It's Finally Here!

Omg guys, my website is finally live! I'm beyond thrilled at the outcome. It's everything I wanted and more. My graphic designer did an amazing job in both a timely and professional manner. I could not have wished to work with some one better. I still have to add my client logos, but overall it's complete. Make sure you guys check it out, and leave comments letting me know what you guys think. Also, below is my company's logo.

P.S. I have some other great news, but I'll save that for a post this week. (;

Patience

...is something that I have learned I do not have. I want things when Kayla wants them, and no time later. I'm not sure when I picked up this trait or if I always had it, but I NEED to find a way to get rid of this selfishness especially since I'm a soon-to-be business owner. 

My mother sent me the following message, and it definitely humbled me and made me realize that everything happens when necessary, not when you want it to.

In our culture today, people are used to getting things right away. We’ve been programmed for immediacy. People don’t like to wait. But the scripture says, “It’s through faith and patience that we inherit God’s promises.” Sometimes, it’s easy for people to have faith. We declare, “God, I believe I’m going to accomplish my dreams. God, I believe I’m going to overcome this obstacle.” But, it gets harder when we have to walk in patience. 

When you pray, can you say, “God, I not only believe for big things, but I trust Your timing. God, I’m not going to get discouraged if it doesn’t happen immediately. I’m not going to give up because it’s taken a week, a month or five years. I know the set time is already in my future, so I’m going to wait with faith and patience because I know that it’s on the way.” 

Remember, through faith and patience we inherit His promises. Trust His Word, trust His timing and trust that your answer is on its way! 

Prayer for Today:
Father, today I declare that I trust You. I trust Your faithfulness. I trust Your goodness. I know that You are working things out in my favor and in Your timing. I declare that through faith and patience I will inherit every promise You have for me in Jesus’ name. Amen!

I definitely needed this message more than you will ever know. I wanted to share it with you guys because I'm sure one of you guys may need it as well.

SN: I just seen a preview of TwoOneSevenPR's website, and it is AMAZING! I'm so happy at the outcome.  I wish I could share it with you guys, but I'm sure it will be live in the next few weeks. 

Perception vs. Reality

The road to becoming an entrepreneur is a lot harder than I imagined. I'm not sure if it's what I expected. I'm not even sure what I expected this road to be. Yes, I understand that businesses take time to grow and that at first things would seem stagnant. I guess I was just so upset at how things ended up being in my last job that I was just ready to follow my dreams.

I'm not saying that I'm giving up on opening my own business, but I have to think things out a bit more. Maybe once my website and business cards are complete I will feel like I'm making progress. Right now I feel as if I'm just hanging out at the house all day being unproductive.

I plan on joining a lot of different networking groups, but I feel like I can't do anything until I have my business cards printed. I'm just really anxious, and this is where me being a brat is starting to kick in.

I know that I will be successful. It will just take some time. “Don't give up Kayla!”

What is Public Relations? [Infographic]

While doing some research on how to build my brand, I came across this amazing infographic detailing what public relations is. I absolutely loved it immediately and wanted to share it with you guys.

This infographic was originally shared on PR Newswire's blog.

Catwalk & Cocktails

Last night I attended "Catwalk and Cocktails," a fashion show put on by The Fashion Group International of North Florida. I had a great time at the event, and I also got to meet a lot of great people. This was my first fashion event in the Jacksonville, FL area. I'm very excited to finally be exploring Jacksonville's fashion scene. I can't wait to attend many more.

I also got to meet a lot of great people that will definitely be useful with the success of TwoOneSevenPR. I don't think you guys understand how thrilled and excited I am about starting my own business and building my brand.

Below is a photo and details of fashions I chose to wear:

Dress: Forever 21 Faux Fur Vest: H&M Tights: Express Boots: Forever 21 Bag: Louis Vuitton Speedy 35 Accessories: Necklace and bracelet from Dillard's and Watch is Betsey Johnson

SN: I know you guys are probably wondering what happened to Curtsey Bella. Well I decided that since I'm trying to build my brand, everything I touch should have one voice. And, I guess I kind of spilled the beans on the name of my business. Yes, TwoOneSevenPR is official name. February 17th is my birthday, and I felt it was best suitable for my brand. Plus, there are not too may PR firm's with numbers as brand names. I'll be showcasing my logo and website to you guys very soon.

Stay tuned...

***Update***

I was spotted on the web (;

My President is Back!

This election was more important to me than the last one. I feel as if my vote was actually counted this time. Last election, I sent in an absentee ballot, and I will NEVER do that again.

I stayed up the entire night watching the voter count. Even though I was barely breathing at first (no seriously I wasn't breathing), I was happy to see that America agreed who the best man for the job was.

It's still astonishing to me that Florida is counting votes. I'm so happy that Florida was not the determining factor in this election because if so, we would still be waiting to know who would serve the country the next four years.

I applaud President Obama's campaign team for remaining humble during this 18-month campaign season. They did what was right to get the job done without a lot of slander and misguidance. Public relations officers can definitely learn a thing or two from this election. The most important thing being that no matter what the competition is doing or how immature they may handle things, always remain true to yourself and be honest.

I'm not really into politics, but I definitely learned lessons that will help me in life, relationships and in business.

Congrats President Barack Obama! I believe in you, and our nation does as well.

Pitching New Clients

Securing new clients can be a very tedious task, but social media has the ability to bring them right to your fingertips. Women in PR shared some great tips this morning on Twitter on how to use social media to secure new clients. They are very insightful, and I thought I would share them with you guys.

1. Statistically speaking, social media has proven to be a powerful tool for landing new clients and servicing existing ones. 

2. Whether its getting the attention of a reporter who then does a feature on a client through a FB post or getting a friend request from a stranger claiming he wants 2 hire U,or just trolling through ur Linkedin page & profile views & following up w/ an intro email,using social media accounts 2 land new clients & service existing ones cn B profitable. 

3. Always present your self professionally, even in your personal social media accounts- u NEVER know who will view ur profile. 

4. Monitor to see who is checking your profile-check their legitimacy, then send an intro email. 

5. Update and maintain your accounts and sites frequently. 

6. Increase visitors & contacts by including yr social media sites in yr email signature,websites, advertisements & on business cards. 

7. Linkedin is proven 2 B a top producer of new client introductions,give those viewing ur profile a clear idea of yr specializations. Ask for recommendations from past and current clients. 

8. Cross-connect yr blogs, twttr & Facebook accounts & have successes & updates & posts appear simultaneously when possible to reach maximum contacts and followers. 

9. Create a buzz of curiosity by viewing Linkedin profiles of clients that u would like to work for they will see that u have viewed their profiles and perhaps view yours,finding that u r just who they r looking 4. 

10. Get freelance work by sending intro messages to those in similar professions and industries. 

11. Post on-going client successes to show u are capable of producing results. 

12. Follow and friend your media and PR contacts and keep them informed of client story, photo and PR opportunities. 

13. Offer social-media directed incentives to lure new clients. 

14. Offer rewards/services to existing clients and social media contacts for referrals who become new clients; however, u need to be careful and use common sense when doing this. 

15. In meeting anyone u don't know, where there's an opportunity to gain a new client, there is also the chance of with someone u would rather not know! 

Women in PR is a great way to connect with others in the industry. Make sure you guys check out their website and follow them in Twitter. Women in PR also has an awesome summit every year, and I will definitely be in attendance to the one next year. I hope these tips help you guys as much as they helped me. Happy Pitching!

Expansion.

I never really considered myself as being a stylist, but I have always been interested in the world of fashion. I even considered design school to become a merchandiser at one point, but I'm glad I made the decision that I did.

Lately, all my friends have come to me inquiring image consulting advice. I was definitely very honored that they value my style enough to reach out to me. I styled one of my friends from the other end of telephone for an interview. Not being there was hard, but my extensive research ideas got the job done. His looked turned out amazing and he got the job. Of course, I have to give partial credit to the look I created for him because image is the first thing someone notices about you within the first five seconds of meeting.

I recently styled another friend for a party and that look also came out amazing. *pats self on the back* So after further consideration, I decided to add image consulting as a part of my business. I would like to credit myself as being stylish, all credit to the tons of magazines I have stored all over my room though LOL. I'm anxious to see where this will take me.

Oh, guess what you guys!?! I'm finally free from corporate bondage, and is free to devote 100 percent of my time to building my business. A year from now, I want to be able to look back and thank God for giving me the strength and determination for following my dreams. xoxo

Happy November!

October was definitely a great month for me. I started back blogging. I started my own business. I quit my job. Finally, I got an awesome assistant job with ex-WNBA player Rita Williams (yea I forgot to keep you guys up-to-date with that success story).

My company's logo is finally complete. The website is currently in the works. One thing I learned about myself is that I am a very picky person. I always knew this, but it was confirmed when I was trying to decide exactly what kind of website I wanted. My graphic designer is awesome, as well as patient, so I know it will come out awesome.

Tomorrow is my official last day at work even though I mentally clocked out months ago. It's sad to go, but my life ahead is way brighter!

I'm so ready to create a success story that will one day grace the pages of Black Enterprise and the likes thereof...

Meet My New Babies!

So I've been wanting a new MacBook Pro and iPad for a while now. First, I was going to wait until Christmas to buy them for myself, but I decided to go ahead and get them both now since I have decided to become an entrepreneur. I am absolutely elated at my purchases. I honestly felt like a kid on Christmas while opening and setting up both devices.

Become well acquainted with them below:

Two-Week Notice

So much has happened in the past eight months during my tenure in corporate America. The saying "only the strong survive" definitely relates to experiencing the cubicle life. As I have expressed, I am in the works of creating my own business because "cubicle life" is not for me. I finally garnered enough courage to draft a letter of resignation and turn it in to my manager today after a few unsettled circumstances happened. I feel that this is the breakthrough that I need in order to be able to dive in headfirst as an entrepreneur.

Leaving a salary of $45,000/year for the potential of my business failing within the first year is worth the risk. My biggest inspiration is Aaron Arnold, of MusicIsMyBusiness.com. He came to speak at Colloquium (one of the few times I actually paid attention LOL), and I have admired his success story from afar for a while now. All in all, he left a corporate public relations job in Atlanta to take an unpaid internship working with Diddy in New York. If that isn't faith, I dont know what is. He now owns his own company and was recently named "America’s Smartest New Companies led by people under 30,” by Inc. Magazine and has graced the pages of Black Interprise, CNN, VH1 and likes thereof.

During Sunday's church service, my ah-ha moment came when Bishop Jr. announced the title of the sermon as "So You Want To Be Great, Huh?" That moment is when I knew that I was making the greatest and best moment of my life by giving up my salary to follow my dreams.

The most important lesson I have learned during my reign at X company is that "Money does not determine success, happiness does." I have not been happier since I handed my resignation letter over. I feel as if I have broken from bondage. I understand the risks associated with my decision, but with the support of my family, close friends and prayer, I know that I will be great, and the money will soon follow.

OMG OMG!

When I tell you guys that my graphic designer is the best, she is the BEST! The sample logos that were created for my business came out FABULOUS! It was everything I wanted and more, and I could not have asked for anything better. It was so hard for me to chose just one, but through a quick poll, I finally secured the final logo design. Once it's converted to a .jpeg, I will post it up so you guys are able to join in my excitement.

I'm happy to finally be following my dreams so I do not have to spend the rest of my life working for someone that did.

What do PR girls do?

Lately, I have been asked this question over and over again while trying to pitch my new business venture to family and friends. And what I find so amusing is that after a bachelor's degree, five intense public relations internships and countless hours of studying and projects, I still have a hard time getting them to understand the role publicists and/or PR professionals play in society.

The first thing everyone says is “so you'll be working with celebrities” followed by “and planning events.”

My favorite PR girls over at NYCprgirls.com explained it best. Here's their snapshot on exactly what PR practitioners do:

• Aid in building or changing brand reputation
•Monitor media (print, broadcast, online)
•Make sure client X is presented in a positive light
•Build campaign ideas
•Brainstorm creative ways to get client X coverage
•Write pitches, press releases and unlimited emails
•Pitch, pitch and pitch
•Fact check and maintain relationships with media
•Plan editor and consumer events
•Report back to client X on PR activities

The role of PR professionals vary day-to-day, but hopefully this will give you guys a better understanding of exactly what I'll be doing as a PR girl.

Patience is a Virtue

No one said launching a business would be easy, but no one said it would be extremely hard either. I'm only less than a month in, and I've already had disappointments. Don't get me wrong, majority of everything is coming together smoothly. At least the things I have direct control over.

The next two biggest things on my list to cross off are the logo and website. While trying to find an awesome graphic designer (yes, I had to restart my search) can be tough and costly, in the end I know it will all be worth it. I think I have finally secured one who's phenomenal. Let's hope this time everything works out.

I think I'm just so anxious for everything to unfold that I often times cross-step myself. I guess I'm ready to see the end result even though the launch date is still 80 days away!

OMG, Jan. 1, 2013 get here already!

Who Am I?

I just realized that I never formally introduced myself to you guys. Below is a brief biography of myself including my experience. More information can also be found on www.KaylaOsborne.com, my online portfolio.

I am Kayla Osborne, a public relations graduate of Florida A&M University. During my reign at FAMU, I had the opportunity to obtain a total of three internships. My first internship was at The Tallahassee Democrat where I worked under the supervision of the Community Relations Department. With the help of other interns, I successfully planned four community events. I also worked at a local public relations agency called The Zimmerman Agency. As a public relations intern, my main task consisted of researching ways to help build the brands that The Zimmerman Agency represented.

During the summer of 2010, I met LaTonya Story, a sports publicist, through an alumna of Florida A&M University. Throughout my internship experience at LPS Consulting PR, I helped with the planning and promotions of charity events for Story’s NFL clients. I also was able to work alongside Story at the events, which gave me an opportunity to see exactly how public relations works outside of a corporate setting.

For two and a half years, I served as an associate of PRodigy Public Relations firm, which is a student-run public relations firm on the campus of FAMU. Under the supervision of our advisor, the associates and I have successfully promoted events, re-branded companies and served as hosts for National Public Radio 411 teen.

Feel free to browse my website!

The PR Girl Bucket List

One of my favorite PR blogs NYC PR Girls posted a PR girl bucket list, and it gave me inspiration to post a bucket list as it relates to my first year as an entrepreneur. I've created a “30 Things to do Before 30” bucket list, but with the launch of my business just a few months away, there's a lot I would like to get accomplished before the close of 2013. Some things I would love to check off my list are...

1. Launch of my brand Jan. 1, 2013

2. Increase the awareness of my brand

2. Secure at least three clients

3. Successfully give a client presentation/pitch

4. Watch a campaign idea unfold

5. Land a national magazine/blog placement

6. Successfully partner my client with a well-known brand

7. Increase pageviews on CurtseyBella

8. Increase my network

9. Involve my brand in at least one big philanthropy activity

10. Successfully put on/host a client event

Can't wait to start crossing things off!

Media Lists...Oh The Joy!

Oh how I remember putting together media list after media list during my many reigns as an intern. At first, I didn't understand the point of putting together all these long lists of media contacts, but now I have learned their true value. I still haven't grown to love composing one, sort of like how my love of working in corporate America hasn't, but I digress.

Thanks to the lovely publicists over at PR Couture my life has gotten a little easier. With the launch of my PR Firm less than 90 days away, securing an awesome media list is key. The Fashion Media List I purchased from them is beyond amazing, and it will definitely be helpful while pitching my company to potential clients.

I'm so happy that everything is starting to come together so lovely. Ahhh, I'm anxious for Jan. 1, 2013. New beginnings are awesome!!!

Cloud Nine

Who knew that one could feel like a kid in a candy store just by securing a domain name and creating your first real email address account!?! I cannot even explain how excited I am to finally be making my dream a reality. Three tasks down, and a million more to go. I'm determined to meet my 90 day goal even if that means going with little to no sleep.

The logo creations are finally in the works. I have an awesome graphic designer, and I'm anxious to see what he comes up with. Of course once I secure the final logo, you guys will be the first to see a sneak peak. I really want to reveal the name of my company, but I will save that for later. I hope I am able to keep this secret in without spilling the beans.

I have definitely expanded my way of thinking so that I could have the ability to perceive my potential even though my life has been out of balance. Thanks Bishop Jr. for helping me realize that it is indeed "my moment for a miracle."

PR Research & Strategies

...was the class I resented the most while in college. Not only does it require an extensive amount of time, it requires clear and concise ideas. As I stated yesterday, I'm in the process of launching my own PR firm. Research, as well as having a strategic plan, is the only way I will be able to have a successful launch.

Below are a few tips I've learned during my research of launching a small business:

1. Know the market and learn the competition.
2. Identify your target audience's specific needs and wants.
3. Social media can be a very effective platform to carry out your message, but may also hurt a brand if used inappropriately.
4. Networking can indeed determine one's success.
5. The Internet is your best friend, not your worst enemy.

Of course, there are a lot more, but these stuck out to me the most.

Happy Tuesday!

It's coming!

It's been almost two years since I last left a footprint on this blog. The exciting news that has brought me back is the launch of my public relations firm. Yes, I am in the process of becoming an entrepreneur! I've been employed in corporate America for almost a year now, and I have realized that it is not for me. (Even though I have always said this...at least I gave it a try.) My plan is to officially roll out everything Jan. 1, 2013. I have so much to do in so little time, but I know that through hard work and dedication everything will be completed. I'm so excited and nervous at the same time only because this is something I've wanted for years, and it's finally coming true. I'm going to keep you guys updated on my progress so stay tuned. I will also post sneak peaks to get everyone as excited about the launch as I am.