The Real Truths from Enterprise Rising: Startup Lessons and PR Insights from the Midwest’s Top Founder Event
Last month, 983 Group was the proud sponsor of Enterprise Rising, the Midwest startup event that brings together hundreds of founders and investors for candid conversations about the good, the bad and the ugly of starting and scaling startups.
The format focuses on an impressive caliber of speakers who share their companies’ origin stories with an equally impressive level of candor for an authentic Q&A, led by event organizer Casey Allen.
In speaking with and hearing from founders at all stages and phases of growth, it is clear that this line of work is not for the faint of heart. Disrupting a market and scaling a startup takes tenacity, hard work and an all-in approach from founders and families alike. As a fellow founder, these stories resonated with me - and inspired me to lean into the process as we continue building strategic awareness for 983 Group as well as the companies we support.
A packed house of innovators listen to Casey Allen at Enterprise Rising.
Founder Advice that Stuck with Us
Tyrre Burks, founder of Players Health, the risk services and insurance firm that protects athletes and sports organizations with a comprehensive risk management platform, spoke about building his business in the early days - and reminded everyone about the importance of trusting yourself and your mission. Founders know their business best. Period.
Thompson Aderinkomi, co-founder and CEO of Nice Healthcare, a company redesigning comprehensive healthcare for small and medium-sized businesses by utilizing a mix of technology and in-home care, talked openly about what it was like to raise funding while taking on the feedback from new advisors. He mentioned that many “seasoned experts” will try to convince founders to make decisions based on “best practices” or "industry standards,” and as Thompson shared “you did not start a company to do things the way they’ve always been done." He also talked about the value of advice - and poking holes in it until you’ve proved to yourself that you should follow it.
What 983 Group Shared with Founders
983 Group CEO Aimee Eichelberger shares startup storytelling insights on stage at Enterprise Rising 2025.
Messaging Matters - A Lot: Whether the company has been around for 10 months or 10 years, solid positioning is vital to all awareness initiatives - including sales, marketing, recruiting, investor outreach, media relations and everything in between. It can be especially helpful to review and renew messaging with the help of a third-party who brings a new perspective and a fresh set of eyes.
Once companies can eloquently and easily tout who they are, how they’re different and why prospects should care, it also becomes much clearer how to build a strategic communications program that supports the right awareness.
Not All Press Coverage is Created Equal: The focus on PR should always be on quantity over quality but many times, quality has not been defined. At 983 Group, we focus on analyzing the impact of our efforts on business goals. To that end, many companies choose to partner with a PR firm because they want the “big win,” which oftentimes means a national business or tech press hit.
While those can be powerful and undoubtedly drive big impressions, it’s not always the right impressions. One of my favorite anecdotes is that a client who was included in a Wall Street Journal article, compared it to the impact of a vertical case study in a niche outlet - 5 years later, the “smaller” hit was still driving sales leads to the organization. Those are the metrics that should be reviewed and repeated.
PR is a Long Term Investment: Unfortunately, PR is not a faucet that can be turned on and off. Good PR and marketing support takes time to build and build upon. My rule of thumb is that if a company cannot invest in PR for at least six months, it’s not worth pursuing PR until they do.
Companies will also find that awareness with a strong foundation continues to give back in perpetuity, so it makes better financial sense to bring PR to the business when it can be supported for the long-term.
For more on lessons learned from the conference and to hear how 983 Group can help demystify public relations and deliver real ROI, get in touch!