Small Business Unscripted

Credibility Over Contracts: Stephanie Graves on PR That Builds Brands

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Stephanie Graves didn't build Lee Andrews Group from scratch. The founder had passed away, the institutional knowledge was gone, and there were seven employees left holding a name. What she built from there came down to one thing: credibility. Show up, do what you said, deliver—and repeat that enough times that relationships become your most valuable asset.

In this episode, Stephanie breaks down why most businesses misuse PR, why AI is pushing her industry back toward cultural competence and human touch, and why the real measure of a PR strategy isn't impressions—it's trust.

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3 Takeaways:

  • Why PR only hired during a crisis is a strategy that guarantees you'll always be playing defense
  • How Stephanie uses values alignment as a hard client filter, and why protecting your firm's credibility is worth more long-term than any single contract
  • Why credibility, not headcount, is what scaled Lee Andrews Group from 7 to nearly 70 people

    • Chapters:

    [00:20] Meet PR Leader Stephanie Graves

    [00:51] Rethinking Career Priorities
    [01:19] From Law School to Politics
    [01:45] PR Explained 
    [02:49] Inside Lee Andrews Group
    [05:49] Biggest Lessons From Acquiring a Business
    [08:22] Hiring, Delegation & Building a Team
    [09:43] Avoiding Shiny Objects & AI Distractions
    [10:57] Earned Media vs Paid Media
    [11:39] Turning Vision Into Real Execution
    [13:01] How to Build Trust & Credibility
    [13:59] When to Fire the Wrong Client
    [15:17] Civic Leadership & Giving Back in LA
    [17:21] Boards, Community & Local Impact
    [20:34] Most Common PR Mistakes
    [22:59] When to Hire a PR Agency
    [24:08] Scaling Smarter, Not Bigger
    [25:46] Advice for Women Founders

    Stephanie’s Highlights:

    "Relationships are gold. No one's going to give you anything for free until you really show yourself as credible."

    "He disagreed with me, so I fired him. That's not always the best business decision. But our ethos is community driven."

    "You don't want someone else to tell your story. It's like a plant—you have to continue to water it, or it dies."

    Connect:

    Stephanie Graves: www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-graves-51b159322/ 

    Everett Sands: www.linkedin.com/in/everettksands

    Resources:

    Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com

    Learn more about Lee Andrews Group: https://leeandrewsgroup.com/


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