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Doing Her Homework: Alumna Finds Professional Success in an Unlikely Place - At Home

Like most graduates, Joy Miura Koerte (B ’00, SC) expected to get her diploma and then get her first job—she just didn’t expect that job to be running her own business. Nor did she expect to find herself at the forefront of a new trend: home-based businesses.

Koerte, who was born and raised on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, wanted to return home upon graduation: “I feel strongly that contributing to my community, local and global, enhances the quality of life for us all.”

Unfortunately, with a population of just over 50,000, there were few job openings in public relations on Kauai.

Though initially frustrating, Koerte’s job search revealed an unmet demand for public relations services among smaller, local clients, and with the help of a partner, she co-founded Fujita & Miura Public Relations (FMPR). The unique characteristic of her business is that both Koerte and her partner work almost entirely from their own home-offices. “We made the conscious, though uncommon, decision to be home-based, yet offer service comparable to any company with a public office.”

According to Koerte, running a home-based business allows for substantial benefits, including reduced overhead costs, additional attention paid to clients, less commute time, increased neighborhood safety, and flexible schedules for community and family interests.

Koerte's idea of service to one’s community was emboldened during her time at Pepperdine. “Entering college is such a huge step in anyone’s life, and I felt much more comfortable knowing that I would be joining a community that promoted the Christian values and principles that I believed in, and taught you how to apply them to your education and career.”

And the last six years of hard work and community focus has paid off, as FMPR received the 2006 U.S. Small Business Administration’s Home-Based Business Champion of the Year award. “Being presented with this award was definitely a milestone for us. It justified and honored our belief in the home-based business option.”

Staying true to her community turned Joy Miura Koerte’s difficult job search into an amazing opportunity to make a difference. “I am passionate about my service to my community, my family, and my church because, in the end, that is where I will have the most impact.”

Learn more about Fujita & Miura Public Relations at www.FMPR.net.

By Alec McNayr (B '00, SC)