By Cassy van Eeden

While there is no set recipe for public relations success, you can learn from the mistakes and triumphs of others. And who better to learn from than successful PR agency owners themselves?

You’re going to make mistakes

It may sound totally cliché, but success doesn’t happen overnight. And chances are that on your way to success, you’re going to make mistakes and you’re going to face rejection.

The trick is to not let it hold you back, says Catherine Larkin, managing director of CVLC Communication. “Rejection is inevitable,” she says, “Forget your failures and move on, swiftly.”

Marcus Brewster, owner of marcusbrewster, a strategic PR firm that has seen over 20 years of success, says that not only are mistakes inevitable, they are necessary. “Any mistakes I may have made when we were small and the stakes were low, certainly stood me in good stead to build the business later,” he says.

Cultivate Communications director, Rebecca Cronje, says that the biggest lessons she has learned since starting her agency have been through trial and error, “And I have many more to go,” she says.

Fake it ‘til you make it

When you start out, you may not have much experience or a dazzling client list, but if you don’t believe in your brand and the services you are offering, who else will?

“You need to be confident, even if you don’t feel it inside,” says Larkin. Confidence breeds more confidence, she explains. The more you believe in your agency, the more others will too. And the more people that believe in your company and the work you do, the more confident you will feel.

Never underestimate the power of your network

Perhaps the most valuable resource that you have at your disposal is your network. As Allyson Conklin writes for Forbes, “In PR, you’re only as good as your contacts.”

When you’re starting a public relations company all on your own, “you may not always have the answers to the questions you are asked”, admits Larkin. “But if you have a good network, you will be able to find the answers and deliver what the client needs,” she says.

Both Leandri Jamneck and Marisa Logan, co-founders of Butter Knife PR, agree that having a strong network in place before you take on work is vital. “It is important to have good media and influencer relationships in place,” says Jamneck.

A little business sense wouldn’t hurt

It’s important to remember that, at the end of the day, starting a PR agency means starting a business.

As Cronje explains: “While you may love what you do and be passionate about your industry, there are a lot of other things that make up a business.” She points out that as a business owner, you need to be prepared to deal with finances, human resources, IT, marketing as well as office management.

Running a company is much more than just excelling in your core service, writes Conklin. “My advice here: read as much as you can, talk to as many business owners as possible and become completely invested in getting good at every aspect of being a small business owner.”

Do you own your own PR company? What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting their own firm? Let us know in the comments below.