What if you never made a cold call, never sent a cold email, and still built a global agency with 140 clients across four continents?
In this episode, Joel Strauss, founder of Strauss Communications, shares how being fired at the start of Covid with zero clients led to building a boutique PR agency that has now worked with over 140 companies across four continents. Almost every single one came through a relationship.
Joel's story has three chapters: starting the business, scaling it, and saving it. Each one hinged on a personal relationship at exactly the right moment. Including the meeting in Madrid that pulled his agency back from the brink after October 7th changed everything overnight.
Runs Strauss Communications, a boutique PR agency for tech startups
Services cover organic media coverage, content, and social media
95% of clients are tech companies; most are referred through relationships
Idealized politics; left after nearly two years deeply unhappy
Quit, traveled South America, then went on a boys' trip to Montreal
Met his brother's former roommate who connected him to a PR firm in Tel Aviv
He packed up everything in New York and moved within two weeks
His brother's former roommate saw a fit between his background and the agency
The firm had political and tech clients; Joel had just enough experience to be relevant
That one connection opened the door to a new industry and a new country
Every step of his career since traces back to that trip to Montreal
Gets a bird's eye view of tech across fintechs, AI, semiconductors, and more
Works directly with founders, CMOs, and CEOs of innovative companies
Has helped companies go from unknown to dominant positions in their markets
A niche plywood replacement client started getting people knocking on their door from PR alone
Several clients successfully raised investment rounds after investors cited media coverage
All contracts are month to month; some clients have stayed for over three years
Retaining clients through results rather than contracts is the proof of delivery
Was called into a hearing to be fired at the start of Covid
Kept his cool and told his boss he understood and didn't take it personally
That same boss became a mentor and referred several of his first clients
Joel's wife co-founded the business with him; their relationship has been foundational
A former colleague he stayed close with over the years eventually joined his team
That person brought in key client relationships that led to major results
The companies he helped raise in the US all came through this one relationship
Maintaining cordial connections over time is what made it possible
After October 7th, Israeli tech clients sent staff into reserve duty overnight
Lost half the client base almost overnight
A founder from South America emailed out of nowhere; they met in Madrid by chance
That relationship became a client and turned the company around
Wants to scale without sacrificing service quality
Growing through relationships rather than cold outreach remains the core model
Using AI to handle busy work so the team has more time with clients
Boutique, high-quality, and relationship-driven is the identity they will not trade away
Most agencies charge $15,000 to $25,000 a month and put junior staff on accounts
At Strauss Communications, senior people handle everything
Contracts are month to month; they have to earn it every single time
That pressure is what keeps the work sharp and the results consistent
Was hired in-house at a tech company and told to bring in expensive PR firms
It was him landing TechCrunch and Reuters; the firms were getting paid for his work
Saw the gap and built an agency that actually delivered at the senior level
Most agencies just pitch placements; Strauss Communications thinks strategically
Also offers white papers and content with both PR and marketing value
Measurable deliverables make it easier for marketing teams to justify the spend
A webinar built from one piece of content recently generated 150 sign-ups
Noticed that relationship building is more open in Israel and Spain than in the US
In the US, getting to the CEO requires going through several gatekeepers first
Being of service and being known for it builds a reputation that compounds over time
"Every step of my story is intimately intertwined with personal relationships." - Joel Strauss
"A lot of good and innovation can happen when people are more open to giving of themselves and giving their time." - Joel Strauss
Website: https://www.strausscomms.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelstrauss1
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