The Accidental PR Guy
They say success comes to those who follow their passion.
Do what you love, and you’ll love what you do.
Or something to that effect.
Jim Guttau is proof positive that that statement actually works.
He may not have realized it at the time, but he was destined for a career in PR at the age of ten. The recorder for his 4-H Club in rural Iowa, he sent stories to the local papers about his “Loess Hills Lancers” generating buzz for his group’s cattle shows. He then got involved with local non-profits in his teen years and staged a host of special events and fundraising activities.
Which initially lead to a successful career….in special education.
I’ve always said that teaching is a calling more than a profession. And special education is an even more dedicated calling.
While Jim enjoyed teaching, he soon found it wasn’t exactly his calling.
“I’d come home after a day of teaching completely exhausted,” Guttau explained, adding that he was at the same time in awe of his younger sister who taught special ed and came home to her own one-year-old full of energy.
“I don’t know how she does it,” Guttau added, “I was a young single guy and I couldn’t keep up with those kids.”
That’s not to say that his background in education hasn’t been useful. Currently principal of his own PR agency, Guttau PR in Denver, he works with a number of local and regional education agencies. But his big break came in the food and franchise sector.
Soon after arriving in Denver five years ago, Guttau worked at an agency on several national restaurant accounts. His work was so stellar, that when he outgrew the agency to chart his own course, Jamba Juice Colorado came looking for him. With that account anchoring him, he’s added a number of other food and hospitality clients to the mix and now is balancing a healthy roster of both local and national brand accounts.
“I never really set out to become a PR guy,” Guttau admits, “but it all came together that way naturally from the work I was doing out of my own passion.”
That work was primarily centered in the non-profit world when Guttau first hit Denver. He’d volunteer to coordinate any number of events, sit on the board of a host of PR and Marketing committees, and put his self-described “flurry of activity” personality to work.
And it paid off.
While still very active in the non-profit world, including the National Kidney Foundation, CulturHaus, a number of young professional groups and chairing the local American Marketing Association board, Guttau found a successful career by simply doing what came naturally.
As we sat sipping coffee at the Cafe Caliente in the Highlands neighborhood of Denver, I began to marvel at how Guttau has cultivated his career, whether intentionally or not.
He’s now in a position to mentor others, growing his business while also building up the next generation of “accidental PR guys.” And here’s the kicker. He’s still young. And if he keeps on doing what he’s done since those days in 4-H, following his passion and doing what comes naturally, chances are he’ll have a pretty big impact on an industry he never intended to join.
Jim Rocks!