Engagement of any kind typically starts with, “Hello.”
That’s how Hello LLC, an Engagement Agency, got its name and how partner Allison Peltz, ’06, has approached business for the past four years.
“We’re not just PR; we’re not just social; we’re not just SEO or events,” she said. “We look at the target audience and say: Who are they, what are their interests and how does it make sense to engage with them? One of the first things you do to introduce yourself to some- body is to say, ‘Hello.’”
Peltz has been part of the small-by-intent agency since its inception. She spent almost eight years after college working for large- and medium-sized agencies in Northeast Ohio. But she was ready to try something different when one of her former bosses, Michelle Venorsky, approached her to come on board as a partner to help grow Hello LLC.
“We know what it’s like to be part of a big agency, but we wanted to approach and build our business in a different way, where both Michelle and myself would be heavily involved in each client with the team,” Peltz said. “We can approach the clients we want to and consult the whole team when we pitch a new client to gauge their interest. When we work with potential new clients, we are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing us.”
Hello LLC currently has about 30 national and local clients across industries, including consumer goods, home improvement, health, beauty and wellness, and food and beverage.
As an agency partner, Peltz puts her public relations expertise to work – and also dabbles in accounting, human resources, information technology and more.
“When you own your own agency ... the difference is, you become everything to everybody in the office,” she said. “The biggest thing we’ve learned is that it really makes sense to have smart people around you, including lawyers and accountants because you encounter new challenges every day and need confident sounding boards you can trust.”
She also regularly reminds herself to take a step back from day-to-day work.
“From working on new business to supporting current clients and managing the team, you have to remind yourself to take a step back and say, ‘OK, what’s the vision? Where do we want to be in three years? Who do we want to be in five years?’” she said.
As a Kent State student, Peltz said entrepreneurship wasn’t necessarily on her mind, but she took full advantage of professional development opportunities offered within JMC, and that helped set her on this path.
“Whenever a professional came in and talked to our program, I just made sure I was there,” she said. “I don’t think at 18 to 21 you really know what you want to do – or at least I wasn’t 100 percent sure – but I think if you have a passion and acknowledge the passion, that kind of lays the foundation for what you do later in life.”
As featured in Jargon, 2017 | Learn more about JMC alumni leaders.