Amanda Lacey is the founder and director of POPCOM, a PR and communications agency. With a passion for good story-telling, a level head and a genuine interest in business, Amanda loves to strategise and talk about growing brands. She assists organisations with positioning, messaging and publicity. Her success comes from combining her practical experience growing her agency, with her network and industry knowledge.
The POPCOM team, like Amanda, is known for initiative; they are motivated, diligent and passionate about getting clients the attention they deserve. Through developing appropriate strategies to create an image, control the message and ultimately grow business, POPCOM deliver.
For more details, visit their website here.
Here we sit down with Amanda to learn more about her journey as an entrepreneur.
Q: What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Amanda: I was inspired to become an entrepreneur because I’ve always had a passion for strong storytelling, and a good knowledge of business. Not many people realise just how much of a difference you can make when you strategically articulate your positioning and messaging. That’s always been something I’ve been good at, so knowing that I can create my own business and help others was a no-brainer.
Q: How did you get started?
Amanda: I started out in 2013 when I was at home with an 18-month-old and a baby. I have always enjoyed working and though I loved being a mum, I also wanted to continue my career. To do that, I really needed more flexibility (a true pioneer of the work-from-home revolution) so I started consulting. All I really needed was a laptop and a phone to begin. I leveraged my industry knowledge and network that I’d cultivated for more than a decade working in corporate spheres and grew my portfolio surprisingly quickly. By 2014, Popcom was a registered company.
Q: What was your biggest startup challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it? What did you learn?
Amanda: As mentioned, when I began I had very young children, and had a third child thereafter. Balancing being a mother and a business owner has always been challenging, but the rewards from both far outweigh the downsides. I was lucky that PR is an industry where you can work at any time of the day, so I had some ridiculously early mornings and late nights where necessary to reach deadlines. I wouldn’t have it any other way and the biggest lesson overall is to always trust your instincts!
Q: What is the most memorable thing you’ve done since you started your business?
Amanda: There have been so many moments in the last ten years but the most memorable one actually happened this year, when working on behalf of the Community and Pharmacy Support Group (CAPS). We held a peaceful protest on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra, which garnered a lot of coverage and publicity (both positive and negative). Pharmacists attended that day’s Question Time afterwards. They left/were asked to leave along with the MPs who were speaking passionately about CAPS’ cause. It caused a stir in the media! They aren’t allowed back into Question Time any time soon, but sometimes loud publicity is needed to help make a change.
Q: What is one book you recommend, and why?
Amanda: The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I think everyone should give it a read at least once to remind us to appreciate what we have. I also really liked Becoming by Michelle Obama because it was really honest.
Q: What are your top 3 favourite online apps, tools or resources and what do you love about them?
Amanda: Canva is indispensable for creative design, Isentia is great for PR professionals to measure results, and Teams has been great at keeping my team connected and collaborative since the pandemic.
Q: In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?
Amanda: I’d like to continue adding to the long list of brands that have achieved success with help from myself and my team. Helping other entrepreneurs shape and live their vision is the goal.
Q: In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?
Amanda: Embrace hard work.
To keep up to date with Amanda and her journey, connect with her on Instagram.
