Inspiring Curiosity and Exploration

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in public relations services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Erin Carey, Founder, and Director of Roam Generation, located in the USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Roam Generation is a PR agency focusing on travel & adventure companies, brands, and experts from around the world.

Tell us about yourself

I consider myself lucky because I basically fell into my role. That's not to say that I hadn't taken 1000 courageous steps to position myself perfectly to take on my role, but as far as working in PR, well, that kind of fell into my lap. Let me take you back. It was 2015, and I was working for the government in a communications role. I didn't love my job, but it paid the bills and was flexible - so what more could I ask for? Note - I no longer feel this way! One evening my husband and I sat down to watch Netflix and came across a documentary called Maiden Trip. It was a story about Laura Dekker, the youngest girl to ever sail around the world. While we didn't feel 100% satisfied with our life in the rat race, we weren't looking to escape it either. But something in the documentary caused us to make a crazy decision - we would buy a yacht and do the same thing! We were not sailors, we'd never owned a boat, and we had no idea how we'd afford it - but we knew we'd make it happen. Fast forward two years, we both took leave without pay from our jobs, rented out our home, and saved enough money to head off on a two-year sabbatical. We had also borrowed against our mortgage to buy a yacht, which was waiting for us in the Caribbean.

That first 12 months aboard our boat were bliss. The kids were young, we were free, and we didn't have to work. We would spend our days lying on the warm white Caribbean sand and swimming in the aqua-blue water. We'd made friends from all over the world and would socialize with them at beach BBQs and potluck dinners under the stars while the kids would frolick like wildlings, barefoot and brown as berries. But come to the 12-month mark, I was getting itchy feet. I wanted to use my brain and develop a way to make money. Plus, if I figured it out, perhaps we could turn the sabbatical into a full-time lifestyle.

I wracked my brain for ways to make money, and I eventually decided to try my hand at freelance writing. Using the interview skills I had acquired from 20 years in the government, I decided to interview the amazing people I met on our journey and write articles about them for magazines and newspapers worldwide. Not long after, the number two sailing YouTube channel in the world caught wind of what I was doing and asked me to work for them. This was a pivotal moment for me, and little did I know that it was the start of my PR agency. My task was simple. I would write articles about them or ghostwrite on their behalf and land as many guest posts and articles as I could. I had no idea at the time that this was, in fact, a form of public relations. Now, five years on, I am the founder of the only PR agency in the world run from a yacht, and that PR agency supports my family and me as we sail around the world full-time.

My motivation is simple. Travel has been life-changing for me, so now I can promote travel companies, tours, experts, and destinations to help change other people's lives through the gift of travel. Plus, I, too, can continue to travel this big blue marble and share the joys of travel with my family.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment would have to be being featured in Forbes, not once but twice, along with a host of other top-tier publications around the world. I guess if I take it back a step, an even bigger accomplishment is that I figured this out in the first place. So many people want to work remotely while traveling the world, but I'm so proud of the fact that I actually figured out how to do it and how to sustain it. Now I run a well-known and respected agency that works with amazing people in the travel and adventure space every day. And I can say we are living the lifestyle we represent. Not many PR agencies can say the same!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

My business is not exactly your typical business, so one of the hardest things for me is balancing work and life. I work hard to ensure I am not working too hard! I'm mindful of not working so much that I actually miss out on the amazing places we are visiting as we sail around the world. This isn't easy because my agency actually provides a lot of fulfillment for me. I love what I do, but luckily we travel slowly, and I always make time for time with my kids each and every day.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Does your business idea get you excited? Is this something you are slightly obsessed with? If not, keep searching because the level of dedication required to start a company from scratch has to border on obsessive, at least at the start. And if you don't love what you do, that will be hard to maintain.
Is your business idea viable? Before you get the branding photos and spend thousands on your website. Before you even make a logo and come up with a business name, take on a client or two, even if it's for free for the first month or so, and ensure you can be of service to them. I see so many people doing this the other way around, and they have a beautiful site without the clients.
Don't underestimate the power of PR. We all think of paid media when it comes to marketing, such as Facebook ads and magazine advertising, but earned media has enormous potential, far more than paid media. Remember, Bill Gates said if he were down to his last dollar, he'd spend it on public relations!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.roamgeneration.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roamgeneration
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roamgeneration/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/roamgeneration
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roamgeneration/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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