HomeWhy I chose to open Codella Marketing -
Why I chose to open Codella Marketing
For my inaugural blog on ipa.prsa.org I thought I’d address the motivation behind opening my own shop, since that is, after all, the thread that binds us together.
I have practiced public relations and marketing communications since 1995. I have worked for a large corporation, university, two public relations agencies and one advertising agency. I have entered the independent practitioner field twice, in between working for PR and advertising agencies in Las Vegas.
Both times my decision was the result of situations where I felt I could do better on my own. And I have.
I have been an independent public relations practitioner (I’ll use ‘indy’ in future references) for going on six years now. It’s difficult to imagine working for someone else again (although I wouldn’t say it’s out of the question because opportunity and money can be persuasive things).
Going back to my childhood, my parents encouraged me to earn my own money. I did so by operating a lawn mowing service in Houston and Upstate New York, two of the places I lived growing up. I bought my own bicycles and other things I ‘wanted,’ along with paying for my own lawn mowing equipment.
Then in college, during my junior year, I opened an entertainment booking and promotion company with a college friend.
I guess you could say I have the entrepreneurial spirit.
Being an indy provides many opportunities and challenges.
From my perspective now, the greatest benefit is setting your own work schedule — you can generally work when, where and however hard you want to. The greatest challenge is riding the ebbs and flows of your revenue stream.
I enjoy taking an afternoon off to spend time with my six-year old daughter or two-year old son. I appreciate being able to work, if necessary, while enjoying a week of family vacation (although I’m not certain my wife enjoys that aspect of my being self-employed).
The contractual, legal, bookkeeping and administrative part of business is manageable — even for a guy who prefers crafting strategic communication plans and implementing specific marketing communication tactics, especially technology-based ones.
The continual business development, keeping clients happy, and what I like to call ‘under promising and over delivering’ can be challenging.
After all, for all of us indys, the buck stops here.
Still, I’m happy. There’s a sense of accomplishment to know that responsibility for meeting my professional and personal obligations is my own, regardless of outside forces.
I still provide the same services as when I worked for agencies by partnering with other independents, graphic designers, printers, web developers, promotional products vendors, news wire distribution, media database and monitoring folks, etc. It’s not rocket science.
So, for what it’s worth, I’m glad I chose to open Codella Marketing. And I look forward with optimism to what the future holds.
~Pete Codella, APR
PRSA IPA Executive Committee Member-at-Large
Codella Marketing | NewsCactus | Blogging Vegas
May 8th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Great blog, Pete. Very personal and to the point. I look forward to talking with you on the next EC call. Sherree