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SUSAN TRAINER
 CEO Trainer Communications
Words of Wisdom: Prioritize carefully, plan realistically, and don’t succumb to guilt
In 1995, with a one-year old and five months pregnant (she now has four kids and is a single mom), Susan took a risk and branched out on her own to start Trainer Communications, one of the largest privately held PR agencies in the Bay Area. Her 16 employees are encouraged to work hard, play hard, and go to their children’s games, school plays, etc. Flexibility is the key to her satisfaction with her opportunity to accommodate all the competing priorities and commitments she has chosen in her life. The entire Trainer staff is granted a flexible schedule and they are not judged on the “hours” spent at their job – but rather evaluated and compensated on the results they achieve. One way she accomplishes this is that most employees work from their home offices and they keep a “two-hour” response time standard. This means that they are generally expected to respond during general work hours to internal and external clients within two hours unless they have communicated they will be out of communication in advance. This allows the company to maintain its “responsive” reputation while providing the flexibility the staff wants to accommodate life. One fan of Susan wrote that “Susan has more energy and enthusiasm for life than anyone I've ever met. She is truly an inspiration to her clients and employees. I personally love the fact that she's demonstrated that you don't have to compromise -- you can have a rewarding career and a very balanced and satisfying home life.”
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