Conversations with the Inspiring Kaci Pedersen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaci Pedersen.

Kaci, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
For 10+ years, I have worked supporting a multitude of brand’s marketing, social media, and sales efforts. From waiting tables to specialty bra fitting- yes bra fitting (Livi Rae Lingerie, Home of The Double Divas Lifetime Show at that time), to front desk concierge, property management, to cosmetic patient coordinating… the list goes on! All this while obtaining my degree from Kennesaw State University, Hooty Hoo!

Taking part in the work-force since the age of 14, I’ve found that regardless of my job title, I’ve always played publicist to the companies that employed me. At the age of 23, I recognized this trend as not only a passion of mine but noticed the need for PR throughout those various companies. Thus, leading me to create Kaci Pedersen Public Relations, LLC. (May 2017)

At KPPR, PR serves as a large umbrella, housing various roles. It could be project management, marketing, social media, branding, and/or event planning – it all varies based on each client’s needs and what role we need to play in order to help them achieve their goals!

Going into my 2nd year of business has felt so surreal, but incredible knowing that it’s still going strong and I still feel like the sky’s the limit on where it can go.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has definitely NOT been a smooth one. I’ve faced a variety of roadblocks from financial struggles, lack of support from few peers and family members who just couldn’t understand why I wasn’t trying to land the big corporate “9-5” jobs. Then, there’s the aspect of there being several other PR companies out there and hearing the background noise of, “why even try?” “what’s the point?” “what makes you different?” I found myself in a downward spiral of comparisons, doubts, and not having the “success” to prove I was on the right track made the journey feel like an uphill battle for sure.

When first starting out, I was interviewing local female entrepreneurs and writing “Girl Boss” female empowerment-themed blogs to A- get writing content examples and B- hear their truth and how they managed to get to where they were. It was during this time I felt so inspired and uplifted by these women like a fire was reignited. I then realized I had the definition of success completely wrong. Prior to this time, I always felt success was measured by the $$ in your bank account, the G Wagon parked in your 6-car garage, and your 1M Instagram followers – boy, was I wrong.

This realization literally parted the clouds of doubt I had for the first 6-8 months of running KPPR and gave me an entirely new intention and a new wave of motivation. I was finally doing things because I wanted to, no validation needed. It was within that week of realization when I expanded from two to six clients. The business began to truly ‘boom’ and since then, I feel it’s been the best kind of crazy! Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s been a few down’s throughout the past year, but there’s been even more up’s and for that I am grateful.

Any entrepreneur, male or female is going to face hardships, but I feel for women (particularly young women), we can be very fragile and sensitive to what’s going on around us, so be sure to rid yourself of those constant comparisons, feeling like you need to compare your glory to that of another, instead spend that time boosting yourself and manifesting where you want to go in life and WHY. If that WHY is all about surface-level intentions and seeking validation from things or people – then you’re doing it all wrong. Step back and take time for YOU and what you want, sometimes that means paving your own path, long days-nights of blood, sweat, and tears, losing that surface-level friend group, focusing on CNBC instead of Keeping up with the Kardashians… and so on.

You have to hold yourself accountable, but do not put the weight of the world on your shoulders. As cliche and cheesy as it all sounds – I promise it works and I hope I can be an example of that.

What should we know about Kaci Pedersen Public Relations? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I work as a publicist, a person responsible for publicizing a product, person, or company. I always include the definition because everyone has a different perception as to what exactly a publicist does. Same with public relations, “what does it mean?!” – I get this question a lot. According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

At KPPR, PR serves as a large umbrella, housing various roles. It could be project management, marketing, social media, branding, and/or event planning – it all varies based on each client’s needs and what role we need to play in order to help them achieve their goals!

I purposely do not associate to any specific specialty or niche because I never want to feel limited in who I can or can’t work with. I’ve represented various types of clients, from attorneys to attractions, to actors and hosts to interior designers and medical spas. I love getting my feet wet in all worlds of PR – this keeps me on my toes and constantly keeps me learning and involved – which exactly what I wanted when starting KPPR.

What sets me apart from others is the fact I’m not so “niched,” but also how I’m all about collaborating and working with other PR, Marketing, and Ad agents/agencies. To my surprise, not many creative agencies like to join forces or collaborate with clients that aren’t their own, but to me, there’s room at the table, and all of us should eat.

I’ve coined the saying, “Let’s get this PR Party started,” as my company tagline because I do exactly that. Whether it’s partnering/collaborating with another client or brand or simply helping another PR professional with their client or personal questions – I’m up for it because at the end of the day, it benefits everyone involved.

Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
Honestly, I’m so inspired by my own clients. I’ve been fortunate enough to work directly with each business owner and although they’ve hired me to help with all things PR, they’ve always served as mentors to me in various ways whether it be telling their story to business-beginnings, entrepreneurship travels, etc.

I also love watching shows like Shark Tank for inspiration, not just from the inventors on the show, but the actual Sharks who are all admirable in my world. I love looking into “sharks” backstories and reading up on my favorite business women like Sara Blakely and Reese Witherspoon to name a few. CNBC also shows a lot of insightful documentaries on business moguls, which I feel it’s like KPPR research studying up on such because these are success stories I dream to have and impacts I hope to make on my community as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kacipedersenpr.com
• Phone: 6785615447
• Email: pr@kacipedersen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kacipedersenpr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kacipedersenPR/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kacipedersenPR
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1D1eVseHOG9dAHzaiBsJA/videos

Image Credit:
XXIII Photo Studio (All images of me in red dress and neck scarf)

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