Meet Jodie Booras

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jodie Booras and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jodie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process was two-fold. I was thinking about how I can help brands in industries I am passionate about and how I can help agencies.

Being able to approach and work with clients who share my values and work in industries I am passionate about was a significant impetus for going out on my own. But I knew there was also a gap in the agency world that I was about to leave.

I spent the last seven years of my career before starting my own business, working at various PR and SEO agencies. I learned a great deal during my time with these agencies, which helped me reach where I am today. However, one consistent downside I observed at every agency I worked for, as well as at others, was that employees consistently had too many clients.

The typical agency model presents significant risks for agency owners when it comes to hiring. Although all agencies would like clients to sign contracts for a year at a time, this is not always the case. Clients come and go for various reasons, often beyond their control. So when it’s time to sign a new big client and your current team is already at capacity, it is hard to justify investing the time and money into hiring more employees for “just this one client.” The downside is that one client turns into two, which turns into four, and so on. Now, your powerhouse team is doing their best to keep their heads above water until the agency finally hires the new employees they have been promising.

This realization led me to understand that there is a considerable gap that I, as a public relations consultant, can help address. I can be a partner to agencies in these situations and can onboard immediately to fill these new client needs. If that client goes away, the agency is not left with a full-time employee with insufficient work to justify the salary and benefits.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I founded Kaiona Communications in 2023 to help brands elevate their public image. With a background deeply rooted in strategic communications, blended with strong digital and traditional PR, as well as marketing and SEO tactics, I bring a unique holistic approach to brands looking to build awareness and trust in their industries. Kaiona Communications excels in media relations, helping brands stay relevant, even when there isn’t “news,” while also deploying various tactics such as securing speaking engagements, writing award nominations and bylines, boosting organic social media relevancy and more.

There have been many wins over the first year and a half, but one that I am particularly proud of is what we were able to achieve with our non-profit animal rescue client. In the first 10 months working with them, we were able to help them surpass some of their main goals of increasing adoptions, funding, and new volunteers. All very critical pieces of a non-profit.

There are many contributing factors that helped get me to where I am today. First, of course, is the abundant knowledge of the public relations landscape I have been able to obtain during my 15-year career. Additionally, having a great support system of mentors both within my industry, and in completely different industries has been incredibly helpful.

It was, and still is not easy, but that’s okay! I have always loved a good challenge, especially if it’s something I am passionate about. When a new challenge arises, I approach it with as much information as I can and try to think about all possible scenarios.

I have learned many lessons just in the first year and a half since founding Kaiona Comms, but a few stand out.

First, no matter how easy it might be to send 50+ cold, templated emails a day to potential prospects, there is no way to replace genuine, targeted outreach. It is a much better use of my time (and the people I am reaching out to) if I do a lot of research up front, so that if and when a discovery call happens, it is productive for both parties.

I have also learned that as much as I love PR and elevating my clients brands, I need to make time to do it for Kaiona Comms and myself as well. I think this is a fault of many PR pros. We spend so much time getting our clients names out there that we forget to dedicate time to doing it for ourselves.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Fortunately for me, my best friend visits me from New York probably a few times a year, so I have gotten pretty good and creating itineraries for South Florida.

One of the first things I always do, especially if someone is visiting for their first time, is take them on the water taxi through Fort Lauderdale. This is such a great way to see a lot of the fun and cool things many visitors want to see without worrying about driving multiple places, looking for parking, etc.

Some of my go-to’s include starting the day with a workout at Takeover Fitness. Then the rest of the day can vary from getting in some quality beach time, to strolling the Riverwalk on Las Olas, to happy hour at El Camino, grabbing a drink at my favorite dive bar, The Parrot Lounge, or taking in the views at Escape Rooftop.

I also like to give visitors the option to head down to Miami to checkout Calle Ocho and get some authentic cuban food, and of course a cuban coffee! Another option I will present depending on the time of year is a bike ride in shark valley to see the famous Florida gators! It’s also hard to beat a good day trip to the keys to check out some great bars and restaurants in Key Largo/Islamorada, or if they are a diver, get some dives in.

There are endless favorites I have in South Florida and I have never run out of things to do for any of my visitors (or myself).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people in my life that deserve credit for the success I have achieved so far, but I would say one of the most impactful has been my business mentor (and uncle), Rick Lehrer. Rick just recently retired after many years of building and growing a highly successful life insurance company in Manhattan. Although public relations is not a field he is familiar with, he knows and understands what it takes to succeed in any business, and this is the type of guidance I need. He has been instrumental in providing honest, constructive feedback and advise, as well as recommending great books to further my knowledge.

Additionally, I don’t think I would have had the confidence to take the risks that I did starting my own business if it were not for my husband, and the rest of my family singing my praise. The support I get from them day in and day out is absolutely priceless, and keeps me going, even on days where I am convinced that I am failing.

Website: https://www.kaionacomms.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaiona_comms/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodiebooras/