Born from Karen Wicker’s belief that authenticity is the most valuable aspect of communication, Candor began as a one-woman shop in her spare bedroom. Over time it grew to include Karen’s husband, Jim Kessler, and a staff of 20.
Building a business has been one of the hardest things the Kesswicks — our team’s affectionate name for our leaders — have done. But it’s also been rewarding, surprising, exhausting and exhilarating. Below is the inside scoop on how Candor became Candor.
On Birthing a Business
Karen: In the early days, I was 100% consumed by “the business.” I would go to bed thinking about it, dream about it and even wake up with Candor on my mind. Jim and I had to create a few rules early on where we didn’t talk about work over the weekends. That became our sacred time.
Jim: Launching a business involves several full-time jobs for the owners. While you are servicing your clients each day, you are also trolling for new employees and customers while simultaneously creating operating standards and processes — all from scratch. It’s a ton of work.
On Leadership
Karen: When you start a company, you think being the leader will be easy. However, it can be lonely at times, especially when you have to make unpopular decisions. I’ve learned not to take myself too seriously. I’ve worked with many phenomenal people over the years who have taught me what it means to be a great leader.
Jim: Being a leader is far more than being visionary and delegating. It’s about working elbow-to-elbow with each employee, making sure they have the skills and tools to be successful and deliver quality work. No task is too small, and no question too trivial. Team members are far more likely to champion a cause and culture if they see us in the trenches beside them.
On Clients
Jim: We’ve learned to put ourselves in our clients’ shoes. It’s both challenging and fun. If you’re a perpetual learner, this is such a great job. We are always learning from our clients and they from us.
Karen: It surprised me how invested we get in our clients’ success, and vice versa. They have become our best advocates. I don’t know any other job that offers the opportunity to develop so many friendships in different industries.
On Growing Pains
Jim: When companies grow, people’s circles of responsibility usually shrink. But Candor has intentionally avoided silos of specialization, trying to make sure employees aren’t pigeonholed and can exercise more than one skill. It’s been good for cross-coverage in a relatively small environment. We also know this approach is healthier and more interesting for our teammates.
Karen: We’ve had growing pains since Day 1, and we still have growing pains today. The Great Resignation was tough because excellent PR practitioners are in high demand across the U.S. They can work remotely anywhere. We have to stay one step ahead of our competitors at all times.
On Finding Talent
Karen: We’re always looking. We have incredibly high standards, and we know it. To find someone who’s a good cultural fit and is also internally driven is rare. We have been fortunate to surround ourselves with a rock-star team that attracts other superstars.
Jim: We changed our approach to hiring about six years ago by putting more emphasis on cultural fit and the intangibles. Attributes like drive, integrity, fearlessness and curiosity became just as important as the resume of experience. The result has been a company of people who really enjoy collaboration and each other.
On Working Through Crises
Karen: To the person going through a crisis, you’re not just their PR practitioner. You become their personal and emotional coach. It’s important to be relatable and understand the immediate pain they’re going through.
Jim: We’ve learned clients are more likely to weather a crisis if their brand is already known and respected. If the crisis is the first time they’ve examined their brand’s reputation, it makes for a far more difficult path.
On the COVID-19 Pandemic
Jim: A small thing that served us well was our morning huddle because we were already in the habit of communicating regularly at every level of the organization — no hierarchy. This helped us all work through the challenges and agree on our approach while alleviating fear and anxiety.
Karen: We learned our company can be flexible and still perform at a high level. We never had issues adapting to working from home, and I think that all goes back to the strong culture we had when we started. It’s because we are candid communicators. We weren’t scared to talk about the scary things.
