In Conversation with Mona Loring of Conscious Living PR & MLC PR

Describe Conscious Living PR & MLC PR in a few words?

Public Relations (two agencies, one is lifestyle and one is talent-driven).

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

Drive and a hunger for creating my own success.

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

Freelance writer.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

YES!

Take us back to when you first launched your business, what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

My business was all built on networking, I made sure to meet all the right people as soon as I could and as often as I could-- then show them what I could do. Reputation is everything.

We always learn the most from our mistakes, share a time with us that you made a mistake or had a challenging time in business and what you learned from it?

Employees are tough as an entrepreneur. One example that comes to mind is mistakes I had made in how I handled promotions and acknowledgements to keep great people happy before it was too late.

What is the accomplishment you are the most proud of to date?

I am grateful for everything but I would have to say I am really proud of my first Emmy win and being the first personal publicist to support an actor's campaign and win a Golden Globe at The CW network.

When hiring for your team, what is your go-to interview question? Please share any hiring tips you can share from your experience?

I like to know how someone handles pressure. I think that the answer is not simple, I don't look for a yes or no-- I want to read into how they are explaining their methods for dealing with pressure and stress. As for hiring tips, I believe in the quality of the employee's work over experience. I have had the best experiences with employees I hired that were amazing people who just had not been given the chance to shine, versus taking on people who had the best resume and experience.

How has your business or industry been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic?

My talent agency definitely took a temporary hit this summer. Our clients were not working and no one knew what was going to happen. In my 16 years in this business, I had never experienced such a strange halt. At Conscious Living PR, we luckily continued to thrive.

What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

I know most people believe in growing in size, for me it's just about continuing to grow in the quality of clients we represent. We want those incredible case studies to pile up!

What is the biggest lesson you have learned in 2020?

Do not follow the fear.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were first starting your business?

Oddly I wouldn't change a thing when I first started, my changes would come years later. The harder part for me was how to handle when things were in full swing and growing really quickly... Scaling is complex.

How have you managed to stay grounded this year?

I am incredibly spiritual and do spiritual work daily. Breathwork and meditation is everything.

Do you believe in work/life balance? What are some of your best tips?

YES! I think that without this balance we are no good when we show up for either. I think having a solid team around you is the key at work, and also being able to notice when you're tired or stressed and walking away ESPECIALLY when you think you can't, because that is often when you need it the most. Balancing my schedule ahead of time works great for me. I will schedule in mediation and exercise times in my day to make sure I take care of myself.

What's something our audience would be surprised to learn about you?

That I am also a psychic medium who is shamanically trained.

What are your top 3 tips to stay productive each day?

Make it fun whenever you can to avoid burnout, Rest (meditate), Use a to-do list

What does being an Entreprenista mean to you?

I think that empowering women in business is incredibly important and I think uplifting and supporting all the women around us is crucial.