process of building the business, because obviously it’s a huge challenge, particularly a product based business. Was there ever a time you felt like giving up?
the same time. I think it’s important being real and not always having this strong and invincible façade. I’m very open with my employees about what’s going on in the business and checking in with how we are all feeling and what we’re doing this week. It’s been great, having really good staff.
Kate: It’s still a journey! We’ve had plenty of setbacks and there have been so many times where I just wanted to swear and crawl into the foetal position and cry. But I think one of the strongest qualities of successful entrepreneurs is our eternal optimism. I forget the bad times quickly and focus on the good. Obviously when you are facing a setback, you have to be realistic about it and work hard to solve whatever it is. But when things are going well you just focus on the good things and on the opportunity. You can’t live worrying about all the things that can or have gone wrong. Fi:
What have you learned from the setbacks? Who do you go to? What gets you through?
Kate: I’ve got lots of people in my life who support me, personally and professionally. Sometimes it might just be a phone call and I’ll just start crying and laughing at myself at
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My husband’s amazing and very patient and I have a fantastic group of friends who don’t mind listening to me if I need to vent. Their feedback is important to me, especially when the issues are people-related. At the end of the day, business is all about people. Some people say it’s not personal but it kind of always is. But growing the business, we do need strategic partnerships to be effective— business partners, suppliers, manufacturing partners and just people who help the business run. Fi:
Has there been anything about growing a business that you didn’t expect?
Kate: It’s not nearly as glamorous as I ever imagined it would be! It’s the opposite. I work all the time and