Just because you’re a solo PR pro doesn’t mean you’re in this alone. There’s a whole community of like minded people you can lean on for motivation, inspiration and support.

In this series, we ask five Solo PR Pro members to share their best tips, tricks and resources for managing their solo business.

5 solo PR pros share how they structure their work day

This month, we asked our panel of solo PR pros to share how they stay motivated.

1. Michael Ares, MDA Corporate Marketing, LLC

I may be old school, but if you need to be motivated to devote the full extent of your skills, time and energy to the needs of the clients you contracted to work with, you just might be in the wrong business.

Seriously, my own motivation comes in many forms, and I am grateful to be in a position to be able to choose — most of the time — who I work for.

That said, when my plate is less than full and I choose to take on a client that is not on my list of preferred industries or markets, that personal and professional mandate still holds.

Anything less than my full engagement would not only be unethical, but an affront to who I am, what I do, and why I told them they should hire me.

2. Lisa Ballard, Blue Water PR

Brainstorming with another PR pro helps me move forward when I'm stuck. Just having an understanding and friendly voice lets you know others have gotten through similar times. Thank goodness for Solo PR Pro. 

Something you might not think of:  I also find aromatherapy with essential oils picks me up and keeps me going. I diffuse Young Living's Motivation, En-R-Gee and Brain Power blends frequently. Smelling grapefruit oil wakes me up in the mornings and I put their Citrus Fresh blend in my morning tea. Citrus Fresh, which has a little peppermint, also gives me an energy boost when I diffuse it. Frankincense and Magnify Your Purpose blend are helpful when I need to be thoughtful and confident.

3. Scott Rosenblum, LEVEL PR

As someone who recently ran into motivational issues with his clients, I found the best tonic was to take the negative energy I was feeling at the time and channel it into a different part of my business. To get out of my funk, I recently ended up spending more time and resources on new business development and marketing — things I regularly work on, but during the summer had lagged a little bit. The extra attention helped me to not only break out of my funk, but to get more leads that are now heading in the right direction. 

4. Amy Gray, Gray Public Relations

No matter the reason for the lull in motivation, I find getting out of my own head is helpful. 

Doing something completely unrelated to work — having coffee with friends, taking a walk or gardening — helps refocus and reenergize. Reaching out to colleagues to talk about what they are up to also helps reset the mindset and gain perspective. Additionally, simply powering through on projects and adding accountability in my day is often the single most helpful way for me to work through the moments of lack of motivation. 

And don’t forget to build in rewards for big accomplishments! As solo practitioners, we must be intentional in recognizing our successes.

5. Jessica Lawlor, Jessica Lawlor & Company

Like Scott mentioned above, one of my favorite ways to find motivation is to turn my focus back to my business. My own branding and marketing efforts are what often get neglected when I'm super busy or in a good groove motivation-wise, so I use periods where I feel unmotivated to dive back into those activities. 

The last time I felt that dreaded lull, I revamped the services page on my website and published my first client case study. Ticking these items off my list got me excited about prospecting and jumping back into my work.
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