Watch the rest of the interview by clicking on the link below.

Part 2: A chat with Barefoot PR’s Plotkin and Hogan

Embrace change…begin today…surround yourself with good people…surrender your fear…feel the brightness of being alive…take flight toward your dreams…WEAR RED SHOES…believe in possibility…be brave.

Just over a year and a half ago, I made the decision to take a leap of faith. A giant, risky, leap of faith to leave a job where everything was seemingly in place – everything except a clear vision of where I was headed – and start a business where truth and honesty were the foundation for our work. While the last 18 months have been a combination of emotions that included fear, excitement, worry, sheer joy, and hope for what’s to come, I have never once looked back.

I believe that this willingness to take risks has embedded itself into the culture of Barefoot PR. We encourage our clients to be honest with themselves and with their target audiences – and always think outside the box when it comes to making a positive impact on the community.

We started Barefoot PR with a vision for what Public Relations could and should become – a holistic approach to establishing reputational capital through positive community involvement and brand awareness. Making your mark on the world doesn’t come from a cookie cutter approach. You have to take risks and try new things, and believe in the possibility of what may result. Playing it safe and implementing the same tried and true strategies just won’t cut it anymore.

I encourage each of you to follow the advice of the wooden angel that inspires me to take risks each and everyday…and with spring officially here, I’m starting today off taking one piece of advice by wearing a new pair of red shoes! There really is something about wearing red shoes – and if you want to find a pair of your own, consider our favorite shoe store in Boulder – Two Sole Sisters. Taking a risk of their own, the Tate sisters founded this amazing little shop a few years ago, and never fail to offer the best shoes around in many shades of red!

Visiting with Laurel Tate (center) - owner of Two Sole Sisters, and one of our soul sisters!

A chat with Barefoot PR’s Plotkin and Hogan

The Colorado Collaboration Award not only acknowledges successful nonprofit collaborations, but also strives to create a platform for ongoing dialogue around best practices, challenges and opportunities as a result of collaboration within the nonprofit community.

Last year’s award winner, the Northwest Colorado Community Health Partnership (NCCHP), consisted of six organizations: Colorado West Regional Mental Health, Independent Life Center, Yampa Valley Medical Center, Northwest Colorado Dental Coalition, Routt County Department of Social Services and the Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association.

From sharing funds, to joint processes and group consensus on decisions, NCCHP is a true collaborative. The overall goal of this partnership is to “develop a sustainable, regional network of care.”  Key ingredients cited in this collaboration were the mission-focused nature of all six partners, group trust, embedded roots in the community in which it served, high-level commitments from dedicated staff, and impactful results.

As stated by Renny Fagan, CEO of the Colorado Nonprofit Association (also a collaborative partner of this award), “the partnering organizations truly combined ideas as well as resources to achieve tremendous results for the residents of Northwest Colorado in a way that they could not do working independently. And as a result, the community health network in this area was greatly improved.”

The call for entries is officially open, with the winner to be announced at the 2012 Colorado Nonprofit Association Fall Conference in October. Applications for this award and information on how to support funding are available at www.coloradocollaboration.org. The deadline for application submissions is April 17th, 2012, by 5:00 pm.

Get out there and collaborate!

We encourage young lawyers and those interested in sharpening their networking skills to join us on March 27 for a fun evening filled with tips and tricks for better networking…oh, and drinks will be served!

The cost is $25, and space is limited to the first 40 registrants. To register, click here. We hope to see you on the 27th!

Food for thought from today’s PRSA Colorado media roundtable discussion. The Denver Post’s Curtis Hubbard advised PR professionals to remember how quickly content can be reported – even if they don’t yet have the whole story.

How has digital changed your day-to-day? And how do you advise clients to react?

As the New Year kicks off, we are grateful to be working with a few nonprofit organizations that speak not only to who we are as a company, but also to who we are as individuals. Our work with Alliance for Sustainable Colorado fills our long-time passion for sustainability and environmentally conscious actions. We look forward to helping this unique organization navigate the media marketplace and raise their profile as the hub for sustainability in Colorado.

In addition to our work with the Alliance, we are excited to work with Young Americans Bank, assisting them with integrating their mission and history into communication surrounding their 25th birthday celebration in 2012. And adding one more nonprofit to our list of clients, we recently jump-started the 2012 Dream House Raffle for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. As public relations consultant for the organization, we will work to raise awareness of this signature fundraiser.

And last but certainly not least, we are excited to announce an ongoing partnership with Fascination St. Fine Art. True to who we are as a company, we will be working with the Denver-based art gallery to develop an ongoing philanthropic element for the business to include charitable events and partnerships that speak to the personality of the business and its owners.

This roster of clients speaks to our dedication to community involvement. Each of these organizations is committed to positively impacting the community in their own way – and we look forward to helping them increase that impact.

Earlier this month, outdoor clothing company Patagonia became the first company in California to change its legal status to a “Benefit Corporation” (B-Corp)  As a B-Corp, Patagonia has elected to prioritize the interests of their workers, society and the environment over financial profits.

Bold move!

According to Environmental Leader, a B-Corp is a new type of corporation legally required to:

1) Have a corporate purpose to create a material positive impact on society and the environment.

2) Redefine fiduciary duty to require consideration of the interests of workers, community and the environment.

3) Publicly report annually on its overall social and environmental performance using a comprehensive, credible, independent and transparent third party standard.

As the first widely known U.S. company to transform into a B-Corp, Patagonia is paving the way for other socially-conscious companies across the country to follow suit. So far, there are six states that have passed legislation to allow for benefit corporations: Maryland, Vermont, New Jersey, Virginia, California and Hawaii. Five other states are still pending, including our very own Colorado!

We will definitely be keeping our eye out for that piece of legislation in the coming months. What Colorado company do you think will be the first to take the plunge?

For more information on Benefit Corporations, visit http://www.bcorporation.net/.

1)   Don’t overthink the little things.

They say when you have a gut feeling it’s usually right, but that doesn’t stop us from analyzing and over-analyzing our thoughts. After all that extra thinking, we sometimes end up more confused with no decision made.

This year, we will have lots of decisions to make, especially as a growing PR firm. We’ve already made it this far by sticking to our guns, so we will continue to do what feels right and not second-guess ourselves.

2)   Try something new every week.

One of our favorite Friends moments is when Phoebe visits Ross at his new apartment and brings along a few house-warming gifts, including salt. She tells Ross that he needs the salt so that his life will always have flavor.

This year, we’re cutting back on the sodium, so we will add flavor to our lives by trying, making or doing something new every week. If you do the math, that’s 52 new experiences in 2012. No more stuck-in-a-rut moments for us!

3)   Patience, patience, patience.

Hmm…this one always seems to be on our list of resolutions. As PR pros, we are always moving quickly and trying to cross things off our to-do lists. All of this hustle and bustle can make us feel a little edgy, especially after a long day of meetings, deadlines and last minute to-do’s. And often, we bring that attitude home with us.

So this year, we PROMISE to take time to chill out and remember that everyone goes at their own pace and has their own way of doing things. Life is too short to move too fast.

We have a good feeling these resolutions will help us to make 2012 great. Let us know what you resolve to do this year.

One of our jobs as public relations professionals is ensuring that spokespeople understand how to present themselves to the media. Whether it’s responding to a crisis situation, or simply answering a few questions about your company, here are a few cardinal rules for communicating with the media.

1.    Know what you want to communicate.

Before the interview, prepare no more than three main points to deliver to your audience. Any more than three, and your message becomes complicated and hard to follow.

 2.    Know how to phrase your main points in a clear, consistent and concise manner.

You don’t want to leave it up to the interviewer to interpret your message because this can result in a skewed representation of you and/or your company. Be as straightforward as possible.

 3.    Try to express your main points in the first three minutes of the interview.

Getting your key points across sooner rather than later helps to avoid your message being lost in the conversation. With people’s attention spans shorter than ever, it’s necessary to capture their attention while you have the chance.

And remember, practice makes perfect. If you have the time, write down your key points and practice likely questions with another person.