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When Emma Speirs set up Ballyhoo PR, she knew there was no reason why working in PR should not be able to fit around having children

A Northamptonshire PR company has put flexible working first to make the lives of the parents who work for them as stress-free as possible.

Ballyhoo PR was awarded for its efforts after making the final of the East Midlands Wellbeing Award, hosted by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

Emma Speirs, who founded the business in 2016, has grown the team from just her to four permanent staff and two freelancers – and believes the flexible working opportunities she puts first are to thank.

Emma Speirs (pictured), who founded Ballyhoo PR in 2016, has grown the team from just her to four permanent staff and two freelancers – and believes the flexible working opportunities she puts first are to thank.

The business founder and mother said: “The team and I were proud because something I tried to achieve when I set up the company was the balance between PR and parenthood – which don’t often go together.

“You can be working long days and attending evening events, and if you’ve got a young family that doesn’t fit.”

Emma knew there was no reason why you should not be able to fit working in PR around having children, and offers “incredibly flexible hours” to her employees.

The team all work part time and they are given the choice of which days and hours work best.

Ballyhoo PR was awarded for its efforts after making the final of the East Midlands Wellbeing Award, hosted by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Here, Emma is pictured giving a speech at the celebration event for the Northamptonshire winners and finalists.

“My skilled and experienced team work really hard,” said Emma. “It’s great to have such talented people on board, and offering them flexibility allows them to be less stressed.”

Ballyhoo PR recently moved into a new office in Lamport – in the countryside, surrounded by horses, and with a pilates studio and beauty salon nearby.

Emma said: “This has all really helped from a wellbeing perspective.”

During the pandemic, Emma also hired external trainers to hold workshops on mindset and building confidence, which contributed to the business making the final of the FSB Awards.

Ballyhoo PR is launching an academy in September, which will teach businesses how to do their own PR.

A cohort of businesses will meet every month for six months, and cheer each other on to generate the best PR they can.

Emma looks forward to being able to offer this, as she believes “a lot of businesses will benefit from getting their message across in a cost-effective way”.

Northamptonshire PR business putting flexible working first for parent employees