#60 From Overwhelmed to Energized in One Simple Step with Alexis Walsko
Episode Summary
This week Holly welcomes Alexis Walsko, Founder, CEO, and Visionary for Lola Red PR. Alexis has been in business for herself for almost 25 years now, which makes her our most experienced entrepreneur on the podcast to date!
Alexis shares the constant responsibility she feels being a solo-entrepreneur and business owner and how that continues to drive her forward in her work. She has built her business up to have sixteen additional team members that help create full marketing campaigns for their clients across the country.
Holly and Alexis talk through the self-doubt that inevitably creeps into all entrepreneur's minds and how they each work to overcome the self-doubt and continue to move forward. Alexis also shares her best advice for new entrepreneurs, including why you should lean on your support system to be the best cheerleaders for you and your business.
Finally, Alexis gives her best advice for how and to whom to pitch your business to get the best desired outcome and why "bragging" on yourself isn't cringey, but bold!
In this episode you’ll learn:
1:00 Holly introduces Alexis Walsko, Founder and CEO / Visionary at Lola Red PR
2:40 Alexis shares when she started Lola Red as a fresh college graduate in 2000
9:15 Alexis shares she's always had a passion for business and desire to be an entrepreneur, and how her support system and betting on herself helped Lola Red happen
13:20 The main challenge Alexis experiences as being an entrepreneur / solo business owner
21:25 How she faces challenges in her business and not only get through but continue to thrive
22:15 How she continues to overcome her own self-doubt and how her children have helped her see her own blind spots
25:40 The exercise she did at a recent CEO leadership conference that helped shift her perspective back to what she can control and change
30:22 Alexis provides us a breakdown of what PR is today
33:35 The two main types of PR that Alexis and her team help create, including an example of local business, Love Your Melon
38:02 The Guinness World Record Alexis and her team helped one of their clients achieve to promote their 100 year anniversary
42:25 The ideal client profile that Lola Red prefers to partner with in business
45:20 How Alexis and team stay relevant / on trend for their clients' messages to break through the constant noise
49:00 Alexis shares her experience getting clients on The Today Show and her best advice to promote your business
51:05 How to successfully pitch your business to the best audience
1:01:50 The impact AI has already had on PR, and what Alexis thinks the future will look like as it continues to evolve
1:06:35 How AI has created more value for in-person connection