Meet Lauren Miller, the dynamic entrepreneur and Founder of a boutique PR and digital advertising agency Lauren Lee Creative. With a decade of cross-industry experience and a passion for fostering impactful connections, Lauren has established herself as a strategic communicator and innovative leader. Armed with a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from the University of Georgia and a minor in Fashion Merchandising, she has navigated the bustling streets of New York, the vibrant lifestyle scene of Atlanta, and the entrepreneurial culture of Charleston. Each city has uniquely shaped her personal and professional growth, contributing to her success in the PR and advertising world.
In this exclusive interview, Lauren shares insights into her inspiring journey, from starting her own business to overcoming challenges and celebrating achievements. She discusses the pivotal moments that have defined her career, the importance of meaningful relationships, and her vision for the future of her agency. Join us as we delve into the experiences and perspectives of Lauren Miller, a trailblazer in the PR and digital advertising industry, and discover the inspiring tales of success and determination that drive her forward.
Reflecting on your journey from New York to Atlanta and now Charleston, how have these different cities influenced your personal and professional growth?
Each city has played a distinct role in shaping my growth. New York laid a sturdy early-career foundation, where I learned independence, a robust work ethic, and how to blend professionalism with personal style. Atlanta further honed my client and event management skills, and it’s where I met my now husband. With its quietly thriving entrepreneurial culture, Charleston has been instrumental in my career. Since relocating here, I’ve immersed myself in a network of diverse small business owners that has propelled my success. Together, these cities have taught me invaluable lessons in resilience, adaptability, and creativity.
We’d love to hear about a pivotal moment in your career where you felt a strong sense of personal achievement. What was it, and what did it mean to you?
Starting my own business. Before this, I worked at a few different agencies, never really considering venturing out on my own. However, in 2022, I realized entrepreneurship was the best move forward. Feeling confident I had what it takes, I decided to take the leap. Since then, I’ve been fully committed to building and growing my company. It hasn’t been easy stepping out of my comfort zone and embracing challenges, but the rewards of being my own boss have been incredibly fulfilling.
Beyond your professional pursuits, what are some hobbies or interests that bring you joy and fulfillment outside of work?
Beyond work, fashion is a major passion of mine. One of my favorite things to do in my downtime is browsing Pinterest for outfit ideas and staying updated on fashion trends. I’ve always been the go-to person among family and friends for style advice (which I absolutely love). I also love painting, usually abstract acrylics. Most of the artwork in my home is my own. Yoga is also a significant part of my life. I earned a 200-hour teacher training certification in 2022 and regularly practice vinyasa several times a week for relaxation and rejuvenation.
As someone deeply involved in fostering connections, how do you nurture and maintain meaningful relationships both within your industry and beyond?
Building and nurturing meaningful relationships is crucial for me, both personally and professionally. I actively engage with people I meet, try to empathize as much as possible, and avoid burning bridges. Whether making new friends or meeting potential clients, I focus on creating genuine connections and often suggest meeting for coffee or lunch because face-to-face interactions are vital in this business. I prioritize being open and creating a space for people to share. This openness builds trust and leads to deeper connections. I also make sure to stay in touch with past contacts because you never know where opportunities may arise. For instance, one of my first clients came from an agency that offered me a job three years prior. Recently, I contracted with one of my former bosses for project support. Relationships are key, and my goal is to cultivate mutually beneficial partnerships.
We’d love to know about a book, podcast, or piece of media that has inspired or influenced you recently. What was it, and how did it resonate with you?
I recently read “The Obstacle Is the Way” by Ryan Holiday, which stuck with me. I’ve been a fan of his newsletter, “The Daily Stoic,” so I was excited to dive into his book. What stood out was how practical and relevant it is to real-life situations. The book offers a broad perspective on overcoming obstacles, highlighting that challenges are opportunities for redirection and growth. This mindset resonated with me because it emphasized the importance of resilience and perseverance in reaching goals. I liked that it gave me actionable insights to navigate through hurdles. It was a great read to start 2024, motivating me to keep pushing forward.
Your agency specializes in crafting digital advertising and PR strategies for small and mid-sized businesses. How do you tailor your approach to suit the unique needs and budgets of these clients?
We customize our approach to match each client’s goals and needs, offering personalized PR and digital advertising services. Our process starts with understanding their objectives and crafting a tailored strategy for effective goal achievement. While our combined services ensure consistent messaging and a unified market impact, we recognize that this may not be a fit for every client. Our thorough consultation and onboarding processes help optimize budgets by aligning strategies with capabilities and preferences. For clients focusing on digital advertising, we identify the best platforms, like Instagram, LinkedIn, Meta, etc., based on their target audience, budget, and objectives. For those prioritizing PR, we outline strategies such as story angles, targeted events, awards, speaking opportunities, partnerships, and more. Ultimately, our success is tied to our clients’ success. We strive to assist our clients in advancing their business objectives while positioning ourselves as strategic partners.
Can you elaborate on the importance of securing awards and speaking opportunities for your clients in enhancing their visibility and credibility in the market?
Participating in awards submissions sparks internal discussions about what makes the business unique, its approach to thought leadership, and its impact on clients, teams, and the community. This process also generates content for press angles and social media beyond the submission itself. Winning awards not only earns recognition on prestigious lists but also creates engaging content for social media and websites, attracting clients and top talent. Speaking engagements are equally valuable, providing opportunities to share industry expertise with audiences, in person or virtually. Additionally, speaking engagements often include branded materials, boosting visibility. What’s great about speaking opportunities is their range and variety, from podcasts to keynotes to panels and fireside chats. This allows businesses to position themselves as experts across all levels of an organization, enhancing credibility for future engagements.
Can you discuss the role of social media platforms in your PR strategies and how you leverage them to amplify your clients’ messages?
Let’s clarify that PR and social media are different. Many confuse them, but from my experience, they work best as separate but coordinated efforts. My team focuses on securing press features and supporting social media to maintain consistent and accurate messaging. We use social media in our PR strategies when we land press coverage. Working with the social media team, we tailor content for different platforms to reach a wider online audience. For example, when a client is recognized on a national fastest-growing company list, we share the link and support drafting copy with the proper award names and publication tags for maximum visibility. We also coordinate with the social media team during campaign launches or new service announcements to ensure timely and engaging posts. Our goal is to keep a steady flow of news and update content, expanding our clients’ reach through strategic sharing and engagement.
Looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations for the future of your agency, and how do you plan to continue driving innovation in the PR and advertising space?
I’m focused on growing the agency by bringing in more clients and expanding our team. Even though we’re still new, I see us reaching a national level while nurturing a culture of adaptability, hard work, and ingenuity. I also aim to refine our niche further, using my diverse experience in fashion, lifestyle & entertainment, and technology to our advantage. We’ll focus on what we do best – showing up because we genuinely care about our clients and their outcomes, working diligently until the job is complete, and prioritizing continuous learning to deliver exceptional results.
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
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