Laura Borgstede
Laura Borgstede is the owner and operator of public relations firm Calysto Communication. Calysto is a marketing communications firm that focuses on building brand recognition using content services, public relations, and social media for the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud, mobile, wireless, and telecom industries. Her firm is considered the best in the IoT and 5G industries.
Discovering PR
Her journey began in the great state of Missouri, where she lived until her family moved to Jacksonville Beach, Florida, when she was twelve. A successful woman raised Laura and gave her the tools she needed to achieve her goals. Her mother worked in the newspaper industry and was a productive reporter, eventually becoming an editor. Laura admired her mother and wanted to pursue a career in writing one day, just like her.
This passion fueled Laura’s desire to start reporting in her high school years. She began writing for her school paper, where she found a love for telling stories through the written word. After high school, Laura attended Florida State University where she pursued a degree in Public Relations, leveraging her love for journalism and media relations. She even interned as a sports journalist for a time in college.
It was in her college years that Laura took a more in-depth look into the career field of journalism. She was surprised to find that writing or editing for newspapers and publications did not make much money.
“I wanted to write, but there is no money in writing for newspapers or publications anymore, and that’s when I discovered public relations,” said Laura Borgstede.
This discovery pushed Laura to begin looking at other careers in writing. While taking classes, she began to hear about the public relations field and decided to investigate it further. When she found that you can tell stories with writing as a public relations practitioner, this convinced Laura to stick with public relations.
“PR offered me many of the same attributes that journalism does, and you get compensated well for your work.” - Laura Borgstede
Starting In PR
“I always knew I wanted to have my very own something.” - Laura Borgstede
For as long as she could remember, Laura has ever had the dream of owning her very own company. It didn’t matter what direction her career took her. She was determined to make something of it. Laura’s choice to switch majors to public relations turned that dream, of course, into founding Calysto Communications in 1999.
Before she could go out on her own, Laura needed to gain re-world experience and learn the ins and outs of how a public relations firm operates. The first public relations firm to hire Laura was Crescent Communications, which eventually would be acquired by Ketchum. After working there for a while, she moved to PRsocket, now owned by Blanc & Otus. Both of these firms provided public relations services in the technology industry that Calysto Communications is now a leader in, It's no wonder why Laura became an expert in the IoT and 5G trade.
Anyone who owns a business, whether big or small, understands the trials and tribulations of building an enterprise. While working for PRsocket, Laura was given a unique opportunity to establish a new branch of the firm in Raleigh, North Carolina. She negotiated a two-year contract with her boss that positioned her to leave the company after the establishment of the new office was complete. After that, Laura would go from the firm accompanied by two clients, given to her by PRsocket.
“The contract stated that they would give me two clients to start with, but then they attempted to steal them back from me!” - Laura Borgstede
After she left the firm to begin establishing her very own “something,” Laura's trials and tribulations began. Even though her contract stated that she would depart with two of her very private clients, PRsocket tried to win back their business. This left Laura with feelings of betrayal that fueled her drive to fight back and win the clients' business in the process.
It took a good four to five years for Laura to build a strong foundation for her firm. She worked long hours day-in and day-out. Her first employee was an intern that operated out of Laura's apartment in Atlanta, GA. Calysto saw many different buildings and offices in Buckhead, Atlanta. Eventually, Laura established a business model that operates with a remote workforce. It's been over 21 years since Laura founded Calysto Communications, and business is booming.
A Successful Woman
As previously mentioned, Laura’s firm specializes in the technology industry, and the tech business just so happens to be a male-dominated field. Laura expressed her nervousness when she first started pitching for new clients.
“At first, I was intimidated by presenting my services to male executives, but now I walk into any meeting with confidence, knowing I will likely win their business.” - Laura Borgstede
After pitching to many male executives, Laura found her confidence and explained that in contrast, the majority of professional marketers and public relations practitioners are women. Business executives understand that when looking for a marketing or PR firm, the chances are high, you are going to be doing business with a woman. She expounded further by saying that there are specific cultures that discriminate against businesswomen. Nonetheless that Laura has found great success in providing public relations success for clients in the United States and around the world.
Go for It!
“To the young women out there with dreams and desires to follow those dreams, I say go for it! But remember to build a support system. You can’t do it alone.” - Laura Borgstede
It was the encouragement and cheerleading from friends and family that pushed Laura to start Calysto when she did. As her firm has grown, so has her support system. The need for a deep reservoir of people you can trust became so crucial ten years ago when Laura had a son; because of her relationships, she was able to carry on raising a child and doing what she loved.
We can be encouraged by Laura’s story to chase our dreams and find a family of people we can trust and cherish.
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