Going Indie: Lee Weinstein Said Goodbye Corporate PR Job & Hello to His Own PR Firm

Sometimes great businesses start with a revelation: “Why work for someone else when I can do this exact same job - but on my own terms!” The bold entrepreneurs we’ll meet in Going Indie have all done just that -- quit their salaried positions to declare independence, starting up their own ventures in the same field.

Name: Lee Weinstein @lweins

Business: Weinstein PR

Founded: 2007

Location: Portland, Oregon

The Revelation: Lee recalls, “I’d been at Nike 15 years, I loved working there, loved the people. I was literally shaving one morning, I was coming up on my second sabbatical and I asked the guy in the mirror, ‘Do you want to be there 20 years?’ The guy in the mirror said, ‘Hell no!’ I was surprised that I felt that strongly about it. I didn’t know what I wanted to do if I left Nike and that led me to a whole process of what I was going to do next.”

The New Venture: Guided by his belief that, “We go along forgetting that our time here is limited. I don’t want 17 years to fly by wishing I’d done something differently, so let’s make sure we’re being intentional and let’s make sure we get the big things done.” That “big thing” turned out to be Weinstein PR, Lee’s full service PR, marketing and branding agency that includes clients like Facebook, Google, Whole Foods and even his former employer, Nike. How’s that for just doing it?

Read more about Lee’s work on QuickBooks Community

Did you leave a salaried position to start your own thing? What were the scariest and the best parts of “Going Indie” for you?

Want to weigh in but not yet a QB Community member? Click HERE to sign up in a flash!