Everyday PR

At last count, octuplet mom Nadya Suleman had gone through two publicists in a month.  Not a good record by any standards.

How many PR professionals does it take to represent octuplets?

When your paycheck is signed by someone other than you, you’re expected to represent whatever you’re assigned.  On both the profit and non-profit side, I learned that some clients/bosses don’t actually want to know what you think – you’re just there to either make them look good or enhance their job security.  Not all situations mirror this, but enough to make me go out on my own.

As a solo practitioner, I have the luxury of being able to pick my projects, which begins with much research, referrals and due diligence.  Although this doesn’t necessarily equate to luxurious revenues, it does mean that I have a say-so in whom and what I represent, and I’ve yet to experience any death threats.

So why didn’t Suleman’s no-charge handlers conduct the appropriate due diligence before taking on such an enormous task?  I’m unclear as to how working for free on such a global, time-intensive project could be beneficial to a small business owner.  I’m interested to know the number and type of discovery sessions were held prior to any agreement for representation.  And I’m curious about whether the staff resources even existed to handle the scope of work.  As small business owners, we typically work on many projects every day, and we must give deliberate thought to our choices.