This Entrepreneur Built a Cosmetics Startup, Sold It, Then Founded a PR Firm Jessy Fofana co-founded a company that was eventually sold to Ecko before building a PR firm while freelancing.
By Jen A. Miller Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In this video, Entrepreneur Network partner Jen Hacker of Toast Meets Jam interviews serial entrepreneur and La Rue PR founder Jessy Fofana to discuss her experience as an entrepreneur.
Fofana sold her first business, Femme Arsenal, to Ecko when she was 27. Right out of college, she and a friend began making lip balms in their kitchen. This fun hobby ultimately turned into a full-blown business once they saw its potential. Fofana was on the marketing and PR side, while her partner was on the design end. The duo began production and advertised their brand and the offers began rolling in. One key factor to their success was publicity: creating a catchy email pitch and sending it to the right people in media.
After selling the cosmetics company, Fofana began a corporate career in PR. After only a year, however, she began freelancing. With a child at home and another on the way, Fofana freelanced for three years alone, growing her contacts and gaining referrals. Eventually, she needed extra hands. That's when she launched her boutique PR firm, La Rue PR.
Although most of her entrepreneurial ventures were not intentional, Fofana believes that one of the most important aspects of starting out is publicity and marketing. Knowing where you need to be and who you need to contact to get there is key to the success of a small business.
To learn more about how this serial entrepreneur built her businesses, click play.
Watch more videos from the folks at Toast Meets Jam on its YouTube channel here.
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