18: The PR Lessons Every Small Business Owner Needs to Know: Media, Authenticity & Building Trust

Every entrepreneur dreams of getting their business featured in the media—but how do you know which opportunities are worth pursuing?

In Episode 18 of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store, we're sharing the behind-the-scenes lessons we've learned about becoming our own public relations team, navigating media opportunities, and protecting our business while staying true to our mission.

Like most small business owners, we've discovered that entrepreneurship means wearing dozens of different hats—including marketer, storyteller, photographer, social media manager... and publicist.

Some opportunities have helped us grow beyond anything we imagined.

Others taught us valuable lessons.

In this episode, we discuss:

•  What we've learned from being featured by local news outlets 
•  Why authenticity matters more than publicity 
•  The importance of asking questions before saying "yes" to media opportunities 
•  How to recognize red flags when opportunities seem too good to be true 
•  Why entrepreneurs should interview the people interviewing them 

We also share the story of an opportunity that looked like a major breakthrough—but quickly turned into a lesson about doing your homework before investing your time and money.

Then we contrast that experience with one of the most meaningful collaborations we've had so far: participating in a documentary highlighting Downtown Albany, its history, its small businesses, and the people working to write the city's next chapter.

The experience reminded us that the best storytelling isn't about flashy production or empty promises—it's about authenticity, relationships, and sharing stories that genuinely matter.

Throughout this episode, we also reflect on the incredible community that continues to grow around Fort Orange General Store and SoBro.

A heartfelt listener comment from Angela at Third Eye Concepts reminds us why we started this journey in the first place. Her story about rediscovering Downtown Albany, reconnecting with the community, and finding hope through local businesses perfectly captures what we're trying to build—not just a retail store, but a place where people feel inspired to connect again.

Whether you're a small business owner, entrepreneur, content creator, or simply someone passionate about community revitalization, this episode offers practical insights into building trust, navigating media opportunities, and staying grounded in your mission.

Because in the end, the best publicity doesn't come from paying someone to tell your story.

It comes from living a story worth telling.

Keywords:  small business podcast, entrepreneurship podcast, public relations for small business, media interviews, entrepreneur marketing, personal branding, small business owner, Downtown Albany, Albany NY, Fort Orange General Store, SoBro Albany, community building, business storytelling, local business marketing, PR for entrepreneurs, authentic marketing, business documentary, entrepreneur journey, shop local Albany, Capital Region New York 

 If you enjoy authentic conversations about entrepreneurship, marketing, community building, and the realities of growing a small business, please follow, rate, and share the podcast with another entrepreneur or someone who believes in supporting local businesses. 

Transcript

Joe 0:06

Hello and welcome to Small Business Big Life inside Fort Orange General Store, where entrepreneurship meets marriage, kids, and controlled chaos. I'm Joe Slichko, and with me as always, my wife, my business partner, and the owner of Ford Orange General Store in downtown Albany, Erica Cubello.

Erica 0:29

Good afternoon, good morning, everyone. That was quite the intro today, Joe. Thank you so much.

Joe 0:36

Got a little spunk in me today.

Erica 0:38

I love it.

Joe 0:40

So in today's episode, we are going to talk about one of the many hats that entrepreneurs, small business owners wear. And that is being your own public relations person, expert person in the field, I guess.

Erica 0:57

Yeah, who knew?

Joe 0:58

Who knew? Well, we found out.

Erica 1:01

We sure did.

Joe 1:02

And we have a few stories that we are going to share that culminate in something really awesome that has happened recently.

Erica 1:10

Yeah, it did. It was an amazing experience, one of the best I've had in a long time.

Joe 1:15

But Erica, before we get to that, you know what we have to do? We have to remind our amazing listeners to please like, subscribe, share, do all the things you can to help this emerging podcast grow and grow and grow beyond what it has already done. And we thank you for what you've done already. And we just ask that you take that one additional step and enlighten someone's lives with our banter.

Erica 1:38

Yes, please do, because as Joe said, it does help us grow. It means the world to us. And Joe, yesterday we were going through some of our statistics, right?

Joe 1:50

Oh, yes, we were.

Erica 1:52

And you all have been helping us grow so much that we are in six of the seven continents of the world.

Joe 2:00

That's correct. Spanning over 20 countries and over 288 cities.

Erica 2:07

Whoa, that's some crazy numbers, right there. And yeah, as as I just said, six of the seven continents, right, Joe? Six of which are inhabitable.

Joe 2:20

Please do not tee up my conspiracy theories about Antarctica. That is not the focus of this podcast.

Erica 2:26

I thought that's where we were going with it.

Joe 2:29

I think we stay true to the podcast itself. And maybe we make a second podcast where I can talk about all my crazy ideas.

Erica 2:36

All right. Let's see how many people would like that.

Joe 2:38

This podcast is all of your crazy ideas. And another one will be all of my mythical creature.

Erica 2:44

Love it. All right. Anybody wants to hear that? Drop a comment for us, okay?

Joe 2:49

And Lord help us. Okay, Erica. I believe today we have one very special comment that we are going to read.

Erica 2:59

We sure do. And this comment comes from Third Eye Concepts. It says, Erica, you do an amazing job of being truly authentic. I started to read more of your posts, and after you started the podcast, and then came up with the new Sobro district for this historic section of Albany, it made me want to check out your store. I have many times walked by and photographed Nipper outside and realized I had never been inside. Then I saw you on the news and I thought, wow, you were confident and shared the same love for our beautiful downtown Albany and turning the lights back on. I have quite the personal story that someday I may share. But you inspired me to come out to support First Friday and check out some of the businesses I have walked by but never been inside. For the first time in many years, I asked a recent acquaintance if they wanted to come with me and they said yes. As soon as I walked into your store, I loved the smell of floral and herbs and was impressed with the variety of items that you guys had and your beautiful family. I got myself a unique Azul teardrop crystal, a new t-shirt, a nice ring at the bevy next door, and then a nice meal and conversation afterwards. So for me, you inspired me to get back outside with my community that I love so much with a common goal of reviving our beautiful city. The teardrop crystal for me is something special I will cherish forever because it is the moment I said to myself, no more tears for the past of things I cannot change. I know this is a big reach, but when I heard Sobro, I immediately thought hopefully this area can be similar to the Soho area. Full of beautiful architecture, small businesses, public art, etc. And I hope we get there once we fill up the parking lot district with something spectacular and upgrade the bus station. Please continue this positive inspired action. And thank you more than you know for helping me get outside again, not just by myself. A memory I will cherish forever.

Joe 5:17

Wow.

Erica 5:18

Yeah, that was amazing.

Joe 5:19

Goosebumps.

Erica 5:20

Mm-hmm. It says it all.

Joe 5:22

It really does.

Erica 5:23

And thank you, Third Eye Concepts, Angela, for writing that truly beautiful post. I can't tell you how much that means to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Joe 5:37

And thank you for putting yourself out there and saying a lot of things that I know many, many, many people feel about getting out there. And, you know, we all have things that we go through and carry that baggage with us. And 99% of the time, no one knows that we're carrying that. So it's another example of always assuming that everyone is carrying something with them and treating them, you know, with kindness because we're all in the same boat and we're all doing the thing. So thank you for your bravery of you know, putting yourself out there and talking about how difficult it is sometimes to get out and to do the whole public thing and do the peopling and just be out there. We feel it too. So thank you for acknowledging it and making it safe for us to acknowledge it too, I guess, in the same breath.

Erica 6:31

Yeah, it is. And Angela, Joe and I both have very deep stories. And we are all, like Joe said, in a similar boat where you can't let that past hold you back and you've just got to move forward and do what you love and hope that it catches on, right? And thank you for again for that amazing comment and sharing all of that with us because to hear that I inspired you just a little bit like that is incredibly, incredibly like hits hard. And and thank you for sharing that. I never in a million years would think that little old Erica from Albany could inspire anybody to to do anything like that. So thank you.

Joe 7:17

Well, Erica, you're doing it. And as she mentioned in her post, one of the ways you're doing it is through the news.

Erica 7:25

Yep.

Joe 7:26

How about that for a transition? So, what we wanted to talk about today was our experience being our own publicists, our own public relations people having little to no experience actually doing that, especially self-promoting. Right. Maybe you do it in the context of you know your work life in general, but it's very rarely that we were able to do it about us personally. And here you are as a small business owner, it's very personal.

Erica 7:56

Yeah.

Joe 7:56

So there's been a couple instances over the last year or so where we've been lucky enough to engage with the press. And I think one of the biggest moments we had was with Valerie when you were on um news channel 10, which we talked about at length already on an episode. But it was brought up in the comments. So huge shout out to Valerie and thank you, Valerie.

Erica 8:22

Yeah, again, thank you, Valerie, from the bottom of our hearts for giving us the opportunity to be on the on your morning show with you and talk about Sobro and our first Friday event. And that's where we met Angela, and you know, giving us the opportunity to to give exposure to our little project. And you did an amazing job uh covering our story and shed a lot of positive, enthusiastic light on it all. So thank you.

Joe 8:52

And shout out because Valerie, not everyone is built the way you are, and not everyone is as true and authentic as you are.

Erica 9:04

Right.

Joe 9:05

And we have a few stories we are going to share right now about that experience. So, as an entrepreneur, when someone comes to you with an idea, whether it's press related or not, you get excited. It's always the next big thing. Right. And when you're new to it, like you know, we are, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement.

Erica 9:27

Yeah.

Joe 9:28

Because it's all brand new. And it's, oh, this is going to be the thing where I never have to go to work again. I can retire now. That's the way my brain works. Um, so when we hear these things presented to us, you know, you jump on the bandwagon and your mind starts going and the adrenaline starts flowing, and you're like, oh, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if.

Erica 9:49

It's hard not to be optimistic about it.

Joe 9:52

Exactly. Well, we had one news article that we were a part of that was fantastic and went very well and went very smoothly, and it was really cool that we were able to be a part of that, but the message in the story kind of shifted from what we were told originally. Yeah. Would you say that that's accurate?

Erica 10:14

I would agree. The the way it was presented to me in the moment was very different than the way it was presented in the story. And I thought that everything I had said was going to be put into that article and it would be shown the way it was filmed. I, very naive, optimistic, new newbie, right, believed that whatever I said would be put in linearly. It wasn't. And it wasn't skewed in a negative way by any means. It just wasn't what I had pictured.

Joe 10:57

And that's difficult because you don't know that until you're in it, right?

Erica 11:00

Right. And that was like the first time where I was shown that not everything is how uh you believe it's going to be, and that you have to be a little more, not skeptical, but um you kind of have to read through things or sift through things and ask a little bit more questions, be a little bit more selective with where you're putting your energy and with who.

Joe 11:29

Very well said.

Erica 11:30

And again, it was not shown in a bad light at all, at all. And it did a lot for Fort Orange. It really shone a positive light on our store, and the amount of exposure we got was incredible. It just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. That's all.

Joe 11:50

And the message globally in the article, I will say, wasn't the same message that we would put out there. No. But as far as Fort Orange went, they did justice by us.

Erica 12:03

They did, mm-hmm, for sure.

Joe 12:05

Yeah. So the second story I want to tell is we were watching on Amazon Prime one of our friends of the store, Matt Baumgardner in June Farms and his reality show. Yeah. And, you know, enjoying it for what it is. It's awesome. If you haven't seen it, check it out. And I thought, wow, how cool would that be? Like, how how did he get that done? You know, and just all the conversations about it. So I saw something on Instagram about small business owners and entrepreneurs. Nominate someone here, and we might do like an expose on your business and all the things, right? So I frequently nominate Erica for being the amazing entrepreneur that she is for all different things. So I saw this as a similar thing. I looked into it a little bit, and on the surface, it looked credible. So I did that. And pretty soon after they reached out to us. And I was like, oh, there's gonna be cameras in the house. Right. There's gonna be cameras at the store. We're gonna be following the kids to school. I'm gonna have to like, I don't even know. Do I have to talk to schools about this? What kind of uh um, you know, legalities are gonna be going with this? My my mind's just spinning, right? It's going completely out of control. Like, this is amazing.

Erica 13:27

Really excited.

Joe 13:28

So I tell Eric and she's like, Wow, that's cool. What's it about? I'm like, I don't know where's it gonna be played on? I'm like, I don't know, we're gonna figure all this stuff out. So they reach out and they want to schedule a call with us. So we rearrange our lives in our daily lives, both at the store, places of regular business, everything to make this call happen. So get on the call. Very nice producer.

Erica 13:53

Oh, so friendly, so personable. I thought that it was completely legit too. Like, but then he started talking, right? And describing the different packages and levels and what this could do for you. And well, this is a little bit of a bigger one, and you know, you're gonna have to fly yourselves down here and to Miami.

Joe 14:20

It's like a vacation though, right? It could have been, and you have the ten thousand dollars, that's correct. Yeah, so the ten thousand dollars that's that's ready.

Erica 14:31

So you have the ten thousand dollars, but you could do the twelve thousand dollar option, and that would distinguish this from this. And well, thirty thousand might be a little much for your business at this point. Like he wasn't like trying to really gouge us at all with any big price tags. But you have the ten thousand, but you have the ten thousand, yes. It just kept coming back to that. So I my flags started going up immediately with that one. I think you were starting to feel it too. Um but yeah, prior to that, Joe sat me down at the table and was like, How are you gonna present this? How are you gonna grab his attention? You're gonna say this, you're gonna say this, you're gonna say this. And like he really wanted this to happen, like very, very, very excited. And I was getting that, I was receiving that energy and feeling that you know, this is really important to him, probably a very big deal if Joe scouted it, found it. You know, it's all going to be super positive and like a big break if we get picked for this. Well, swinging a mess.

Joe 15:50

Um blew that one. So it very quickly went from a we are pitching ourselves to he's pitching us. And I think I saw that, like you said, just as you saw it, we're like poking each other under the camera, if you will, and writing little notes back and forth.

Erica 16:08

Yeah, yeah.

Joe 16:09

So I just lie and I said, Oh yeah, $10,000, no problem. We got that. Right. Let's talk about the project. Just because I wanted to get to it. Like, what is it really? And he starts talking about how if we want to send footage of the store, we can, but if not, that's not a problem because they will just use stock AI images throughout the video. And we're like, what are you talking about? So it'll be you guys down here in Miami that you pay for completely, but it's a vacation too. So, you know, wrap that in, do it for yourselves. Um, how about new?

Erica 16:46

Um, how about new?

Joe 16:48

And you'll sit on a stool and you'll tell your story. And I love your story. You guys are great, you guys are authentic. I've never had a power couple before.

Erica 16:54

Oh my god, yes, you did say that.

Joe 16:58

And then I'll just put a whole bunch of AI stock images behind you.

Erica 17:02

Uh that was oh my god, yeah. Like, how can we get out of this immediately without being total jerks? But no, when when we realized, like, because we were then asking him questions before he said the stock AI stuff, like, are you gonna be sending a crew to the store, taking pictures, video, on-site stuff? He's like, No, you can just send me, send me things you have. And that's when I was like, wait a second. You're not even gonna film in Albany, but yet you want to make a documentary about our business, us, our city, all of this. So that was like bing, hold on a second.

Joe 17:44

So we're playing the game, we let him finish the pitch, we set up the next meeting, kind of knowing what we were going to do. So the best part for me was after we end, and we're like, oh my god, what a scam. We're not doing this at all. This is just, you know, his business, money making, you know, which I have no problem with. I have no problem with you're doing it, you're grinding. He had a great story, he's a family man.

Erica 18:10

I think that he was a very genuine, authentic person. There it didn't feel sleazy or scummy or like anything like that. And he did have a legit setup. He from what we could see, it was very professional.

Joe 18:25

Yes. So we decide we're not doing it, obviously. Right. So I send an email, I think the next day, thanking him for his time, all the things, but at this time I just don't think it's the right move for us. And to this day, we still have not gotten a response to I know, I don't. Ghosted.

Erica 18:42

Yeah, he realized he got caught. Yes, and then later that night or the next day, I said to Joe, I was like, why don't we just go on this website and watch the videos that he was pitching us?

Joe 18:55

Because full distribution is their own website, that's it. Not not even YouTube, not Netflix, which is what I thought it was, because it quoted Netflix in the pitch many times. Well, we want to be the Netflix of like, oh, okay, gotcha.

Erica 19:13

And looking back on it, like, I don't know why we didn't do our research ahead of time and like look at the actual videos and watch the things. Uh, but I think we were just caught up in the excitement of it all. And you know, maybe this was our big break. And uh no, it was far, far from it.

Joe 19:35

And I must say the stock AI images that were used throughout multiple videos were very nice, but they were stuck.

Erica 19:42

The same ones in all of them. Uh, I know. Thank God we uh we did our research before the second meeting.

Joe 19:51

You live and you learn, right?

Erica 19:53

And this is where if we were a little bit bigger and could hire a PR person, that would have come in handy, we would have saved an hour of our lives. But it it we don't we don't, and we didn't, and we learned.

Joe 20:08

And that learning experience was invaluable. It was so when we were reached out to on Instagram about doing a documentary about Albany and showcasing our store, the hair on the backs of our necks stood up.

Erica 20:23

I know. I was like, oh my god, I don't know about this one. But I I did what we should have done with the first one, and I went on their website, on their YouTube channel, and started watching some of their previous documentaries, and they were legit, they were really doing the things, and we responded to them over Instagram to like set up a call and talk with them before we made any decisions, but and they're the sweetest couple, super, super nice. They're both both teachers like us in the education world, and they were local Clifton Park area. So Peter and Gabby were wonderful and so sweet and so kind. And we I got on a call with Peter and started asking him some questions and wanting to know what this whole thing was about, and they have this series that they're starting about visiting different areas of New York and going into the history and what makes that region special, and they were very interested in Albany and how our city has come to be. So after like a half hour conversation on the phone with them and a little bit more discussion via messenger, we made a date to come and talk with us at the store to do the interview, to get footage of the store.

Joe 21:55

Actual footage of the store, not stock AI imagery, mind you.

Erica 21:59

Right. There was None of that. So they were interviewing small businesses from the area from Albany and combining it with storytelling of how our city has come to be and the future of it. And it was just honestly the best experience I've had in a very long time. They were there for about an hour in the store talking with me, videoing things. I got to meet their little son and just the sweetest couple ever, like so genuine, so lovely, and super interested in Albany and downtown Albany and how to help spread the word of revitalization and the history. It's not just about making the city better. It's like really telling our history and how it came to be and the next chapter that we're trying to build.

Joe 22:53

And they were very professional from the beginning. And they sent us, you know, notes and prompts and things to think about, you know, not to lead us in a direction, but to help us, you know, craft the message. Like, what do you want to say? How do you want to, you know, speak about Albany and speak about the store and things like that? So we were able to work on that a little bit and craft some ideas that, you know, Erica just could just get in her head so that when she's there live, you know, it could flow.

Erica 23:26

Because I'm not good with a script. I totally mess up and freeze. And the words come out horribly. It's the strangest thing. Uh, but if you can give me a couple of ideas to think about, and I'm not gonna think about them at exhaustion at all. I'm just gonna know they're gonna ask me this, and then I'll be able to talk about it. I'm very good free flow. And um, you know, they got they got footage of me interacting with the customers. It was so cool. It really felt so genuine and honest. And that's what I value so much about that experience.

Joe 24:02

And what I love is after you did all the footage that you just talked about, you looked over your notes and you said, correct me if I'm wrong, you know, I just want to make sure, you know, I got everything. And he asked you, you know, what was on your notes. And so you read it to him.

Erica 24:21

I did. Yeah.

Joe 24:22

And what did he say at the end of that?

Erica 24:24

He was like, that gave me chills the whole time. And can I use that as my conclusion to this documentary? Because you just summed it up for us.

Joe 24:34

And he did.

Erica 24:35

He did.

Joe 24:36

That's how the documentary ends.

Erica 24:38

Ended. I know. And like I'm getting goosebumps right now thinking about it because to be able to be a part of such an honest, like I said, conversation and story about our city is it's just what we are, it's who we are, it's why we are in downtown Albany and doing what we're doing. And that whole experience just adds to our message of like the love letter to our city, about our city and why we want to see it flourish. And that it's not how to make Albany great again. It's how to build Albany and its next chapter, as we've said. It's not let's make Albany great like it was 20 years ago. It's learning from the past, it's adding to the story, it's building the layers, the bricks, putting it down, and making our city what it is.

Joe 25:40

And that comes from the people. And it's, you know, of course you need the infrastructure to do that, but the buildings themselves, the money itself coming in, that's never gonna do that. It's the people, it's the honesty, it's the work ethic and the passion of the community that is going to build it properly and be able to sustain it.

Erica 26:05

And that's what this documentary shows. And what kind of grabbed me when I had the conversation with Peter on the phone was that he said he was starting from the outskirts of Albany downtown, and that's where it would end in the heart of the city. And he was looking to speak with some prominent business owners in the area that have been established for for a while. And he was very purposeful in who he was picking, which I appreciated. And like I said, working from the outside down to downtown by the river where it all ends. They really, Peter and Gabby did a fabulous job at investigating different neighborhoods of the city, getting different perspectives from different businesses, and then putting it all together, like really well done, very well cut, very professional videography, good quality. You gotta watch it. It's like 18 minutes long, maybe, not a huge amount of time, but a huge message in that footage.

Joe 27:17

Yes, big impact in those 18 minutes. So huge shout out and huge thank you yet again.

Erica 27:23

Yes, it really was the highlight of June and probably the year so far. Like it really meant a lot that they chose Fort Orange and allowed me to play such a big role in their project. So thank you, Peter and Gabby. From the bottom of my heart, it was one of the best days I've had in a very long time.

Joe 27:43

So, to the entrepreneurs out there that are looking to wear every single hat possible as your own PR representative, look for the Valerie's and the Peter and Gabby's of the world and stay away from the others that pop up on Instagram mostly and have a business form that you fill out.

Erica 28:07

Do your research, watch, watch the websites, watch the videos before you commit to anything. Have all the preliminary conversations and just go with your gut.

Joe 28:17

And remember to interview them while they're interviewing you. Yeah. Because that's the important part.

Erica 28:21

It is, because sometimes those interviews are impromptu, as has happened down at the store where they catch you in the moment and ask you if you could say a few words. And that can totally be fine, but make sure that you are asking your due diligence questions.

Joe 28:39

So I think that wraps up this episode, Erica. What do you say?

Erica 28:44

I'd say so. Joe, I think we got a lot in that one.

Joe 28:47

So I hope you gleaned a little insight into the behind-the-scenes entrepreneurial spirit that we have down at Fort Orange General store between the two of us as we yin and yang this thing from every aspect, including public relations. So until next time, thank you all for listening, and we look forward to sharing our lives with you again on Small Business Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store.