P.R, Tom Petty and Dating a Celebrity?

By Scott Lechner
I was listening to Petty’s Free Fallin’ on the way in to the office this morning and that song always fills me with a feeling of success. I have Jerry Maguire to thank for that as this is the song Cruise belts out in his car after signing (or so he thinks) the future first round draft pick of the NFL. The song was extra poignant his morning when it was announced Kulesa Faul’s client of four years, KACE Systems, was acquired by Dell.

At Kulesa Faul we work with an eclectic mix of clients—public companies, startups, established players—and all are great. However, I’ve found that there’s a different, sharper-edged mix of anxiety, energy, and pride working with startups. It’s sort of like dating a celebrity. Super exciting at the beginning, and it takes a few months to understand the wants and needs of both parties. Through it all the startup has its eyes on the prize and it’s the our job to do whatever we can to help get them there. Like the lucky one dating the superstar, we also need to match the ambitions and energy of the startup in order to push them to the pinnacle of their success.

“Success” is a relative term and varies from company to company. For some it is getting acquired, going public or continually taking market share from the big boy. Same with a celebrity. The significant other supports them through the hardships and professional growth until the celeb reaches their own pinnacle⎯a Super Bowl win, a Grammy or an interview with Letterman. Once that success is reached, both parties breathe a huge sigh or relief, and bask in the pride that the years of hard work have brought. We worked so hard to get that startup, that celebrity, to where they needed to go, and now the world is at their fingertips. Makes one feel a bit like they are Free Fallin’.

What’s next? Who knows, and that’s fine with us. It’s been a great ride with KACE and we look forward to working with Dell as a team. Another happy client! That’s success for us.
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