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Karen Swim is a tireless advocate for solo agency owners. She is the president of the membership organization Solo PR Pro, founder of the PR and marketing agency Words For Hire, and co host of That Solo Life podcast.

On this episode of Chats with Chip, Karen breaks down how changes to the workforce and agency culture have allowed independents and micro agencies more freedom and flexibility than ever before. She also advises how having a financial plan and advances in technology can help smooth the path for solo agency owners.

Quotes

• Chip: “And a lot of multi employee agencies are supplementing their workforce with freelancers, contractors, etc, as well. So it’s not just solos that are turning to contract labor in order to expand their reach or capabilities, it’s really across the board.”
• Karen: “With Solo PR Pros, because you are in charge, you really are able to see business from a much wider lens. And with that perspective, I think that we have driven a lot of the changes that have come and happened for our industry as a whole.”
• Chip: “This mirrors a lot of what’s going on in society as a whole. Because the whole gig economy concept is really revolutionizing a lot of different sectors. In PR, solos have been commonplace, if you will, for a long time. But I think they’re being perceived differently.”
• Karen: “But the thing that I love now is that being a solo doesn’t even have to be a forever choice. The younger generation sees work in a different way that we do, and they see that you can progress your career, and you take those steps up the ladder, or sideways across the ladder, however you want to, with a mixture of traditional or self employment. And so what we see now is people moving in and out of solo and employment.”

About Karen Swim

Karen has more than two decades of experience in public relations and marketing communications, sales management, and strategic marketing. She uses integrative problem-solving to customize marketing and content solutions for clients. An award-winning sales and marketing professional with a depth of business expertise, clients value Karen’s broad-ranging knowledge, and commitment to helping them reach their goals. (more)

Resources

• KarenSwim.com
• Solo PR Pro
• Words For Hire
• That Solo Life podcast
• Voice Matters
• Karen on social: Twitter | LinkedIn

[read the transcript]

About Chip Griffin

Chip Griffin is the Founder & CEO of the Small Agency Growth Alliance (SAGA) and a longtime agency owner and executive. He helps PR and marketing communications agencies build better businesses. Full bio