We were lucky to catch up with Victoria Jett recently and have shared our conversation below.

Victoria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

In my opinion, success is a very relative term. The things I consider to be a success could mean something very different for another person in my business or industry. To me, being successful is meeting or exceeding the goals you are setting for yourself or those that are being set for you by others. Conquering challenges and coming out on top, as well as anticipating problems and stopping them before they start are all things that will lend to your success. Working hard and doing what it takes in your work are the obvious ways to be successful but I also think reflecting on your failures or missed opportunities are how you prevent mishaps and pave the way to a bright future. You can’t be afraid to acknowledge and address the defeats in your past. I always say that in order to continue to grow and be successful, you should be a sponge. You should always be soaking up every bit of knowledge you can, taking on new skills, and being open to other people’s thoughts and opinions. You should never stop learning. You are the only barometer that matters when it comes to measuring your success.

Victoria, 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?

Jett Public Relations (Jett PR) is a Dallas-based full-service PR agency focused on telling compelling stories and building lasting brand awareness for our clients. We work across several industries including lifestyle, health and wellness, technology, non-profit, fashion, and more. To me, the thing that sets us apart from others is how diversified our experience is and the contacts we have across several industries. While we focus mainly on consumer and lifestyle, we are well-versed in other areas, allowing us to broaden our scopes and seek out incredible companies and brands that we’re excited to work with.

Having been raised by a single mother for the first 15 years of my life, it is so important to me that we help lift up other women who are supporting themselves and their families. We are passionate about promoting female-owned and female-led businesses through thoughtful and strategic public relations strategies. Amazing brands deserve exemplary and cost-effective PR support. At Jett Public Relations, we’re in the business of helping women succeed and that is something that I’m extremely proud of.

To be honest, I never thought I would start my own agency, even though several of my friends apparently always knew that was the direction I was headed. Jett PR came out of necessity during the pandemic. In March 2020, I was living in Austin and working for an agency managing their consumer-lifestyle accounts, then COVID hit. Suddenly, we lost 50% of our business overnight, and sadly I was now out of a job because of it. While it was devastating, it all worked out for the best in the end. I moved back to Dallas in April 2020 to be closer to my family and start the next chapter of my life. The only problem? Because of the pandemic, many businesses had cut their PR support in order to save on costs and keep their business afloat, which meant no one, and I mean no one was hiring. I didn’t know what I was going to do or when I would work again. Then one day I got a text that would change the trajectory of my life and my career. That text led to a phone call, which led to some emails and more texts, which eventually led to my first client. Later on I would add another client to the roster, then another, and a few more, and eventually we became the Jett Public Relations we are today.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I don’t know if I’d categorize it as a side hustle but since I was laid off during the pandemic, I decided to try and work as a freelancer until hiring picked back up. I did hourly work here and there for people that I knew or had worked with previously and then I realized that I could do this full-time. I started gradually because I’d never been a freelancer or done consulting work, so I had some things to learn, however, I eventually got the hang of it. From there, I realized that I really enjoyed being my own boss and that I’d like to do that all the time. Was it scary, absolutely? But has it been worth it? One hundred and ten percent. I eventually stopped doing hourly work and moved into monthly retainers, allowing me to not only grow my business with more clients but to bring on additional support. To see where I was in 2020 to what we’re doing now and the trajectory that we’re headed is incredibly fulfilling. Again, still scary but I’m making it work and taking it all one day and one step at a time.

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

Truthfully word of mouth and referrals have been our greatest source of new clients. I am incredibly humbled when someone chooses me and my team to be their PR partner and then for those people to go and tell others that they should work with us as well is so amazing. I truly believe that if you do right by people and work hard for them, you will only continue to reap the rewards and benefits of your work. Public relations isn’t instantaneous, it takes time. So when you can find ways to be a good brand partner for your clients, it shows them that you genuinely care about what they’re doing and that you want to do what you can to help them succeed no matter what. This is a multi-faceted business and no two brands are the same, which is why I will always do what I can to make sure we’re contributing to our clients outside of just press and media because, in the end, it all works together to build authentic brand awareness.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jettpr.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jettpr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jettpr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jett-public-relations/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JettPR

Image Credits
Jett Public Relations