Today we’d like to introduce you to Carol Barreyre.
Carol, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today? In 2000, I was working in the public relations department at EDS, a company anyone who’s been around North Texas long knows of. Right before the ginormous Y2K hype, the company laid off the majority of its public relations, marketing and communications team members. I asked to be included in the layoff, but they kept me on staff. The remaining work was impossible with so few people to do it, so I resigned. After a brief and very unpleasant stint at a local public relations agency, I decided to take the summer off.
In August, my phone rang and it was the person who would have been my new boss had I remained at EDS. He kept hearing my name around the office so, desperate for help, he asked if I would consider taking on some contract work. It was the start of my own public relations, marketing and communications consultancy. EDS, which HP acquired, remained a client for 14 years. I haven’t looked back since.
Has it been a smooth road? Starting my business was much easier than I ever could’ve imagined. EDS had such an amazing marketing and communications team that scattered across Dallas-Fort Worth. I’ve worked with many of them as clients over the years.
The beauty of working on my own is that it allows me to pursue other interests like writing fiction. My first novel, a romantic suspense titled “Becker Circle” just released March 14, 2018.
The hardest part of switching to a work-at-home, entrepreneurial setup is being disciplined enough to turn work off. It’s a constant struggle.
We’d love to hear more about your business. My degree in marketing and accounting is an odd combination that has paid off in a way I never expected. Although I’m not an accountant or very technical at all, the way my mind works allows me to translate complicated or technical topics into words to which people can relate. I’ve worked with lots of technology, healthcare, oil and gas and financial services companies. Once we figure out our message, then we take it to market in the right way – such as media, events, social media or articles.
As a kid, I loved to read and read every book I could get my hands on. I never dreamed I would or could be an author until 2009 when I took another summer sabbatical. With time on my hands, I cleaned out boxes I had hauled around to my various new homes and ran across the diary I wrote as a teen while living in England. The diary contents sparked the idea for my first novel. I didn’t tell a soul until I wrote 30,000 words, which is roughly 100 pages in a Word document. When I reached that point, I knew I could write an entire novel. When I finished, I had no idea what to do next, and it’s been an intriguing journey learning. I hope to revise and publish that manuscript someday. “Becker Circle” by Addison Brea is my third manuscript and first to be published.
Lately I’ve been working a lot – professionally – with artificial intelligence. It’s fascinating and controversial and has the potential to make the world we live in much easier. It’s also given me a great idea for a new romantic suspense novel.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
There’s always need for good creative consultants in Dallas. There are lots of people who do what I do, and it takes a certain personality to work as a consultant. People need to really know themselves before taking the plunge. Then when they do, they need to do it for real – not just to fill time between full-time jobs. Dallas has almost endless choices of large, medium and small businesses across every industry that can be potential clients. There are organizations for networking and learning in every size and flavor one can imagine. It’s up to each individual to choose their specialty area and dive in.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.barreyre.com (professional website)
- Twitter: @cbarreyre
- Other: www.addisonbrae.com (author website)
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