Boutique PR & brand marketing firm, Style House was founded by Janna Meyrowitz Turner in 2006 and located in the heart of New York City. The company was created to be the antithesis to high-stress offices where individual styles weren’t praised and work was seemingly never done. Partnering with indie and established brands for media and influencer relations, social media, content creation, communications strategy and brand partnerships, Style House specializes in fashion, beauty and wellness companies created by women, for women.
While having a small team can be seen as a disadvantage by some, Style House embraces it by encouraging all of its team members to build and maintain a healthy and happy work-life balance. Not only are team accomplishments celebrated, but so are individual accomplishments.
Style House makes it a point to create an environment that encourages every person to thrive. Office culture is high in flexibility and trust, allowing members to work in ways that is best for their health and productivity, while supporting future growth through 401k contribution, regardless of whether the employee contributes on their own.
We caught up with Janna to learn how agencies can better provide for the work-life balance of their employees, why the agency dropped the PR in its name, and a few fun product recommendations for industry survival!
I am so honored! I started Style House to be the antithesis to high-stress PR offices, where the work is seemingly never done, and where individual working styles were punished rather than celebrates. We’re in public relations, we need to manage our accounts and we need time away from our desks to related with the public and get our great ideas. We’ll celebrate with a team workout + drinks and will tout the award on our new website which is this close to launching.
We’re launching the new Taryn Rose footwear brand for Fall 2017. Dr. Taryn Rose was an orthopedic surgeon who created Taryn Rose footwear originally in 1988 for women like herself who were on their feet all day, had no tolerance for foot pain, and needed a good-looking shoe to feel confident and beautiful. We work with female-forward brands that make women lives easier, and through the brand blog we’ll have the opportunity to feature other women like Taryn whose support women through their work.
We’re dropping the PR — in our name. We’re rebranding to Style House, and putting forth a clearer definition of how we service our clients through holistic brand reputation management – enhancing every touching they have with consumers, influencers, and media both online and offline. Yes we do PR, which for many means media relations, but we do just as much social media, influencer work, copywriting, content creation, thought leadership, overall brand marketing strategy, partnerships of SO many kinds and more, depending on our clients’ unique needs and in-house capabilities. I’ve been honing in on what my most joyful, and therefore most successful, work has been over the past 10 years of Style House so that I can position us to attract more of that work and to confidently walk away from work that doesn’t meet our criteria.
I’m always encouraging conversations about how to make our work better at Style House, whether that is new way of keeping workflow organized or a new mid-day workout for the team, to clear our minds and stay up on fitness trends. We’re always checking in with each other to see how we can improve or help others improve. People do their most meaningful work when they’re happy, and happiness is a currency unto itself. Clients, media and other partners see that we’re a hard-working, fun-loving team that laughs a lot, and loves our work. This energy flows in all directions, resulting in strong employees and client retention and of course reputation throughout the industry.
Flexibility is freedom, and breeds more loyalty and productivity than strict office hours. Some days we are out from breakfast meetings to showroom appointments and strategy sessions at a clients’ office. If we’ve been out all day and it’s mid-afternoon I’m going to let my employees work from home for the rest of the day versus going to our office and then commuting home. I give my employees their birthday off as PTO (Friday or Monday if it falls on a weekend) – their existence should be celebrated! The office closes at 1pm on Summer Fridays (Memorial Day – Labor Day), and at 4 pm on Friday’s year-round, through everyone is on Slack and mobile email until 6 pm. These 2-5 extra hours of “weekend time” is how I communicate my appreciation for their hard work. Make no promises, but start conversations with your team, either as a group or 1:1 depending on the dynamic, about what would improve their work lives and what would make them feel more productive and happier at the end of the day. See where it takes you.
People do their most meaningful work when they’re happy, and happiness is a currency unto itself.
I work from everywhere so I always have my gold Macbook and a small pouch of important chargers. I’m never without a notebook and a pen. I carry an umbrella, rain or shine and Supergoop’s 2.4 oz Everyday SPF 50, as well as tightly folded workout clothes to squeeze in barre or spinning. I always have Saje Wellness’ Little Wellness Bag – the Gutzy essential oil blend is my favorite, and I have a travel version of Byredo’s Bal D’Afrique. I’m usually carrying a grapefruit Polar Seltzer and/or a Kombucha and some KIND bars. I used to have a wallet that my husband and friends dubbed “The Burrito” because I stuffed so many cards, receipts and other things in it. I downsized recently to this Comme des Garcons slim guy and it’s been life changing.
We’re in planning mode for the 2018 BCAs! Want to get in involved as a sponsor, judge or volunteer? Email info@thebespokeawards.com
