THE TRAILBLAZER:
Women Leaders
2021
Lexie Smith
In today’s era of globalization, where multinational enterprises of all sizes are fighting tooth and nail to manage and maintain their relationships with their customers, public relations (PR) is the key component that can prove to be the difference between the good and the great. Although not everyone can afford it, understands the concept holistically or is truly prepared for it. Hence, having noticed the shortfalls in the market’s understanding of the PR industry, Lexie Smith stood up to the challenge and decided to fill the gaps and rewrite a new definition of PR. In 2019, intending to enable motivated entrepreneurs and companies to develop & execute public PR strategies and tactics, Lexie launched THEPRBAR Inc. an online coaching brand and education platform. “I created the THEPRBAR to establish a fun and inspiring brand that specializes in educating motivated entrepreneurs on how to expand their impact, influence, and revenue through PR,” says Lexie Smith, CEO and Founder of THEPRBAR inc. and Host of the Pitchin’ and Sippin’ Podcast.
A leader with a difference
While her life was not void of adversity by any means, Lexie feels grateful for being raised by hard-working, resilient, caring parents and credits them for instilling in her the manners and life-critical qualities of gratitude, integrity, and honesty. She thanks her parents for teaching her the value of hard work which has largely made her the person she is today. On her journey to being the best in the industry, Lexie has achieved extraordinary success: She became the VP of PR and Marketing for a High 8-figure Disruptive Empire by the age of 26, has been named as the “Rising Star”, “Top 20 in Their 20s”, “Brilliant PR Expert”, and “Top Female Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2020”. She is a chief speaker on PR and has been teaching PR and growth strategies for more than 7 years. She has successfully assisted clients/companies in securing more than 200 million dollars of investor capital cumulatively and has the largest recorded client “PR-ROI” of more than 12,000% to date.
Although the route was not straightforward. Lexie moved to Los Angeles, California after college with nothing more than what she could pack in her recalled 03’ Saturn Ion. She had to have two additional jobs outside of PR to afford basic rent, and quickly learned the reality that in the city of stars, it really was survival of the fittest. On her journey towards success Lexie recalls, “I have been the only woman in a room full of men more times than I can count. I have been verbally assaulted countless times and had the very real gender wage gap punch me in the face far more than once. I have dealt with overt sexism and harassment, and more than a few situations that were far beyond morally “just”,” shares Lexie. “How have I overcome? I’ve just kept going. I haven’t stopped. I’ve picked myself up, turned to my support system outside of work when needed, and have used all that’s inherently wrong in the workplace to motivate me and ultimately rise above.” Having had her share of adversities and failures, Lexie strongly believes in ‘you’ve overcome 100% of hard days so far, this too shall pass’ theory and doesn’t let anything demotivate her. “I thrive off of physical reminders,” adds Lexie. “For example, I have a folder saved in my phone with screenshots of kind client emails. I have photos on the wall in my office displaying my awards and achievements. I save thank you cards and well wishes. Entrepreneurship is full of ups and downs - when I’m down, these physical reminders help to ground me and pull me back up.”
Having been hospitalized nearly 30-times now from life-threatening anaphylaxis, Lexie has seen death from very close and understands the value of life. Lexie considers that as an experience that has framed her attitude towards life. “It has given me a truly unique perspective and gratitude for life.,” adds Lexie. Hence for her secret to her success lies in “just being a good human!” Lexie says, “Be kind, treat others with respect and empathy, never disregard someone because of a title, acknowledge differences but honor them equally, and check that ego at the virtual and physical door. At the end of the day a lot of opportunities are born from our network...treat your network well, and success is bound to follow.”
“I have dealt with overt sexism and harassment, and more than a few situations that were far beyond morally “just”,” shares Lexie. “How have I overcome? I’ve just kept going. I haven’t stopped. I’ve picked myself up, turned to my support system outside of work when needed, and have used all that’s inherently wrong in the workplace to motivate me and ultimately rise above.”
Knowledge makes the real difference
Having worked in the PR industry for over 10 years experiencing the loopholes and the shortfalls, Lexie knew exactly what the missing ingredients were and how they had to be added into the system and presented professionally. Moreover, with the launch of THEPRBAR inc., Lexie not only marked the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey but also started a PR revolution. "This Organic Growth Program was built very intentionally to serve a need in the market I identified was not being met," emphasizes Lexie.
One of the areas Lexie noticed was that entrepreneurs lacked the knowledge of what PR truly is, how it is done, and how to make the most out of it. She says, “Throughout my career I have personally experienced that companies led by informed founders and execs prove far more successful”. Hence, Lexie designed a signature program called Pop Fizz Clink! which mainly focuses on empowering entrepreneurs to achieve extraordinary PR success and make money through it. THEPRBAR inc. programs are based around a concept coined by Lexie as “The 6 Relations of PR”. While traditional press tactics are covered, Entrepreneurs and companies in the program learn PR through the lense of “cultivating opportunities through strategic relationship building and maintenance” with the six key relations, ultimately developing a holistic strategy for growth. Today, THEPRBAR inc. offers the market a variety of “DWY” (Done With You) Virtual Programs including its signature Pop Fizz Clink! program, PRaaS (public relations as a service) training program, Client Support Membership, and more. “The programs are created to equip founders and their teams with the strategic insight and key tools needed to increase their influence, impact, and revenue with organic marketing and PR," mentions Lexie.
Creating new opportunities
Prior to launching her own program, Lexie and her team sampled and tested the existing market offerings. She says, “I felt there was a large gap between done for you services (agencies) and hands-off online courses and generic group programs. Thus, instead of trying to fit into a pre-existing mold that I didn’t feel was “cutting it”, I created option C - a done WITH you program focused purely on conversion.”
By joining hands with THEPRBAR inc., its customers gain independence and learn how to boost their brand awareness, shape the perception of the customers, gain increased credibility, establish authority over the target audience, grow their customer base, and achieve their revenue targets consistently without spending on expensive advertisements.
“Be kind, treat others with respect and empathy, never disregard someone because of a title, acknowledge differences but honor them equally, and check that ego at the virtual and physical door. At the end of the day a lot of opportunities are born from our network...treat your network well, and success is bound to follow.”
In today’s world, every entrepreneur must understand the role of PR as it will determine the level of success he or she will achieve in the market. On one end where PR increases their visibility in the market and gives them increased exposure to the right audience, PR also helps them gauge the future needs of the market. Hence, just having access to PR is not enough. Entrepreneurs need access to PR which will offer them a higher competitive edge and consistent results. THEPRBAR inc. is a perfect fit as it offers programs specially designed to offer increased scalability and long-lasting results
