Lexie Smith, Founder of THEPRBar inc.
Name: Lexie Smith
Founder: THEPRBar inc.
Who is Lexie Smith?
A featured expert in outlets such as NASDAQ, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, Crunchbase, and Create & Cultivate, Lexie Smith is a highly skilled and sought-after public relations expert, 2X entrepreneur, and Host of the top-rated Pitchin’ and Sippin’ podcast. Over the course of her 13+ year career, Smith has held senior and executive roles in PR agencies, pioneered and ran in-house PR departments (most recently as a VP of one of the fastest growing companies in America), been a speaker at conferences and universities globally, and coached hundreds of entrepreneurs and professionals. Today, Smith serves as the Founder and CEO of THEPRBAR inc. and THEPRBAR Agency where through their work together, Smith's clients have landed top-tier coverage spanning from Forbes, Vogue, and Oprah to Wired, Goop, Good Morning America, Refinery29, and The LA Times (amongst many others).
In less than three sentences tell us about your company and what you do.
THEPRBAR inc. is an online coaching platform, resource hub, and PR agency built to help motivated entrepreneurs, professionals, and companies expand their impact, visibility, and revenue through relationship-driven marketing and PR.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
From as early as I can remember, I have always been passionate about and a fierce advocate for gender equality and equal pay. As I grew professionally in my corporate career, I witnessed and experienced firsthand the reality of these issues in the workplace. Today, as a working mother and FounderHer, I take great pride in how far I’ve come to reclaim control over my financial independence and work-life balance. I predominantly work with and support other FoundHers, aiming to empower their businesses and amplify their voices. Becoming a mother to my now one-year old daughter has further ignited the passion within me. To me, being a FoundHer represents opportunity, progress, success, and hope for better tomorrows.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
From providing access to free educational resources and hosting a platform and podcast that broadcasts diverse voices and unique perspectives, to co-founding and funding a scholarship program through my second business, Ready Set Coach, my commitment to empowering women in business is at the cornerstone of my entire entrepreneurial career. The Ready Set Coach scholarship program provides women from underserved and underrepresented communities, as well as those in need of financial support, with an opportunity to pursue their passions and create a successful business or revenue stream that supports their dream lifestyle.
How did you land your first client?
When I founded THEPRBAR inc. in 2019, I began approaching my dream clients directly on Instagram. I offered them free strategy sessions in exchange for testimonials, which allowed me to build up a bank of testimonials (and improve my confidence simultaneously). From there, I leveraged this social proof to promote my services in Facebook Groups. It was in one of these groups that I secured my very first paying client!
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
There are quite a few things that I do differently with THEPRBAR inc. From the coaching perspective, I operate on a 1:1 coaching model with no intention of scaling to group coaching. Additionally, I have never used paid advertisements to grow my business. My business has seen growth specifically through organic marketing and public relations (PR) tactics that I teach my clients.
Within the PR industry itself, I take a holistic approach. This means that my clients and community aren’t just taught how to “land press”, they’re taught how to grow their business through the lens of what I call the ‘6 Relations of PR’. My methodology has been coined the ‘The Organic Growth Formula’. Furthermore, I am proud to consider myself a PR Advocate, proactively promoting and providing referrals to others within my field. I believe that there is ‘enough room for us all’ and that collaboration is key to our success as a collective. Together, we are better!
What are three strategies you use to market your business, grow brand awareness and generate bottom line growth?
1. Non-paid Speaking - I very intentionally leverage speaking opportunities, ranging from conferences and private workshops to various events, to market and grow my business.
2. Digital Press - I have pursued organic press and strategically leveraged and marketed these placements to drive business growth.
3. Thought Leadership - Beyond speaking, I regularly create valuable free educational content that is distributed and available to all. From hosting my podcast (Pitchin’ and Sippin’) and maintaining my blog to creating downloadable resources, I have found that the more people I serve free of charge, the more my brand awareness and bottom line have grown in tandem.
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