Back to the future with Hodge Media Strategies

By Sally Saville Hodge

A little over 22 years ago, I backed into business ownership by starting a PR agency that I’d call, creatively enough, Hodge Communications.

I’d never had any intention of owning a business. I hadn’t really thought I’d ever get out of journalism, where I’d done quite well for myself. And PR? Well, I didn’t consider it the dark side even though I had my share of horror stories of truly idiotic practitioners. But that didn’t necessarily mean I wanted to do it for a living.

Circumstances, however, said different. My final editorial job was as business editor of the Chicago Sun-Times in a post- (Rupert) Murdochian era, where to look at someone cross-eyed could get you fired in a flash. I’m quite skilled at the cross-eyed thing, which didn’t keep me from being able to read the handwriting on the wall after the market crash of 1987. Our team did a bang-up job of coverage, but I failed to hide my exasperation at an editor whose sole interest in the crash and our coverage was how the Magellan Fund was doing. Less than three months later, I was gone. A source asked if I wanted to do PR for his firm. I said only if I could do it as an independent. And the shingle was hung.

Fast forward to 2010, and we all know that the crash of ’87 had nothing on what’s transpired over the last two years. I think it’s been particularly hard on the smaller businesses like mine. Cash flow can be a crippler. Competition is intense. You can cut back on the mouths that must be fed, but not at the risk of jeopardizing client work.

And so I tired of the battle, and decided to take a major step. Call it downsizing. Or rightsizing (now there’s an annoying term). I’m closing Hodge Communications and Hodge Schindler, its sole operating unit, and starting a new business in its stead – Hodge Media Strategies, Inc. My “name” partner, Judi Schindler, is reviving Schindler Communications, with whom I merged in 2007.

For me, it’s kind of a “back to the future” move. Just like in the beginning, I’ll have a computer, a phone, and an office in my home. I’ll still have a team of people – though mainly “virtual” – that I can count on to help get the work done. I’ll have more time to do what I love – tell people what to do and write (not necessarily in that order). It will give me more financial flexibility to take on work – interesting startups, for example – that maybe I’d previously have turned away for lack of budget.

In the next few weeks, I’ll be redirecting Facebook “friends” of Hodge Schindler to a new page for Hodge Media Strategies to see if it’s something they might “like.” I’ll likely be starting a new blog, definitely a new website, and am also thinking about a new newsletter concept. Hmmm. Gotta update that LinkedIn profile, as well.

Change is good. And it’s back to the future we go!