February 25, 2026
Kim Bode Speaks
Does Your Story Matter to the People Who Need to Hear It?
That’s the question we ask before every pitch, every campaign, and every piece of content we write. If we can’t answer it, neither can your audience.
Some people call it public relations; to us, it’s storytelling.
August 6, 2025
Setting Up for Success with Empire Solutions
June 11, 2025
Avoid the Crisis: Invest in Media Training
April 30, 2025
Shamrocks On Screen
April 16, 2025
Transitioning from News to PR
April 7, 2025
5 Steps for Recession-Ready Crisis Comms
April 2, 2025
Feeding America WM Case Study
More than Just Pitching
Our job isn’t to make you famous. It’s to connect what you do with the people who need to hear about it. We find the human impact behind your business decisions, the community benefit in your product launches, and the real-world change your work creates.
Stay in the Know
Client Placement
Good PR isn’t about getting your name in the Wall Street Journal, it’s about getting your message to the right people in the right places. Sometimes that’s a local paper or a niche Substack. Sometimes it’s not media at all, but a connection.
What People are Saying
“8THIRTYFOUR was hired to manage Special Olympics Michigan's (SOMI) National Ribbon Cutting Ceremony PR for a first-of-its-kind facility anywhere in the world. They did so much more than manage PR. "Pitch and place" is certainly an expertise worth paying for. But 8THIRTYFOUR brought far more to the table. They took a broad narrative that could have easily and appropriately been capped at one-day event coverage and turned it into multiple disruptive conversations about inclusion in a way that is still a causing a positive ripple effect across different sectors -- something they are continuing to monitor, analyze and support, well beyond the contract. PR seems too small a way to describe that kind of impact.”
Beyond the Headline
Earned media is powerful, but its impact is amplified when it becomes part of a digital strategy. The article mention becomes social content, the interview becomes a case study and your feature story is the foundation for your next marketing campaign.
We don’t just get you coverage; we help you make the most of it.
01
Corp! Magazine
Women-Owned Business Picture Optimistic, With Room for Growth
How are women-owned businesses faring these days? As with most open-ended questions, the answer depends on your standards and perspective.
Considering that, before the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, creditors could legally deny women credit simply because of their gender, and that, before the Women’s Business Ownership Act of 1988, some states required men to cosign business loans for women, it’s easy to surmise that women-owned businesses are doing comparatively well in 2026.
Read More Considering that, before the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, creditors could legally deny women credit simply because of their gender, and that, before the Women’s Business Ownership Act of 1988, some states required men to cosign business loans for women, it’s easy to surmise that women-owned businesses are doing comparatively well in 2026.
02
Inc. Magazine
How 21 Leaders Let Employees Use AI in the Workplace
We have a policy, approved tools, and rules on how to use it. We are communicators; authenticity and trust govern everything we do, and if you over-rely on a tool versus your own brain, skills, and lived experience, then you’ve lost the plot. Our job is to build relationships, trust, and connect with the audience and that will always come from your humanity.
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03
Inc. Magazine
22 Ways to Go From Founder to Manager
When it’s just you, your failure or success is 100 percent on you. Employees make everything harder, and you’d better learn real quick how to manage your expectations, listen, and create a healthy environment. Everything you do will be under a microscope because you are the example they follow. It’s pretty humbling. Get comfortable with vulnerability; if you can’t admit when you screw up, then they won’t either.
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04
Inc. Magazine
Growth Investment or Maintaining Profitability?
When you invest in growth, your profitability will take a hit. You can’t simultaneously grow and post record profits, especially when you are a small business. This past year, I had to take a step back to build, which meant I wasn’t out there selling, and as a result, our revenue is down. It’s your responsibility as the business owner to anticipate trends, read the economy, and plan for the worst. It’s why we expanded our business to add a complementary offering, but it’s going to be a hefty lift and require additional capital to build. Growth is painful but worth the risk. You need to believe in yourself because no one else will.
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05
Inc. Magazine
23 Ways to Maintain Company Culture as You Scale
We started following the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) around 7 years ago, and it holds us accountable to our core values, which are key to maintaining our culture. We evaluate everything we do, internally and externally, against them. Growth is the hardest part of running a business. We hold ourselves to “Be kind, not nice.” Kind is addressing issues head-on and working together to solve them. Nice is ignoring an issue and pretending everything is just dandy, which fosters resentment, passive aggressiveness and only delays the inevitable. As a leader, you set the example. If you can’t hold yourself to the standards you set for your employees, then you shouldn’t be leading people.
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06
Corp! Magazine
The Silent Crisis: How Federal Cuts Threaten Michigan’s Small Businesses
For years, politicians have called small businesses the “backbone of our economy.” They show up for ribbon cuttings, pose for photos, and use us as props in their speeches. But when it comes to protecting the programs that keep us alive, they’re nowhere to be found. The proposed cuts to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the gutting of the HHS Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) prove just how hollow their words are.
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07
Small Business Association of Michigan
Inside 8THIRTYFOUR Integrated Communications
With fortitude, drive, and a whole lot of dogs, energy, and laughter, Kim Bode knows how to lean into the exceptionality and authenticity of her award-winning communications company. 8THIRTYFOUR is every communications strategy beautifully wrapped up and tied with an efficient bow. They “leverage all types of media together – marketing, branding and design, public relations, digital, website, content and more – to create the results you want.”
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Let's Build a Plan
In moments of fault, the best course of action is to acknowledge mistakes, embrace full ownership of your actions, and articulate a clear path towards making amends with a genuine commitment to change. We understand that this may not always be a simple task, but when is a crisis ever easy? That’s where we come in.
