In the June-August 2026 issue of NZ Marketing magazine, we asked agency founders to tell us the story behind why they started their agency, their favourite thing, what they’ve learned and their best advice.
HMC
- Founder: Heather Claycomb
- Year founded: 2004
Tell us the story behind founding your agency.
I started my PR agency HMC in 2004 ‘on a whim’ thinking: “I’d quite like to do some writing and work for myself.”
Twenty-two years later, I’ve built a three-time PRINZ agency of the year award-winning consultancy. It was most important to me to work with great clients who I enjoyed spending time with, and I’m proud to say I’ve done just that.
I’ve been fortunate to attract some of the best talent in our industry to work with me over the years, some of whom have gone on to build their own consultancies. Working with and learning from these amazing PR brains has certainly been a highlight.
After 22 years in business, we continue growing, innovating and embracing the changes that are happening in our industry at a glacial place. It’s daunting at times, but we’re enjoying the ride!
What’s your favourite thing about running your own agency?
Learning from my staff.
When I hired my first staff member, I remember being in a meeting and seeing that person give great advice – advice that I wouldn’t have the experience to give!
It was eye-opening for someone who had worked alone for eight years prior, being expected to always have all the answers.
It’s been fun to learn from all my team members over the years, and also a relief to be able to lean on their expertise, experience and skills and ‘be OK’ with not having all the answers myself. Owning and managing an agency, with a team, has been a major learning journey for me, which is something I have found incredibly rewarding.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
TRUST YOUR GUT!
When it comes to selecting clients, hiring staff, providing advice, taking advice from others… no matter what, trust your gut.
When I haven’t, it’s gone horribly wrong. But, thankfully I think I’m getting better at this as I get older and wiser.
It’s easy to just say ‘trust your gut’ but in order to trust it, you need to constantly obtain new experiences, acquire new knowledge, keep learning, have conversations with others in the industry, read a lot and gauge your gut by checking in with others who are wiser. Don’t underestimate this important rule.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received or given out?
Double your rates.
I remember when I was just starting out, I was telling someone I was way too busy and it was leading to stress. This was before I had hired any staff. I was told: “Double your rates.” At first, I dismissed such a ludicrous piece of advice! And, honestly, I wasn’t brave enough to DOUBLE my rates, but I did raise them quite a lot. And doing so became a significant milestone as it helped me weed out smaller jobs or clients who didn’t want more of the strategic advice, which was where I wanted my career to head toward.
Anything else we should know?
In 2018, I turned my agency into a social enterprise and now donate 100% of our profits to my family charity, All Good Ventures. Our clients obtain great PR advice while partnering with us to do good in the world.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 87, June-August 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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