Chestnut and Corner Kitchen, partner with many local farmers, makers and vendors. Featuring local products like, jams, honey, mustard, gluten free desserts, meats, micro-greens, milk, cream, cheeses, eggs, hot sauces, pottery, and so much more is incredibly important to us. Why? Because it stimulates our local economy and it tastes GREAT!
This month we are showcasing Bright Planning. While they don’t feature anything tasty, they are an amazing boutique PR firm. Q&A with owner, Catherine Campbell! Check them out HERE!
Give us the “origin story” for your operation
I (founder and director, Catherine Campbell) have been working in marketing since 2006, right out of college, but I earned my BA and MFA in creative writing. Prior to starting my own agency, I was the marketing director for a copy-writing agency based in Charlotte. This agency wrote anything and everything for everyone…ethical and not-so-ethical businesses. It was a bit of a chop shop and stressful. When the company restructured and I was laid off, I saw it as a radical opportunity to approach the agency model in a new way, and help businesses I believed were vital to the improvement of our planet, even on a “main street” micro scale. It was a scary time. I was a single mom of a 7 year-old in Asheville where there are few job prospects in my field, so I sold our house to earn a few months runway and keep the lights on while I pounded the pavement to find my first round of clients. Within three months, Bright Planning had enough clientele to officially open its doors. This was in 2014. We’ve served eco-friendly and socially responsible small businesses ever since.
What is your list of products?
We specialize in story-driven marketing and public relations for positive impact brands on food, beverage, hospitality and lifestyle. Because our services are project driven, no two days are alike: our team may be creating social media posts, pitching media outlets, and writing a radio ad one day, then marketing a new restaurant launch, writing fresh blog content, coordinating a photo shoot and analyzing an ad campaign the next day. It’s great!
Where is your distribution range? Asheville? Regional?
We’ve always had a national clientele, but this year we decided to pare down and focus even more on our remarkable brands here in Asheville and the Southeast.
Who are the important people in your organization?
Everyone is important in a boutique agency, and we each bring something different to the table. We’re a cluster of talent, so each client account has a “leader,” then everyone else follows that leader for that project. The CEO isn’t just running the strategic vision; she’s also running across town to pick up a box of fresh business cards from the printers.
What’s next for you and your company?
We recently celebrated our first five years in business, and we’ve grown year over year. So 2019 and 2020 are going to be opportunities to refine everything we’re doing and improve upon it. The theme is “iteration.”
