Lucy ‘The Wern’ Werner is a PR expert, founder, author, and teacher. She set up The Wern in 2015 because she was disillusioned with how traditional agencies weren’t servicing independent businesses in the way they needed.
Today, The Wern is a PR & design shop for startups, entrepreneurs and independent brands. The business is split across products, events, courses, coaching, and an affordable agency. In the last six years, she’s worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs including Jimmy’s Iced Coffee, The Marshmallowist, and Vinyl Me, Please.
In this week’s Zoom Dive, we talked about how branding and PRing your new startup doesn’t always require big-league agencies or spending a fortune.
Key Takeaways:
- ‘My first job in publishing was at 17. I got a job and work experience. And before that, I just didn’t realise that any kind of jokes like that. And for me, it was the perfect mix of like writing and being creative.’
- ‘I love creative entrepreneurs. I love the effervescent energy of founders, especially people setting up their business. And it’s so powerful and so brilliant.’
- ‘I wanted to find a way to create a kind of service that was affordable and quality for the small businesses that went for business owners and the entrepreneurs I was meeting. So that’s when I set up one.’
- ‘I think I think when it comes to being an expert in business or being a founder, people are scared to show their real selves. Your personal brand only needs to be about 5 percent of who you are, you don’t need to show absolutely everything. Think about the side of you, you want to share.’
- ‘I don’t want to be the guy in the back office because I don’t want to be that person. So for me, however big the one ever grows again, I always have like one foot in that shop floor because that’s the part of the job that makes my heart sing. And I don’t think you can teach people how to do something unless you’re actually doing it actively day in, day out.’
- ‘I think people think personal brand means showing your personal life. It could just be that you talk about your favourite TV show or your garden or you know, what it is that you’re cooking for dinner. It doesn’t necessarily mean when you’re showing a bit of your personality.’