This week, I’m doing something I haven’t done in five years.
I’m going on holiday. Abroad. A proper one.
Not a long weekend. Not a “working from warmer climates” cheat code. A real, honest-to-goodness break.
And the reason it’s taken five years?
Bear. And Sweep.
Bear is our beautiful, quiet, cuddly Labrador. He came to us with no collar, no toys, no lead — and no idea how to “be” a dog. He’d spent his first two years living in a small yard with a cat for company. He’d never met another dog. Never been walked. Just existed quietly, out of sight.
Then came Sweep.
Also a Labrador — but you wouldn’t know it to look at him. He arrived weighing just 4kg, after his breeder decided he was too sick to sell and asked for him to be euthanised. Sweep has a condition called megaesophagus, meaning we had to feed him from a syringe and standing up with licky mats on the glass door for the early part of his life.
He was given 3 months to live.
That was three years ago.
So yes — leaving them is a huge deal. Not just emotionally, but practically. It’s not a simple case of booking them into the local kennels and hoping for the best.
Which is why this year, we finally took the plunge — thanks to one very special dog boarding business near us. Not a kennel. Not a cutesy name with cartoon bones. A genuinely premium, one-to-one deluxe dog retreat.
Here’s the business bit.
They didn’t win us over with a price. Or a brochure. Or a “DM us for more info” Facebook post.
They won us over by showing us the experience.
Daily social media updates. Pack walks in the woods. Quiet time for nervous dogs. Videos, photos, behind-the-scenes care. Not glossy — just real. Real people, real dogs, real trust.
And do you know what? It worked. We’re leaving our boys in their care with total confidence — and yes, we’re paying a premium for it. Happily.
Because when something shows its value, tells a clear story, and proves the difference it makes, you stop comparing it to the cheapest option. You compare it to peace of mind.
And that, my friend, is exactly what great PR does.
It doesn’t shout. It shows.
It doesn’t discount. It differentiates.
It doesn’t try to be for everyone. It makes the right people feel, “This is for me.”
So yes, I’m finally going away.
Because someone else built a brand I could trust with two of the most important members of my family.
And they did it through clear, consistent, emotionally resonant communication.
Sound familiar? It should.
When your clients feel like they know you, trust you, and believe you’ll take care of them — price becomes a secondary factor. Story becomes the primary driver.
PR helps you tell that story before anyone else tries to tell it for you.
If you’ve been waiting to raise your prices, justify your value, or show people the real reason you’re different… now’s the time.