🎙️ EP51: How to leverage PR to increase your credibility, authentically… | InvestHer Podcast

Welcome, welcome to this latest episode from InvestHer Podcast. I am Anne, your funding friend. And if this is your first time joining us, a huge welcome to you. If you are a regular listener, well, great to have you back. And thank you so much for sharing your time with us. In today's episode, you're in for a real treat. Because when you are a founder or a fund, you want to raise your visibility, you want to be found by the right people. And learning how to use PR in the right way and speak to journalists in the right way is an important thing to help you get your message out there faster. And in today's episode, you're going to hear lots of incredible practical tips from Andy Cooper, who is an account director at Beach Hut PR based in Ireland, and they work across the world. And she helps tech founders around the world get their messages out so that they can share their innovations and how they're changing the world on a wider basis. This is a jam-packed episode full of great practical tips. I can't wait for you to hear it, and Andy is so inspiring and so passionate about what she does. You will go away with lots of practical key tips on how to speak to journalists, how to manage those messages, and what to do, what not to do. So have a listen. Cannot wait to hear what you think, and make sure you share this with any founders or funders, people you know who can benefit from Andy's wisdom. Enjoy! So welcome everybody to our latest episode of InvestHer Podcast, and I am thrilled, thrilled, thrilled— I know I say this on every episode, but I am particularly thrilled to welcome today Andy Cooper, who is Account Director at Beach Hut PR, in the studio with us today. Welcome, Andy, how are you?

Thank you so much, Anne. I'm delighted to be here and really looking forward to our conversation today.

Me too. And I'm looking forward to the audience learning more about you. You are a powerhouse when it comes to being a fantastic woman leader in PR. Beach Hut PR are phenomenal. And we've enjoyed working with you so much. And I really want everybody to learn more about you and about Beach Hut. So let's get this started by just tell us a little bit about you. What was your journey into becoming a PR queen? Because you are. So what, what brought you your journey to come into PR?

Well, first of all, I'm very flattered. I don't think I've ever been described as a powerhouse before. So this is a first for everything, and I'm absolutely thrilled to be called that. I can be quite short and sweet with this because, to be completely honest, my entire professional career has been rooted in public relations. And what's more than that, I've actually always been with Beachopure from right out the gates after my undergraduate degree. So in saying that, I always knew I wanted to go into public relations. I grew up in a family that was involved in media. So some of my earliest memories are of me at around 3 years old in newsrooms watching Thomas the Tank Engine. And I don't know if I just subconsciously picked up on the energy. I just was always really interested in journalism from that point. So I kind of grew up a bit, and then when I was around 10 years old, I was thinking to myself, I could be a journalist. And then, you know, everyone at that age, at 10 years old, I was like, I could be a TV presenter. The world is my oyster. Because you don't know the word public relations really when you're 10 years old. But then when I was— I'm going to say 15, because if I say any younger, you'd be like, geez, what were her parents letting her do? I was introduced to a TV show called Sex and the City, and Samantha Jones pops up on screen, played by the absolutely incredible Kim Cattrall, and all I could think to myself was, that's what I want to be like. I want to do exactly what she's doing. Now, I will say the type of PR I do now is very different from the type of PR that Samantha Jones is doing, but I just, I was hooked. And that was then amplified because I went off to Fleishman Hillard for my TY work experience. I had the experience I had the pleasure of shadowing Rona Blake, and she's the managing director at Fleischmann Hiller Ireland. And I just, I was so inspired by her, and I got to shadow her for a week, see what she was doing. I just thought she was the coolest, and she probably wouldn't remember me now, but I remember her, and she always stuck out to me in my head. So I went off to Trinity following my Leaving Cert, and I did just a business degree.

And let's pause for people who know Trinity is the best university in Ireland, one of the top universities in the world. Sorry, because she's being very humble and we're not here to eat humble pie, Andy. This is the opposite. This is— I want to put the spotlight on you. And I know you're like, I don't know, I'm not a powerhouse. You are. You're fabulous. And that's why I want you to own your brilliance. Own it. So that's why I say pause. Like, she just happened to do the best and go to the best PR company in the world for a shadowing with Under the MD, no less.

Amazing. And so I went to Trinity, loved my time at Trinity, I will say that. And I was, I was in my final 2 years in COVID and I was really kind of thinking to myself like, like, you know, I need to, I need to start putting some plans in motion, to be honest. So I was introduced to Paul Hayes, who's the CEO of and founder of Beach Up Pure. And this was about 5 days out from me being finished my undergrad. And I was really just meeting up with him because like I'd heard of him, I knew he was just absolutely incredible and I just wanted to soak up 20 minutes of wisdom from him. I just wanted to hear how the hell did I get in the door. And for whatever reason, he took a liking to me and he was like, you can start as an intern. And I was like, amazing, this is— that would be absolutely incredible. And I don't know if he regrets it now because he has not been able to get rid of me. So I'm now an account director in that very same company, which is a huge testament to the type of culture that they have. And I am absolutely privileged that I get to wake up every single day and be so excited to go to work. So I've really always cared about journalism, and I think high-quality journalism is just so rudimental to our society. So any sort of way that I can play my role in getting these amazing founders to tell their stories and highlight their innovations, that's a win for me. So I get to be involved in the tech ecosystem, both in Ireland and on a global basis, and as well as—

Mm-hmm.

in media in some way. So I'm really, really fortunate.

Well, I want to say fortune and luck favors the brave and the hardworking and the bright, and you're all of those things. And I know because we've had the opportunity and the privilege of working with each other, and we're going to do more together, and I'm so excited about that. But tell us a bit more, because I love— like, your path was clear. I think one of the things what's really super inspiring is that you knew from a very early age, yes, you had fantastic role models at home for sure, but not everybody follows that. And that you were— you followed it from 3 to 10 to 15 or even earlier, knowing exactly what you wanted. And that is super. That's already a huge gift. And to make it— but okay, tell us, as we get into learning more about Bichat, we can't talk about Bichat without talking about Paul. Now you've said, like, for people who don't know Paul, how would you describe him and just his energy and who he is? Because he is incredible. People don't know He is—

he now, he is a powerhouse.

Yeah, powerhouse.

And he's so incredibly creative and he's so on the ball, but he's also the best craic. When I first met Paul and he was like, you know, you can come in as an intern, and I was thinking to myself, because I like, I had no experience really, to be honest, in PR, and I I think I met up with him and I had like pink hair at the time and I had like nose rings in and everything like that. And he was like, whatever you do, keep the nose rings and the pink hair for when you come in. He was like, this is fun. We are a fun place. Like, there's no kind of— there's no pretending with him. He really— he's so authentic in himself that he really brings that to our organization. He wants us all to have fun. He wants us all I think the last thing Paul Hayes would want is to run a standard run-of-the-mill public relations agency. I think that would absolutely kill him. So it's like, because of that, it has been such a great crack. He is a networker extraordinaire as well. He knows absolutely everyone, and he has a funny story and a fantastic story about absolutely everyone. He's He's just, he's fantastic. And I've been so fortunate to work under him and to work with the entire team at B2B2C, to be honest.

I mean, and I remember seeing Paul Hayes, oh, donkey's years ago in Ireland when he did the Startup Wake. Do you remember when he did that? That's way back when I was in, what, 2015, 2013, '14, '15, something like that. And when he was one of the first to say, okay, let's celebrate failure. What do we learn? Let's talk about the things that didn't work. What are the learnings? And his humor is infectious. And he's so smart. So well, he's so smart, and he's so on the pulse. He's got a finger on the pulse of all the trends and everything that's that's working. And then that's the first time I saw him. And then fast forward to a couple of months ago, where I had the privilege of seeing him on stage at Fierce, the fabulous event. Shout out to Lorraine Curran from NDRC. Amazing event. Fierce Founders for women founders in Dublin that happened a couple of months ago. And Paul was on the stage with Anya Kerr, and the two of them were just a hoot. Like they. They said the serious stuff, but with such generosity, authenticity, and fun. So everything you've described is him in a nutshell. And he was laughing because he's like, I'm not saying anything I was supposed to say, was I, on the stage? I didn't get all my points across. But he did and more. And so much so that I remember you were in the audience and I jumped up to see himself and yourself and Anya straight after his talk. And I said, Paul, I want to talk to you. You're amazing. Like, and I want to reconnect because I had seen him so long ago. But everything you say is true. And, you know, he's phenomenal, as you say, uber networked, uber, and just generous and kind because I went to him and I said, Paul, I have this big hairy audacious goal, this big mission. I would love your advice. What can we do? He says, right, here's Andy, set up a call and let's start talking. And then we went further. But that's just testament. He didn't need to do that. He could have told me, Anne, lovely to meet you, see you another time. But he didn't.

And I mean, like, that is him to his core. When he thinks something is worth doing, he ensures that the resources are put in place to do it. And myself and Paul, after meeting you that day in Dogpatch, we like, we had a conversation ourselves, and we were both just so passionate about what— because we were feeding off your passion for your mission, the vocation that you're on. And we were just like, we have to work with her in whatever capacity. And he's a— you know what I would say? He's a huge champion of not just women, but anyone that he knows is worth putting a little bit of weight behind. He is a champion of that. So I think— and I think that, as I said, it kind of seeps into the culture of the company. So a lot of places will put up on their website if they're hiring or whatever, they'll be like, I'm a meritocracy, and they don't mean it. Whereas in B2IT, it really is meritocracy. You're not judged on how many years you have in the bank, if you have a master's degree, nothing like that. It's people who work really do get rewarded. And he really did. He took a chance on me, but he was just— he really believed and empowered me. And that's why I've never— Like, as I said, I've been here my entire career, and I've felt so lucky to grow in such a conducive environment. And it's all driven by him. And it's also driven by my phenomenal managing director, Niall McLaughlin, who is just unbelievable.

He's wonderful as well. And again, kudos to Niall. We've had 2, 3 conversations, love him to bits as well. Very strategic, very kind, huge heart. I mean, you all are phenomenal. And I'm going to be singing your praises because that's what I want to do, because then it is genuine. from the gut, from the heart. And we'll talk more about that after. But kudos to Niall as well. Very strategic, loving all our conversations. So it's just a pleasure. But I want to pause on one thing as well. You are the youngest account director. So that is like, that is fantastic. Like normally, how long does it take somebody to become an account director in Beach Hut and in PR in general, just to put the context around this?

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I, as I said, I started as an intern when I was 22 years old, and I'm 25 now, and I'm an account director. So it was, it was, it was quick. But I know that compared to some of my counterparts in other agencies, it would take them, from my research, around 8 years to get from where I got in around 2 and a half, 3 years. And The reason why I think that's feasible in Beachwood is because we work with tech clients and we work with really fast-moving companies. So we like mirror that spirit in our approach to how we do things. So there's a lot of opportunities for growth there if, you know, you show that you're dedicated and like, you know, loyalty. Loyalty is really, really important. So I was really empowered to take hold of my career myself and put myself on the path and I had their backing and their support. And it just, it has been the most— I keep on going back to that word meritocracy.

Mm-hmm.

If I was ever in a review or anything like that, they were never like, you know, but you're whatever age and, you know, you haven't done this yet or anything like that. They were just so like, your experience has come from the fact that you've worked with these clients and worked with these at this pace. And I've been allowed to match up my career path with that.

I love it. And I think that's testament to just other workplaces to listen and learn and to see what is part of a secret sauce of a highly meritocratic, empathic, effective, efficient, and powerhouse work culture that, and of course, always comes down from the leadership. So you're talking about Paul and Niall, of of course, that comes from their DNA as well, which is, which is very important. So tell us a little bit more about Beach Hut Pure. Like, what is— which clients— you talked about the fast-moving tech, so what type of clients do you work with? And the scope, where in the world do you work?

So in describing Beach Hut, I think it's really important to go into what our purpose is, because our purpose is our guiding star. It's how we maneuver and handle every single sort of relationship that we have, be it with our clients, with media, etc., and with each other. And our purpose is to help innovative companies bring their stories and the benefits of their innovations to the world. That is really what we're all rooted in. So we work with some of the best minds in the entire world who are doing these amazing things, and they're solving problems that I didn't even need to know needed to be solved, and they're creating these services and products that I didn't even know could exist. And our job is that we get to digest all of this knowledge and we get to distill it and we get to make it accessible and we put it in front of the intended audience. So I know obviously with all the work you're doing, investment is so crucial in allowing businesses to grow. So we make sure that they're put in front of their target investors, the VCs, the angel investors, funds. So, but in order to do that, we have to take away everything they're doing, which is so complicated, and we just have to make it digestible. And we want to show not only what they're doing, but how it impacts regular people and how it's going to change the world. So that's our purpose, and that's what we get up every single day to do. So it's phenomenally exciting work. And with that, we're a global public relations agency, and we focus on the tech industry. So tech is our bread and Butter. We've been around for almost 15 years, and we were born and we scaled and grew in Dublin, Ireland. But we have our— we are a global-facing agency, and we have offices now in Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Belfast. So we have really, really good media relations with all of those geographies, the EMEA region, UK, US. So That in itself is really, really exciting. And we have a very localized approach to any of, any of those sort of works and in those geographies. So we're an all-round PR servicing agency.

Yeah.

So we do messaging, we do media relations, we do a press office, event support, award applications, media training, content creation, crisis comms. Hopefully we don't need it.

But I was gonna say that you're probably very busy at the moment with different ones like Well, we have Elon saying, let's move over to Mars, and everyone's going, what?

Yeah, I mean, like, there's a lot going on in the world that we could be doing crisis comms for. Thankfully, none of our clients at the moment need it, so that's fantastic. But we do offer it because it's just, it's really important to have. And we do tactical consultancy, and I think that's something that I always labor on is probably the most important offering that we have is that we are giving you counsel and we are really in a partnership with you and we want to ensure you're achieving the best results. So as I said, we are tech and historically we were in the startup space, but as we've grown, our client roster is a bit more of a mixed bag now. So we still work with bootstrap companies. A good idea is a good idea. We want to amplify good ideas. We work with scale-ups and we work with a few multinationals as well. So it really is different. It's— we have a very bespoke offering based on what geographies our clients want to work in, who they want to be reaching, and we really work to that more than anything else. And in terms of sectors, tech is at the core, but 15 years ago, tech would have been— I don't want to say niche, but definitely not as widespread as it is now. So yeah. with what we do, we really, we kind of work in everything now because tech is everything. So we do a lot of medtech, we do a lot of mobility, fintech, and then we also do a lot of emerging technology. So I get to work very closely with some phenomenal Web3 companies who are doing amazing things on the blockchain. And then other people work with AI. I do a bit of work with AI myself, and I just like, it's just such a fantastic growing space and like the use cases on how this is going to change everyone's life are just phenomenal. We've got people working on quantum computing, and it's just, it's very exciting. It's a very exciting time to work in tech, to be perfectly honest, because there's so much really great innovations happening at the moment.

I love it. And okay, this is the opportunity to name-drop some of the amazing clients you work for. Like, you've given us the scope, you've given us the beautiful suite of product services that you offer, and like tailored bespoke, global, very tactical, very strategic. It's both from high-level strategic to tactical. Now, name drop, give us a name of some of those incredible clients that you work for, because you do work for some amazing clients.

I'm so scared that I'm going to leave people off this list.

No, no, no, we just say this is an example of— there are so many more, and check out our website. We'll put you in the show notes.

Absolutely. I want to make it clear I'm not choosing my favorite children at all.

No, no, don't do that.

Amazing, amazing clients over the years, and I'm so— clients past and present, they've just been absolutely phenomenal. So off the top of my head, IP Telecom, which is an Irish female woman-led business by Sheena Bryn, she's absolutely phenomenal. CitiSwift, Coinbase, we do their media comms and they're absolutely fantastic. A really, really interesting space. Rent the Runway, we did work with. Mana, which is an amazing scaling Irish company. Bobby Healy is fantastic.

Tell them what they do because I discovered them in my local In Blanchardstown Centre, uh, a couple of weeks ago when I was there for the summit. What do Mana do? It's so cool.

Mana, if you had said what Mana do to someone maybe 10 years ago, they'd be like, that is absolutely crazy. That is never like— what? And what they do is essentially it's drone delivery, and you can get it in Blanchardstown. You can have your boujum delivered to you by a drone in Blanchardstown, and it's incredible. It's just, it's more effective, it's more efficient. It's going to change the world and it's going to change the way products are delivered to people and it's absolutely incredible and they're scaling at the moment and they're just absolutely phenomenal.

I was like, oh my God, you could order your takeaway and get it delivered by drone in your back garden. I'm like, what? I'm like, what? That is so cool.

It's amazing and you know, it's like, it's really just, it's so innovative and like the technology behind it is like absolutely incredible and they've got a fantastic team and they're such a good example of phenomenally successful Irish business who've taken such a great— they have such a great idea. So they're really, really fantastic. Other Irish companies that we've seen scale: Provisio, which is an accident prevention technology for cars, and they're absolutely incredible. It's run by CEO Barry Lund down in Limerick, and that team is unbelievable. They are so cool and they're so amazing, and they're They're great. We work with Refurbed in more of the B2C but also B2B space. So a lot of EnviroTech stuff, and Refurbed are really, really cool. If you are in the market to get a new phone or a new laptop or anything like that, go to Refurbed. They have really amazing offerings. It's fantastic for the circular economy. They're really amazing. Go Plugable.

Yeah.

Which is run by Mae Reynolds up in Belfast. And she is now, she's a powerhouse. I think Maeve is absolutely fantastic. I love the concept of Go Plugable. Please check out their website if you haven't, or if you haven't heard of them before, but they're absolutely amazing. They're really looking at what the problems are with the EV landscape at the moment, and they're creating a really fantastic solution. So I just, I want to, I want to give a shout out to them because I think they're absolutely amazing. Those are just a few off the top of my head. But as Anne said, please check out our website and you can kind of get a bit of a feel for all the other companies that we work with. We do also work with events and service providers. So as I said, tech is in everything. So we were lucky enough to partner with Dublin Tech Summit this year, and we work with consultancies, recruitment agencies, law firms, all in the tech space. And it's just, as I said, every day I wake up. And I am dealing with different sectors, different people, and it's just, it's very exciting.

Oh, and you know what is completely emanates from you? That's the wrong word. I'm trying to— it's like in French, the word is rayonner, which means it's like you're emitting beams. It's beaming out of you, the passion that you have for your work, for your clients. It's wonderful to see. It's not every day we see such passion and pride, because what also comes is the pride for where you work and the clients you serve and the missions that they have and how you serve their mission and amplify it globally. So it's just great to see and hear, Andy. For those who don't see the video, you can see her smiling, but really it is— you can tell the passion from her voice, and I love that. So now let's dig deeper, and can you give us an example of how you help founders, and maybe particularly for women founders? You mentioned Maeve and some others. How do you help them get visibility to scale? If you have some examples that you could share with us.

So what I want to say from the very beginning of this is that success to me is a partnership. So we want to get into the weeds with you and we want to map our public relations objectives onto what your business objectives are. So we want to be there as you grow. We want to watch you scale. We want— and that's not just in relation to funding. We want to see the expansions. We want to see the new appointments, the acquisitions. We want to see you widen out your offering. And I've been so fortunate that I've seen so many clients do exactly that. And then I get to amplify that news, which is always really, really exciting because you get to share— like, a lot of journalists, if you've been with us for a while or you've been interacting with media for a while, a lot of journalists are just really bought into your story. They want to see you succeed as well. So the small part we play in your growth, that is the most validating and valuable thing for me in my work. So I said, we— I want to see how far your business can grow, and we at Beachill, we play a small part in helping you achieve that. So in terms of 2 examples, there have been 2 fundraisers that I have seen 2 companies go on in the last year that have been long-term clients of ours, and more than clients, they've just been partners, they've been friends of BeachHuts, they've just been absolutely fantastic. So IP Telecom is one that I want to shout out because I think the telecom sector is very male-dominated.

Yeah.

IP Telecom is 50/50 down the middle, complete split, led by CEO Sheena Brain, and she is is the best craic ever. Um, not most importantly, but it's a very important part of it. And she has, with her team, her fantastic team, um, has really scaled and grown her business. So last year she did a $6 million round.

Wow.

Yeah. And, uh, from there they've been doing acquisitions, and you like— they're just a phenomenal example of an Irish success story, really doing amazing things in that market. So Because we've been working with them for a while now, I've been able to work with Sheena and the rest of the team who are equally as fantastic on thought leadership, brand awareness. And then we've been able to see, obviously, as I said, we're a very small part in the fantastic work they do, but we get to see their growth. And that's been really exciting because, you know, we were working with them for a good chunk of time before those announcements came in. So That visibility has been absolutely phenomenal. CitySwift are another example of a client that recently did a raise, and we've had long-term engagements with them. That is an absolutely fantastic business. I would recommend anyone to check them out.

What do they do? Because for our international listeners who maybe not know in the Irish market.

So they do AI, essentially AI to make buses, bus networks more effective faster and reliable.

Right.

Which, as someone who uses the bus, like anyone who uses the bus knows what the pain points of using the bus are, and their technology is helping to alleviate that. So they're huge in the UK and they work with really fantastic organizations and they're just, they're really innovative and they're amazing. And journalists love them because they are such a, again, a fantastic Irish success story who's growing And again, those are only 2 examples off the top of my head. But they're, as I said, I want to really labor on the point that it's a partnership. We play a small role in that. But when we have these long-term engagements with clients and we get to see the fruits of their labor and we get to see the journey that they're going on, that is what success is to us.

I love that. And I mean, That says a lot about you all, really. It does, that you really share and you feel part of and you are part of helping to build the success and you really are proud of your clients' success. And that's like, that's phenomenal.

A minuscule part, I will say, like we are, but all we want to do is amplify their stories and amplify what, how, what they're doing. Like in the case of CitySwift, as I said, I take the The fact that there is a company out there who's making that much more enjoyable and keeping this human-centric approach to this technology, that's amazing. Like, that's absolutely incredible. So the more that we can amplify that and show the value of that to relative audiences, that's perfect.

And like, that makes me— because I didn't know about them, and it makes both of the examples that you cited, I was unaware of because I live in France, so we don't necessarily hear all of the views from these amazing Irish, even though I'm Irish and very proud, very Irish and proud, and I'm half Spanish and proud. So happy that we won the European Cup with the Spanish side. So everybody's happy. But really, I love the examples of when you were giving those examples already was pinging off in my head, oh my God, I need to introduce them to here because I'm already thinking of, oh, I have an opportunity in this city for that company. And I'm like, like, it's just the sparks are flying in my brain going, how can I help them too? Because That we're similar, Andy, and in that it brings me so much joy to put the spotlight on incredible women-founded companies, because I believe they deserve and need access to the same opportunity to funding and markets as the male counterparts. And they're just not getting that for many multiple silly reasons that we're not going to list here. It's not the objective of this, of this conversation. But we both get the joy in putting the spotlight on that. That's literally why I exist. It's like, how can I connect those women with markets and money, with money and markets, and help them to go stratospheric? Because I believe in them. I believe in women, in what we can give to the global economy. And we're seriously overlooked and underfunded. And that's what gets me excited too. So we're so aligned in our motivations. And then that's important too.

I think particularly looking at women and amplifying their stories, I am very much of the belief that social advocacy and public relations, the intersection between them is actually really, really valuable because not only through public relations and compelling narratives do we get to highlight and champion women and their successes, also highlight the return on investment that you can make Exactly. With women. Yes, highlighting that. But you also get women being able to discuss the challenges they face, and they can do that with authenticity. I'm sorry, I can't say that word today. Authenticity. And that's so important because a woman's journey fundraising is very different to a man's journey fundraising. So I think opening up those conversations and having fostering dialogue on things like this is just really, really fundamental and it's good for the ecosystem. So any way that we can look to work with women-founded businesses and really promote them in our own way, highlighting the amazing things they're doing, that's absolutely— that would be a big passion of mine.

And it comes shining through. And I know that we're going to work together on making that happen and making sure that you get to amplify more incredible stories of women founders. So let's dive the next level down into the conversation and say, like, you are a PR expert. So what would be your key tips to founders who want to raise their profile, particularly like using PR and communications during their fundraise and after? Because you've talked about the different phases and how you accompany your clients as they grow and scale. So let's take the example of a woman founder or a male founder, but like we are Addressing a lot of the women here, what would be your key tips on how to work with a PR agency, what to do while you're doing your fundraise?

So while you're doing your fundraise, my main objective and my main— if anyone who is bootstrapping it themselves at the moment and maybe doesn't have the budget or the funds to engage with a public relations agency wants to take a little bit of advice, on, um, on how a bit of awareness can help. It's really just getting your name out there during the phrase. So you have to highlight why you're a company that's worth paying attention to.

Yeah.

So in the case of fundraising, that you want to be showing your investors why you are different from your competition and what you're doing. So look, when people Google a company, obviously they go onto their website and they see everything and they can get the nitty-gritty details, but they're also going to look at reviews and look at news articles. And what PR does is lends credibility to your story through a third party. Look, I think advertising is incredibly important because it casts such a wide net, but earned media— anyone can take out an ad, This is someone, a journalist, a third party looking at this and going, actually, these guys are legit and these guys are doing cool things. So we want investors who, after speaking with you, to Google you and be like, hold on a second, this is something that they didn't get a chance to talk about in their pitch.

Yeah.

But isn't that fantastic? And, you know, this journalist who's fantastic buys into them. So, you know, it adds that layer of credibility and that's really, really important. as people are scaling. But I am very conscious that for people who are bootstrapped, maybe that's not feasible, as I said, to engage with public relations.

Well, could— like, what would be a tip there? I mean, like, what you've just said actually was really good, like a light bulb went to my head. I said, that's bloody genius. It's true that we think, of course, we want to get in front of the journalists and we want to get the visibility, and it's to make sure that when somebody, a potential investor, Googles you, they're going to find you through these independent journalists. One tip could be like you identify who are the key journalists in your sector and then you, you reach out to them, but with something meaty. That's where I want you to kind of give us— hone that advice.

Exactly what I was going to say is if you are in your early stages and just, it's, it, you don't have the budget, what you can do yourself is that research. Obviously a public relationships— a public relations agency will do it for you, but have a look at at what journalists in your target market— so if you're looking to raise Irish capital, have a look at what journalists in the Irish media landscape cover your beat.

Yeah.

And try form media relations with them. Something I would always say to clients, and this can be done before an interview, or— and it's particularly effective post an interview— is the days of a little black book are long behind us. Journalists use their LinkedIn and their Twitter as their black book Reach out, connect with them. And you know what, particularly if you're using your own social channels and you're publishing what your business is up to and also your insights into the sector, a journalist is seeing that. And if they know that they're going to write a story on XYZ and they know you can speak about it, that you, you may just be reached out to. So highlighting that and making those organic media relations in the early stages, that's really, really fundamental. And that's a tip I would urge bootstrapped founders to maybe integrate. So reach out to those journalists. There's no harm in doing it. Do it. Obviously, you can't be selling too hard with them, but you know, you have to show that you have something to offer them. And I think that's really, really important in the early stages. Media relations is just so vital. And that's so So in terms of pre-fundraise, it's all about brand awareness. It's all about raising your profile. And a really solid way to do that is by reaching out to those journalists, seeing what they're writing about, and seeing how you can help them write the best story possible. Yeah, they're interested in doing a piece on you as well, like, perfect, amazing. So that's something I would really urge founders to do.

And I like— I just want to pick up on one of your tips there, is also to share your insights. So yes, it's like, what are the because it's so kind of— no, because you are working on a problem, a specific problem within a sector. So you're going to have very tangible insights that maybe other people are not seeing. So it's kind of identifying what's the juicy bit that they may not know and be aware about that you can feed them that's going to get you that quote, that's going to get you maybe more visibility, but actually using your knowledge. Because I think that's part of the challenge when you're a bootstrap founder is like you are time poor, you're doing 20 jobs and you don't have enough time, and you're not maybe thinking strategically about what could be useful to that journalist. So I think what your advice about carving out a piece of time and making it part of your strategy during your fundraise— I wanted to ask you a question. Who should be doing that searching and building the relationship with the journalists? Is it the CEO or somebody from their comms team if they have somebody in comms? What would be your advice?

CEOs are just so stretched for time, and like, I mean, they have so much going on themselves. Try get your— if you don't have a comms team, if you're not in a stage to have a comms team yet, get someone in your marketing department. You know, there's no point in you passing this task off to someone in your finance department. Like, yeah, someone who knows or sees the purpose of public relations in a really holistic manner and knows that this might aid in their own— in their— your own media. If you get a bit of earned media, you know, see it like that.

Mm-hmm.

Get them to do have a bit of a look and think to yourself, think to themselves, where, where do we slot in and how can we slot in effectively?

That's, that's super strategic. I love that. And I want to pick up on the point that you're talking about earned media, because listen, as a CEO, I get spam emails every bloody day on LinkedIn, even on my, on my SMSs now, like, oh, buy your page spread and we're doing the CEO of the Year and you want you on the front cover. It only costs $2,000. I'm like, spam, spam, block, report every day. What would you say to people who could get enticed with saying, oh, I really want some visibility, I don't have any kudos, should I pay for pay-to-play? With those things, I mean, I'm not with a PR agency, that's different.

I think it's case by case, to be perfectly honest. It really depends on what your business objectives are and like what your budget is. So I always say to my clients, I will never pass on a paid opportunity to them unless I think it is of value, right? I can advise strategically on that, but my, my belief is the trust and credibility that comes with earned media is slightly dampened by having a big sponsored, um, tagline at the bottom. Um, now there's a time and place for it, obviously, of course, and like, yes, There's a time and place, but, and it really, again, it depends on what stage your business is in, and it depends on what the opportunity is, because I don't want to discredit all of them, but I do think sometimes you should take things like that with a pinch of salt.

Yes, I'm glad you said it, and it's better coming from you than from me because that's— I totally agree with your point of view. Okay, you've talked about during the fundraise, the objective is to build brand awareness, to build the relationship, start building your Rolodex with the journalists who are in your sector, start getting known, being able to feed some thought leadership and get some earned media coverage. Now, when you've had a successful raise, when and how is— what's a good idea and your key tips to someone then to amplify and say, okay, how do we take this to the next level when we're scaling?

So I have found that sometimes businesses, and like rightly so, they get very caught up in the fundraising announcement because I mean, like it It's it's it's it's huge. Like it really is huge, and it highlights the journey that you're going on. And you know, it's great to give a shout out to your investors. It's great to show what you're like, where you're aiming to be, and where your own personal roadmap—not only where you've been, but where you're headed. You know? Yeah.

So I think that's fantastic.

But I would always say to all my clients that it's really important to remember that the fundraise press release. is not the be-all and end-all.

Yeah.

What's really important is how we leverage off of that. Um, we always say it, there's only so long you can talk about yourself, um, to the media before, you know, that's, you know, that's mum and apple pie. Um, and if you're only talking about yourself and it's only ever your name in the headline, people lose interest. And like, at that stage, the only person that's reading that is Yeah. So we want to then take and leverage this news because like, look, black and white, it is news. It's great news. And journalists love reporting on a good news story. But what we want to do after that is be able to point to that, show what you've done, and then insert you into industry discussions on where the sector is heading. So really what comes after that is the thought leadership piece. Anything else, they're like, we want you to be giving interesting insights. We want you to be talking about your sector or the future of your sector because no one knows your sector like you. Yeah. And break through the noise. Like, particularly, like, you look at the space, like the AI space. Yeah. Online to a publication every morning, the first 3 stories in the tech section are going to be about AI. You want to cut through the noise? Tell them something interesting that is rooted in fact. is rooted in data that you have, that you give and highlight how much you know. You are at the forefront of this innovation. You know where the ball is going to hop. We just need to insert you into those stories to highlight that.

Love it. Super strategic advice. I love it. And I think that's going to be super helpful to our listeners who are listening. And even also, if we flip it and say, Andy, what would you say to funds who are raising funds? Because funds are also in that situation where they need to raise their profile when they're raising a particularly if it's an emerging fund manager, a new team doing the first fund, fund 1. Would you have, would you have any nuances for funds on how to raise brand awareness on their part of the journey? And then after they've closed the round, their fund, they've closed their first fund, any nuances for them?

Very little nuances for them, to be perfectly honest. It's like, look, every client, every fund, anything like that, it's obviously very, very bespoke. But the formula is kind of the same, to be honest, in that like you need to be highlighting what your value is, why this fund is different, and why this is worth paying attention to. Then obviously you kind of lean into your own expertise. So even if the fund is new, the people behind it most of the time have like these incredibly storied, varied careers and expertise that they can lean into to raise the profile and the awareness.

Love it. Perfect. So So now let's zoom out. What's the best way to partner with a PR agency to get the best results? Because I think that's also good tips for founders because it's like the first time they talk with tech people and developers. If you're a non-tech founder, you know, those conversations can go right way or wrong way. And it's great to give some tips on how is the best way to work with a PR agency. So what would be your key tips on that?

The first thing I always say to any prospective client when we're kind of— we're in the stages of, you know, we're close to coming to a handshake— is success is a two-way street. We want our relationship to be as collaborative as possible.

Yeah.

And I'm a comms person, but my belief is the most important communication for me to have is with a client. I want honesty, clarity, and I want you to feel like we are part of your business and you can come to us if you didn't like something or you want to see more of something. Yeah, I want that honesty because that's how you get success. Moreover than that, it's really handy for us to have almost like a 2-way newsfeed. So if you're seeing stuff in your sector that you're like, actually, I know we didn't talk about this early on, but I'd love to comment on this, send it to me.

Yeah.

And I can see what I can do. Vice versa, if I see something and I'm like, look, I know maybe you don't want to talk about this, or maybe it's not— maybe it's kind of going a little bit off track from our strategy, but I think this would be worth commenting on. I think something I labor on a lot is when a lot of people kind of believe that when you're engaging with a public relations agency, it's like a press office. And it's—

yeah, that's why I want us to get clear. This is not the same.

Yeah, it's not the same. And like a press office, you know, there's a lot of value in press releases, but a press release gives you the details, it gives you the basics. Nothing tells your story like you. Like, no one can tell your story like you. And moreover than that, what I want in a relationship, and I hope all my clients want, is counsel. I want to be able to give you advice on, I think you should say this, and I don't think you should say that. That's going to resonate here, but don't say it there. So we're really, really strict on that. Um, in terms of how we actually work with clients to ensure that all makes sense is we really do a deep dive into your business at the very beginning, which is our strategy session. It's about 2 hours long, and we take every single thing you've said and we really get into the nuts and bolts of it, and we take it away, myself and the team, and we distill it and we create a messaging document. And that is your Bible. It's the basis of every single press release to make sure everything is aligned. The last thing I want to see is different articles saying different things about your company. We want to make sure everything is making sense, and that's for your briefing documents. That is everything. But moreover than that, we will do media training with you because I want to ensure that you are really comfortable speaking with media about certain things. And we want to make sure— there's a quote from a movie called Uptown Girls And like, this is like a movie with Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning in it, and it has nothing to do with business or PR. But Dakota Fanning, who's like 5 years old, and it says that, um, fundamentals are the building blocks of fun. And it's something that I take really seriously, even though it's a 5-year-old movie, in that the best way to have a strategic partnership is getting all the fundamentals down from the get-go. So making sure you're messaging is solid and you like it, like, and you like it, I think is really, really important. So making sure that you're all singing off the same hymn sheet and making sure that we establish what type of relationship we're going to have early on. I think that's how we get success because we're your partners at the end of the day. We don't want to see you crash and burn at all. We want to see you grow and scale and your technology go to whoever it needs to get it. We want to see that. So in order to make sure that we're doing that, we want to get off on the right foot from the very, very beginning.

And I think so that's important for people who didn't hear the distinction between a PR agency and press office. So tell us, what are the basics of what the press office will do? Because what you're describing is true partnership, true strategy, clear clarity in messaging, but also being very strategic on who you share the messages with and making sure that they're all aligned so that whenever anybody picks up anything about your company, it's saying the same story, and they're not going to get a weird version in some other, some other medium. So what would— what, just to clarify for those who don't know what a press office is, what's the difference between what you've just described and them?

Press office essentially just writes and just sends them out, fires them out. There can be little to no context. Yeah, press office. Yeah, and it doesn't give you the full suite of offerings that a PR agency can give you, which is like, it's something that I've been thinking about a lot recently with the rise of AI in marketing functions, is that technically speaking, AI can write a press release, albeit not a very good press release.

Yeah.

But if companies are trying to cut down on costs and they're thinking to themselves, I want PR but I don't want to spend a load of money on hiring a PR agency, I can just write the press release myself and send it out. That's essentially like— obviously there's a lot more thought to put into it by a press office. If you are using AI to do PR functions, you're missing out on the event applications, you're missing out on the media training, and you're missing out on that consultancy. So what we offer is a much more holistic way of dealing with communications, and I think that's really important.

Yeah, and I think that's testament to, like, it's very important to clarify that, particularly for everybody listening, because we can get them all mixed up, right? And I think to the heart of what you've described is the power of the relationships that you build with the journalists, with different media partners, with other industry partners, with your clients. At the heart of everything you've described is relationship. It's not just fact. And just like having somebody writing a PR release and a PR statement and then just pinging off an email into certain kind of websites that ping it off to all the media, that's like they don't— they're not choosing strategically where it goes. Or they might, they might say, I'm being strategic, you should be here, here, and here. But what I, you know, what you're talking about is much more refined. And that's where I want to to kind of share a little bit of how we partnered together on InvestHer Summit, because it was the first time we brought InvestHer Summit to Ireland, and it was just fantastic to work with you and the team— all-women team, I must say, because Andy brought together an all-women team to help with us, um, to work on, on press in Northern Ireland and the Republic. And what was really wonderful, it was just like, from my perspective, was, yeah, the clarity. Very quickly, you were to say, like you, you did, you questioned to say, okay, what's InvestHer Summit? What are the objectives? The blah, blah, blah, got all that, and you distilled it down and said, okay, you were able to say, right, these journalists are going to be a right fit for this reason, XYZ. And also given timing, let's strategically think, where do we do it? And how do we do it? So once we got that clear, you were amazing. We had a clear strategy. We worked and you said, okay, Anne, here's, here's what we need. Here's, get some quotes, do this, do that. And you were like, okay, this is going to go to these people when. It went and we got the press and it was amazing. And, you know, and podcast, etc., etc. So I can attest from the very brief first interactions we've had working on the Investor Summit that it was just a joy to work with you and the team. The professionalism is there. What you're hearing from Andy, it is not a show. It is authentic. It is exactly what you hear is what you get.

Yes.

Um, and it's very close partnership, and I've enjoyed our partnership conversations as well with Niall, um, and yourself. And it really is about building something together, and you do feel— I did feel part of the team, and I said, oh my God. And what was amazing was I didn't have to— like, it was utter trust. And I want to say, not like blind trust in the positive sense. It's like I would follow Andy and what she says and her team anywhere because I trust, and I know what she did and how she did it. That trust is there. And it was just beautiful to be able to say, okay, brilliant, I give you what you need, you get it to where it needs to be. It appears then in the media, and then we share. Hello, happy days. Wonderful. And it's just a joy. So from having experienced that process, I cannot recommend Andy, Beach Hut PR, and all the team, because we work with Northern Ireland team and the Republic. And, you know, I'm sure we'll do stuff with other parts of the team moving forward. But it was a joy, and and I really mean that sincerely. So if you're listening to this, really consider and you say, "Oh my God, I want to partner with people who get it." And not only that, she's got a big beaming smile, but it's true. Like we're on a mission to also support women founders and funds who are doing this. So like we want to we as in B2B PR and Global Investor. We want to be able to amplify you, and that's why I don't choose. I don't choose to put anybody on the podcast. podcast. It's strategic as well. It's because I only have guests that I believe in, that I know the same way you just described in and how you amplify the founders. Those are the— all our guests are chosen with care and because of what they're doing, who they are, who they're serving, and the message that how that's going to help the world and help other women founders, what we're trying to do to close the funding and access to markets gap and more. So I just have to say a big thank you because it's been a joy and I'm looking forward next phases with you, but it's really amazing.

Well, I want to take this opportunity first of all to say how just drawn to your mission and your passion I was, and that's why from the bottom of my heart everything you've said there is so reciprocated, and really, really enjoyed playing a very, again, a very small role in anything that we get to do together. So I think I think when I met you, I was just so excited by this because, look, it's something that I know myself when I open a newspaper is that I'm like, I would love to see a few more women. It's when I go to events and I see panels or manels.

Yes.

And it's just men. And I would— I'm like, oh my God, you're missing out on all these insights and you're missing out on this perspective. And any way that we can even the playing field and get those women's voices out there, that's really— it's a passion of mine. And going back to why that's such a passion of mine as well is like, I went to Alexander College in Milltown, Dublin. For people on the podcast who aren't familiar with Ireland, it's an all-girls secondary school. And I grew up up in— I don't want to call it an echo chamber because that's not true, but I grew up in this environment in which I really firmly believed that women could do absolutely anything because like, why wouldn't we be able to? And that was so to my core, something that I believe because I got that in Alexander College. And I— my former principal, Barbara Annis, who's still there now, um, and I just, I adore her as well. I remember her saying before that she wanted to not raise, but she wanted not only good girls, but girls who lived good lives. And I thought that was so incredible. And there's been so many amazing women come out of Alexander College. And I, as I said, I grew up—

And you're one of them, Andy. You're one of them.

And I really just, I, because of that, I really just believe that like women could do anything. And then you kind of go out into, I don't want to call it the real world, And you just suddenly are— you're kind of not only seeing men's stories, but a lot of the time it's a lot of men's stories. And I'm like, oh God, I saw so much, so much value in what women were saying. So like, let's kind of bring that along with me now. And I'm like, I'm out of Alex. Oh my God, years now.

Like years.

Yeah. years, like 8 years now. But I just think that always stuck with me. And then hearing you speak to me, that passion that I had and that belief that I had suddenly all came back to me. And I was like, this is something I just really, really believe in, and there's a way that I can help, so let me just do that. So I will say that you were an absolute pleasure to work with, and we set up interviews for yourself. And this is actually what goes back to the point I wanted to make about A press release is great because it has all the information down. It had all your speakers down and it had all the, all the basic stuff. Yeah, all the facts. But what really was effective communications was the fantastic interview you did with Kathleen Galler in the Business Post. And following on from the event was you sitting down with Joe Lynham on Newstalk discussing the event, setting the scene for the next few events to come. come. That's where the real value is, because your passion and your authenticity, you can't make that up, and you can't read that off of a press release. But your passion lifts up off the page, and it was just absolutely fantastic. And you are a phenomenal spokesperson, not only for your organization but for women as a whole. So absolute pleasure to be working with you, and looking forward to continuing doing And I think that—

and thank you for saying all those things. And right back at you. And that's, I think that's where we are super joined, because you've just explained and showcased exactly what you described earlier in this podcast. And that's what you're saying, that it's so important for all the founders. That's why I'm just turning around and saying to all the founders is to showcase your true person, who you are, not a persona for the media. Be authentic. Show your passion. And it shines through in all of those things. So let's wrap this up and say, what would be your top key things, your key dos and don'ts when doing PR? Quickfire round. Key dos, key don'ts.

I'm going to try to keep this really succinct. But the main thing is I want people who maybe again can't invest in a public relations agency. I want to give them tangible insights about what they could do with their Facebook media engagement. So going back to what you just said there, there. Take the opportunity for what it is. It's an opportunity to tell your story. It's very easy when you sit down with a journalist going, I have XYZ that I need to say about my business, and this interview is not going to be good unless I say that. You know what's equally important? Have a bit of personality in there. Have a bit of color. Be yourself. And with that, remember that journalists are humans, so treat the engagement as you would meeting with a client. What I mean by that Journalists, you don't have to go in there and be stoic. You can be warm and friendly with them. There's a line. What I always say to my clients is, the journalist is not the girl that you met in the bathroom of the nightclub when you had a few too many drinks. That's not who it is. I love it. Don't do that. Yeah, but yeah, but like, you know, you don't have to go in there all robotic as well. Be warm. Women are so often just such great storytellers, and they have so much natural performed. Don't feel like you have to shirk that just for the sake of a media interview. It's, it's, it's not worth it. It's— you want to build up that relationship. There's 3 key Ps I want to run through, which is practice, prepare, and perform. So practicing is you doing like mock interviews and thinking to yourself, if you're brushing your teeth at night and you've got 30 seconds and someone asks you, what is your company, what would you say in a 30-second slot that you would maybe use for radio versus a 3-minute slot that you do on a podcast. How would you break that up? Practicing and doing mock interviews with like family members. So last yesterday evening, like I do comms, I media train people all the time. Last night I got my boyfriend who has nothing to do with comms to ask me potential questions that might come up today. And you know what, he had loads of feedback for me because he was someone who doesn't know the space going, you need to be clearer on that and you need to be clear on this. And it's something that's so important You might know all the ins and outs of your business, but the journalist doesn't. You have to remember who you're speaking to. And then following on from that, prepare the same way a journalist, if they've agreed to interview you, has looked into your business. I would ask you do the same about the journalist. Know what they cover, know their beat. Don't go in there blind because you're not doing yourself any favors and you're not doing them any favors either. And then the last P is perform. And that's, that's how you do it. That's your media interview.

Yeah.

Really good. I apologize, I know I'm zooming through these now.

No, it's good. Take your time. I don't want to rush it either because, you know, we're not on this, on the second note, because this is super, super important. Practice, prepare, perform. Off you go, next.

And then be a thought leader when called for and a salesperson when needed. If you're going to an interview with a journalist and they're talking about something that's going on in your sector and you're suddenly trying to plug all the benefits that your staff You're not going to be like something niche like that. That's not going to be picked up in the piece, and you may be cut from the piece entirely. So take the opportunity, let the content— let the opportunity drive your content and not the other way around. So know exactly what it is that you need to be hitting. And then it's really important to remember, this is just a very practical tip, everything is on the record. Please remember that. But off the record and on background— off the record means that they can't use anything that you said and they can't say who you are. On background means that they can use what you said but they can't say who you are. And I'm letting people know that for technicality's sake, neither of those things are legally binding. Please remember that absolutely everything you say to a journalist is on record.

Mm-hmm.

They're like— you could be saying— an interview could be wrapping up and you could say something off the cuff to a journalist and suddenly it's in the headline. Yeah, you have to be so careful about that. It's something that I, I am a very cautious person. I would say my clients are actually like, they're sick of listening to me be like, please don't say anything that you don't want anywhere. If you are unsure whether or not you should say something, picture it in the headline. If you don't want it there, don't say it.

Really good advice. Yep.

So those are the dos. Now I'm going to go through a few don'ts. And this, I know this is something that we kind of already touched on, is please take our counsel. And we, there's nothing we want more than to give you coverage. Like, PR professionals get a hit off getting you coverage. We are results-driven people. We are fast-paced, we're effective, and we are results-driven. If we say to you, I don't think this is going to get what you want it to get, please do just take our advice on it, even if it's annoying to hear.

Yeah.

Just because you think something is— something going on in your company is of interest, and it might be of interest to you, you can't assume it's going to be of interest to media. Sometimes what you're giving belongs in a blog, and sometimes it doesn't belong in a press release. And that's really really important to know from the get-go. And I think that's really important for startup founders who are looking to kind of raise their profile to remember is that like, is this actually really of importance widely or do I just think this is really important? And just knowing the difference between those is really, really vital. Also in tandem with everything is on record, I beg this of people, please don't mention any news that a company that you are not ready to have formally announced. So if you are speaking with a journalist and you're doing like a profile interview and you suddenly slip out, you know, like, we just actually acquired this company, and like, you know, the writing isn't even dry on the contract, or if it's not on the contract at all, you have opened up huge problems for yourself. So we would also— cadence of announcements. If you're doing a profile piece, let it be a profile piece. You don't have to make it some acquisition news because you're just scooping yourself. And then also, don't disclose any sensitive internal matters. Um, don't tell the journalist that you hate your co-founder if you hate your co-founder. Just don't do it. So I think those are my, like, practical tips, both that you can take if you work with a comms agency or if you don't. So those would be my practical tips.

Amazing. I mean, such important things. And I think that sometimes the founders, they get so excited, oh my God, I've got an interview, they don't think strategically exactly what you've just said, that they know what you've got to say, remember who you're talking to. Again, I think that's also a thing that I really loved when we were working together is you gave me a brief about the journalists before each of the opportunities, and I knew about them, I could read them, and I had questions in advance. And did we do all the questions?

No.

But we like what you've prepared for this. I prepared for it, so I knew that I'd be ready for any of those questions. And of course, journalists are always going to throw you a few scuds that you don't prepare for, and you just kind of run with it. And I was like, you know, I had a couple of those, and I was one— I was laughing with the journalist, and he says, oh, like, yo, I didn't think you were going to do that. I said, well, of course I'm going to do this because I'm going to, you know. So like, I am going to name drop this particular name because it's a big name, so I'm going to try. And he was laughing at me, and I said, yes, like, yes, of course, why wouldn't I? You know. So, but it's really, I think, thank you for that wonderful counsel on your dos and don'ts. So recap, take the opportunity to tell the story, be yourself and have personality, practice. So the 3 Ps, practice, prepare and perform. And like do the mock, like practice and prepare. So know, be ready, your key tidbits, the key information that you need when it's ready for. I love, like this is gonna be a hook in your show notes, be a thought leader when called for. A salesperson when needed. Fabulous. That's a fabulous one. And let the opportunity drive your content and know what you need to hit. That's super important. Everything's on the record. Be super careful what you say and what you don't say because journalists also want to fill in the blanks. They will also be going with. They have radars, people. If you don't think they do, you're being naive. So you do. If you have a bad day and you're not in the right mood, change your state before you get in that meeting because they are going to feel it and feed off, and they'll say, "Oh, that's a grouchy person." Da da da da. Or it'll— it will flavor your thing. So, and thank you, like, I really love your don'ts and making sure to like take heed. If you are paying and working with a PR agency, take their advice. Like, it was great because you were able to say, Anne, like, here is going to be good for now because the timing's right, and here is not good because the timing's right— not right. And I said fine, and I literally, as I said, I followed you blindly with full trust because I knew that you know what you're talking about. And I think that's important as well. Um, but I love, like, it's very practical advice. So what's your favorite resources for women founders when it comes to maybe just PR or comms or any of, any other kind of tips on this matter?

So in terms of just resources in general, I'm going to say, please, if I presume people know all about Global Investor if they're listening to this podcast, but look at Global Investor, it's fantastic. I think in the Irish landscape, I do think Tech Foundry is fantastic. I think they're fantastic organization. Yeah, I am based in Dogpatch, and I said because of that I'm biased, but NCRD is absolutely amazing.

Yeah.

Anything Dogpatch is amazing. If you are a founder and you want a community and you want access to resources, go look at Dogpatch. Like, they are absolutely incredible, and they offer so many networking events, they offer so much learning and development, they offer mentorship. They are phenomenal if you were an early-stage founder. And again, Irish, I really love Enterprise Ireland. I think they're an absolutely phenomenal organization.

Brilliant. Love those resources. Agree 100 million percent with all of them. And how— what's the best way to contact you, Andy, and Beach Hut PR? How do, how do people who now have fallen in love with you say, oh my God, I need to work with Andy, I want my story out, I want my messaging out, I want Andy and her team team of fabulous women, because we're, we're just got— they're not just— they've got fabulous men at Beach Hut as well. But how do people reach out to you?

I will actually take this opportunity really quickly to say massive shout out to my incredible team. It's primarily a female team, and they are a team of women, and they are amazing. They are so much better at this than me. I just am lucky enough to get this opportunity to speak about them, but they are incredible, and I adore getting to work with them every single day. So the best way to reach out to me and get to meet some of this fantastic team is if you reach out to me on LinkedIn. My name is, just a reminder, it's Andy. It's very rare that you find a female called Andy, so I should pop straight up. Or you can go to our website, which is www.beachuppure.com, I think. But if you just look up BeachUp Pure, it should pop up, and there's Relevant email addresses there, and we'd love to have a conversation with you.

Amazing. Well, look, thank you so much for being on this podcast today with us, Andy. It's been a true pleasure. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. You can tell the passion that comes from what you do. You are— you have a bright future. You are building a bright future for yourself, for Beach Hut, but also for all the companies that you accompany and for your team. So keep trailblazing, Keep being a powerhouse. And I am giving you an open invitation. Let's do another podcast episode next year, and we'll see what stories we can share about what's happened since, because I know there's going to be great stories of other founders that you can share of that you've accompanied and partnered with on the journey. So I'm giving you an open invitation now. Let's do this again next year sometime and just do a catch-up to learn more. But thank you so much for being with us today.

Thank you so much for having me.