What: Advertising/public
relations firm
Who: John Galbraith of Twin
Partners Inc.
Where: Rochester, New
York
When: Started in 1996
Start-up cost: $50
It was the birth of his twins that sparked John Galbraith's
desire to start an advertising and PR firm. When the babies were
born premature, Galbraith realized that no challenge could match
that harrowing experience. He left his job as a senior account
executive at an ad agency and filed a dba for Twin Partners
Inc.
Bartering with an ad agency landed him in a warehouse where he
worked rent-free for two months. When he moved down the hall to a
one-room office for $200 a month, his office was robbed the second
day. "All I had was a computer and a phone, and they stole
both," recalls Galbraith, 36. He used technology and the best
equipment to keep overhead down. For instance, he put commercials
online for clients to view in real time rather than shipping them
out. Though he was saving, Galbraith still dressed professionally,
believing people want to work with those who look successful.
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The business brought in $150,000 in sales the first year, and
last year, Twin Partners shifted its focus to PR, increasing gross
sales to $2.5 million for 2003. With buyout offers from two major
agencies last year, it appears Galbraith was right about breeding
success.
-April Y. Pennington
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