Today we’d like to introduce you to April White.
Hi April , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Someone once told me, “Pick a career doing something you love to do so much you’d want to do it every day.” My answer was clear: write. So, I began my career as a newspaper reporter because my practical Midwestern parents wanted me to get a degree in something that would pay the bills. I didn’t love that then, but it was a smart move and quickly led me into a career in public relations because my “people pleaser” personality was better suited to client service than hard-to-please news sources. It also gave me an avenue to be creative in other ways that journalism did not.
I worked my way up the PR ladder in New York City for about a decade before, based on my experiences at other firms, creating the kind of PR agency I wanted to work for: Trust Relations. We doubled in revenue and size in the first three years, and just this year, the agency won its first Stevie Award for “Women-Run Workplace of the Year – More than 10 Employees.” I couldn’t be more proud of what this agency has become, and it’s been an incredible journey to get to this place.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not always been smooth sailing. Almost immediately after I started my agency, we had the pandemic, followed by an economic downturn over the last two years. As one of my mentors told me, “PR is always the canary in the coal mine for when a slowdown is about to hit since it’s usually the first budget line to get cut and the last to get added back in.” He was not wrong, I’m sorry to say, but we are getting through it and optimistic about client spending picking up in 2025.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Trust Relations stands out as a PR firm by offering an innovative and scalable approach to modern communication challenges. We emphasize trust-building by aligning authentic actions with verifiable storytelling. In other words, we tell clients they have to do what they say before we can say what they do, and we help them get there if what they want to tell the world won’t hold up against journalistic scrutiny.
With a fully virtual team of seasoned professionals from across the nation, we provide deep expertise across multiple sectors and excel at seamlessly integrating with client teams to create impactful campaigns that elevate brand visibility and trust with stakeholders.
I am most proud of the amazing team that has made this agency the best I have ever worked at by prioritizing a team-first approach that embodies our award-winning “considerate culture,” a term our COO Lana Marshall coined based on our key values.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My main advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to be sure this is the ONLY thing you want to do next. It must be something you can’t stop yourself from doing because you must be so passionate about your mission that nothing can derail or stop you. If you don’t have that level of commitment, you won’t have the stamina or ability to make all of the necessary sacrifices in your life that it will inevitably demand, and your doubts or lack of all-in-ness will likely cause it to crash and burn.
The other thing is to make sure there is a need and market for the solution/service/product you’re providing and that what you’re offering is different than anything. Otherwise, your sales/elevator pitch will fall flat, and you won’t have any runway or longevity for what you’re building. Finally, make sure you are ready to face your psychological pitfalls and baggage because it will show up in the302 team and company you create. You’ll need to navigate that carefully and with a brave level of introspection. For example, if you need to be more organized, the company will be, too. Or if you’re hot-tempered, you’ll attract those kinds of employees and clients and face multiplying versions of yourself. No one is perfect, of course, but the bigger the company grows, the more significant that mirror effect will get–and the more you’ll be standing in a fun-house mirror.
So, it’s good to be prepared to grow personally alongside your company and also want that for yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://trustrelations.agency/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trustrelations/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trustrelations
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilnicollewhite/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrustPRelations
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaFNvHWt9FyW_LnST03AhzA
Image Credits
T.J. Penton Shokunin 21 Films www.tjpenton.com imdb.com/name/nm8823674/ https://www.instagram.com/t.j.penton/ https://www.facebook.com/thomaspenton
