GFR is excited to be a sponsor of an upcoming event on August 15th with Pam Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation and the blog by the same name which she has been writing since 2005. Pam joined us via phone to talk about her book and her upcoming workshop, Reduce the Risk of a Failed Startup: Lessons from the Field.
Pam escaped her cubicle in 1996 and began working as an independent contractor. She had a more flexible schedule and really enjoyed having more control over her time. But, as she worked for various corporations, what she noticed is that many people were not happy with their corporate lives. They wanted to work for themselves but didn’t quite know how to “escape.” She began her blog as a way to evangelize the benefits of being an entrepreneur and it is now one of the top career and marketing blogs on the web. Her book was an outgrowth of the blog and it is what she calls “a coach in a book” which people can use as a guide to help them transition from the corporate world to that of an entrepreneur.
The workshop will be an opportunity for attendees to not only interact with Pam but other aspiring entrepreneurs which Pam says is invaluable. Being around other entrepreneurs can be very helpful and energizing.
Finally, Pam’s free advice was the best: “Test often and fail fast.” She said that it helps to view your life through the lens of a scientist. Instead of seeing something that didn’t work out as a “failure,” view it as a hypothesis that simply didn’t get the results you wanted. Move on. Learn to laugh at your mistakes and try again.
Next up we were joined by Dan Greenfield, a veteran communications executive and principal of Bernaise Source Media, a new and traditional media consulting practice. Dan is also the organizer of an upcoming “unconference” called PR Camp which will take place on August 21 from 8:00-12pm. PR Camp will focus on the shifting role of PR in the age of social media and increasing transparency. Companies can no longer filter their message through a well-crafted press release. On the flip side, they now have an opportunity to develop more meaningful relationships with their customers and have the ability to truly listen to them and perhaps learn from them as well. PR Camp is for any company or anyone interested in learning what this new landscape looks like and how they can benefit from it. Here’s the lineup of speakers or “counselors” for the event:
– Katie Mingo, Senior Marketing Associate, Delta Airlines
– Marilynn Mobley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Counsel, Edelman PR
– James Andrews, Managing Partner, Everywhere
– Carol Flammer, Managing Partner, mRELEVANCE, LLC
– Christopher Jones, Digital Strategist, Ketchum PR
– Melanie Babcock, Senior Vice President, Digital Strategy & Services, Manning Selvage & Lee
– Peter Fasano, Principal/Lead Catalyst, mass+logic
– Bert Dumars, Vice President E-Business & Interactive Marketing, Newell Rubbermaid
– Irfan Kamal, Vice President, Digital Strategy, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
– Jenny Schmitt, President and Director of Client Strategy, CloudSpark
– Shirley Powell, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Turner Broadcasting System
– Debbie Curtis-Magley, Public Relations Manager, UPS
Thanks to both Pam and Dan for joining us. Great show and we hope to see you at one or both of these terrific local events soon!
