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Name: Amy Power
Business: The Power Group, PR & Marketing
Industry: Marketing & PR
Location: Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Reason for starting: I started my business 15 years ago because I enjoy helping clients with their business and entrepreneurial journeys. After spending years working at larger agencies and corporations, including Ketchum Public Relations, Knapp Communications, E. Bruce Harrison, Tracy-Locke/Pharr Public Relations, Hadeler White Public Relations, and TL Partnership, I was ready to venture out on my own.
I’m passionate about serving as a trusted advisor and partner to clients and providing real business value. I have an entrepreneurial mindset and also love working on the business. Since starting 15 years ago, I have expanded my agency to include eight full-time employees and five contractors, and I really enjoy mentoring the women on my team, helping each of them become stronger and more adept at polishing the skills that made them stand out to me in the first place. I’m also very passionate about creating a positive, fun and productive company culture.
Related: Read about another PR & Marketing Entrepreneur here.
How do you define success? Success is wrapped up in the relationships. We are successful if we are operating with true alignment, building a strong culture (which is something you never stop working on) and exceeding our clients’ expectations. These activities always lead to strong, meaningful relationships. And that spells success.
I love to create. Creation comes in many forms. Culture. Sales. Ideas. New processes. I enjoy it all. I’ve worked in the PR industry my entire career and love it. Even in college I knew I would never have the typical 9-5 career. Simply put, I love to create and I love being in charge of my own destiny. What makes it even more rewarding is that I get to take some amazing women on this journey with me.
Biggest success: Very few female owned companies break through the $1M revenue barrier. I savored the moment we did it. But I am looking ahead to more growth – smart growth – and creating an agency that will continue to foster the dreams of my staff.
Related: Women & Money: The Confidence Gap
What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it? The biggest challenge has been scaling a service business. We have “productized” some of our services such as our 20-step BrandPower process. And we have refined our processes and added new services to satisfy the needs of our clients.
When I started the company 15 years ago, I envisioned it as a one-woman show. As my client roster grew, it became clear that model wasn’t going to be sustainable. I decided to scale and expand my team with contractors, who are still with us today, and then to include full-time employees. Today our team comprises five contractors and eight full-time employees, plus interns.
The Power Group has expanded every year since its creation; company revenues even jumped 12 percent during the lowest dip of the recession. In 2013, Power grew more than 20 percent. We keep on growing and are looking forward to the next 15 years.
Who is your most important role model? My staff inspires me. I can’t say that I have one single role model.
[box_light]Website www.thepowergroup.com
Twitter @ThePowerGrp
Facebook www.facebook.com/ThePowerGroupDallas
Pinterest www.pinterest.com/thepowergroup[/box_light]
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Edited by The Story Exchange