Runaas Resources Public Relations

Houston Area PR Agency Honored by the Spring-Klein Chamber of Commerce

July 25, 2009 – SPRING, TX – Runaas Resources LLC announced today that the independent public relations agency received the Spring-Klein Chamber of Commerce’s (SKCC) Toni Award for 2009 Business of the Year.

Candace Runaas (c) accepts the SKCC Toni Award for Business of the Year 2009 from Toni Richard and Assad Shorrosh.

“I am so surprised and honored to receive this…,” said Candace Runaas, president of Runaas Resources, whose company focuses primarily on representing women-owned businesses. She has earned a reputation for her active support of the local business community and her altruistic involvement with non-profit organizations and anti-abuse causes.

The SKCC Toni Award recognizes area businesses that contribute to the economic growth of the Spring-Klein area through active support of the Chamber and its member businesses.

Namesake of the award, Toni Richard, chamber president and co-founder, and Assad Shorrosh, executive board member, presented the award to a tearful Runaas, during the chamber’s 2^nd Annual Christmas in July Gala on Friday, July 24, 2009.

The annual fundraiser also serves as a celebration of the one year anniversary of the young chamber.  The first Christmas in July Gala was held only two months after the chamber’s inaugural luncheon in May 2008.  This year’s event featured Commissioner Jerry Eversole as the guest of honor.

“No one could have deserved this award more,” stated Jennifer Grassman, a Runaas Resources client. “I enjoy working with Runaas Resources because they are a creative, strategic and effective PR agency. Candace has such a big heart. She is a fierce advocate for small business owners and community causes. She puts her heart and soul into everything she does and I am honored to say that I work with her.”

About Runaas Resources LLC

Established in 2005, Runaas Resources LLC is a virtual public relations agency located in Spring, Texas.   Candace Runaas, company president, receives much recognition for her innovative PR methods and her involvement in the community.  For more information, please contact Candace Runaas at info@www.runaasresources.com or visit www.runaasresources.com.

New Year’s is a time of hope and optimism. I wish you much success in your business endeavors this year. God bless you all!

Candace Runaas
President
Runaas Resources Public Relations

By HANNAH SELIGSON
CTW Features


Peter Gibbons, the character in “Office Space” played by Ron Livingston, famously quipped “Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about mission statements.”
That was in 1999; and with self-employment on the upswing, Gibbons could be considered somewhat prophetic.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of self-employed people reached 12.2 million in 2003, an increase of 6 percent from 2000.
Katie Sturino, the president and founder of KAS public relations, New York, is part of this growing trend. “I wanted a flexible schedule,” she says. “My time is very important to me. I liked the concept of being able to meet for a cappuccino at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday. I call it ‘alternative scheduling.’”
But as Sturino and the hoards of other people who have given up the regular routine will tell you, it’s hardly a life of constant premium coffee breaks.
In fact, it’s why Michelle Goodman wrote “The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women who Think Outside the Cube” (Seal Press, 2007). Goodman, a seasoned freelancer who has dabbled in all things non-9-to-5, including temping, telecommuting, part-time work, flex-time work, and self-employment, is giving this new generation of corporate castaways a primer course on how to do it.
Goodman says the most important thing to remember is that becoming a cubicle expat is not an overnight process. “You have to set a plan in motion both about what are the professional and financial steps you need to take to make the leap from a steady paycheck to full-time freelancer.”
It’s leap that more women, particularly, are taking. Sturino says self-employment is a trend among her female friends and colleagues. “I am always hearing about young women leaving the traditional work force and seeing how far they can go on their own.” And statistics certainly corroborate what Sturino is observing in her peer group of late twentysomething women.
In February 2006, the U.S. Census Bureaus reported that the number of women-owned businesses grew at twice the national rate for all private companies from 1997 to 2002.
But how do you know if it’s time to flee the cube and join this growing demographic. Goodman says the telltale sign is when you can’t devote the proper amount of time to your 9-to-5 job. “When your side gig starts taking up 20 hours a week or more, it’s time to re-think your employment situation.”
While self-employment can be rife with benefits – 3 p.m. cappuccinos, working in your sweatpants, no office politics – it also can be riddled with stress.
Sturino says that while the questions she most often fields is if it is hard to resist going shopping all day, sleeping late, or turning on the TV to catch the afternoon soaps, her day-to-day couldn’t be farther from those activities.
“The stress and pressure of knowing you are responsible for your own business, that it all comes down to you, is enormous. I have to worry about things that my friends at big companies don’t have to, such as inconsistent income, self-employment taxes, insurance for employees, and recruiting clients.”
Which is probably why Goodman says one of the most salient takeaways from her book is to undo the perception that once you work outside the cube your life is going to be a constant 75-degree summer day. “But what I did find was that even with all the stress that comes with working for yourself, people said the bad days outside the cube are not as bad as the bad days in a cube.”
So if you are thinking of making a go of it on your own, Goodman gives her advice for how to start that bakery, online marketing firm or nonprofit.
Have fallback skills – Goodman says that this is what keeps most freelancers fed and clothed. You need to have bread-and-butter skills that can keep you afloat, because sometimes passion work doesn’t always pay as well right away. One woman Goodman interviewed launched a dog-walking service and, at first, offered overnight pet-sitting as her bread-and-butter product until she could get the dog-walking business to fully pay her bills.
Work on getting out of the cube while you are in the cube. It’s unrealistic to expect that you can just walk away from office life into a full-fledged, on-your-own career. Goodman advises setting up meetings with potential clients, financial advisers and other freelancers months before you decide to roll out of bed into your office for the first time.
Create a virtual water cooler – Goodman warns that working alone can be isolating, so build coffee dates and other social events into your schedule.
Be a planner – While you might think that those who work from home are huge risk takers, Goodman found that people who successfully work for themselves are very methodical and organized. “They list their goals and write both formal and informal business plans.”
And be flexible – Goodman found that the people who thrive outside the cube are able to roll with the punches and quickly adapt. You can’t have your world crumble down if a client changes a deadline on you.
Hannah Seligson is a writer based in New York and the author of “New Girl on the Job: Advice from the Trenches” (Citadel Press, 2007).
December 18, 2007 8:36 AM