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Networking - how to make the network work!

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Emma Jones talks to Louise Leadbetter, Founder of a new form of PR agency that relies on a network of home-based professionals.

New life. New business

Louise Leadbetter sold her successful PR business 8 years ago and relocated from London to Wales to start a new life and a new form of PR agency. Having since moved to Shropshire, she continues to run Honey PR and service major multinational clients, from the comfort of her home office.

Honey PR is made up of a network of PR professionals who are, in the main, women who worked for large agencies, became Mums and decided to work part-time from home.

The company’s model is described on the website as:

“Honey believes in the power of networks. Our approach is based on the belief that we can achieve far more working collaboratively than we can working on our own”

And it is a model that is receiving a welcome response from clients including Audi, Kodak, Cafedirect and Mars Inc.

Making the network work

Louise does have some top tips for anyone who is considering starting their own network business:

• Recruit people who have been referred by someone else in your network. Nothing counts higher than personal recommendation when it comes to hiring new talent.

• Put strong project management skills and systems in place. Louise has hired a dedicated project manager who ensures the right professionals are on the right job and delivering results to the client at the right time.

• Offer one voice to the client – the company uses Miss Moneypenny as a service that provides just one contact number for the client.

• Implement a ‘buddy’ system – when ‘Honey’s’ are recruited, they are matched up with a buddy who can guide and help. This is important when the distributed network of Honeys are not working together in one office.

Hiring Honey’s
Louise is constantly on the look-out for PR talent and for professionals who would like to work part-time from their homes. If you have the skills and inclination to work from home, please contact Louise via the Honey PR website or the Enterprise Nation Community channel.

Emma Jones is the editor of the homeworking website Enterprise Nation.

Posted March 15, 2007