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INTERVIEW WITH LENA HUNT OWNER OF CELEBRITIZE YOU
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| Lena Hunt |
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| Lena Hunt |
PROFILE OF LENA HUNT
Born with a God-given creative drive that she can’t explain but uses extensively, Lena Hunt started writing, painting, illustrating and doing all things creative since the day she could handle an ink pen and paint brush. Her creativity then flowed with Internet tools. Lena Hunt provides online and traditional marketing and advertising to promote you and what you do. From content writing to press releases, PR services, social media networking management, content, photography, and videos, Lena Hunt PR services tell the world about you and what you do to. She has 13 years experience in online marketing.
London Guru: Tell our readers about yourself and your background in a nutshell.
I was born in Vietnam, moved to the States at a young age, lived in the Caribbean, and now in Florida. I can remember doing all things creative since the day I could toddle around. Oil painting, gardening, cooking, sewing, writing, sculpting, you name it, all things creative was granted to me. I can't explain it. I don't try. It's just what God gave me. My first two majors in college were Fine Arts and Business Administration. Then I went back for Health and Wellness. Now I'm studying Internet Technology. Yet I'm a writer by main profession. Go figure {laughter}. Seriously, all of our experiences and education can be used in all areas of our lives.
London Guru: By tradition, entrepreneurship, a game of risk and chance, used to be the exclusive domain of the male population. Do you think that has changed in the current business climate?
Absolutely! I believe that, overall, women have always been better at multitasking as our brains fire on both hemispheres (the right half with its creativity and the left half with its logic) yet due to cultural reason such as traditions, beliefs, etc. females didn't always enter into the game of risk and chance called entrepreneurship. Or at least we didn't play it wholeheartedly or was it promoted and accepted as it is today. Females are blazing a new path in this current business climate and in fact, probably leading the way.
Lena Hunt - Celebritize You!
London Guru: Tell us briefly about your 2 businesses Lena Hunt PR and Celebritize You and what services they offer?
Lena Hunt PR is thirteen years old. I created this business after having to ask many businesses and individuals to send me their photos, press releases, and information so that I could promote them. What I received were poorly written articles, PR, badly taken photographs so I decided to go on location to get the materials I needed and create them without the need for a third party. Off to exotic islands, luxury resorts, backpacking in the mountains, and living life like the locals, I set off with camera, journal, and pen in hand to create the writings and photos that I needed. Lena Hunt PR is the all-in-one shop that used the Internet (way before many knew what the Internet was) to promote others. I was blogging before the term blogging existed. I remember being told by many that my writings aren't real because they weren't print and manuals. Well, as I kept focusing on reaching editors and my target audience via the Internet, I did get published in books and magazines but it was the Internet that kept soaring that has helped Lena Hunt PR celebrate a 13 year old birthday.
Lena Hunt PR
Lena Hunt, last on the right at Tampa Bay Fashion Week { Having a blast w/ designers & fashionistas at Tampa Bay Fashion Week's Model Behavior Soiree waiting on supermodel Chery Tiegs}
London Guru: What was the inspiration for starting Celebritize You and Lena Hunt PR? What motivated you?
Same as above but also I saw so many people trying to promote themselves but didn't know how. Also self promotion back then seemed to give a negative image such as, "Oh, he must not be for real since he's promoting himself." But now self promotion is fine overall, it's just many don't have the time or the know-how.
London Guru: What was your biggest challenge when setting up your businesses?
I'm the "build your plane while its already in flight" type of person. I will jump off the cliffs of Acapulco and then ask, "What the heck am I doing?" while I'm nose diving toward the waters beneath those cliffs. My team keeps me more level-headed. But that's also the beauty of entrepreneurship. My biggest challenge is finding people who can work online from their remote locations who will take working online seriously. To sum it up, finding self motivated, disciplined people who I can add to my staff and to find those who are humble enough to understand that they have to offer top quality work at very affordable prices so that I can continue to keep my rates low.
London Guru: What’s the best part of your job?
Where do I begin on this one? I get to help others make their passion their profession. I get to promote others. And I get to work online from home (or from the top of a Hawaiian island) for myself! And the boss can't fire me either!
London Guru: What do you think sets apart Celebritize You and Lena Hunt PR ?
I believe 13 years in the business sets my businesses apart from the others. Many people are jumping on the PR and marketing bandwagon now but I believe that since I grew up with the Internet, my clients are able to get what I've learned from tried-and-true, sweat-blood-and-tears experience. Also, I work with people's budgets. I know that a start-up business or individual or even a big name corporation turns to online and on location promoting such as what I offer to save money without sacrificing quality. Celebritize You and Lena Hunt PR eliminates or reduces the middle man such as the expensive tv ads and radio ads. Also, I try to stay a year ahead of the market.
Right now I'm getting clients on the first page of Google and at the top of that page as well as doing all kinds of mobile marketing where they can be appearing on smart phones and mobile devices such as iPad. Plus I'm still a "Mom and Pop Shop". I get up each day, roll up my sleeves, work hard and smart, try to find a way to help people do things better and more efficiently. I understand real life. It's about being real. I'm not going to pretend that life isn't tough. I have three children and two step kids ages 14-21. I know what the daily struggles of juggling everything. Things can get crazy yet always, always amazing. I know that my clients can appreciate this because I know and appreciate their daily struggles as I live through them myself.
From L to R Lena Hunt with Zhanna Kens, fashion designer for champion figure skaters,
Dancing with the Star,and Prestige Award
London Guru: Who is your typical client? What do they look for when seeking your services?
My typical client is someone who works hard to get their name and product/service out to the world yet needs extra help with their PR, marketing, social media, and website content but doesn't have the resources to hire a big firm. Nor do they want to. They also want someone who keeps in direct contact with their fans, friends, and followers on a genuine basis and not an automated system. Basically, my typical client wants an extension of him or her.
London Guru: What has been your most exciting moment in your business career?
The most exciting moments have been how I started - traveling the world and meeting amazing people from all walks of life. One particular moment was when I was covering a resort in Palm Springs. They led me through a secret part where celebrities come and go. It was amazing to enter where no one can spot you. Then I stayed where three other huge names spent their holiday and got to hang out with some of the world's TOP A-List Celebrities.
London Guru: How do you think the internet and social marketing has revolutionised the business world?
The Internet and social marketing has revolutionised the business world because it has given everyone leverage. It has taken this round world full of hierarchies with its big titles and closed doors and leveled the playing field, if you will. Where and how on this planet would you otherwise see a teen in his basement tapping on the shoulders of, say, the CEO of Forbes Magazine? Through LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter, that's how. How else would an unpublished writer turn out to be featured on an interview with Oprah? Through the Internet and social media marketing, that's how.
London Guru: What well known personality do you admire and why?
I admire CoCo Chanel as my life was very similar. Although my childhood fine details were not similar to hers such as she was forced to be a young play thing for a wealthy man but I, too, had to grow up pretty quickly and raised my brother and sister, practically. Yet like Chanel, I turned to creativity and stay focused regardless of grim situations. Sewing, artwork, gardening, cooking, canning, baling hay, straight A's in school, all those were outlets for me. So even in the midst of what would otherwise seem like a setting for a very dim future, I turned to my passions to keep the family going and to create things that I loved which always turned into business ventures as well. In fact, hand sewn fashion for my sisters and me and eventually for the home was my thing for many years. That's the similarity to Chanel. Another one is I really don't let much influence me. I care about others but I'm not swayed by what they say as far as allowing anything discourage me or cause me to be insecure. I'm too driven. Every passion of mine turns into something that I can assist others with and in turn, my colleagues and clients can all prosper from passion-into-profession.
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| Coco Chanel |
London Guru: What are your 3 top tips for becoming a successful business woman?
· Know the business of your business - take care of the not-so-fun parts of your business such as book keeping, business plans, spread sheets, etc.
· Get good people on your team - Create an inner circle of people and allow their expertise to assist you.
· Don't try to wear too many hats. In trying to save money or keeping control, you'll lose sight of what you do best and no one wins this way.
London Guru: What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your career that you know now?
Probably to get degrees in marketing and writing. {Laughter}. What I would have done was to know the business of my business first. I had the creative part down naturally. It's laying out the business plan, spread sheeting pie charting, all the un-fun parts that are so necessary.
CelebritizeYou.com video description by Lena Hunt
London Guru: Where would you like to see Celebritize You and Lena Hunt PR in 5 years time?
I'd like to have processes in place that will make my businesses more automated and integrated so that I can focus on even more quality. I have a decent system now where, for instance, I have someone who does the research, someone who does the summarizing or rewriting, and I handle the creative writing and more complicated writing assignments. I would like to see systems in place that allow each process to be handled more quickly and efficiently. Then my staff and I can focus on the more creative parts such as video creation, events production. I'd like to see less time spent on the tasks that can be automated such as initial project and quote requests, creating social media accounts, etc. I'd also like to get more people on board where I can step back and allow others to gain experience and income while I focus on training them and also to create more businesses.
London Guru: Is there something in your life that you have yet to do and would love to pursue?
I want to spend a summer in Europe just painting, drawing, writing and of course, learning a new language and eating my way through different countries.
London Guru: Finally, how can people get in touch with you if they want your services?
They can get in touch with me through my two email accounts or via skype
lena@celebritizeyou.com info@lenahunt.com Skype: lena9875
CelebritizeYou.com by WeUTubedU.net
{all copyright Celebritize You & Lena Hunt PR}
