WOMEN ON THE MOVE:
NEXT STOP, THE 135TH STREET AGENCY
Today’s Black Woman – June/July 2006
Shante Bacon
A former well-paid marketing exec at Def Jam Recordings, Shante Bacon is no stranger to makin’ moves in the news. Bacon launched a home-based business, the 135th Street Agency, a service-based PR/marketing business, which lists among its clients her former employer, BET, and the United States Postal Service. (The firm recently attended the Inc. 500 Conference in Savannah, GA, along with the Clinton Foundation.)
TBW: What was the biggest challenge in launching this PR firm and how have you overcome it?
Shante: The biggest challenge in launching the 135th Street Agency was strategically planning the rollout of the company and how to execute the initial startup activities, like ordering stationery, creating a company press kit, getting a website created, traveling to conferences, and pitching clients. Each of these activities has a cost associated with it. At the time, I had resigned from my job and didn’t have an income to support these never-ending costs and cover my existing expenses at the same time. Luckily, I had enough savings to live off and support the company without any income for eight months. Then, once the checks started rolling in, I could finally breathe a huge sigh of relief. I was terrified throughout the entire eight-month journey to real income, but, in hindsight, that was the part of this process in which I learned the most about myself.
TBW: When you landed your biggest account, the U.S. Postal Service, what did you say or offer to them that made them ultimately sign on as a client with your agency?
Saptosa: A couple of things. First, while we were waiting for the approval of the major project with the Postal Service (the ‘P.R. Professional Experience’ – www.usps.com/communications/prpe), we did several small stamp events with them, including one during Black Music Month and one during Hispanic Heritage Month. We also helped promote the Postal Service’s participation in Harlem Week. Our work on those events established a strong relationship with the Postal Service and convinced them that we could do the job. Second, we presented a compelling case to the Postal Service that they should market some of their products to college students, especially because many college students are embracing entrepreneurship and have a need for postal products and services. These two factors led us to securing our biggest client to date.
