you’ve ever started a company, you had to name it. If you lead a company or are in marketing, public relations or advertising, you’ve likely been asked to help name a product or campaign. It might not be nail polish, but chances are you want your target audience to respond the way OPI fans do. How do you do that?

Too bad it isn’t as simple as comedian Mitch Hedberg portrayed it to be. “I want to get a job as someone who names kitchen appliances. Toaster, refrigerator, blender….all you do is say what it does and add ‘er’. Hey, what does that do? It keeps shit fresh. Well that’s a fresher….I’m going on break.”

Start with some inspiration. From Altoids to Zima by Evan Morris tells the story behind 125 well-known brands. Morris writes that once upon a time, naming a product was as simple as taking the manufacturer’s name and adding a product description, such as Smith’s Pure and Effective Cough Syrup. Nowadays, as Morris notes, companies often create new words for brands. Google started as “googol,” a word that the nine-year-old nephew of a mathematician made up to mean a “very, very large number, ten raised to the hundredth power.”

Continue reading “A Rose By Any Other Name…Might not be as Marketable”

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L is for Learning

August 16, 2010January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Owning a Business, Public Relations, Starting a businessinterns, learning, networking

…and love and lollipops and lemon meringue and lightening bugs and lake houses and larkspur and lavender. But today’s L is for learning, and that is the focus of our next three posts!

 

As the L in Clairemont’s TLC Intern Program, our interns are assigned reading and other assignments independent of the work that goes on in our agency. They recently read Entrepreneur‘s Start-Up Guide from Entrepreneur Magazine, and were asked to write about their favorite tip from the public relations section. Today’s tip comes from Michelle who wrote:

 

Set a goal to meet five (or more) new people at each event.

 

“It’s not what you know, but who you know.” Although constantly over quoted, mastering this statement can be key in growing and keeping a successful business.

 

It is so easy to converse only with familiar people and friends at lunches or events, overlooking great opportunities that are always lurking. Therefore, without even realizing it, people miss many great connections!

 

This is exactly why I love this tip from this guide.Setting the goal to “meet five (or more) new people at each event,” in advance of arriving is a great way to create a business mindset before attending. Once focused, it will be much easier to meet new people and to not lose sight of such great opportunities and connections.

 

With this goal in mind, it is important to remember that making connections is not only beneficial, but it can be intriguingly fun. The key is to remember to actually do it!

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Reflection, Risk & Rewards

August 4, 2010January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Owning a Business, Public Relations, Starting a businessOwning a Business, PR Agency, Public Relations, Social Media, Starting a business4 Comments on Reflection, Risk & Rewards

Seven months ago today — on January 4, 2010 — I walked in and resigned from my position as SVP at the world’s largest PR agency. With no staff, no clients, no office space and no financial backers, I suppose you could say I left to start the world’s smallest PR agency.

 

I’ve read many times that the definition of success for a small business in the start-up stage is simply survival. There are days when the A/C in our office (in a lovely historic building) isn’t working again, and I’m in the floor trying to put together a fan, cursing at the screws that seem to be too short, that seem like mere survival. But those are the exception. Most days, I feel on fire in a way that has nothing to do with the broken A/C.

 

A part of the Clairemont vision from the very beginning has been to blend traditional communications and social media as part of an overall strategy focused on the client’s objectives. As an early mark of success, all ongoing Clairemont accounts have a mix of traditional and social tactics in the plans we have built and are executing for them. We have also been selected for social media projects, including an in-depth social media audit for UNC Kenan-Flagler’s School of Business. (More on that soon.)

 

The Clairemont team continues to grow which is absolutely thrilling to me! We don’t plan to be a small agency forever! Our summer TLC (team, learning, career) interns are amazing & have formed a great team with each other, and I’m interviewing for full-time positions.

 

What I’ve learned in these seven months (in addition to things such as get business insurance before signing a lease, how not to pull my hair out while using QuickBooks and that I have no future as a fan assembler) is that when you own a business, you have to take risks every day. Each day. I guess I thought before that the leap in starting the business was the risk and then somehow, voila, all would fall into place. Nope. I’m also learning — through experience and with the help of my executive coach, when I put an analytical evaluation behind my intuition and gut instincts, most risks yield rewards.

 

Last week, an interview candidate asked me why she should consider leaving her steady job to join a new agency and how could I reassure her that Clairemont will survive. Great question. I’m not interested in how to survive. Only how to thrive. I changed my life because I know that Clairemont will be widely successful and will bring me and my team members much joy in the process. Otherwise, January 4 would have just been another day at the office.

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Welcome to Clairemont Communications

January 5, 2010January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Raleigh PR Agency, Starting a business6 Comments on Welcome to Clairemont Communications
Dana Hughens, CEO
Dana Hughens, CEO

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?

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SNEAK PEEK! @dellthepig landed at @wendellfallsnc SNEAK PEEK! @dellthepig landed at @wendellfallsnc (client) today, and rumor has it that @blah2voila has already been hamming it up with Dell! We know you want a selfie with Dell to post on Pigstagram, too!
We are proud to represent Raleigh as a member of P We are proud to represent Raleigh as a member of Public Relations Consultants Group, allowing us to offer clients expertise and support across the country! Clairemont founder, Dana Phelps aka @blah2voila, recently attended the PRCG conference in Oklahoma City.
2022 has been a fantastic year for Clairemont Comm 2022 has been a fantastic year for Clairemont Communications! Visit our blog for the full 2022 year in review!
As communications professionals, we wear a variety As communications professionals, we wear a variety of hats to meet our clients’ needs.
 
We’re writers, social media managers, photographers, marketers, editors, content creators- the list goes on and on.
 
Check out our recent blog post to learn what @olivia.noles , account coordinator here at Clairemont, does on a weekly and monthly basis.
#communicationsagency #communicationsmajor #pragencylife #pragency #raleighpr
This Friday, Clairemont’s Dana Phelps, @blah2voi This Friday, Clairemont’s Dana Phelps, @blah2voila , will be speaking at the 2022 @nc_prsa Strategic Communication & MarCom Conference! Phelps is a repeat presenter at this annual conference, and this year she is leading a session called Growing from Communication Technician to Strategic Counselor during which she will share three of her coined concepts: knowcasting, morecasting and collabolighthing. Visit our blog for the link to register for the conference!
@clairemontcommunications and @yellowdogcreative g @clairemontcommunications and @yellowdogcreative go together like the bacon and eggs! And speaking of bacon and eggs, have you been to @therainbowluncheonette yet? YUM!
Later this year, Clairemont client @wendellfallsnc Later this year, Clairemont client @wendellfallsnc, a master-planned community just 15 miles from downtown Raleigh, will welcome @parksideraleigh, a Raleigh-favorite restaurant known for its fresh, made-from-scratch dishes, to the community!
 
Visit our blog to see the @trianglebizjrnl coverage and read the full feature in the TBJ to learn more about Parkside.
“What exactly does a PR Agency do?” Because we “What exactly does a PR Agency do?” Because we get this question often, we have a series on our blog where we dive into our recent projects to give you a look at what a PR Agency really does.
 
For example, a statewide resource for small businesses recently hired Clairemont to devise an executive visibility campaign to help position the organization and its director as the leading small business resource in North Carolina.
 
Head to our blog to read what exactly an executive visibility campaign entails and to learn more about our services!
So you say it’s National Coffee Day? We say let So you say it’s National Coffee Day? We say let us tell you about our new favorite @drink321coffee ! If you are in Raleigh, go see Paul, the other Paul, Emma  or whichever smiling faces are working today. We LOVE this place and the coffee! ❤️❤️❤️
Our client @wendellfallsnc, one of the largest mas Our client @wendellfallsnc, one of the largest master-planned communities in the Triangle, closed on its first age-eligible rental community plan, Arden at Wendell Falls, that will offer 140 open-concept units and exclusive onsite amenities!
 
Visit our blog to see the @trianglebizjrnl coverage and read the full feature in the TBJ to learn more about Arden at Wendell Falls.
Staying in Raleigh this Labor Day weekend? Stop by Staying in Raleigh this Labor Day weekend? Stop by client @vitaviteraleigh for good snacks and great wine!🍷 Both locations are open normal hours Friday-Sunday and closed on Monday.
You never know who might be hanging out at The Cla You never know who might be hanging out at The Clairemont House. Thanks to @yellowdogcreative for helping save this buddy. Notice that we speak lizard. Or skink. Or gecko or whatever he is. Or maybe it’s the extra caffeine before our client presentation.
Yep, our town is pretty cool. #raleigh Yep, our town is pretty cool. #raleigh
Who wants to have a Friday afternoon porch meeting Who wants to have a Friday afternoon porch meeting?
Congrats to our new neighbor on Bloodworth Street Congrats to our new neighbor on Bloodworth Street South @raleighwineshop ! @blah2voila was there today representing Clairemont at the grand opening festivities and enjoying the @grandchamphospitality sandwich pop up. Yum! 🍷🥪
It’s National Volunteer Month, and volunteers ar It’s National Volunteer Month, and volunteers are needed more than ever! Many organizations with scarce resources rely on volunteers and would not exist without them. Visit our recent blog post to read about the organizations Clairemont has supported and how you can make a difference in your community!
Authenticity is trending, and research shows that Authenticity is trending, and research shows that consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic. Read our recent blog post to learn about UGC, how it can benefit your brand and how to use it in your marketing strategy.
From social values to behavior patterns, COVID-19 From social values to behavior patterns, COVID-19 has left an impact on every sector of life, including marketing. Read our blog on marketing in a post-COVID world to learn how things have changed and how that should impact your business strategy.
We are so excited to share that Clairemont earned We are so excited to share that Clairemont earned eight awards, five gold🥇and three silver🥈, at this year's Sir Walter Raleigh Awards hosted by the Raleigh Public Relations Society!🎉 We are beyond grateful to work with so many amazing partners, clients and industry friends!
This spring, Ali de la Vega is joining the Clairem This spring, Ali de la Vega is joining the Clairemont team as an intern! Ali is a Junior at NC State who prides herself in being a daughter and a Christian as well as an amateur athlete, overachiever and older sister. Learn more about her background and how she found a love for PR on our website!
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