Each month AWC Austin highlights one very special member making a difference in the communications industry in Austin, Texas. This time around, we got to know a new member by the name of Ellie Scarborough, the maven behind the nationwide phenomenon, Pink Kisses. Ellie is business savvy, driven, and genuinely interested in getting to know you as an Austin lady! We sat down to find out what makes her so successful, passionate, and infectiously optimistic.
AWC AUSTIN: What prompted you to join AWC?
ES: Starting a new business, you can get incredibly focused and it almost feels like you’re living in a bubble where your whole world revolves your business. I knew I needed to pop that bubble and start really getting to know and engage people in Austin. I had heard good things about AWC so I went to a luncheon. At the luncheon, I felt incredibly welcomed. The women were real, authentic, wanting to help, and wanting to know me. Christy Wiley approached me to be the Get Smart development committee team leader and as I accepted, I thought it was the perfect time to join. I consider it kismet.
AWC AUSTIN: Tell me the first thing that stood out to you about the organization.
ES: I saw how unpretentious and approachable everyone was. The first time I stood up and said what I did, women from across the room approached me and wanted to talk to me. While some wanted to find out more about what I was doing, some had even heard about me. Others came up to say, “How can I help?” That is a really cool trait of an organization – inherent camaraderie.
AWC AUSTIN: How did your focus of study in college set you off on your career?
ES: My dad used to joke that my choices in college were going to get me nowhere fast. I went to an amazing liberal arts college. Vassar taught me to be a critical thinker and how to write well. Therefore, I could communicate, ask the right questions, and get people to open up. Going right into TV news reporting, there wasn’t a natural transition in the sense that I studied journalism. But I really liked the fact that I didn’t learn the “right way” to do things because it made me think outside the box.
AWC AUSTIN: What about Austin inspired you to launch Pink Kisses here?
ES: I was living in Houston but I had fallen in love with Austin. It was my escape city. When I left reporting, I thought, “Why not go live where I love to play?” I also recognize Austin’s unique community for entrepreneurs. There really is a sense that you can call anyone up and talk to them. That is rare.
AWC AUSTIN: How did reporting help transition you to the role of business owner?
ES: Reporting taught me to learn quickly and learn a lot about everything I’m doing. It prepared me for was doing the impossible. The mountain of starting a business intimidates a lot of people (me included)! Most people get three-quarters of the way up and turn back. But my background and mission gave me the endurance and ability to say, “I can get over the top of this mountain, all the way down, and over the next one.” I still consider myself to be a woman in communications because I am a trained spokesperson and the most important thing I do everyday is communicate. I talk about who we are as women going through heartbreak and what Pink Kisses does in order to get girls through it stronger and faster than ever before. It’s all about communicating. That is one of the most precious things I learned as a reporter. And it’s one of the things that I hope will distinguish us as a new business.
AWC AUSTIN: Pink Kisses has such a unique and fun brand image. Tell me how you developed your packaging and, in particular, Betty? Which came first; Betty or the branding?
ES: The brand was more a compilation of what I wanted and couldn’t find when I was going through my own heartbreak. I knew it needed to be bold, edgy, uplifting, and a little badass. Everything already out there was either about jumping into the next relationship or it was a little too “rainbows and unicorns.” So, I knew if I was going to step into this realm, it needed to be different and bold. I started coming up with the idea right after my breakup in 2009 and several months into brainstorming, Amy Lynch joined me. She’s a brilliant writer and with our different writing backgrounds, we came up with our tone. Betty answered the question, “How do we show this?” We knew we liked the idea of something vintage. I literally told our design team that I’d love to have a pin-up looking over her shoulder…and maybe with a tattoo. It’s really a “chicken and egg” scenario because as Betty evolved, so did the tone, and the brand came together to be one.
AWC AUSTIN: As a budding entrepreneur, how has Link Coworking helped you cultivate your business?
ES: I think it’s more a question of sanity. Working from home for a year had advantages and disadvantages. When we approached our first birthday as a company, it occurred to me that Amy and I were speaking our own language. It seemed like it would be a good thing for us to communicate with other people on a daily basis about something other than Pink Kisses. We looked at co-working spaces as an opportunity to do that. Link was a perfect fit. Link is predominately female, it has a great atmosphere, and it’s very much in line with our tone and brand. It’s helped tremendously in having people in other realms to converse with and share business tidbits.
AWC AUSTIN: Pink Kisses is unique in that you have a certain window or timeframe to engage your customer. How long of a timeframe are you looking at and what ways are you best maximizing your reach in that time?
ES: On average, it’s about three to six months…but sometimes it’s not contiguous. We recently did a focus group to learn more about how women function in breakups and who they reach out to. We’re now going to re-launch with more features this fall for women to be able to connect with each other, communicate better, and stay with it. Stay tuned for the launch date! Around 90% of our Facebook page users are active. And we’re growing by 60 to 300 likes per week – it’s awesome! It says that women need an outlet. How long are we relevant? We’re relevant for the entire time the heartbreak lingers and beyond. We have ways to help you get through it, help others, and even give an “attagirl.”
AWC AUSTIN: Tell me what you most like about women in Austin.
ES: I think women in Austin are a bunch of badassess. Whether they know it or not, there’s something to be said for choosing to live in a place that is wildly creative, out of the box, technology driven, start-up friendly, and people friendly. I’m always impressed by women who choose to be here and part of the community. How much they have done or are doing and how eagerly they chasing their dreams. They’re doing what scares them. One of my favorite things in life is when people surprise you by being way cooler than you think they’ll be. People in Austin have the ability to surprise you.
AWC AUSTIN: As a new business, what’s something you’ve learned about communicating?
ES: One of the coolest things about being a new business right now is that it is so easy to communicate on a national scale. We were an instant national business because I was on the Today Show one month after our launch. That is not something that would have been possible at different points in history. Our form of marketing is so uniquely attainable now. Our ability to communicate on a national scale is simplified through online resources. It’s been so unique to experience being a business that is not contained inside four walls. The overarching theme about communications that I’ve learned in the last year is that we can always do better and we can always do more of it.
AWC AUSTIN: What advice would you give to anyone toying with the idea of starting a business?
ES: The advice I would give someone starting a business is that you have to believe in what you’re doing with all of your heart and soul. You have to be willing to sacrifice and be patient, because it will be 10 times harder than you thought. But, don’t you dare give up.
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