Amy Binder – CEO of RF|Binder Partners

By Taylor Mallory

“You can make anything better if you’re breathing,” says Amy Binder, CEO of RF|Binder Partners, a $12 million company owned by the Ruder Finn Group, the largest public relations/marketing communications operation in New York and one of the largest independent communications firm in the world. “Dedication is at the core of who I am. If you’re determined you can solve any problem.” Case in point, the once-president of Ruder Finn spun off in 2001 to form her own, smaller practice, focused on Internet businesses. Then 9/11 happened, and most of her clients went belly-up – and she lost half her business in six months.

Throw in the towel? No way. “We refocused on our core expertise – which is research and understanding what consumers think and what motivates them,” she says. “Then we took those skills back to more traditional companies – and we haven’t lost a dime since 2003.”

Binder talks to PINK about balance, teamwork and the joys of cooking.

PINK: What is the best business advice you’ve ever received?
Amy Binder: My father told me, “Your job starts when someone says no. If it was easy to get done, they wouldn’t need you.” That’s where my unrelenting determination comes from. To be a great professional, you have to be able to do what other people can’t do, and that requires creativity, focus and the ability to innovate. That’s driven so much of my approach to business.

PINK: What skills do women need to master to be more successful in the workplace?
A.B.: Frankly, I think it is about what the workplace needs to do and I think it is all about the workplace getting more flexible for women.  I’ve worked my whole life. I started working in 1977. I took three months off for my first child, a month for the second and a week for the third. And I’m not sure the workplace in general has become more understanding for women. Life/Work balance is critical for employees, and so companies need to find ways to compromise. I wasn’t always flexible with my employees. When my first employee got pregnant, I didn’t make it easy for her. I had to work really hard. No one gave me opportunities. She left, but she came back. She works from home, comes in one day a week and only works four days a week, but no one works harder than her. We’re more flexible now with women and men. That’s a challenge for smart businesses – to open their minds and provide an environment for everyone to flourish.

PINK: What’s your leadership style?
A.B.: I have 75 employees. Ten report to me directly, but we have a very flat organization, so we all really work together. I believe the thing that helps an organization grow is teamwork. We all get our hands dirty. I’m often here until midnight with people who are 26 and have worked here for two years. We all work alongside each other.

PINK: How do you manage your Life/Work balance?
A.B.: Remembering what matters. I work a lot. I was here until late every night last week and then went to Europe for four days. But in the end, family is what matters. I have always carried multiple phones. My three children are older now – ranging from 23- to 29-years-old. But even when they were little, they knew they could call me and no matter what I was doing or where I was in the world, I’d pick up the phone. And it’s about making sure you have time for them. I talk to my daughter every day and my two sons every other day. We travel together often. My daughter and I usually go to France in January. My middle son is graduating from medical school soon, and we’re going to Korea together at the end of May. I eat a meal with my kids at least once a week, and I’m going to see my daughter in D.C. next weekend. We’re all foodies, so we like to eat together. We make sure to stay engaged in each other’s lives.

PINK: What do you do to relax and rejuvenate yourself?
A.B.: Working out is really important. I’ve only realized that in the past 10 years. I work out at least three to five mornings each week. I’m religious about it. I go away four or five times a year. On a daily basis, the most relaxing thing for me is cooking. I love nothing better than spending three or four hours on Saturday with a bottle of wine, cooking an amazing dinner. It gives me alone time to think and be creative. The chopping and menial tasks get a lot of energy out.

PINK: What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
A.B.: I have been involved with photography my whole life. That was what I studied in college. I went to Brown but got to take a lot of courses at RISD. I worked as a photographer until I got pregnant with my first son, but it was too hard working in the darkroom with chemicals and lugging heavy equipment once I was pregnant. In a funny way, it has helped me in business. It forces you to look at things differently. You’re looking through a lens, always searching for that view on something that is different from how everyone else sees it. You use a camera to point something out or frame a story. That’s how we approach business here, always trying to help our clients look at issues differently, market their products differently and reach out to their consumers in innovative ways. For example, about five years ago we were hired by one of the no calorie artificial sweeteners. We knew what would make the product was taste.  So we focused a lot of our efforts against chefs, who have become real celebrities and taste makers of our time. We knew that if we could get chefs behind the product it would have a dramatic impact and it did.

PINK: What is one personal goal you haven’t yet achieved?
A.B.: I want to teach at a business school. I have an MBA and I loved being in school. In 1994, I was going through a divorce, working full-time with three children, and I went to Columbia’s executive MBA program on Fridays. People ask how I managed during my divorce. I felt no pain. I was working, taking care of the kids and pulling all-nighters most Thursdays and going to class on Friday. It was a great, fabulous time. I learned so much and it changed the way I approach work every single day. My son is teaching now at Columbia Business School and I tell him it’s not fair he gets to do it before me. (She laughs.)

PINK: What is your workplace pet peeve?
A.B.: I’m very intolerant of lazy people. It drives me nuts when someone doesn’t try to solve a problem or think it through. A reflection of that is a sloppy office. Sure, I have files in my office and it’s never pristine, but a really messy space shows no clarity of thinking. On the other hand, if I don’t see a piece of paper on a desk, I wonder, “Whoa, is anyone doing any work in this office?” You need a balance between being too neat and too sloppy.

PINK: What is your best advice for professional women?
A.B.: I think every woman should have the right to make decisions about her life. But I’m a big believer in women working. We have so many assets to bring to the table. I’ve always told my daughter that if she didn’t want to work, I’d understand, but that I hoped she wouldn’t make that choice. There’s no reason women can’t integrate work and children into their lives.