We were lucky to catch up with Tresa Halbrooks recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tresa, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
Yes, trying to capture the heart of your business in a name can be a struggle.
After 11 years of working in the NFL, advising players on their PR, image and philanthropy, I decided to start my own business to better serve athletes, high profile clients, celebrities and non-profits. I thought long and hard about what to name my company and I kept coming back to the types of conversations I would have, over and over, with so many athletes that would sit across from me at my desk.
We would talk about the importance of making a difference while they had the platform to do so.
“When it’s all said and done, and you’re on your death bed, what do you want your legacy to be?” I’d ask. “You’re more than just your stats on the field, so how do you want to be remembered as a person — off the field.”
These conversations would always come back to the same word…….. LEGACY.
And when it was time to come up with a name for my company, that word kept circling in my mind. I wanted to continue to work with high profile people and organizations to help them build their legacy. And that became the target word for me.
In 2012, I launched LEGACY Consulting, PR & Events. We’re not just a traditional PR agency. We don’t just build and produce luxury event experiences. We work with our clients every day on creating their LEGACY. And by doing that, we’re creating our own. That’s the mission of what we do each and every day and there’s never a dull moment.
The name captures exactly who we are and what we do. It is the heart and foundation of the business.
What a blessing.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Like so many people that live and work in the Nashville, TN area — I originally moved to Nashville to pursue a music career. However, it didn’t take me long to realize that I would be better off working behind the scenes than centerstage.
I began my career working at an advertising agency before moving on to retail giant – Service Merchandise, where I gained a real understanding of what corporate philanthropy was — long before it became an expectation in corporate America.
I then began working for one of the largest entertainment companies in the country, Gaylord Entertainment, assisting with PR, planning various corporate events and corporate philanthropy.
Then I was approached by Tennessee Titans NFL team and worked for the franchise for 11 years. I was not only responsible for the players’ image, community appearances, special events and foundation efforts, but I also served as the team’s non-profit, community and league liaison. I planned and produced team special events as well as events for the Tennessee Titans Women’s Association.
In 2012, I was thrilled to launch my own company, LEGACY Consulting, PR & Events, a boutique firm that focuses on clients ranging from professional athletes and entertainers to corporate entities, small business and non-profit organizations.
I’ve been blessed to have played a role in some of Nashville’s most impressive public relations efforts and prestigious events for over two decades. It’s been an honor to have spent my career working with some of the most talented and illustrious personalities in the sports and entertainment field to make a difference in the lives of others.
Making a difference in the lives of others is what LEGACY stands for.
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
In 2017, we had just wrapped up a large celebrity event and we were exhausted. I got home late and glanced at my calendar to see what the next day looked like. I noticed I had an appointment on the calendar for the next morning with a large corporate organization that we had tried to reach out to the year before with no success. I had no idea what the meeting was about or why it was on my calendar. I realized our assistant had made the calendar entry, so I just decided to reach out to her in the morning, but I intended to go.
The next morning, I texted her about the meeting as I was pulling into their parking lot. She had no idea why it was on the calendar. I just decided to go in and take the meeting, unaware of what it was about.
I walked in and registered at the front desk. They called back to the office and the executive I was supposed to meet with was already in another meeting, so the assistant came and got me and walked me back to their office. She said they didn’t have me on their calendar, but asked what it was that I do. I explained the two sides of the company — PR and event production. She told me they were planning a large gala and they needed help, so that must be what her boss wanted to talk about.
When the executive came in, she wasn’t expecting a meeting. She looked at her calendar and nothing had been added. She had no idea who I was or why I would be there. She was gracious and sat down with me and asked about what we do. When she realized that my company produces large events, she was relieved. She said they were planning a huge anniversary gala and they were currently taking proposals from event companies and needing to make a decision that week. She informed me that she wasn’t thrilled with the proposals they’ve already seen and asked if I could quickly put together a proposal for them.
As she walked me out of the building, we were both still perplexed by how a meeting got on my calendar. I looked at her and asked if she believed in divine appointments? Her eyes widen as she looked at me and said “Yes, I absolutely do.”
A divine appointment is a meeting with another person(s) that God has specifically and unmistakably arranged. The Holy Spirit sets up such encounters because someone needs what He can offer them through you.
I went back to my office and talked to my team. Nobody knew why the appointment was on the calendar. Then we started looking at that calendar entry on my assistant’s computer and finally realized that it was an auto-fill mistake that someone from their company had sent us an invitation that was not intended for us. This was based on the communication / email we had the year prior, so the auto-fill brought up the wrong name and that’s how we were invited.
I put a proposal together and yes, we got the job. We began working on producing their gala event. They are still a client today and we’ve been blessed to work with such an incredible organization to help raise money for such a worthwhile cause.
The moral of this story is that when God puts a divine appointment on your calendar — GO!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
When I launched my company, I tried to describe the feeling of independence I was having to my friends. I finally came up with the word that best described it…. “unbridled.” For so many years working in corporate America, I often felt like there was someone pulling back the reins on any new ideas. I’d hear statements like “Well, we’ve always done it this way…” or “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” and that deflated me.
When I finally had the chance to be my own boss, it was completely freeing — like a horse being unbridled and able to run free. It was exhilarating. Even now, over a decade later, I still have that feeling. There’s nobody telling us what we can and cannot do. We have the freedom to roam an open field and explore the best solutions for our clients.
I encourage my team to do the same. There’s nothing wrong with new ideas, new opportunities or a fresh perspective. Just because we’ve done something a certain way, doesn’t mean we have to continue to do it that way if there’s a better idea. Give yourself permission to explore well beyond the status quo.
I’ve figured out that what seems simple to us, is not to others. When you have a creative business, it can often come naturally, but that’s not always the case for others. We love providing creative ideas to our clients and watching their face light up when we describe what we’re thinking. That is so much fun.
I love having that creative freedom. We’re unbridled and ready to run on the next project.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Legacy-PR.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacypr_events/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LegacyPRandEvents/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/legacy-consulting-public-relations-&-events/?viewAsMember=true
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Legacy_PR
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@legacypr422/videos
- Other: www.GoalPosts.online