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

Valerie , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I hope my legacy will be a tribute to the power of faith, perseverance, and commitment to doing the right things for the right reasons. I want the work I do to encourage others on a similar path – and to inspire them to believe that success is within their reach. We simply cannot underestimate the power of representation, and I know that there are young entrepreneurs who are witnessing my journey and understanding that what they’ve seen me accomplish is also possible for them, plus so much more.

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.

I’ve worked in communications – and specifically Public Relations – for 30 years in my professional career. I majored in PR in college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and started my career as a Publicist for Walt Disney World in Florida. Within two years of graduating, I started my own business and created my company, which has grown to become a team of PR PROS in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. Along the way, I attended divinity school and earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in Theology. This education and training undergird a lot of the decisions I make in business and help me keep my priorities straight.

PR PROS is a full-service public relations agency that provides storytelling, media relations, content creation, and crisis communication services for small business, nonprofit, and corporate clients. I’m proud that our team of PR PROS has worked with us for more than a decade, and that we’ve built a brand based on excellence, reliability, and professionalism. We had the privilege of renovating a building in an African American, historic district in downtown Raleigh and moving our offices there; in tribute to the powerful legacy of Black entrepreneurship and ownership.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I learned early-on that not all money is good money – and not every client is a good client for the business I wanted to build. Starting out, it was easy to just chase money and go after every opportunity that might help pay the bills. But that approach quickly spread our team too thin and diminished our work product by focusing attention on getting any kind of communications work, instead of excelling on projects that leveraged our strengths.

We made a strategic decision to stop responding to RFPs (Requests for Proposals) just because they had a high dollar value, but instead to go after work where we would likely experience success, even if the project value was less. That approach helped establish a track-record of success, which encouraged clients to keep coming back.

We watched and learned from other companies’ mistakes that chasing money made them a “jack of all trades, but a master of none.” Our team mastered storytelling and content creation for our clients, which helped propel them to be more successful, and in turn, bolstered our company to success also.

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

When we ask clients or referrals how they learned about our PR PROS team, two words that get repeated are “consistent” and “efficient.” As a matter of practice, we do what we say we’re going to do, when we say we’re going to do it — without question, without fail. Operating with honesty and integrity is a part of our business model and something that our clients rely on and expect. We complete projects on time and on budget, so clients come to rely on our credibility for doing quality work on time and at the rate(s) agreed upon. Our media-focused industry works on tight deadlines, so being prompt and efficient is a requirement. In addition, being consistent and efficient provides a sense of comfort, and our clients know that they’re in good hands because our team will deliver results.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.globalprpros.com

Image Credits
Photos courtesy of: PR PROS, LLC