Telling stories: That’s the job of marketers and publicists.
But often we’re trying to tell the stories that someone else wrote, as if writing a book from someone else’s idea. So when I started talking to everyone at York IE about their vision for startup growth, and how marketing is built into the foundation of the companies York IE partners with, I just had one thought: Sign. Me. Up.
The traditional marketing and public relations agency model might not be broken, but it sure is backwards. PR agencies and solo practitioners are often asked to execute on someone else’s strategy, using someone else’s words, and act as the public face of a company they don’t have a true stake in. That’s not to say that there isn’t room for success in that model — I’ve certainly secured my share of front-page stories, broadcast hits and executive bylines over my career — but it’s not optimal for anyone.
So when I had my first conversation with Kyle York, in which he explained York IE’s vision to reshape the way startups are built, scaled, and monetized, it clicked. Of course a proper marketing relationship starts at the earliest stages. Of course offering startups a backbone of advisory services is going to provide exponentially more value than piecemeal offerings from external vendors.
And of course York IE is the perfect place to set myself up for my own success: Where I can put my writing skills to use helping startups define their mission and tell their story. Where my years of experience in the trenches translates into building strategic, actionable drumbeat marketing plans for B2B SaaS startups. Where my love of turning complicated topics and troves of data into organized, digestible content is valued and celebrated. Just thinking about bringing all these things into work with me every day gets me excited.
Everyone at York IE shares that passion to help startups grow fast, efficiently, and effectively. I’m more than excited to bring my expertise, experience, and energy to York IE and help its clients tell their best stories. Onward!
