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Unsure of what is holding you back from taking the next step in your career? Feeling fearful about changing industries or starting your own business? This is Fear Factors, a Q&A series with female entrepreneurs and executives who share their journeys beyond fear to success.
As a personal brand strategist who has recently undertaken my own rebrand, Paula Amato’s story hit closer to home than most. Amato is the former National Director of Publicity for Atlantic Records, a life-long music publicist and a seasoned entrepreneur. But none of that amazing background matters in the face of a global economic crisis unless you adjust and keep moving.
Reinvention has been the key ingredient in her latest venture, PAI/Life, with sheer determination continuing to ward off the biggest bully any of us may face in our adult lives: fear.
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Paula Amato: My original company was a music public relations firm called PAI Media that I founded 20 years ago. In 2008 I started a record label, Midnight Swimming, as a subsidiary, but unfortunately the global economy crashed shortly thereafter taking the music industry with it. Most recently, I rebranded PAI Media as PAI/Life, a lifestyle PR company with an emphasis on conscious + vibrant living. This reinvention marks another leap into a new space for me and yet again, I have to reshape my professional identity. I’ve been a “music publicist” for 25 years and now I’m presenting my services and myself to an entirely new audience. It has been a sobering and exhilarating ride, to say the least, but my experience has taught me that we have to take risks, particularly in times of uncertainty, in order to truly achieve something great.
Cramer: Tell me about the biggest deciding factor in leaving your company and starting your own business.
Amato: I was pushed by a regime change. I was young, on a fast track and the realization of how one survives in a corporate environment seemed a bit soul crushing. With many other companies courting me, my rebellious spirit took charge and I decided that I wanted to start my own business and work with developing artists. It was a risky move at the time but it was worth it in the end.
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Cramer: How do you define fear?
Amato: Fear is the great extinguisher of dreams. It’ll bully you, undermine your confidence and immobilize you — if you let it. Conversely, it can be your best mentor and source of motivation. When fear kicks in for me, determination takes over and my past successes affirm that failure is not an ultimatum. I remind myself that I’ve been there, done that and no matter how hard I fall, I will always get back up again.
Cramer: How do you define success?
Amato: Success is definitely relative and sometimes difficult to measure. The fact that I’ve sustained a business for 20+ years is a success. It’s important that you acknowledge your successes no matter how small and not rely on public perception of what it means to be successful. As an entrepreneur, it’s often the small achievements — longstanding relationships and client loyalty — that are the most meaningful to me. I’ve realized that those are the things that have held me up during the rough times.
Cramer: What fears did you face during the process of starting your own business?
Amato: Moving from a high profile position at a successful record company to a one-woman show was terrifying. The loss of perceived status and recognition that I had grown accustomed to was a startling and humbling experience. It took a lot of self-reflection and personal growth to withstand the fact that a business now rested squarely on my shoulders. The glitz and glamour, expense accounts and legendary rock stars no longer defined me. I had to face my fears and vulnerability, ultimately relying on my passion.
Cramer: What specific tactics did you use to move beyond those fears?
Amato: I think my determination and passion for music and the excitement of creating my own business got me through the initial stages, but as time went on, I had to learn to deal with the experience of all of the ups and downs, failures, and self-doubt. I also had to face these emotions and accept that failure is often an invitation to course-correct. In the past few years, I’ve embraced yoga and meditation, which has had an enormous effect on the way I live and work. It’s helped me tame “monkey mind” and inspired me to tap into my intuition and knowingness. For entrepreneurs who are struggling to move beyond their fears, this can have a profound effect on your self-confidence and wellbeing.
Cramer: How did your fears change between leaving your job, starting your business and now running your business?
Amato: I was really young and on a fast track when I ventured out on my own, so a loss of perceived status was the most obvious fear in the early years. This is a manifestation of the ego which — luckily I’ve come to understand — must be silenced. Now, it’s more the issue of long-term security, being in-tune with a changing media landscape and remaining passionate about my work. I think losing your passion and curiosity is death to a business and is probably the greatest thing to fear.
Cramer: What advice would you give your “employee” self to better prepare for starting your own business?
Amato: I would have advised my “employee” self to focus on strategic planning, spend enough time in my current position to cultivate strong relationships and contacts and budget properly. When you’re starting your own business, you need to have at least the equivalent of six months of cash flow saved to cover you during the slow times. When you have all of that in place, be fearless and take the leap!
Cramer: What was the biggest surprise in moving from employee to entrepreneur?
Amato: The biggest surprise in moving from employee to entrepreneur was the isolation that often comes with making that transition. While you may be working with a client or a small team to achieve certain outcomes, you will be working alone most of the time, and that can be challenging.
Cramer: What’s one thing you were never afraid of?
Amato: I wasn’t afraid of not having the support I needed to successfully transition from an employee to an entrepreneur, and the affirmation that it was the right choice. The one thing that has remained constant and that I’m most grateful for is that I have an amazing family and support system that has carried me through the most challenging moments of entrepreneurship. When you have a foundation in place, fear is only a distraction.
Cramer: Do you have a motto, phrase or verbal boost that you say to yourself to keep going?
Amato: My dad’s motto has always been, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” and he has instilled that in my siblings and me. Those words have helped to create a powerful legacy and are a testament to his own strength and endurance as a life-long entrepreneur. They always serve as a beautiful and heartfelt reminder for me to keep moving forward in my own business ventures.
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How many of our fearful and most challenging moments can really be overcome by first taming our “monkey mind”? Thanks to Amato, I am now obsessed with this idea (and rather love the mental image it gives me).
With foundation intact, mind tamed, ego in check and passion identified, fear can be tuned out like any distraction. Let’s adjust the dials of our lives (yes, that’s an analog reference) to the crystal clear station that we want as our future.
