Profiling Sam Howard, founder of The Comms Crowd
Asah Adolphe joined us for the month of July 2020 as an intern. Many of the team were involved in giving her some experience of different aspects of our work. Sandra Vogel, head of tech content and working journalist, volunteered to guide Asah through conducting and writing up an interview.
The process involves several skills, including:
- Researching your subject
- Working out interview questions that will get you the answers you need
- Crafting an article out of what you learn
Below, you can read the result of Asah’s interview with our founder Sam Howard.
It was never about PR at the start
It has been eight years since Sam Howard started The Comms Crowd, and it has never been more successful than today. She discloses everything in this interview, from her favourite procrastination habits to her greatest career achievements. She even admits that her initial career plan was never to work in PR.
Earlier in Sam’s professional journey, she did not consider PR as her future career path. Indeed, she resented the suggestion when her boss provided it. We now know that the software CEO had the right idea. His encouragement led her to where she is today – the head of a thriving comms agency.
A new breed of communications agency
As the creator of a ‘new breed of communications agency’, Sam’s main responsibilities were ensuring the company was healthy and financially balanced with happy clients. As she emphasises, ‘good enough is never good enough.’
Her determined mindset filtered through every response she made to my questions and accentuated why the company and her professional career have been such a triumph.
The key to developing an efficient team
When asked about the key to developing an efficient team, Sam explained that each member must be articulate, maintain a technical understanding, and exhibit an interest in their role. All three contribute to smooth business sailing. After all, an enthusiastic team builds the foundation for a successful, prosperous organisation.
In any professional field, every individual is guaranteed to face hurdles and experience failure. Sam acknowledged that to fail ‘is how you learn to become better at what you do’. I could not agree more. When I queried the award-winning writer on the topic of failure, she confessed that she had failed numerous times, which is understandable when you have twenty-plus years of experience in B2B tech PR.
She recalled one unpleasant experience when she was relatively new to the industry and was approached with a role in the city that she was unprepared for. Honoured to be chosen for the job, she ignored the required skill level and was devastatingly inadequate. However, she added that headhunting is common in the industry, so it is tempting to take a role you are not yet qualified to fulfil.
Sam’s greatest achievement
As much as it hurts, failure can open the door to success. Sam’s professional experiences reinforce this, as she has accomplished much during her time in the industry. Her greatest achievement, she claimed, was her having the incentive to start the Comms Crowd. In 2012, traditional work environments made it mandatory for employees to work in offices for long hours. Even getting a 4-day week or working one day a week from home was frowned upon.
Sam decided to go against this model entirely and set up a fully virtual agency with no office and none of the overheads (so no extortionate agency rates). Sam has been able to manage a dynamic, efficient, and professional team that operates from various locations across the country.
The determination and passion that built a tech comms agency stemmed from Sam’s desire to collaborate and work with people she respected. She recognised early on that it was unfair for the PR industry to have impractical expectations of its mainly female workforce. She aimed to embrace these expectations and create a flexible, supportive environment. Sam is adamant that “your personal life, family, and pets are as important as work. Anyone who thinks differently is kidding themselves.’ Clearly, staying true to these values is what inspires her drive.
Challenges are plentiful
Sam was not reluctant to shed light on the challenges she has encountered in her career. She revealed that when working in PR, “It is vital to learn how to adapt. Every client is unique, and getting it spot-on with a client can be tricky.” However, this doesn’t deter Sam and her team from reaching their goals and ultimately impressing their clients. In her view, the most rewarding element in her role is witnessing her team blossom and how they manage to impact their clients positively.
The Chief Storytelling Officer went on to describe her typical day. I must admit it is very productive, considering she works from home, but it is a routine she has evolved over the years of running The Crowd.
She gets to pick her working hours, which begin at 1 pm and end at 7:30 pm. Sam clarified that she is in “deep concentration” during those hours. However, she starts her day at 8:30 am when most people are commuting to work. This allows her to get an early start on her domestic tasks before taking her dogs for a walk. After that, she normally gets in some exercise, such as Pilates, swimming or cycling.
A perfect yet quirky coping mechanism
Maintaining a successful work-life can be stressful, especially you’re a company executive. Nonetheless, Sam has the perfect albeit quirky coping mechanism which she describes as “very calming”.
*Drum roll*…
creating spreadsheets!
Yes! It is multicoloured spreadsheets that relax her after a demanding day at work. I guess everyone needs a stress reliever.
Before conducting this interview, I realised that Sam is ardent and committed to encouraging the next generation of talent. I asked her for any advice she could offer a young person considering a career in PR or the media industry. She responded that individuals who wished to pursue a career in Media and PR must have a ‘strong work ethic’ along with determination and an understanding that the industry is fast paced. She also stated that the person must consider their skills and mindset, as the industry “is competitive and changes like the landscape”.
In this interview, Sam shared the concise mental abilities needed to be successful in the Media and PR world. She has shown us what it takes to be a part of the industry and the positive, resilient, and tenacious attitude one must possess.