Four women indresses, two younger, stand together

When Alyson Gourley-Cramer founded Monogram Communications as a sole proprietor in fall 2019, she made herself a promise. By January 2020, she would either commit fully to building something remarkable or walk away.

"I needed a time-bound goal," she reflects. "I wanted something definitive to work towards and concentrate within. But I also knew that to get there, I’d need the support of some really great programs and people that I deeply admire.”

Five years later, Monogram Communications has grown from a one-person operation to a 12-employee agency serving clients across Canada and providing targeted support to smaller communities and clients that are often overlooked by larger agencies—with nearly 50% of those clients being Indigenous organizations.

The company recently won Small Agency of the Year: GOLD at the 2025 Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) National Awards, a milestone that Alyson traces back to a pivotal mentorship relationship that she accessed through The Forum Mentor Program Presented by The Scotiabank Women Initiative ®.

Finding the Perfect Mentor Match

As Alyson explains, “[My business] started well as a sole proprietorship, but it wasn’t until I was paired with PR agency Co-Founder and Partner Katie Dunsworth-Reiach from Talk Shop Media in The Forum Mentor Program that I had the courage to hire my first employee. From there, I leaned on Katie’s advice and wisdom to move me more confidently into year two, where we doubled our revenue and our team numbers.”

As someone who had already built her own agency with four partners and was exploring the Toronto market, Katie understood exactly the kinds of opportunities and challenges Alyson faced as she began scaling her business.

"If I had been with someone who I couldn't relate to, I don't think it would have had the same impact," she says. "But because The Forum team partnered me with someone who was so relevant to my journey, so inspiring, and so aligned to all of the things I was trying to do, I trusted everything she was sharing."

Read this to learn more about our mentorship programming and how our team helps you find the perfect match.

Overcoming the Fear of Scaling

Katie’s mentorship proved crucial during one of entrepreneurship's most intimidating moments: scaling beyond sole proprietorship and hiring the first employee. For Alyson, this represented a psychological barrier as much as a business milestone.

"I was really nervous to hire my first employee. It made it official that I was leading a business that was growing, and it wasn’t just me who was counting on the success of it. It was intimidating!”

Katie's guidance was invaluable in navigating the transition. "She was able to illustrate and communicate some key steps I needed to take to build my business. By relaying the realities she experienced as she scaled, she also helped me see that you have to take risks, and that the rewards from those risks are worth the payoff."

The Forum Mentor Program’s structured approach—which includes monthly meetings with built-in accountability—ensured these insights translated into action. "Katie would give me homework that we were able to reconnect on in our next meeting," Alyson explains. "I appreciated her time and commitment so much. It motivated me to show up as prepared as possible.”

A woman hugs a younger woman from the side, they are standing in front of a sign that reads: The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Finale — *Photo Credit: Pixel Productions Vancouver*

Going Beyond Traditional Mentorship

What surprised Alyson most was how just practical their sessions became. "Some other mentorship programs can be quite general, but the fact that Katie and I had the ability to look at very practical things was unexpected and refreshing," she explains. "In one session, I remember sharing my forecasting with her. She reviewed it all with me.”

This hands-on approach helped build tools that "moved things along" in the business, providing exactly what Alyson needed during a critical growth phase.

Katie’s mentorship also reinforced Alyson's philosophy of taking bold action even without perfect preparation. She references a quote from Goethe that guides her approach: "Boldness has genius, magic and power in it."

"What I really gleaned from her is this fierce and bold movement in the direction you want to go," she reflects. "I've always been really attuned to that idea of being bold and moving things forward, even when you don't have every single thing in place."

While their formal mentorship lasted one year, the relationship between Alyson and Katie has evolved into something even deeper. "Since then, I refer to Talk Shop affectionately as our ‘big sister agency’," she says. "We've recommended clients to one another where relevant, and shared strategies that have helped us provide the best outcome for the people we work alongside.”

Their relationship shows how meaningful mentorship connections can extend far beyond the program end date, creating lasting professional networks and mutual support systems.

Building a Different Kind of Agency

Alyson’s entrepreneurial vision was shaped by a specific gap she identified in the market.

At a 2018 natural resources forum in Prince George, she noticed that major development projects in northern British Columbia were bringing in communications professionals from major Canadian cities. "I looked around and thought, if these organizations or companies are doing work in Northern B.C. and working with Indigenous community members, they should be working with communications professionals from the north," she explains, "working with people who know the region, the communities within them, and the politics that surround them.”

Monogram Communications now serves clients across Canada while maintaining its northern B.C. roots and deep understanding of Indigenous communities.

Central to Monogram's success is Alyson's approach to leadership, which champions trust and flexibility. Built as a virtual agency from the start, the company operates on principles that directly address the realities of working women's lives. "Women are busy. They're often very active community members and family leaders, and they’re actively involved in producing great work," Alyson says. "I wanted to make sure that our business didn't encroach on their lives but worked with their lives."

This philosophy also extends to the agency's collaborative culture. "We have integrated teams. If life gets in the way and someone is falling behind, someone else comes in to support them," she explains. "When you have accountability to your team members, then trust just has to be inherent."

At Monogram, team members hold advanced degrees and professional accreditations, with even junior staff earning their PRK (a Canadian public relations standard).

"We're always investing in our team to be strong for our clients," Alyson says.

Regarding her northern BC location, she shares, “I don't ever feel like where I am physically is limiting, especially when you’re invested in building great networks across Canada. We built Monogram based on the qualities of the north: genuine relationships, down-home people, and quality services. Those values are scalable wherever you live.”

The Ripple Effect of Good Mentorship

For other entrepreneurs considering growth, Alyson advocates for thoughtful programs and communities like she found through The Forum. "Join, participate, but also know your limitations. Sign up for the things that you know you can complete and take valuable info from," she advises.

Her experience shows how the right mentorship relationship can provide more than advice—it can offer the confidence and practical tools needed to overcome challenges during the toughest transitions. "Look to organizations like The Forum that are really aligned with who you are and what you want to do," she recommends.

The Forum's approach particularly resonated with her learning style and capacity constraints as a busy entrepreneur. "What I loved about the program was the structure, accountability, and personalization it provided. I looked forward to the one-on-one meetings with my mentor. The fact that I had this opportunity to work with someone who inspired me so much in a concentrated timeline really pushed me in a positive way.”

Looking Forward

As Monogram continues to grow, Alyson remains focused on expansion that aligns with the company's core values. Rather than targeting major metropolitan markets, the agency is exploring secondary cities like Kamloops, Vernon, Nanaimo, and Red Deer and more communities across Canada. "We're looking at markets that have been overlooked by bigger agencies, where we feel an alignment and can help them thrive,” she explains.

As her experience shows, the right mentorship at the right time doesn’t just shape immediate decisions but helps create bold long-term business philosophies that set you up for sustainable success that aligns with your values.