Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Cheri.
Hi Brittany, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started working at 14 on computers with my dad, taught me the basics of coding and website building through Microsoft systems (yes wayyy before we had Wix and WordPress and all these other fancy platforms) graduated high school at 17 with no clear plans except that I didn’t want to go to a 4-year university, so I opted to take various business classes at a community college by 18, I had worked roughly five different jobs because I hated what I was doing and didn’t like working for other people.
Started my first “business” (or so I thought) at 19, offering design services and event assistance services ended up homeless and living the nomad life from 19 -21, through a mixture of family problems, financial problems, and poor decision making as a young adult. During this time, I was still offering design services and started working as a teacher assistant during the day 7 am-2 pm and a call center rep at night (5 pm-2 am). By 21, I enrolled at the Art Institute where I studied graphic and web design.
I used this time to build connections and get real critiques from the pros on the quality of work I should produce, figuring out my passion in the design world, how my business should run and what services I should truly offer. By the end of my program, I had improved my design skills tremendously gained three amazing mentors for life (Emily Wilmouth, Joe Herrera, and JJ Love).
By 24, I had my footing in the design and business world, I revamped my business and goals and worked for the next two years as a substitute teacher full time and full-time business owner (a.k.a no sleep).
By 2017, I started offering photography work in addition to my design services which gave me more access to events where I started to network with radio stations, TV stations, and other businesses. I moved to Chicago with my dad for about 3-4 months where I met with a few friends for an impromptu business. After leaving Chicago and coming back to NC, I was a new person with a different drive. It was a “hustle and win by any means” mentality. I started going to every event, every networking conference, cold calling, and emailing businesses just to set meetings to say “Hi my name is Brittany Cheri, I do XYZ. We should work together”, my early pitching phase was terrible but I did it. I knew how to sell myself with confidence but had no idea the job I was actually doing.
Sometimes at the beginning of 2018, a close childhood friend (Jamaal Bowden) gave me a call and we talked about business ideas, what moves were next on the list, etc. He said, “You know all the services that you’re offering now is the same thing that publicists offer, you should really rebrand as that”. At the time, I had no idea what a publicist was or what they truly did, but I trusted him because he was one person that knew me the best when it came to business and my work ethic. So, I started researching and really looking into what a publicist was, the job they do, etc. You would think after all the research I did that I would’ve had a clear understanding of the job, I definitely didn’t.
Throughout 2018-2019, I worked with artists, local businesses, and other creatives offering what I thought were public relations services, when in fact they were more management and assistant services. I got a taste of the entertainment industry working for an artist named Shame (now Shame Gang), working as his assistant for I believe three years total. During this time, I also fell into the “influencer” role and started conducting interviews at events. I moved to Atlanta abruptly in August 2019 after a two-month summer visit. I started working with a publicist and journalist, Jelisa Raquel who helped me get my footing and guided me through what a publicist does and how I fit in that role (a conversation I desperately needed).
After about three months, I had been to more celebrity events panel events helped plan and manage events than I could count today, everything happened so quickly. In between, during my stay in Atlanta, I would travel back to NC for speaking events and client meetings offered more public relations services, attended webinars for new publicists, and really studied properly for the role.
I FINALLY found the job I loved doing and was on my way climbing up to my first milestone in the PR industry when Covid hit. After a year and a half in NC I decided I wanted to move out of NC as it didn’t have the momentum I need for my career and give the DMV area a shot!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I’ve been homeless for 3-4 years, literally living in my car or sleeping at the ER complaining of a stomach ache or just staying awake and going to the gym to kill time. I lost three family members, each shook me mentally where I couldn’t gather myself to do anything but sit on the bed wrapped in a blanket.
I’ve had bouts of depression for weeks at a time with no end in sight. I’ve had client disputes that made me want to quit the design world altogether. I was in car accidents that affected me physically and financially to a point where I wondered was it even meant for me to have a car, and at one point I was living in my car when I had an accident. That’s just a few things, so smooth road? Definitely not.
As you know, we’re big fans of Pivot Branding & Public Relations. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
PIVOT Branding & Public Relations is my heart. I couldn’t be more proud of where I am with this business, I can finally say I’m at a great place offering the right services for my clients. I specialize in helping small businesses and creatives solidify their brand identity and presence through strategic planning and innovative designs.
Something that has always separated my business and services apart from others is the process. In the beginning, during a consultation, I don’t immediately want to hear about your business, I want to hear about YOU – the owner, what made you want to start the business, what are your goals, dreams, likes, and dislikes, etc. I take the time to get to know my clients so that I’m sure we are a good fit together. The services offered are catered to clients looking to get established, grow, or shift their brand. These aren’t overnight services.
Once you are a signed client, we have a relationship. We are going to work together for a few weeks to a few months depending on what services you need, and by need I mean not just because you say “I need XYZ” during our consultation we are going to talk through those initial “needs” and make sure they are essential to your brand and not just ‘wants’.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Anything from Forbes and Forbes Women, the mentor circle with Women In PR, PR Couture newsletters and resources, Asana, Airtable, HelloSign, plus Google Drive/Docs, etc. & Square are my go to apps for business. Books, I would have to say 48 Laws of Power, Hustle Harder – Hustle Smarter by 50 Cent, Becoming by Michelle Obama, Instinct by TD Jakes & How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@brittanycheri.co
- Website: pivotbpr.co
- Instagram: instagram.com/pivotbpr
- Facebook: facebook.com/pivotbpr
- Twitter: twitter.com/pivotwithcheri
- Other: instagram.com/_thebrittanycheri
Image Credits
Ariel Lackey Roberts – Thorn & Pearl Co.
