Putting customers over costs, swallowing my fear, and thriving

With Danae, a new Indiana-based collaborator & college freshman 

When my mother developed health issues, I dropped everything, left my home in Las Vegas and went to her home in Indiana. 

Deciding to stay and help was easy. The hard part was figuring out how to deliver, in absentia, the high-touch customer experience my public relations agency, ImageWords Communications, had delivered in its 23-plus years of business. 

My company and I were turning the corner when all this happened. Although I’d lost clients during the pandemic, when in-person communication was harder, I was adding clients again, not only in my Southern Nevada home base, but San Diego, Seattle and New York. I have exciting opportunities ahead in home services, real estate and health care. 

With me here in Indiana caregiving, my husband encouraged me to pause my business, or at least stop taking new clients. But I felt an obligation to my community; I didn’t want people to think I was stepping back or stepping out. And I knew no one would wait for me if I wasn’t collaborative, or visible or delivering results.

Because I needed to help my mother, I reimagined how to run things. First, I remade my schedule, working part time and gradually adding hours. I was honest with my clients, and myself. I told my customers I’d help them, and my lieutenants would pitch in.

I needed boots on the ground, even if they weren’t mine.

I hired help — a lot of it, in all of my marketplaces. I hired someone to refine media contact lists. I hired people on both coasts who could interview clients, take pictures and develop content because I wasn’t free to travel.

The proxies and extra costs, which could erode my profits — gave me pause at first. But I realized investing in my clients was investing in my company — and investing in me.

Even with extra help, I still need to pivot sometimes. In one case, a freelancer I use regularly was unavailable to create the digital assets a client wanted. So, I hired a different, pricier crew. A friend said I needed to raise my price to recoup my costs, but I didn’t. My client’s trust was worth the extra spend.

This lesson — to take risks and delegate — will carry forward. I realized that even if I’m temporarily remote, I’m still in on every project — my signature’s always on the bottom line. I also remembered to think abundance, not scarcity; by hiring help to supplement my personal efforts, I could put customer experience ahead of profit and still succeed. Will, meet way.