We recently connected with Teresa Bigelowand have shared our conversation below.

Teresa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Too often the media represents innovation as something magical that only high-flying tech billionaires and upstarts engage in – but the truth is almost every business owner has to regularly innovate in small and big ways in order for their businesses to survive and thrive. Can you share a story that highlights something innovative you’ve done over the course of your career?

I’m pretty proud of Spiral5’s PR business incubator, which I hope to relaunch as a nonprofit soon. Public relations is a pretty learnable career skill, especially for people who are naturally good communicators, writers and/or who are passionate about current events and pop culture. A few years ago, I realized there was an opportunity to train women of all ages and backgrounds in the fundamentals of PR and then connect them to startups, small businesses and creators who were looking for more affordable PR support. Spiral5 became an incubator-agency hybrid where clients could choose to work with an apprentice for a lower fee. We were able to put dozens of women through the program, with several of participants becoming full-time PR pros. I have since launched Revel Society to house all premium clients in a traditional PR agency model, but Spiral5 remains a community platform for seasoned PR pros to share resources, as well as an online training.

Tersea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I describe myself as a PR entrepreneur and mentor. I founded Spiral5 as a community and resource for current and aspiring PR pros and boutique agency owners. Most recently, I launched New Orleans-based PR and events agency Revel Society, which works with clients across culture, entertainment, hospitality & lifestyle.

Throughout 14 years in PR, I’ve worked with billion-dollar enterprises, scrappy startups, bluegrass legends, hip-hop icons, CEOs, emerging artists and everyone in between. I was also one of the first PR professionals to work with companies and researchers in the emerging psychedelic therapy space. What my clients tend to have in common is an overlap of novelty, innovation and cultural influence.

A couple of my favorite career moments include handing PR for hip hop duo Black Star’s second-ever album, which was released exclusively on the podcast platform, Luminary. I also owe a lot of my career growth to several years working in various capacities with music streaming platform, Saavn (now JioSaavn), which included a 1-year stint living in India. (And led to an opportunity interview Bono!)

With Revel Society, I’m really excited to channel New Orleans culture and the contagious sense of celebration that permeates the entire city. I moved here about a year and a half ago, and I’m just completely in awe of the people and experiences I’ve encountered. Clients and projects I’m excited about include: the International House Hotel, which was actually the very first boutique hotel in New Orleans and is going through a renaissance of sorts with a design update and new building developments; The What Alliance, which is a prestigious group of executive women hosting their annual retreat in New Orleans this fall; and a new Interior Design vertical we’re launching on the PR services side.

And of course, we’re continuing to work with clients outside of New Orleans, as well. I’ve enjoyed supporting the growth of rising Southern Rock artist, Lyons & Co. And a dear friend and filmmaker Daniella Vale has created a 6-acre immersive documentary installation with the Soloviev Foundation in Manhattan. I’m looking forward to representing her at this pivotal moment in her career!

Overall, what I love most about my work is the art of the narrative. I love finding ways to weave a company, person or idea into cultural and societal relevance. With everything going on in the world, I think it’s incredibly important for brands to understand what stories to tell, and what their role is (and what it isn’t) through these uncertain times.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

It’s really all about the network and authenticity. I always tell my mentees to start looking for clients in the places you naturally gravitate towards. It just makes your life and work so much more enjoyable, and clients will come through more organically than if you were cold pitching or trying to break into a sector that is still foreign to you. I also tend to drop in a few nuggets of strategy and ideas into early conversations with potential clients. You don’t want to give too much away before there’s a contract in place, of course, but sometimes you can create some intrigue by showcasing the way your mind works. Lastly, deliver results and be an enjoyable person to work with!

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

It’s always a bit of a rollercoaster for those of us in professional services–especially in the past 5 years or so! I’ve been running my own business since 2016 in various capacities and while there have been plenty of scary moments, the revenue always comes back (or at least it has so far! Fingers crossed that pattern continues). In order to weather the storms with more flexibility, I choose to work with part-time contractors. In fact, that was a big part of Spiral5’s incubator model — we would train apprentices through our online course and then they would support Spiral5 clients while building out their own businesses and clientele. The obnoxiously trendy buzz word I use is to describe it is ‘vertically integrated.’ ;)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.spiral5.com / www.revelsociety.com / https://www.revelsociety.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tglow5/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresabigelow/