In this episode, Amy celebrates the 25th anniversary of her business, Kehs Communications, by sharing her journey “from idea to impact.” She reflects on the stages of her business—idea, independence, inspiration, investment, and impact—and how each phase paralleled shifts in museum communications over the past quarter century. From the early days of websites and email to today’s focus on building community and deeper connections, Amy traces both her own growth and the evolving landscape of museum marketing.

Links from the Episode:

• Send me an email: amy@lovemymuseum.com
• Book a call.
• Read my ebook.

More Free Resources for Museums:

• Museum Planning Calendar
• Museum Metrics Template

About the host: 

Amy Kehs is a brand strategist and communications expert for museums. She has owned Kehs Communications since 2000 and has worked for the most renowned and well-loved museums in Washington, D.C. Her goal is to ensure that museums thrive into the next century and she hopes people will come to love museums as much as she does. Her proven process sets up proactive communication habits for museums, cultivating relationships with visitors who will want to return and bring a friend. Want to talk more? Click this link to book a call.

My business turns 25 this month.

2

That's a whole quarter of a century,

and today I'm telling you the

3

whole story from Idea to Impact.

4

Let's get started and.

5

. .

. Hello and welcome to the Love My Museum podcast.

6

I'm your host, Amy Keys

and I love museums.

7

I'm also a brand strategist and

communications expert for museums, and

8

I'm so glad that you're here today.

9

This is a really special episode.

10

Before we dive in, I wanna

give you a little behind the

11

scenes look at my business.

12

Officially, my company is called

Keys Communications, which I

13

founded back in September of 2000.

14

In the beginning, I

focused on contract work.

15

Museums would bring me in to manage

communications, help open exhibits, or

16

handle logistics for filming projects.

17

Over time, key's, communications grew

into something bigger, and that's when the

18

love my museum suite of services was born.

19

And that's the part, many of you

know me for this podcast, the

20

planning calendar, my ebook, digital

assessments and consulting, but

21

really what we're celebrating.

22

This month is the 25th anniversary

of Keys Communications, and I thought

23

the best way to share that milestone

would be to walk you through the

24

different stages of my business journey.

25

Each one captured by a word

that starts with the letter I.

26

And alongside that, I wanna share

how museum communications have

27

shifted in those same years.

28

So the first stage I'd, I'd like

to call Idea, when I started Keys

29

Communications in 2000, it really

was just that it was an idea.

30

I wanted to see if I could make a

business work on my own terms, and

31

there were plenty of setbacks

in those first five years.

32

The biggest one being nine 11,

which happened around the first

33

anniversary of my business,

and my contracts were canceled.

34

There was a lot of uncertainty and

unknown in the country and in the world.

35

I actually picked up a second job

36

I also, during this time had questions

about whether people would keep hiring me.

37

And then came another turning

point, having my first baby.

38

This was the true test because

I really started my own business

39

because I needed the freedom and

flexibility in my life for when my

40

husband and I started having children.

41

I stepped back to spend time with

her during that first year, and

42

of course I wondered, would anyone

even remember me when I came back?

43

That was a really scary thought, and

here's where the statistics matter,

44

because almost 50% of small businesses

fail in their first five years, and

45

so to make it through that stage,

holding onto that idea felt like a win.

46

At the same time, museums were

learning to hold onto new ideas too.

47

In 2000, the worldwide web was

just beginning to take hold.

48

Museums were experimenting with

websites for the first time, starting

49

to realize they could be more

proactive in telling their stories.

50

Email was just being used mostly

internally, but it was clear

51

that communications could become

more than just press releases.

52

Just like I was testing whether

my idea would hold up, museums

53

were testing whether these new

marketing tools could work for them.

54

The second stage I would say

was my independence stage.

55

From about 2005 to about 2019.

56

These were the years where

my business found its rhythm.

57

I got to work on some really exciting

projects, especially during the

58

summers when my mom, who was a

teacher, could help more with the kids.

59

Some years were good, some were lean,

but overall my business was steady.

60

It gave me.

61

The independence.

62

I wanted a chance to contribute to

museums and to my family and to feel

63

like I was charting my own course.

64

Meanwhile, museums were

experiencing their own independence.

65

Social media was born during this time,

and suddenly they didn't have to rely

66

on journalists to tell their stories.

67

They could go directly to their audiences.

68

And for the first time, museums had

more control over their own narratives.

69

Their websites were

becoming more detailed.

70

They're, they were no longer at the mercy

of whether the local paper decided to

71

run a story they could post or share, or

72

I had a major turning point when I

attended the Momentum Conference put

73

on by Lou Mello in Orlando, Florida.

74

Up until then, business ownership.

75

Often felt lonely.

76

And at momentum I discovered

something I hadn't realized I was

77

missing, and that was community.

78

I met other entrepreneurs who

understood what it was like,

79

and I really came away inspired.

80

Inspiration is definitely my word

for this stage of my business.

81

And for the first time I started thinking

about marketing for my own business.

82

at that point, I didn't have a website

or professional business cards.

83

I wasn't on social media as a business

either, and at that same time I was

84

paying attention to my clients and I

could see that museums hadn't quite

85

caught up to this idea of community.

86

Online businesses were building

relationships through email marketing

87

and using social media as a true.

88

Two-way communication tool, not just

for promotion, but many museums were

89

still stuck in that broadcast mode.

90

They were posting events and

announcements without tapping into

91

deeper connections that were possible.

92

Email marketing still felt like

a content heavy newsletter.

93

And that realization inspired me to

think, what if I could help museums

94

see communications not just as

promotion, but as relationship building.

95

I went to the Momentum Conference

96

know, even though I had had all

of these great ideas, the world

97

shifted very quickly and then came.

98

2020.

99

I would say that 2020 was the

investment year of my business.

100

COVID shut down museums, my projects

were canceled and like so many of us,

101

I really had to rethink everything.

102

And during that time, in addition to

taking care of my family and my loved

103

ones and making sure that we were all

safe, that's when I invested in myself

104

and I joined a group program to really

learn how to set up my business properly.

105

I wanted my clients to have a

very professional experience

106

when they worked with me.

107

It was a big leap, but in that

program I met online business owners

108

who really were opening my eyes to a

whole new way of thinking, not just

109

about being an entrepreneur or being

a small business owner, but also

110

about community and about connection.

111

I did a lot of research during this year.

112

I studied marketing trends and I

realized that I could take what I

113

was learning in the online space

and translate it for museums.

114

That investment of time and energy

changed everything and the research

115

that I was doing, the marketing

trends that I was studying.

116

It was really an answer to a

question that I always would get

117

during interviews or things that I

would have to answer in proposals.

118

Museums would always ask to

include in my proposal or to talk

119

about how I would use new media

to promote their exhibit program,

120

They would often admit to me that they

didn't really know what that meant.

121

during this investment stage, I

was determined to study and do

122

research and become an expert.

123

museums were investing too,

but in a different way with

124

staff working from home.

125

Many of the museum professionals

that I knew, they took that

126

chance to learn new skills.

127

They invested in training and digital

tools, and finding ways to keep

128

their audiences engaged from afar.

129

They were thinking outside the box.

130

A hard uncertain time, but it was

also a moment of deep learning and

131

reinvention, both for me and for museums.

132

The next stage I'd like to call impact.

133

That's the stage that I'm in now.

134

It started about 2021, and this

is when I began teaching what

135

I knew to museum professionals.

136

All of the education and research that

137

And I saw how it lifted the weight

of decision fatigue, how it calmed

138

some of the panic and gave them

reliable systems to fall back on.

139

It's helped museums think outside

the box and find new ways to work,

140

and most importantly, communicate

consistently with their audiences.

141

They don't need to spend a zillion

dollars on fancy marketing or ad buys.

142

They just need a strong, steady,

and consistent foundation.

143

And this is where museums are now too.

144

They're focused on impact, not just

surviving, but thriving by creating.

145

Deeper connections in their communities.

146

They see that communication

isn't just about promotion.

147

It's about building relationships

that keep people coming back

148

and bringing their friends.

149

So from idea to independence

to inspiration and then

150

investment and now impact.

151

That has been the journey of my

business over the last 25 years.

152

But really it's.

153

Also been the journey of

museum communications.

154

As my business grew and evolved,

so did the ways that museums were

155

connecting with their audiences.

156

Today, I know that I want to make a

greater impact with more museums, and

157

I know that the museums that I work

with and that I have worked, worked

158

with, they also want to create a

bigger impact in their communities.

159

I really wanna thank you for being

part of this journey with me.

160

Whether you've listened to the podcast,

downloaded a resource, invited me to work

161

alongside your museum, you are a part

of this anniversary celebration too, and

162

I'm really excited to, to keep going.

163

I would love to know what you think.

164

I would love to know if this

story resonated with you, if it

165

resonates with your career journey

and what you are seeing today.

166

You can send me an email or if you'd

like, we could find some time to chat.

167

There is a link to book

a call in the show notes.

168

. Thanks so much for listening.

169

I'll see you next time.