Tom Szaky founded TerraCycle in 2002. Originally a producer of organic fertilizer, the company shifted its focus to upcycling and recycling solutions in 2007. Today, TerraCycle is a multi-million dollar business and works with thousands of schools, NGOs and brands to divert billions of units of waste a year. Partnering with brands is a part of TerraCycle's business model. What do you think makes a partnership successful? Successful partnerships are all about aligning interests. You want to have brands who see the problem in the same way and are really interested in having a solution. For example, L’Oreal is really committed to solving cosmetic waste and they're getting really behind that with us. TerraCycle been able to generate positive PR by telling its story through various media outlets. How can small businesses take advantage of the PR opportunities available to them? The easiest way to do that is to make the job of the reporter very easy. Don’t approach it like you just want to get your propaganda out there, but instead think about it from the reporter’s perspective. Reporters want to have interesting stories and they want to be able to get good content. The easier you can make it for a reporter to get great content, the easier it will be to do an article. How can a small business turn a negative review or PR experience into a positive one? The best way to turn a negative into a positive is to own it and be transparent about it. Own the issue, because if you own the issue, no one can come back to you and hit you for it. The press will only hit you for it if you’re not acknowledging and owning the problem.