Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samantha Breen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Samantha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

I think any business owner would agree that signing your first client is extremely special. My first official client was JJwinks, an amazing loungewear brand that allows women to go braless without anyone knowing – who doesn’t love that?! I actually came across the company on Instagram and knew that I just had to do their PR. I reached out to the founders telling them how excited I was by their loungewear solutions for women, and they actually replied! I feel like so many people say that cold outreach doesn’t work, but when you’re starting out on your own, what can it hurt? That’s what I decided, and I’m so glad I did! JJwinks started out with a small scope of work and has grown over the years to one of Opportunity PR’s hero clients. Over the past 3 years, we’ve dressed Jameela Jamil for the 2020 Emmys, launched numerous new products, colors, and categories, and recently hosted a fabulous in-person event at their pop-up store in Corona Del Mar. Lisa and Kelly, the founders, have become some of my favorite people – our calls are a great mix of personal and professional with no holds barred brainstorming thrown in. I have never forgotten that they were the first to take a chance on me and how it felt when they responded to my cold email. My motto since then: It never hurts to ask!

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

Opportunity PR is a full service PR, social, and marketing agency dedicated to making your brand a household name. But long before Opportunity PR was conceived, I was just a college grad looking for her first job. Unfortunately, it was 2009, the economy had just tanked, and people with actual experience were being laid off and seeking the same few jobs I was. Worst of all, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do! I had a BA in English Lit and knew I wanted to be in the marketing field, but to be honest, I didn’t really know what that meant. Luckily, my Dad let me move home – even after spending a ridiculous amount of money on my out of state education – bless him! I worked at a local women’s boutique while I went on interview after interview, never really getting anywhere. One day, my Dad came home from work and said that he had a meeting with a PR woman who was coming in to talk about doing PR for his company’s newest idea. At the time, my Dad worked with the creator of Hooked on Phonics, and while some of their ideas were fantastic, some of them were… not. If I remember correctly, this was the era of the self-cleaning toothbrush holder. He told me to print out my resume and shoved it in her hand at the end of the meeting. I can just imagine him regaling her with stories about how fabulous his little girl was. Unsurprisingly, I never heard from her – who wants to hire the daughter of a crazy man? Months later, I had been on 4 (yes 4!) interviews for a full-time marketing position with a local plastic surgeon and felt like I was no closer to finding my first “real” job. Until one afternoon, she called! She offered me an internship at her PR firm, and despite having zero clue what public relations really was, I took it. Ironically, the plastic surgeon’s office called me while I was driving to my first day, and I was quite happy to inform them I was taken!

A decade into PR, countless clients, and a move to San Francisco later, I founded Opportunity PR in 2019 with a mission to use my business to promote yours. With expertise in baby + parenting, health/wellness, general lifestyle, food, fashion, travel, and beauty, we map out the specific needs of each client so they can easily connect with their target audience.

Opportunity PR has a unique, scalable business model: over the years we have created a pool of amazing talent and are able to assemble the perfect team based on each client’s needs. This method has made us more nimble and effective than traditional agencies and has led to years’ long relationships.

And that’s what I’m most proud of: the relationships. As I mentioned, my first-ever client is still with us. I’ve had numerous clients pause for various reasons (and a couple leave us thinking the grass will be greener with another agency), and they almost always come back. That’s when I know we’re doing it right. Especially when they try another agency and come back! And I only tease them about it for a few weeks, haha.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Referrals! Far and away. It’s current clients but also former clients who spread the word about the team at Opportunity PR and how it is to work with us.
We always know our clients love us, but it always gives me the warm and fuzzys when I receive an intro email from
a client gushing about how wonderful we are.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Business is changing rapidly, and as the economy slows thanks to the massive inflation we’re experiencing, you have to change with it. As the business owner and team leader, it’s your job to lead that change and lead by example. When I founded my agency, I made sure that I would also continue doing the actual work. I never wanted to get so large that I no longer had the time to pitch, connect with the media, and secure those coveted press hits. How can I lead the team if I’m never on the ground? That’s my thought at least. And because of that, I’m able to connect with my team on a real level. I think a lot of business owners become so far removed from the actual work that they ask their people to do things that are totally unrealistic. And to be fair to them, sometimes I don’t think they know that their asks are unrealistic because they truly don’t know – they’re not doing the work! I think keeping myself in the same boat as they are and sharing my frustrations and wins as one of the team helps to keep everyone motivated and set realistic expectations for clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.opportunitypr.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opportunitypr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OpportunityPR/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-breen-0b0a7418/

Image Credits
Diana DeFatta – Diana Marie Photography