We were lucky to catch up with Lynette Pettinicchi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lynette, appreciate you joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I had known since I was a teenager that I wanted to own a business, though had no idea what it would be. After changing my major four times in college, I ended up with a BA in Public Relations/Advertising.

After spending just over five years in varying internships and working my way up from junior account executive to senior account executive, an opportunity came for me to branch out on my own.

At the time, I named my business Lynette Nicole PR. Simple and to the point.

After four and a half years, our services and expertise expanded to include offerings beyond traditional PR and media relations.

I made a list of all of the adjectives that I wanted the name to encompass.

In January 2021 Lynette Nicole PR became Mint & Honey, Co.

Mint: Fresh, new, innovative, refreshing, exciting

Honey: Sticky, staying power, long-lasting
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Mint & Honey, Co: offers fresh, modern PR and digital marketing approaches with results that stick, have staying power and continue to pay off over time

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Despite telling the communications career advisor in college that I hated writing, I ended up graduating with a BA in Public Relations/Advertising. Science is one of my favorite subjects and though I didn’t end up with a science-specific major, I still wanted to be involved in the industry. During one of my internships, I started a fitness blog while working on health, fitness and fashion clients. I learned that I didn’t like fashion but I did like working with the health and fitness brands.

A few years later, after another internship, a field marketing position, and working my way up the ranks at an agency, I landed at my first firm that specialized in health and wellness and I thrived. During my time at that agency, I received a nutrition coaching certified, along with a Pilates teacher certification.

What I really enjoy about working with start-ups and small businesses is the ability to get creative when working to build awareness, visibility and credibility. Discovering different ways to tell a story, deliver key messages, and garner interest is one of my favorite parts of working in PR and digital marketing. Seeing them mentioned alongside bigger, more established brands never stops being heartwarming!

When the opportunity to start my own firm presented itself, I dove in headfirst and haven’t looked back since.

Mint & Honey, Co. is a unique public relations and digital marketing firm in that I, the founder, am personally invested in the industries that our clients are in. Health, wellness, fitness, medicine, and food/bev all filter into science. The insight that I gain from consumers provides value for clients’ research and development along with allowing us to craft unique story angles, social media posts, speaking events and more that we know will resonate with target audiences.

When we work with clients, we are more like an extension of a brand instead of a third-party vendor. We’re there every step of the way, are transparent, and share all feedback we receive so clients can improve their R&D. Collaboration is key to success and we pride ourselves in the constant communication we have with our clients.

I’m really proud of the trust we’ve built with our clients. That trust clients have with us allows us to experiment with new ideas, events, posts, and campaigns to help build our clients’ brands.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

In 2017 I started working with XO Marshmallow, a gourmet marshmallow company looking to fund their second Kickstarter for a local Chicago café. At the time, they had minimal press, were strictly direct-to-consumer, and were only on the market for less than a year – the odds already weren’t in my PR firms favor when it comes to a short campaign and quality results.

Drawn to the vibe, aesthetic, and fun founders, I was determined to sign them. And I did!

However, the race was on to garner quality press and fund the Kickstarter. Though I was working hard, having just one month to see results, the odds felt like they were really starting to be stacked against me as the end date got closer. Fortunately, the Kickstarter was fully funded!

And XO Marshmallow was ON the map. For over a month following the funding of the Kickstarter, the news went viral. My inbox was flooded, we were getting calls from other countries, and locals were thrilled about this unique addition.

A few months later, we were viral again with Harry Potter-inspired marshmallows.

Today, XO Marshmallow is a 7-figure marshmallow company, and we are gearing up together, almost five years to the day, to open a new café location. It’s been a joy to grow my business alongside their business and I’m so grateful for the chance they took on us!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think there are a number of things that helped me build my reputation within my market.

Aside from over a decade of professional communications expertise, I’m a health-conscious Pilates instructor with a nutrition certification. Being immersed in the health industry personally and professionally helps me leverage my knowledge to help clients gain the most awareness and visibility.

My personal and professional experience, knowledge, and contacts in the health, wellness, fitness, medical and food categories expand beyond public relations and digital marketing allowing me to help grow varying aspects of clients’ businesses.

Having personal interest and experience in the fields my clients are in provides immense value and has helped me carve out a positive reputation in those markets.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mintandhoneyco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mintandhoneyco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MintHoneyCo
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mint-and-honey-co/