Today we’d like to introduce you to Autumn Enoch
Hi Autumn, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was a very shy kid growing up in Encinitas. When I was 12, my father’s job (in the military) moved us to a rural town just outside of Baltimore, Maryland – talk about culture shock. I got my first job at 15 as a barista at an upscale NE grocery store chain, Wegmans, and it completely broke me out of my shell. Simultaneously, it began my love affair with all things coffee and hospitality.
Five college majors and a move back west later, I found public relations at Cal State Long Beach – and everything clicked. I joined the Public Relations Student Society of America as Vice President, I was awarded the ‘Most Outstanding PR Major’ award in my graduating class, and I was about to say goodbye to my customer service days in coffee (and a stint bartending).
I graduated in 2018 (and met my now-husband) and spent the next six years working across paid, earned and owned media at various agencies and specialized in food & beverage, hospitality and tourism PR. In 2024 I was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. I had been working at an agency, TURNER PR, for almost two years before I finally met the CEO in person. Before heading to Turner’s summer party in Denver, August 2024, I let a couple managers in on my plan: I wanted to go freelance by 2025. Why would I tell my work that? I saw a coworker follow exactly the path I was hoping to walk – she started working part time at Turner while she got her freelance PR business off the ground. That was the life! The government banned non-compete clauses in employer contracts earlier in the year, so I thought – there’s a chance for me.
I had my meeting with the CEO and we had come to an agreement on a ‘ramp-down’ schedule through the end of the year, but until I was part-time, there was one major caveat. I could continue quietly prospecting for new business, but I couldn’t advertise. I was handcuffed. How was I supposed to actually get new business if I couldn’t advertise my business? In fact, I already had a business name, logo, cards, social handles, and a website up and running. I didn’t consider that “advertising” since I wasn’t putting any money behind promoting my business, and I had to have some sort of digital presence while trying to attract new clients.
When the CEO found this out a week after our meeting, she promptly fired me. Less than a week later, Equinochs Consulting was in business – I signed my first client. A few days before my 30th birthday (October 29), I signed my first retainer client (talk about a happy birthday)! It’s only been two months and I now have two freelance agency clients and currently I represent Visit San Luis Obispo, Destination Irvine, and Emmitt’s Vegas (a restaurant on the strip) in partnership with Las Vegas-based Uniquely Driven. I am continually prospecting for my own clients, submitting RFPs for tourism PR and scouting restaurants and hotels that I hope to represent one day. It’s still early in my founder journey, but so far, getting fired was the best thing that could have happened to me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Mostly answered this in the prior question, but a couple common struggles as a new business owner have been the admin part of the job and money!
Thankfully my mother does taxes and insurance for a living, and my left-brained husband is good with money and understands all the jargon that makes my head spin. And of course, being freelance can be a life of ‘feast or famine’ month-to-month, but we’re savers, so while it’s a feast right now, we’re taking some leftovers home for the freezer.
We’ve been impressed with Equinochs Consulting, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Equinochs Consulting is a strategic public relations consultancy specializing in hospitality, travel, wellness, food & beverage, coffee, beer, wine & spirits and lifestyle brands. Simply put, I get top-tier press for awesome brands that deserve it.
As a sole proprietor, I am nimble and work a bit differently than PR agencies, since I think… FIRST about the audience & reader; SECOND about the media & journalists receiving our pitches; and THIRD about the company’s message & goals.
While traditional media relations is Equinochs’ bread & butter, in this ever-changing media landscape brands can’t afford to do anything solely “traditional.” That’s why my diverse experience across paid, earned, owned and shared media combined with my love for data and insights is invaluable in shaping a brand’s PR strategy – since all come into play.
One of the greatest things about owning my own company is that I only work with brands I truly believe in. I travel with a stack of business cards because if I like a restaurant, hotel, coffee shop, brewery, etc. I make a run for their business immediately. The next best benefit – with no overhead, I can offer my services at a highly competitive rate to the industries I love with traditionally thin margins (such as F&B and hospitality). Many businesses think they can’t afford PR agencies – and they’re right, you need an independent consultant, like Equinochs Consulting.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
It’s so hard to choose what I love about San Diego, because I love it ALL. However the one big thing that brought me back to SD is the beach lifestyle and slow pace. I can’t think of anything I don’t like about San Diego, truly.
Pricing:
- I have a general consulting fee of $120-130/hour depending on the industry, and my pricing structure means the more hours (and the longer-term) you hire me, the more that hourly rate reduces.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.equinochsconsulting.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equinochsconsulting/
- Other: https://www.autumnenoch.com/
