Dexterity Talks with Chelsea Cucinotta

Dexterity Talks with Chelsea Cucinotta

In early August, we met up for a cup of tea with Chelsea Cucinotta, founder and director of Honey Buzz PR (https://www.honeybuzzpr.com/), a public relations and social media agency, to discuss the experience of founding a start-up.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

Honey Buzz PR is a boutique lifestyle public relations and social media agency specialising in generating buzz for businesses. We help businesses get seen and heard across traditional and social media channels.

How did you get here?

I started my career as a social media producer with 9News Melbourne, later moving on to become the assistant to the chief of staff. This was a fast-paced role where I had to be across everything in the newsroom. I was on the receiving end of PR pitches, monitored for news stories in real time and even interviewed people for TV. When I started my career in news, we were covering bushfires and the beginning of the pandemic. The content could be quite intense at times and I realised working in hard news just wasn’t for me. I quit my job with nothing lined up and eventually found my feet with Honey Buzz PR.

How is your business progressing in 2024?

It’s been a big year so far. We hired our first full-time publicist, which has really allowed me to focus on growing the business. We’ve been expanding our footprint and there has been more travel to visit clients, which is always exciting. It’s also been wonderful to work with clients on some really rewarding projects that give back to the community.

What has been your biggest challenge in business?

It is still a challenge to achieve a good work-life balance when running a business. There is always something to think about and it can be very difficult to switch off. You need to accept that you can’t have everything at once. I’m really an all-or-nothing person and that mindset applies to my business. I know if I want to give Honey Buzz PR its best shot at success, there will be sacrifices along the way. I’m ok with that.

Have you been able to overcome it?

I think it’s more about how I can incorporate more wellness activities into my current schedule, which is why I love the run club at our co-working space, as well as the weekly yoga nidra classes I attend here. I’m all about ‘filling up my cup’ by prioritising my health on all levels. It’s something I’ve gotten better at along the way.

Do you have to deal with accountants, lawyers or other advisors as part of your role?  And what do you think is important for them to know when working with start-ups?

For me, it’s important that the service is individualised. I don’t want to feel as if they are using a cookie-cutter approach when advising our business. They need to ask questions so they understand why we might be doing things a certain way. As a relatively young business, we also appreciate advisors who take the time to educate us on their role, what they can offer and what our options are, so that we can make informed decisions. I think as a business owner it can be tempting to just outsource everything, but you really should know how every part of your business works, even on a basic level.

What do you most enjoy about your role?

Every day we work with clients to tell their stories. It’s a real privilege to be invited into that space. We also get to see a client’s evolution over time, which is very rewarding. Running a boutique agency also means we are at the coal face when dealing with clients, so we get to go and run their events or participate in them. It’s great to meet them in-person and to see the impact a well-run campaign can have on their enterprise. We have worked with a not-for-profit in Canberra for a couple of years now and helped them with a work experience program for young girls. Last year we met some of the girls who had participated and heard how much the project meant to them. That was very special.

Chelsea Cucinotta, thanks for your time!

Dexterity Talks is a web series of interviews with founders, investors and advisors in the Australian start-up scene.  This interview was conduct by Pippin Barry (BA, JD), an Australian lawyer and the principal of Dexterity Law.