Fifty Cups of Coffee, Cup #6: Jeffrey Durosko, owner, DuroskoPR
Fifty Cups of Coffee #6: Jeffrey Durosko
Date: February 2, 2024
Location: Zoom
How we know each other
Jeffrey and I met when he was the VP of Corporate Communications for Education Management Corporation, which was the parent company of The Art Institutes, and I was the Director of Public Relations for The Art Institute of Portland. While the President of The Art Institute of Portland was my direct boss, I indirectly reported to Jeffrey and worked with him as the Chairperson for the National PR Directors Council, which he oversaw.
What Jeffrey is doing now
For the past 18 years, he has been the President of Jeff Durosko Communications. He manages all aspects of corporate communications and public relations for a variety of companies, including those in the education, professional services, technology and consumer products sectors.
He is the proud father of two daughters, ages 25 and 20, and divides his time living and working in Pennsylvania and Florida.
Three questions
During these Fifty Cups of Coffee chats, I ask each person the same three questions. The reasoning behind each is as follows:
Question 1 – Social media makes it easy for other people to think that they know us, when truthfully, we all only see a small sliver of someone’s life and who they really are. This is the interviewee’s chance to share something that is important to them that, for whatever reason, other people may not know.
Question 2 – We all have fears, no matter who are are or where we are in life. This helps connect us and show we are all more alike than we are different.
Question 3 – I believe the answer to this question helps show each person’s true values, passions, and their why in life.
There are no right or wrong answers to any of these. I’m including each person’s answers in first person. Their answers have been edited from my notes for length and clarity, but these are their words.
What is one thing you wish more people knew about you?
I feel like everybody thinks I am the biggest pessimist, and I’m really not. I consider myself a realist who yearns to be an optimist.
I spend time in my own head talking myself out of anything negative and stopping myself from heading down a negative lane. I like to come at it (situations) with a positive view of things.
What is your deepest fear?
Failure on every level. Big things, little things. I don’t go into a situation fearing failure, but the thought pops up: what if this doesn’t work out? What if this doesn’t happen?
In starting my own business, the fear of failure motivated me to become successful. Because if this doesn’t work out i’m going to have to put on a tie and go to an office and deal with corporate hell again, and that drove me to work harder, to be more positive, to be someone who could rise above it – and I feel like I have.
If you had unlimited funds, what would you do with your life?
I’d live pretty similarly to how I’m living now, but on a higher level. When I’m traveling, that means traveling a little more in first class, going to higher end properties, spending more time there, and also taking friends with me.
I’ve gotten so much criticism about “always being on vacation” as if when I go away, I stop working. That’s obviously not the case. But it would be great to take some people along for ride and a great way to use my unlimited funds, doing what I love the most.
Also, I’d pay for couple of weddings and all the other things that come with having two girls.
Lessons learned
I always enjoyed chatting with fellow business owners, because there are things about running your own business that are sometimes impossible for those who work for other people to understand.
- Let fear motivate you. When you run your own business, everything about it relies on you, so there can be a constant, daily fear of failure, especially in the early days of the business. I completely understand what Jeffrey is saying about letting that fear of failure motivate you to succeed. I think a lot of us solopreneurs can relate.
- Work-life balance is different for entrepreneurs. Like Jeffrey, I’ve learned to incorporate my travels into my work, and vice versa. I work every single day; there are no off days where I don’t work at least a little bit – at least, not at this point in my life. But the flexibility and the rewards that come with that are tenfold.
- What’s next? Jeffrey’s oldest daughter is just a little older than my oldest kid, who is about the same age as his youngest. During this phase of life, so many of us are planning for the next phase. And it helps to talk with others who are also asking and planning for what’s next. I love talking to other people about their “empty nest” plans, especially people who also love to travel. Jeffrey and his wife are already a step ahead with their second home in a sunny location.
Learn more about Jeffrey
Learn more about Jeffrey’s business, Jeff Durosko Communications.
He also has a travel blog that you can visit at DadTravels.
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