Two former Lady Longhorns have entered the stampede of young entrepreneurs taking advantage of opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kayleigh Thesenvitz Harrison and Kait Burton founded Quirk Communications in November with a mission to assist the small businesses and nonprofits that strengthen Oklahoma communities with the communications support they need to reach their goals.
“Small businesses and nonprofits are foundational to the local economy and are crucial to improving quality of life,” Harrison said. “The small scale of these operations, and their focus on meeting community needs, however, takes focus away from marketing their business or organization, which in turn makes it more difficult for them to grow and serve a larger customer and client base.”
Burton, who came up with the name of the company, said, “Every small business and nonprofit has a quirk that helps them stand out from the rest. At Quirk Communications, our mission is to turn your quirk into an effective marketing strategy, with a demonstrated return on an investment, at a price that won’t break the bank.”
The services provided by Quirk Communications include graphic design, video production, social media content creation and management, website creation and management, storytelling, brand design, audience data research and analysis, AP style writing, email marketing and photography.
With a combined 12 years of award-winning experience in strategic communications and degrees from prestigious Oklahoma schools, both young women found themselves out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic and unable to find jobs in their career fields due to hiring freezes.
“I was eventually able to find a job, but the thing I missed most about leaving journalism behind was the knowledge that my work was helping people stay connected to their communities,” Harrison said. “There are so many wonderful small businesses and nonprofits who can’t seem to break through all the noise on the internet and have their story heard. That’s where we can help.”
Quirk Communications offers all of its services for less than the cost of a part-time, minimum wage employee. There are no costly retainers, no hidden fees, and it offers the ability to tailor make a marketing package that serves its clients’ needs.
“This is an exciting opportunity, both for us, and for the nonprofits and small businesses we plan to serve. I’m eager to use my degree for the benefit of the community and can’t wait to see where this takes us.”
