Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sandy Collier. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sandy, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I come from a big family. I was born in The Bahamas and am one of nine siblings. We always saw our parents do whatever was necessary to ensure we had the best of everything. My father only had a third-grade education. His father took him out of school when he was a young boy because he was disrespectful to his teachers. That sort of discipline is frowned upon in America and The Bahamas in this day and age. But my grandfather’s decision to teach my father a lesson made him the man he is today.
My father was up very early in the morning to learn a trade. He went to work with men in his community who taught him how to be an electrician. During his learning years, some weeks, he was not compensated after working all week, sometimes working in excess of eight hours weekly. He became a licensed electrician and eventually learned construction. He was one of a few businessmen at that time to hold a builder’s investor license permitting him to build and sell homes. He built homes for many families in The Bahamas, making dreams come true for those families who thought homeownership was out of their reach. He even designed and constructed our family home.
He insisted that all his children, especially his daughters, got a college education. So he and my mother worked tirelessly to make that happen, sending us to America for college. I watch my father work daily to provide for his family. He made sure we had the best of everything.
He always used to tell his daughters that we might not be able to find husbands who could take care of a family as well as he did. He wanted us to be independent and able to support ourselves in case we got married and found ourselves alone with children to care for.
Well, that happened to me; I lost my first husband and father to my six children when he was only 49 years old. He left me with four minor children at the time, one living with Autism. I always remembered my father talking about the importance of getting educated and taking care of ourselves. After being home with the kids before my husband’s death, I found myself back in the workforce. Those lessons learned from my parents came in handy during a difficult time in my life.
Today, at 83-years-old my parents spend about eight months out of the year with me in West Palm Beach. My Dad often comments when I’m heading out to three of four meetings daily, telling me to make sure I get some rest. I look at him with a smile and tell him I got my work ethic from him. I then assure him I am okay.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the founder of Hey, Sandy! PR & Communications> HSPR is a boutique public relations agency based in West Palm Beach. Our aim is to assist businesses in taking their brand to the next level by providing them with media exposure. While we work with many companies, our primary focus is to help small women, minority-owned businesses, and non-profits with promoting their brands.
We offer our clients a menu of services, including commercial production, public relations, social media help, event planning, website design, and more.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Respect others: respecting and treating people how I want to be treated has served me well in my career journey. My advice is simple: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Listen: Many business owners fail to listen to their clients. At Hey, Sandy! PR, we treat clients like family and work hard with them to achieve their goals.
Communicate: Clear communication is essential. It’s important to express thoughts and explain if necessary. Don’t assume others know your thoughts. Open communication reduces misunderstandings and missed opportunities. Good communication is essential for building long-lasting relationships, whether they are personal or business-related.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Hey, Sandy! PR & Communications is looking to expand its brand and take it to the next level. We are interested in collaborating with larger companies that have an in-house marketing team and are looking for additional outside PR support. Our ideal partners would be companies interested in establishing a presence in Palm Beach County or the state of Florida.
For those interested in collaborating, I can be reached at 561-386-5262 or [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heysandypr.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heysandypr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeySandyPR/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-collier-64415811/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeySandyPR/status/1498490812358926343
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOcyCWphGYxmh6TrnKM3NkA
Image Credits
Gary Detman
