Flying Solo

A lot of young women are wary of delving into the professional world. They're worried that they will have to sacrifice having a family for having a successful career. So when I hear about the different areas of PR you can go into; agency, in-house, etc. it gets me thinking, who says you can't do it all yourself? Sure, it's a lot of work, but who doesn't love making their own rules? In "The pros and cons of the solo PR life", Arik Hanson details what to expect when you take on a PR business all by yourself.

PROS

• Flexibility- You are your own boss. No more of that 9-5 business, but in that sense your work day never really ends. You probably will have to give up a little night time and weekend hours to keep up with your work load. However, this may be a small sacrifice when you get to enjoy your kids in their formative years.
• You can always say no- This is hard to swallow when you've been under a supervisor for most of your professional career, but now you have the ability to pick and choose your clients.
• Creative freedom-You have free reign of how you want to go about promoting your client. This can also be a lot pressure, because you have no one to fall back on if you're stumped. If you're a great problem solver who finds working under a company constricting, solo PR is your mecca.

CONS

• Lack of human interaction- It can get lonely running your own business solo. Make sure you schedule co-working sessions with friends. That way, you're still getting the job done, but with a little company and getting the best of both worlds. You can also use your "co-worker" as a sounding board, something you miss out on, being a solo PR consultant. Bouncing ideas back and forth can be essential, as it can be hard to think of creative ideas by yourself.
• Lack of legitimacy- A PR person for a major organization will have the upper hand when placed next to a solo consultant. While you may have equal years of experience, it's something you will have to get used to.

Solo PR has its advantages and disadvantages, but most of all it allows the most room for creativity and flexibility, both hard to come by these days when agency and in-house are the most prevalent.

Would you take on being a PR consultant by yourself? How would you best make up for the lack of manpower? Let us know!