The Black Lab

I’ve recently made the transition from journalism to PR, as so many before me have done. But my situation was somewhat unique, as I was a reporter covering, well, PR. (It was very meta, if you think about it.) While covering the industry, I had the unique opportunity to learn PR from the industry’s finest. Three years of lunches, coffees, meetings, and drinks with the PR industry’s smartest, savviest professionals gave me a profound respect for the profession. A respect I took with me when I crossed over.

Interestingly, once I made the decision, several PR people told me horror stories of journalists going into PR. Some said that PR people and journalists were cut from a different cloth and neither could ever be happy in the other’s professions. Well, I’ve covered PR long enough to know that these generalizations can be dangerous. The CEO of Ogilvy is former journalist, and yet, other very talented PR people have never worked a day as a reporter. Ultimately, what I think separates good PR people from the bad ones is not whether or not they’ve ever worked as a reporter, rather whether – at their core – they are communicators (rather than sales people, reporters, etc).

With that, I continue my journey reporter-turned-PR person.

I recently read Small Giants about privately-held companies that eschew lucrative offers of going public or selling to large conglomerates. Their reasons are varied but most want to retain control of their businesses, rather than having investors (most of whom aren’t directly involved within their industry) ultimately calling the shots.

The most gripping example was about the founder of Clif Bar & Company deciding not to sell his company to Quaker at the eleventh hour. According to Small Giants, the founder, Gary Erickson, walked away from the $120 million deal because he was afraid the company’s culture and core values would be lost with the sale.

I’ve spoken to several entrepreneurs about this and most struggle with the question on whether it’s a good idea to sell/go public versus remaining independent. Of course, the right answer is different for each business. But this also raises the question, do big companies rely too much of buying nimble startups, rather than innovating on their own?

Any other thoughts on going public vs staying independent?

Earlier this year, we drove down Highway 1 from San Francisco to Santa Barbara. When I looked to guidebooks for some suggested itineraries, they all suggested at least one week (but preferably two) to make the trip. We had one day.

If you are trying to make the trip in one day, here are my tips:

- Skip the 17-mile drive. The houses aren’t any more impressive than what you’d see in any upscale area and the most scenic parts don’t compare to what you’ll see on Highway 1 — for free.

- The Nepenthe Restaurant is worth the hype. But don’t bother with waiting for a table, instead grab a seat at the outdoor bar to have a breathtaking view of the Pacific crashing against the ragged mountains. Watching the humming birds do their mating drop was also a perk of the bar seating.

- You have to take some pictures in Big Sur. It’s as stunning as you imagine it.

- The Madonna Inn has a wild and kitschy Alice and Wonderland theme with hot pink tea parties. This was worth the stop, mostly because I’m a huge fan of Alice and Wonderland and tea. Of course, the main attraction is the men’s bathroom. I’ll leave that as a surprise but make sure you check out both the men’s bathrooms in the lobbies (the hidden one is actually cooler). And yes, women can go in them – just make sure it’s clear.

- We didn’t stop in Morro Bay, but we did slow down to see the rock in the sea. We learned that most Highway 1 sights can be enjoyed from the window-side by just slowing down.

And that’s about all you’ll have time for if you want to make Santa Barbara for dinner.