We recently connected with Michael Chavez Booth and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Michael thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

I founded POV Agency, then called MC Brand Communications, more than five years ago. It was a one-man consultancy at first, but quickly evolved into a two-person boutique.

Our first few adds were out of complete necessity. The business was fast-growing and we needed help, plain and simple.

Several years later, we’ve a team of 10 full-time and part-time employees across varied levels, backgrounds and locations.

Like many agencies, we’ve experienced periods of turnover. The client industry, especially communications and marketing, requires a particular fit.

However, our current culture is better than ever. I attribute a big part of that to what we look for in new hires. While acumen and skillset are important, finding talent who align with our existing DNA is paramount. We’re built on trust. We keep each other accountable. We respect POV’s foundation of hungry, humble and smart.

But, it took those periods of discomfort and change to help us better understand this. It took a little A-B testing in our hiring processes to improve.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a long-time PR and marketing specialist with experience across sports, entertainment, lifestyle products and consumer goods.

I’ve worked for major agencies, the NBA, the NFL, and celebrity talent, helping to develop and execute brand-building platforms and campaigns.

At POV, we support a mix of business-to-business and business-to-consumer clients, as well as multiple non-profit partners. We deliver anything from media relations and storytelling to marketing integrations and production support.

I’m nearly 20 years into my journey and while I’ve worked with some international brands and events, my biggest reward has been helping others. While our focus isn’t multicultural initiatives, our diverse background and experience lends itself to work in underrepresented communities and industries.We aim to give a voice to the voiceless and find ways to relay what makes the selfless so special.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I was nearly 12 years into my career before I thought about stepping out on my own full-time.

It was a scary notion. But, the timing felt right. I had a few friends and colleagues who were already tapping me for insight and support across their work. So, I knew I had a little kindling to start with.

My mom, who herself was never an entrepreneur but always enterprising, nudged me a bit. She ‘invested’ a minimal amount into the company and helped provide that symbolical reinforcement I needed. I’ve yet to pay her back, but it’s coming mom.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Blessed and stressed. That’s a made-up adage you’ll hear me share often.

My business partner and I are fortunate to have invested in meaningful relationships throughout our professional journeys. We’ve networked, provided favors, taken calls, showed support and more to like-minded people in our and surrounding industries.

This has leant to a healthy and continuous pipeline of new business opportunities. While we’re often stretched with vetting and addressing incoming leads, we also pursue the occasional cold call or request for proposal. It keeps us busy.

So, we try and remain grateful. We’re blessed, albeit sometimes a bit stressed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.povagency.co
• Instagram: @em_see_bee
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelchavezbooth/

Image Credits

Foster Love (for red carpet photo)
Eddie Sanchez (for Dodgers suite photo)