Your Name: Sandra Garcia

Business Name: Conscious PR, a provider of public relations services

Type of Business: Marketing & PR

Business Location: Vancouver, Canada

Website ConsciousPR.com
Twitter @SandraGarcia_PR
Facebook www.facebook.com/middlechildmarketing

Reason for starting
I started Middle Child Marketing Inc. six months after leaving my first job outside of University. Being thrown in the deep end of the Public Relations and Event Planning world, I evolved quickly from an intern to an Executive Assistant to managing the office. When I left a year and a half later, five interns were hired to replace me. I was very disillusioned about the corporate world and did not desire to hand my resume onto similar companies, so after helping a friend launch her first art exhibit, I thought about freelancing. A few months later, I registered a business name. Four years later, I started another brand called Conscious PR that was more reflective of the inspiring, change-making Publicity campaigns I wanted to run with companies.

How do you define success?
Success to me is being the bridge between what a client needs and helping them get to where they need by solving a problem, most commonly the need for media exposure. Success is seeing my clients profiled in traditional and online media and knowing that my work has helped them reach their goals.

Biggest Success
One of my biggest successes was helping to land a cover story for a documentary filmmaker I was working with on the premiere of her film at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival. I was able to participate in the photo shoot by being one of the models in the shot (though my face is concealed). It was a very rewarding experience to be a part of her success. Also, being able to work for EAT! Vancouver, Vancouver’s longest-running consumer food show.

What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?
My top challenge continues to be finding lucrative industries to work with. I like to work with a select number of clients and know that big corporations are not a fit for me. However, it can be a struggle to convince smaller businesses or solopreneurs in the food, social enterprise, and green industries about the value of my services, especially when marketing budgets are tight. While I have had success finding clients through referrals and working with some big annual events in the city, I started Conscious PR and am also offering Social Media Management services in addition to Publicity in hopes that companies who are doing good in society and who need help with their Communications will recognize the value of my services and be inclined to work with me.

Who is your most important role model?
Business owners who are doing making money doing great things for the community are who inspire me to be in business.