November 25, 2024 • 44 mins
Entrepreneurship will be emotional. Fact.
From doubting yourself, getting rejected, to feeling exposed because you’re having to put yourself out there for the sake of your business, you’ll feel it all.
My guest in this episode, Kate Hughes, experienced the lot. Her entrepreneurial journey brought up hard stuff from her childhood, but instead of letting this stop her she did what she advises all business owners to do….
Lean into it and work through it.
Kate is a leadership coach, and founder of Your Step Coach. After the gut punch of being made redundant 3 times, Kate took her career into her own hands. She shares the challenges of transitioning to self-employment, and the importance of therapy and self-coaching to be able to lean into the hard stuff and build confidence.
You need self-compassion as an entrepreneur, Kate’s story shows it it’s not just possible but essential for you to thrive.
“The biggest emotional journey has been battling shit from my childhood”– Kate
You’ll hear about:
00:00 - Confronting Childhood Challenges
01:59 - Kate's life before leaping into self employment
05:25 - The scariness of starting to market yourself
09:00 - Kate's biggest emotional journey in business
12:56 - How has running a business impacted family life?
17:56 - The changes in how Kate runs her business now
23:59 - Where Kate's confidence comes from
27:21 - The positive & negative impacts of people around you
32:59 - The people for the seasons of your life
39:16 - Embracing network rather than competition
40:45 - Kate's advice for new business owners
Connect with Kate:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelouisehughes/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yourstepcoach/
Your Step Coach - https://www.yourstepcoach.com/work-with-me
Connect with me:
The HoLT - https://www.the-holt.com/
My website - https://leaturner.co.uk/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lea-turner/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leaturnerholt
Join The Holt waiting list - https://www.the-holt.com/waitlist
This podcast is sponsored bySafe Space From The Workplace. You can check out their podcast here - https://shorturl.at/IASSn
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kate Hughes (00:00):
The biggest
(00:01):
emotional journey
throughout this whole
thing has been battling
shit from my childhood
that just kept on rearing
its head again, that I
thought I dealt with. You
know, I've had lots of
therapy over years, and I
thought, yeah, you know,
that's all locked away
neatly in the little box,
but the moment you feel
slightly exposed is it
(00:22):
comes back up with and
for me, the things that I
had going on was no one's
going to listen to you.
No one's going to believe
anything. You've got to
say. People are going to
tell you that you don't
know what you're talking
about. You're going to
get rejected. I think
it's really important
that we're able to lean
(00:42):
into that and work
through stuff.
Lea Turner (00:57):
Welcome to
The HoLT Survival Guide
for Small Businesses.
Kate, it's so lovely to
have you here, and thank
you so much for making
the chaotic journey up to
Manchester to be here.
Why don't you introduce
yourself to our audience
to start off with,
Kate Hughes (01:10):
thanks,
Aliyah, so I'm Kate. Kate
Hughes, I run two
businesses. I run your
step coach, which is a
leadership development
consultant and coaching
business, and launching
in two weeks a new
business called Rome the
rainbow, which is an
accessories business that
I'm starting with my 12
year old daughter. I love
that, starting
Lea Turner (01:26):
them young
with the entrepreneur.
It's brilliant. And,
yeah, I should probably
introduce Bronson.
Bronson is my emotional
support co host here, and
he's been coming along to
keep me company and show
off how handsome he is on
the podcast. So we worked
together a fair few years
ago. Now, what was it?
Maybe three years ago,
2021 Yeah, so a fair
(01:47):
while ago, and I've
watched you grow on
social media, and I've
watched your confidence
grow with it, and your
business develop, and you
become even more of a
confident leader. I would
love to talk to you a
little bit more about
firstly, where you were
before you decided to go
it alone, because it's a
scary step to make. So
what was going on in your
(02:08):
life when you made the
change to self
employment?
Kate Hughes (02:12):
So it wasn't
actually an active choice
to set up a business. We
hear that a lot, right?
So obviously, COVID in
2020 I was working as a
leadership development
consultant at the time,
and that was within a
company. That was within
a company, it was within
a fantastic performance
consultancy, and I really
(02:33):
loved it there. And
because of COVID, they
ended up doing quite a
big restructure. So let
go of half of the
consultant population, of
which I was one of them.
And what they did,
though, was they asked us
all to rejoin as
associate Coaches and
Consultants. So I did the
usual Kate thing, and so
for a couple of months,
(02:53):
and was like, no, no, I'm
not going to do that. I'm
going to go back into the
corporate world. My
background is originally
communications. So I
worked in comms for 20
years, and it was
actually that company
that got me doing
leadership development. I
joined there as a comms
consultant, and in the
first week, the
consultant director said,
we actually really see
something in you. We'd
like you to do leadership
development. We'd like so
I was like, All right,
(03:14):
then, so they asked us to
come back as an associate
consultant. And I was
like, no, no, I'm not
going to do that. You
know, it's been really
not a great time. I'm
going to go back into the
corporate world, and I'm
going to go back to my
comfort zone. I'm going
to be a head of internal
comms again. And I was
having all of these
interviews and getting
through to final rounds
and being offered
positions and withdrawing
(03:35):
from positions, and it
was like something wasn't
right. And the more I
thought about it, more
often I would rather
stick pins in my eyes
than go back into that
environment where
actually I don't have as
much autonomy or control
over the work that I'm
doing, that I have to
work with different
(03:57):
clients, no matter who
they are or that, you
know you you don't know
what the cultures are
like until you're
actually in these places.
So I licked my wounds a
little bit, and then I
called up lane four
again, and I said, You
know what? Actually, I
would like to be an
associate with you. And
so they said, to do that,
you have to have a
limited business. So,
(04:17):
like, okay, and that's
where your step coach
Limited was born, wow.
Lea Turner (04:22):
So you went
back and worked for them,
but how did that then
evolve to working with
other companies?
Kate Hughes (04:29):
So it was as
an associate what you
don't have to do a lot of
is business development,
because, of course,
you're doing associate
work for another company.
So they sell the work to
their clients. You then
deliver their work as
their employee, but
through your own
business. So, so you're
(04:49):
almost like a contractor,
if you like. I quickly
realized that at any
given moment they could
turn the tap off to
giving work to me. Wow.
So. It was one of those
moments where I was like,
Okay, I have obviously
got some choices here. So
the first thing I did was
become an associate with
another four different
companies who I still
(05:09):
work with these days. So
I get a good, steady
spread the risk. Yeah,
right. So I get a good,
sort of like, steady
stream of work coming in
from those companies. But
then I also had to get
over myself and start
doing business
development as well, and
that included marketing,
that included marketing,
and that's
Lea Turner (05:25):
a really
scary part, I think, for
a lot of entrepreneurs
that start out with their
small businesses, and
we've talked about this
many times with other
people, you're really
good at the skill that
you're selling and the
work that you do, but you
don't have sales skills,
marketing skills and
social media skills and
accounting skills and all
of those other things
(05:45):
that you need to learn to
successfully grow or
maintain a business,
because you've spread the
risk by signing up with
those other companies,
but you still sort of
felt the need to market
yourself and establish
yourself in your own
right, as your own brand,
right? So where did you
turn to after that to
(06:06):
find those more clients?
So
Kate Hughes (06:08):
I am, and in
a way, it's a lot like
the leadership
development. You know, I
work with a lot of new
managers who are promoted
because they're really
good at their technical
skills, but then they
start leading people, and
it's like, that's a
different ball game,
yeah, because people
aren't these inanimate
beings with no emotions
and no feelings. You
know, they're not just
going to point in that
direction and off they
go. So, yeah, it's a bit
(06:29):
of a comparison there, I
guess, in terms of me
running the business and
being like, Oh my God,
I've got to do all of
this stuff. The weird
thing was, or the ironic
thing, if you like, is
that my background in
communications means that
I can actually write
quite decent marketing
copy. Just couldn't do it
for myself.
Lea Turner (06:47):
And it's such
a different game, isn't
it such a different
especially, and I find
this particularly with
women men, generally
speaking, it's a complete
generalization, because
there's definitely
exceptions to the rule in
people that I've worked
with men tend to find it
easier to talk positively
about themselves and
about their achievements,
(07:08):
and women struggle more.
Like I said, complete
generalization, and
they're absolutely
exceptions to the rule,
but the pattern that I've
seen with my clients is
men tend to be more
comfortable when talking
about the things that
they're good at, and
women really struggle to
do that for whatever
reasons. And we could do
a whole podcast on that.
And you were one of those
people. You were very you
(07:29):
really struggled to talk
about yourself and center
your excellence in the in
what you were creating
online. But you need to
do that, because if you
don't, people hire
somebody else that does,
and quite often that is
going to be a man,
because they're more
comfortable. Saying,
yeah, right, and it's so
uncomfortable at first,
but the vast majority of
us to say, I'm actually
(07:50):
really good at this, and
this is why you should
hire me, and this is how
good results are that I
got with people. How did
you get over that? And I
would say, and I might be
out of turn saying this,
you haven't got over it
yet, right? Because I
know you quite well, but
you're better than you
were. And how did you get
to that point?
Kate Hughes (08:12):
Oh, yeah, so
I mean, yeah, you're
right. It is one of those
things that I it's a it's
a daily it's not so much
a battle anymore, but
it's a daily give myself
a talking to you've got
this. You know exactly
what you're doing. You're
building great
relationships with
people. Yeah, people are
(08:33):
interested in what you've
got to say. So it's
getting great results.
I'm getting really lovely
results. I've got repeat
customers, which is
obviously brilliant,
showing up on that daily
basis. The social media
side of things, the
engaging things, it
depletes your energy. It
can really take it out of
you. But that's not I
don't like doing, because
I've built some wonderful
(08:54):
relationships with people
who we talk to offline
and stuff. But for me, I
guess the biggest
emotional journey
throughout this whole
thing has been battling
shit from my childhood
that just kept on rearing
its head again, that I
thought I dealt with. You
(09:14):
know, I've had lots of
therapy over years, and I
thought, yeah, yeah, no,
that's all locked away
neatly in a little box,
but the moment you feel
slightly exposed is it
comes back up with and
for me, the things that I
had going on was, no
one's going to listen to
you. No one's going to
believe anything. You've
(09:34):
got to say. People are
going to tell you that
you don't know what
you're talking about.
You're going to get
rejected. These
Lea Turner (09:43):
are all
things that you're
actually telling yourself
in your head, right?
Yeah, because they're
ways we treat ourselves.
We'll self reject, we'll
self criticize, we'll
have doubts about
ourselves. And actually,
the behaviors we're
fearing from other people
are generally made up
most of us don't get
that. That, or it will be
from people that really
don't matter if they are
(10:03):
saying those things,
because they're never
going to be your clients.
How have you managed to
build that confidence up,
to try and stop listening
to those voices in your
head and those fears that
in the main part are
completely they're
completely fabricated,
then those aren't real.
You are good at your job.
You do know what you're
(10:23):
talking about. You are
successful and get
successful results for
your clients. How do you
remind yourself of that
so that you can market
yourself and keep getting
those clients?
Kate Hughes (10:33):
So I use one
of the tools that I use
of a lot of my clients
actually myself, which is
a belief and confidence
tool, a really simple
tool, but it's a way of
some people have, like, a
brag file, you know, just
sticking your emails, all
of the different
feedbacks, you get the
great things we've talked
about, yeah, yeah. I can
buy my smile file, right?
Yeah. So you look at it
like, Do you know what?
Yes, I have got this
(10:55):
belief in confidence
builds builds on that is
to dissing out all of
your achievements, the
values that have helped
you with that your key
attributes, all of those
kind of things, and you
just add to it. You know,
it doesn't have to be a
bit complicated, like
massive spreadsheet or
anything. It's just a way
to just log all these
things that are
achievements that you've
done that you can look
back on. So I use that a
(11:15):
lot. I also have my own
coach. It would be, I
would, don't think I'd be
a very good coach myself
if I didn't have my own
coach. So I, you know, I
have my own coach. It's
always useful to bounce
things around and have
that mirror held up to
you, if you like. So
yeah, because a lot of
the stuff we hold up and
we make it true, yeah,
(11:36):
you know, Thoughts become
things, that kind of
thing. And unless you've
got someone holding that
mirror up to to make you
question, actually, what
is really true here?
Yeah, you run the risk of
then acting out those
beliefs. So I have my own
coach, and also I carry
on with therapy for all
of the reasons, you know,
the fear, the fear of
rejection, the fear of
abandonment, the other
stuff that this deals
(11:56):
with, I think it's really
important that we're able
to lean into that and
work through stuff.
Lea Turner (12:02):
I think
that's that's something
that people don't talk
about a lot for a start,
finding the right coaches
is really important, and
it's not and the same
with therapists right
finding the right
therapist that does the
right style for you. And
I've tried different
types of therapy.
Psychotherapy was my
favorite, but I I tried a
few different types to
help me over certain
(12:22):
points. It's not constant
for me, but it's when I'm
facing something that's
particularly difficult,
rather than trying to
struggle through on my
own, reaching out and
finding that support from
somebody that can really
help. I'm interested to
sort of understand how
it's impacted. So it's
been kind of nearly four
years since you've been
doing this yourself,
which is amazing. Your
daughter would have been
(12:42):
more eight at the time
she was Yeah, so, and
you've got, you've got
another child and a
stepchild as well. So
Kate Hughes (12:50):
I have my
daughter, Frankie, who's
12, and my steps are
Noah, who is nearly nine,
Lea Turner (12:54):
near nine. So
two children. So how has
it impacted your family
life running your
business, as opposed to
what your life was like
when you were working for
another company before
COVID.
Kate Hughes (13:06):
So with
starting the business
during COVID brought his
own challenges, because
there was homeschooling,
yeah,
Lea Turner (13:14):
trying to get
a business off the ground
when you've got children
at home and you're not
allowed out of your
bubble, yeah,
Kate Hughes (13:19):
and she
never fails to stop
reminding me just how bad
a teacher I was
Lea Turner (13:24):
sure. Yeah, I
outsourced it to my
lovely next door neighbor
that I, uh, bubbled with
because i i My son would
not listen.
Kate Hughes (13:33):
Yeah, I was
not good. There was there
was times we'd be sat at
the dinner table, looking
at the laptop, looking at
the homework, and she'd
be going, I don't
understand it. I don't
understand it either my
Lea Turner (13:43):
son's my
son's nine next week, and
I don't understand any of
his maths homework. I'm
like, it's just
thankfully one of my best
friends is primary school
teacher, so I just take
photos and like, for me,
it's me, thankfully, I'd
be stuck otherwise. Yeah,
so how did it affect like
that? Obviously, had its
(14:03):
own challenges.
Homeschooling was just we
got through it. We did.
We made it out the other
side. We got
Kate Hughes (14:09):
through it
sort of by the seat of
our pants. But I think
actually, I came out of
it stronger,
Lea Turner (14:13):
and you're
setting a really good
example for her now. I
mean, you're launching a
business alongside her to
encourage that. So do you
feel like she's taken a
lot of strength and
encouragement from seeing
you out on your own.
She's an
Kate Hughes (14:25):
amazing
girl. She's she's got a
very strong mind. She's
not backwards in coming
forwards in telling which
I'm sure she's also a bit
taller than me now as
well, which isn't hard.
So when she's given me
Sass, she looks down at
me. So that's always
really interesting to
deal with. But I guess
how it impacted me at the
time was everything I was
(14:47):
doing for the business
meant working late at
night, so the content
creation, I would
literally crawl into bed
with my laptop and just
spend hours on Canva,
just like, oh my god, I
just need to make more
stuff and just get this
bank of. Content. And I
think that's probably
something that I've
carried through, that's
that's the thing I
struggle with most, the
content creation, not
because I don't have the
(15:08):
content, but because
making the time to create
it. And there's been lots
of people I've spoken to
that have been like, it's
about time you got a VA,
Kate to do this. And I'm
like, You're raising
you're like, yes, Kate,
I'm one of those people
that's told you this,
yes, I do need to get a
VA to do my content
creation. Help me with
that. At least, I've
Lea Turner (15:25):
got a great
recommendation for you,
amazing.
Kate Hughes (15:29):
So I guess
that's, that's one of the
struggles was like the
late nights and trying to
juggle everything. But
then what I take from
that, you know, from what
that time I put in, then
to get the business to
this point. I'll be
honest, when I set the
business up in 2020
there's not a part of me
that thought in four
years time I'm still
going to be running my
Lea Turner (15:48):
own business.
It was just to get me
through COVID. Yeah,
genuinely,
Kate Hughes (15:52):
I thought I
was going to go back to
the corporate world, get
another job, have a
regular salary, and be
like, safe. What stops
you? Because even if you
have a regular salary in
a corporate job, you're
still not safe. And
Lea Turner (16:07):
that's that's
going to be one of the
core reasons people
listening, you know, the
target market for this
podcast is predominantly
people who have a small
business are side
hustling with the view to
going full time, or are
thinking about starting
something that they
eventually want to leave
a job and have something
that's their own, and
they have that control
over. And I think there's
(16:27):
a, there's a big myth
involved in, you know,
you're going to just
start a business, and
everything's going to be
brilliant, and you're
going to be off on a
yacht, spa days, and
it's, it's not like that.
The social, yeah, the
social media filter, and
that sort of it's really
easy. It's not easy those
first few years,
especially. And for some
people, it can go on for
(16:47):
10 years, but for the
first few years,
especially, you
sacrifice, there will be
things that you
sacrifice. And especially
for people like us, and
there's a lot of them
that started their
businesses because of the
pandemic, because of
furlough, and they had
the opportunity to give
something a shot, or they
were forced to give
something a shot. That
was even more
challenging, because we
(17:08):
were juggling all sorts
of things, and the
isolation and the fear
and the anxiety that the
pandemic brought. But we
have this kind of, I
don't know. I find that
people have this
disillusion that it's
just going to be easy and
the clients are going to
come. And actually, the
(17:28):
reality of it is, and you
were, obviously, you had
clients immediately when
you started, but you've
had to keep a pipeline
going, and you've had to
make sure that you are
creating content so that
you can continue to
market and you continue
to fill that pipeline of
work for the future, and
you know, even if you
can't serve them all at
once, how has things
changed? But that first
year obviously, COVID
(17:48):
wasn't necessarily a fair
reflection of what people
would experience now if
they started a business,
but maybe from like year
two to where you are now,
what's changed in how you
run your business and
also how you feel about
your business because you
didn't want to go back to
corporate. And yes, being
a business owner isn't
safe, but you're more, a
lot more in control. And
(18:10):
I
Kate Hughes (18:10):
think that's
the thing, is, there was
a realization that, you
know, yeah, I could go
back to corporate, yes,
I'd have a job, but I've
been made redundant. And
I've been made redundant
three times. It's a gut
punch. So it is the
first. The first two
times were the first time
I was I've been working
at the place for 14
years. It was time for me
to go, so I had the
(18:30):
opportunity to take it.
The second time I had the
opportunity to take
redundancy, and I was
glad to see the back of
the place. And the third
time was that was
probably the most
heartbreaking, because I
loved that job so much.
It was like I'd finally
found something that I
felt like I was meant to
do, which was the
(18:50):
leadership development
piece. I was able to
bring in coaching. I
trained as a coach after
I lost my my job for the
second time, so I was
able to bring in all of
those skills, and I loved
it. I think what that job
did was make me realize
that when I lost that
job, it wasn't personal.
Because they asked me to
go back, it became a I'm
(19:12):
okay. So they actually
don't think that I'm shit
at my job. They want me
back. They They literally
just have to lose the
permanent headcount, if
you like. So that was a
real sort of eye opener
that actually it's not
personal. But what's
changed has been that,
you know, we had our
(19:32):
conversation. So I set up
the business in August
2020 I spoke to you in
August 2021, I have
joined several different
business programs, if you
like, some have been
really good. Some have
been not that great. And
my accountant always says
to me, because, so the
(19:52):
first thing I did when I
set the business was I
got an accountant. So
despite the fact that I'm
still resisting getting a
VA, I'm not averse to
actually outsource.
Stuff, because I know I'm
no good with numbers.
Exact
Lea Turner (20:03):
saying an
accountant was my first
hire with every
Kate Hughes (20:05):
business
like that needs to be
safe. I need someone who
really knows what they're
doing there so and she's,
she's been absolutely
phenomenal, and I will
keep her for as long as
she'll have me as her
clients. But she does
love she's like, I can't
believe you invested that
in that, and you're
talking like this, and
I'm like, so there's been
(20:25):
lessons along the way,
but there's, you know,
been really, really good
lessons as well. And
like, I stuck with you
because I think, you know
what, I think it was, it
was how personable you
were when we were
talking, and I had a bit
of a hangover when we had
our one to one as well.
(20:49):
And you humored that, and
just sort of like talked
me through everything in
a way that was like, You
know what? Actually, I
can do this. It still
took me so after we
spoke, after we had that
one to one, I did start
posting a little bit, but
I was still very
corporate Colin. I was
still really sort of like
I remember, I was not one
(21:10):
of those people that you
recommend and tag.
Lea Turner (21:13):
I did today,
Kate Hughes (21:16):
and then I
started out on myself
again. So I disappeared
off of LinkedIn for six
months because I was just
like, I can't be doing
this and focusing on the
business. It's too much.
It's got quite a
struggle, isn't it? So I
disappeared for a bit,
and then something
happened. And I don't
know to this day what
happened, but I woke up
one day and I thought,
This is crazy. None of
(21:38):
these people that I'm
worried about pay my
bills, and that's
crucial, right? That's
just like an epiphany
moment, yeah, and from
then on, I haven't looked
back. So I was, I was
scheduled in all this
content, and the LinkedIn
scheduler has been a
lifesaver for me, because
it's one of those things
that I then don't have to
think about on a daily
basis, which I think a
lot of people worry
about. It's like, what am
(21:58):
I going to post today?
I'm like, just use a
scheduler. You know,
block out a couple of
hours. Get what you want
done and schedule it out.
So that was a real life
saver. And then I started
posting. And then, do you
know what? I had my first
corporate client come
inbound to me, and it was
a quite a big program
(22:18):
that we that we were
talking about, and it
didn't turn out as
planned, but we did some
work off the back of it,
so that was a real like,
oh, actually, this works,
and it's worth doing, and
it's worth doing
Lea Turner (22:30):
prioritizing,
yeah, excuse me for
briefly interrupting our
guest, but I need to tell
you about my business,
baby, the HoLT. I started
the Holt in June 2022 to
create a supportive place
where small business
owners, solopreneurs,
freelancers and side
hustlers could learn
essential business skills
at an affordable price
while coming together to
network and support each
other and our businesses.
(22:51):
Every month, members get
live Q and A's and
problem solving on tech,
sales and marketing, plus
four or more master
classes on skills such as
copywriting, finances,
sales, social media,
branding, mindset,
confidence, resilience,
graphic design,
automation, AI and so
much more. We also host
weekly community calls to
meet fellow members.
Content Creation, hours
and monthly well being,
(23:12):
circles and in everything
we do, we encourage
collaboration, regular
communication and most
essentially, mutual
respect and kindness. The
hold is where the square
pegs of the business
world fit perfectly. So
if you've never felt like
you quite belong in
business, we're the
community for you. Visit
the holt.com for more
information and to get on
the waiting list. Now,
(23:32):
we're opening again soon,
and we'd love for you to
join us. Now, back to our
guest. Would you say at
this point now, when it
comes to the content that
you're putting out, and
who you are as a business
woman that you are,
you've continued to, and
it's not always, you
know, a straight line up,
but you've continued to
grow and grow in
confidence. Yeah, what do
you think's been the key
(23:53):
in helping you to grow
that confidence? Is it
the people around you,
the the jobs that you've
got, the clients, like,
what? What has been the
bit that you you've drawn
the most confidence from.
Kate Hughes (24:05):
I think it's
been a mash up of all of
that. There's been a lot
of it has been a mindset
thing for me. So
realizing that, you know,
all of these other people
who have put themselves
out there, they are all
in the same boat. They're
all just trying to grow
their business and build
great relationships. You
know, no one, no one I
meet is a knob. I mean,
(24:26):
okay, there are
occasional ones and they
get blocked, yeah, but
best way, absolutely,
but, um, it's
depersonalizing things.
And, you know, it's, I
think when, when you're
thinking about putting
yourself out there, it's
easy to make everything
about you, yeah, and it's
(24:46):
right, it's like going to
the gym. Okay? So I
started going to the gym
in January this year
because I'm getting
married on New Year's
Eve, and I don't want to
have big arms in my
dress, right? So I have
always told myself I hate
the gym. Will not sit for
the gym, because there's
all these like people in
there who are looking all
like amazing and they
will know what they're
doing, right? And I am
not one of those people.
(25:07):
What I've realized is
that every other person
who is in the gym, no
one's looking at you,
they're either looking at
themselves in the mirror,
they're either on their
phone or they're
concentrating on what
they're doing, yeah. And
there are people in
there, of all shapes and
sizes who are just
looking to be better.
Yeah, and it's like that,
and it's
Lea Turner (25:26):
the same the
business, and you're not
when you're posting on
social media, or you're
starting a business,
you're not going to know
everything straight away,
and it's just showing up
every day and giving it a
go, and you get a little
bit better every time.
And some people get
really good really
quickly, and some people
take a lot more time, but
everybody's going in the
same direction. And
there's really no rush to
(25:48):
get to wait Well, you
know, you've got a
deadline because you've
got a wedding, but, but
when it comes to
business, there isn't a
rush. And it's well, you
know, you want to be able
to pay your bills, but
there's no rush to
suddenly become a million
pound business. And it's
not always. You see so
many people saying, Oh,
I'm doing this, or I'm
doing this, and it's and
it's not the case. No
(26:09):
one's no not many of them
are as successful as they
would have you believe
straight away. So when
you decided to go out on
your own, I know
personally that my
business growth and the
changes that happened to
me in that time meant
that I lost some
(26:29):
friendships. Now I don't
mean that people were
horrible to me and I and
the friendship, but they
kind of burned out
because I found that I
was changing so much
inside and my priorities
were changing, and my
conversations were
changing, the things that
I was interested in were
changing, and I found
that I couldn't find the
(26:50):
commonalities with some
of my old friendships.
And I also found there
were some people that
made me feel like I was
holding myself back. They
were confirming my fears.
So it was, it was almost
like they were very risk
averse. They were
employed, and the idea of
starting a business was
very alien to them, and
they would come at me
with, but what if? What
if? And there were things
(27:11):
that were already in my
head, I was like, No, I
don't want to listen to
that. I need to listen to
people to say, No, you
can not. But what if you
can't? Were there people
in your life, that as you
have changed and grown as
a business owner, that
have maybe impacted how
you felt about yourself
in positive and negative
ways, that
Kate Hughes (27:31):
that's an
interesting one. So in
short, no, I've been
really lucky. That's
amazing, but that's only
because I have such a
small friendship group
already, because I lost
the majority of my
friends in my 20s when I
started changing as a
person. Then, right.
Okay, so it was I
throughout my teens and
my early 20s, I was what
(27:52):
you could only describe
as a wild child. Me too.
I like I look at my
daughter, and I think as
long as you don't be like
me, everything's going to
be fine.
Lea Turner (28:07):
Or as long as
if you're going to be
like me, you at least
come out the other side
like I did. Yeah,
Kate Hughes (28:12):
that's a
good way of looking at so
far. She's so showing no
signs of being like I was
going into my teens.
Yeah? So I went off the
rails in spectacular
style. Yeah, I was the
same. So it was sort of
around about my late 20s
that I started shifting
and realizing that
actually I needed to sort
all of these demons out.
So at that point, I shed
(28:34):
quite a lot of, yeah,
everything that was
around me. So my friends,
my but that's a tongue
twister, isn't it? My
friendship circle is
really small and really
tight, and so they've
stuck with me. There are
people in my family who
cannot get their head
around what I do. It's
like I've said to my dad
before. Now, you never
(28:54):
ask about the business.
You're not interested.
And he's like, in all
honesty, love, I don't
really understand it. So
my
Lea Turner (29:01):
family are
the same, fair enough I
find having
conversations. And, you
know, I love my
grandparents to bits, but
they don't. I could talk
to them for hours, and
they they try to show
curiosity, but they don't
really understand. And
that's we were living in
a digital world now. And
so much of what I do and
with you, it evolved. It
revolves so much around
online and marketing and
social media. And you
(29:21):
know, they can barely
post a photo on Facebook,
and it's, you know,
that's, that's some of
their technological
advancement. And even my
mom and and her husband,
they struggle sometimes
and and I think that's
quite typical for us, for
business owners, to find
that maybe the people
around them, when they
start their business,
they might not understand
(29:42):
quite what it is. They're
not unhappy for you, that
they'll support you, but
they don't necessarily,
and that's why it's so
important to also develop
friendships with other
business owners. Have you
found that like have
having new friends that
are business owners, that
you can talk to about a.
About the unique journey
(30:02):
of being a business
owner, right? That the
roller coaster,
emotionally, the ups and
downs, the people that
you can say, Oh, my God,
I've had a 10k months, or
20k month, or, you know,
I've just signed my first
biggest client. How
valuable is that for you
to have those people
where you don't have to
(30:22):
edit yourself and play it
down when you when
something really good or
really bad happens. Yeah,
Kate Hughes (30:28):
it's really
special. So this year, my
business was set to hit a
goal that I set when it
first started, which was
to turn over six figures.
Congratulations. Thank
you. And then some work
dropped out the pipeline.
So not so much, congrats.
But it was one of those
moments that I was doing
(30:48):
the forecast, and I was
like, oh my god, we're
actually going to do it.
And I text one of my
friends, Jules, who, who
I do quite a bit of work
with, and when I went
around to see her to do
some prep, some prep,
some other work. She had,
like, a bottle of
Prosecco and stuff for me
and stuff. So it was such
like that nice that
someone can go, do you
know what well done?
You've done this is all
(31:09):
on you. You've done so
well to give
Lea Turner (31:12):
yourself that
pat on the back that
we're so bad at giving
ourselves. Yeah, because
you, you do really need
that, don't you? Because
other business owners get
what it means. And six
figures is not the goal
for everybody, you know,
and for me, when I hit
six figures, I was like,
oh my god, this is
incredible. And it didn't
even end to my head about
(31:32):
hitting seven figures.
I'm not asked about
hitting seven figures.
Like, great if I do, but
that's not I don't need
that much money to be a
very happy and content
person that can afford
everything I would need
in life. But you need to
have those people where
you don't have to feel
bad, and your employed
friends that maybe would
never hit six figures.
They'd never be on a six
(31:53):
figure salary. That
sounds, I don't know, you
almost feel like you're
bragging, or you're being
self absorbed, or you're
rubbing it in their
faces. And that might not
be how they receive it,
but it can feel like that
sometimes
Kate Hughes (32:07):
I think it
can do and I'm really
lucky with the circle I
keep who they are, just
so proud that I've taken
this, you know, what was
a really shit time of
losing my job and trying
to get another job, but
then realizing that
(32:28):
absolutely that's not
what I wanted to do,
setting up a business,
finding my own way. They
really celebrate me, and
I think that's so
important that you have
people like that in your
corner who do celebrate
you. And it's something I
say to Frankie a lot is
that, you know, if she's
got friends around her
who don't get excited
(32:49):
when she does something
good, who or who have a
flash go across their
face like, oh, yeah, I'm
doing this instead. You
know, they're not your
people,
Lea Turner (32:59):
and that's a
hard lesson to learn at
any age. That's a hard
lesson to learn, and it's
definitely something that
I've experienced not
necessarily with current
friends or friends that I
was very close to, but
acquaintances that I'd
met in the past, who you
knew that they weren't
necessarily they would
(33:20):
smile and say the right
things. You could see it
in their eyes. You could
hear it in their tone
that there was some envy
there or resentment, and
that's a hard pill to
swallow, because I
personally know that when
people around me are
succeeding, people that I
care about, I am nothing
but happy for them and
full of encouragement. I
(33:40):
am a perpetual
cheerleader for those
around me, and it
probably wouldn't have
always been that way. I
think when I was younger,
I probably would have had
that flash of resentment.
But now I'm surrounded by
so many people that are
doing better than me or
are on their way to
reaching the same success
level, and I mean
financial success level
that I am, I am
constantly there cheering
(34:00):
them on, but there's
definitely been people,
and some people have
struggled through the
resentment, and they're
now happy for me, and I
haven't lost those
relationships. And then
there's been some people
that I've gone it's
better for me not to have
you in my life and and
it's not because I don't
like them as people. I
think they're good
people, but they're just
they don't suit the
journey that I'm on
anymore. And there's that
old cliche that some
(34:22):
people are in your life
for a reason, a season or
a lifetime. And there are
definitely people in my
life that have been there
for a really good reason.
I've taken great lessons
from them, learned some
tough lessons from them.
There are people that are
definitely there for a
season, the party season,
the new motherhood
season, the broke single
mom season, and now the
sort of successful
(34:43):
entrepreneur season, the
people that I'm meeting
now in this season of my
life, I feel like they're
people that are here to
stay, because they're
happy to see me win, and
I'm really happy to see
them win, and I want to
help them win, and that
those people are so
precious. I. And I
encourage any
entrepreneur or new
(35:03):
business owner you can,
you need to find those
people
Kate Hughes (35:06):
that's so,
so important, yeah, and
it's like they spur you
on. They do. They do. And
I think the thing is, as
well, is that, you know,
for people who perhaps
feel that envy, and yeah,
I would probably say in
my 20s, when I was in
that different stage of
my life, before all of
the healing work and
stuff, I would have been
one of those people that
would have been like, Oh
(35:27):
my god. How is like, how
is someone earning that
much, doing that that's
not fair, you know. And
it's like, actually get
over yourself, because
what these people are
doing is showing you it's
possible.
Lea Turner (35:39):
And that was
that thing for me that
was such a pivotal moment
for me, when I logged on
to LinkedIn for the first
time, as much as I hated
it when I first logged
on, I had been running a
business for like, eight
years, and I'd been
barely scraping minimum
wage, working ridiculous
hours, and I thought that
was the sum of all of I
was capable of. I didn't
think I was good at
anything more than typing
very fast in English.
(36:01):
Like I was good at
grammar, crazy typing
speed, yeah. And I was
really, really fast at
typing. I was like, this
is all I'll ever be able
to do. Because all I was
told at school was, you
go to school, you get
your GCSEs, get your A
levels, you go to uni,
you get a job, you do a
job for somebody else,
till you retire and then
you die. And that was it.
That was the path I was
on. And then I'd started
a business. And I was
(36:21):
like, Well, I've always
been told that if you're
going to look like that
and you don't get a
degree, you'll never make
anything of your life,
you know? And I was like
that, okay, I just
accepted that as fact,
until I was in a job
where I was working for
two guys building
surveyors who were 27
when they left their jobs
and set up that
consultancy. And I went,
I'm 26 maybe I could do
(36:42):
that. And that was when I
set up the typing
business as a side
hustle. But when I got
onto LinkedIn, I was
seeing women like me,
mums, women who were as
smart as I was, probably
a bit smarter than I was,
that didn't necessarily
go to uni, and they had
these businesses, yeah.
And I was like, what if
they can do it? Why can't
I do it? And I'd never
seen women like that.
(37:02):
There's no female
entrepreneurs in my in my
family. And I went, huh?
This is new, but it took
me till I was 34 years
old to see women ahead of
me that I felt like I was
capable of what they were
capable of. And I think
that's another real
lesson, is if you want to
(37:24):
be successful in
business, you've got to
be around people that are
doing what you want to
do, maybe not in the same
industry. Doesn't have to
be the same industry, but
set an example for you.
And I'm in such a lucky
position now that I can
be that woman for other
women that look to me and
go, I want to be able to
(37:44):
do what she's doing, but
I wouldn't be doing that
unless it was women ahead
of me that I saw and
went, you're amazing. And
that's you know, there'll
be people that looking at
you as that. Now, because
you're sharing it online,
you can be that example,
whether they're letting
you know that you're that
for them or not you there
will be other people that
go, wow, look at what
(38:05):
Kate's done. Well, it's,
how amazing is that I
could do that now maybe I
can do that.
Kate Hughes (38:09):
And you know
what? That's what is
brilliant about the whole
right, is that there's
this community. And I
know I don't show up
often in the community,
and a lot of that comes
down to the overwhelm of
the whole, sort of like,
I'm doing the engagement
online as well. It's hard
to show up there as well,
but when I do, people
always really welcome in.
When I decided to set up
(38:29):
Rome the rainbow with
Frankie, I contacted
Carly Denton. Oh yeah,
she's amazing. And
because she, I think
she'd only recently
joined the whole, she's
like, by now, yeah. So I
kept seeing her posts on
on LinkedIn, and I was
like, she's doing the
kind of stuff, or she's
done the kind of stuff
that I've just been
talking with Frankie
about. So I dropped her a
note and just just said,
(38:51):
I'm in the hot two. Um,
lovely to connect. I've
seen your posts. I'm this
is what I'm thinking of
doing with my daughter.
Any tips? And she, sent
me some really helpful
things that what it meant
I could do was get my
ducks in a row,
essentially, so that me
and Frankie could then
work logically and look
at actually what we
(39:12):
wanted to and focus, you
know, who our audience
was, that kind of thing.
That's what's brilliant.
When you've got that
network that people are,
are happy to support you.
They will cheer lead you
on. They're happy to
share their knowledge.
It's not like they're
going to sit on their
knowledge and go, Oh my
gosh, there's going to be
too much competition.
Because you've
experienced that along
the way as well, don't
you? Yeah,
Lea Turner (39:32):
we've all
experienced people that
treat us as competition.
I've definitely had it.
I've had people copying
my work. I've had people
that have, you know, not
wanted to bring me into
conferences because I'm a
direct competitor, so
they don't want me there.
There's all sorts of
things like that, but I
think it highlights the
importance of having a
supportive community
around you, and that
doesn't necessarily mean
people from the same
(39:53):
industry, it doesn't
necessarily mean people
that are even business
owners, but it means you
need that we can't. Do
this on our own. We might
call ourselves
solopreneurs, but none of
us are really doing it
solo. Are we? We need?
Whether it's an
accountant and a VA or
it's people around us
that are informal mentors
that we can sound off a
business idea to that go
(40:15):
that's probably not the
best, but you could try
it this way, or, you
know, give it a go, and
it's just having that
outside, impartial but
understands what you're
experiencing, and isn't
just going to go, No,
that's too scary, That's
too risky, people that
will push you outside of
your comfort zone and
challenge you and hold
that mirror. And you know
you have that with a
(40:35):
coach, you have it with a
therapist, but you'll
also have it with the
your community around
you, your colleagues,
your associates. It's so
valuable. So if you could
give yourself advice
based on what you know
now four years into it,
if you could say
something to yourself,
maybe not that first
year, because that was
(40:56):
such a unique one year.
But at the end of your
first year is there like
a piece of advice that
you would give to Kate of
three years ago that
would help you to get to
where you are now in a
more linear fashion?
Kate Hughes (41:12):
I don't know
if it's ever going to be
a linear fashion. Really.
It's like,
Lea Turner (41:19):
oh, I mean,
yeah, emotionally,
mentally,
Kate Hughes (41:22):
do you know
what I would say to
myself is stop putting so
much pressure on yourself
to do, do everything, to
be everything, all the
goddamn time. Really
valuable advice. I went
from posting five days a
week, and I know some
people post seven days a
week, and from them being
scheduled as well, to
(41:43):
realizing that that that
was too much for what I
was doing at the time. So
narrowed the content
creation down, and I do
it three days a week,
saying that I just had
August off altogether. I
literally did not post. I
maybe went on. I maybe
engaged a little bit the
business was still
obviously working in the
background, but, but that
is right, one of the
benefits of working for
(42:04):
yourself. I was able to
spend the entire summer
holidays with my kids.
Wow. So
Lea Turner (42:11):
that's and I
bet when you started your
business, you never
imagined that you'd be
able to do that. Never in
a million years, and it
wouldn't have happened
that first year. It
probably wouldn't even
happen the second year,
but you you get to that
point, and you've been
consistent, you've built
your confidence, you've
built great relationships
with repeat clients, and
You've nurtured
everything around you.
You've done amazingly,
and I hope you do
(42:32):
actually take time to pat
yourself on the back,
because from when I knew
you three years ago,
where you are now, even
though we put so much
pressure on ourselves,
and we're like, Well, why
am I not that six, seven
figure business? Yet
you've massively, like,
you've reached probably
goals that you weren't
expecting to and being
able to take the whole
summer off, that's,
(42:53):
that's a hell of a goal.
That's the kind of thing
that I didn't even manage
to do that. I couldn't
have done that
completely. I did it a
lot more. I was a lot
less hands on than I have
been over previous years,
but that's that's an
exceptional milestone to
have reached. And we'll
talk about you finding a
VA because you need to
listen to your own
(43:13):
advice, but then we all
need to listen to our own
advice more, don't we,
Kate, thank you so much
for being on the podcast.
I'm really looking
forward to how people are
going to receive this,
because I think you've
touched on some really,
really important really
important points that are
very, very relatable, and
I appreciate the journey
up here. And thank you
again to Bronson for
being so well behaved.
Thanks
Kate Hughes (43:29):
for having
me on there. Before
Lea Turner (43:31):
you go, I
just need to tell you
about our brilliant
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Unknown (44:42):
you
The biggest
(00:01):
emotional journey
throughout this whole
thing has been battling
shit from my childhood
that just kept on rearing
its head again, that I
thought I dealt with. You
know, I've had lots of
therapy over years, and I
thought, yeah, you know,
that's all locked away
neatly in the little box,
but the moment you feel
slightly exposed is it
(00:22):
comes back up with and
for me, the things that I
had going on was no one's
going to listen to you.
No one's going to believe
anything. You've got to
say. People are going to
tell you that you don't
know what you're talking
about. You're going to
get rejected. I think
it's really important
that we're able to lean
(00:42):
into that and work
through stuff.
Lea Turner (00:57):
Welcome to
The HoLT Survival Guide
for Small Businesses.
Kate, it's so lovely to
have you here, and thank
you so much for making
the chaotic journey up to
Manchester to be here.
Why don't you introduce
yourself to our audience
to start off with,
Kate Hughes (01:10):
thanks,
Aliyah, so I'm Kate. Kate
Hughes, I run two
businesses. I run your
step coach, which is a
leadership development
consultant and coaching
business, and launching
in two weeks a new
business called Rome the
rainbow, which is an
accessories business that
I'm starting with my 12
year old daughter. I love
that, starting
Lea Turner (01:26):
them young
with the entrepreneur.
It's brilliant. And,
yeah, I should probably
introduce Bronson.
Bronson is my emotional
support co host here, and
he's been coming along to
keep me company and show
off how handsome he is on
the podcast. So we worked
together a fair few years
ago. Now, what was it?
Maybe three years ago,
2021 Yeah, so a fair
(01:47):
while ago, and I've
watched you grow on
social media, and I've
watched your confidence
grow with it, and your
business develop, and you
become even more of a
confident leader. I would
love to talk to you a
little bit more about
firstly, where you were
before you decided to go
it alone, because it's a
scary step to make. So
what was going on in your
(02:08):
life when you made the
change to self
employment?
Kate Hughes (02:12):
So it wasn't
actually an active choice
to set up a business. We
hear that a lot, right?
So obviously, COVID in
2020 I was working as a
leadership development
consultant at the time,
and that was within a
company. That was within
a company, it was within
a fantastic performance
consultancy, and I really
(02:33):
loved it there. And
because of COVID, they
ended up doing quite a
big restructure. So let
go of half of the
consultant population, of
which I was one of them.
And what they did,
though, was they asked us
all to rejoin as
associate Coaches and
Consultants. So I did the
usual Kate thing, and so
for a couple of months,
(02:53):
and was like, no, no, I'm
not going to do that. I'm
going to go back into the
corporate world. My
background is originally
communications. So I
worked in comms for 20
years, and it was
actually that company
that got me doing
leadership development. I
joined there as a comms
consultant, and in the
first week, the
consultant director said,
we actually really see
something in you. We'd
like you to do leadership
development. We'd like so
I was like, All right,
(03:14):
then, so they asked us to
come back as an associate
consultant. And I was
like, no, no, I'm not
going to do that. You
know, it's been really
not a great time. I'm
going to go back into the
corporate world, and I'm
going to go back to my
comfort zone. I'm going
to be a head of internal
comms again. And I was
having all of these
interviews and getting
through to final rounds
and being offered
positions and withdrawing
(03:35):
from positions, and it
was like something wasn't
right. And the more I
thought about it, more
often I would rather
stick pins in my eyes
than go back into that
environment where
actually I don't have as
much autonomy or control
over the work that I'm
doing, that I have to
work with different
(03:57):
clients, no matter who
they are or that, you
know you you don't know
what the cultures are
like until you're
actually in these places.
So I licked my wounds a
little bit, and then I
called up lane four
again, and I said, You
know what? Actually, I
would like to be an
associate with you. And
so they said, to do that,
you have to have a
limited business. So,
(04:17):
like, okay, and that's
where your step coach
Limited was born, wow.
Lea Turner (04:22):
So you went
back and worked for them,
but how did that then
evolve to working with
other companies?
Kate Hughes (04:29):
So it was as
an associate what you
don't have to do a lot of
is business development,
because, of course,
you're doing associate
work for another company.
So they sell the work to
their clients. You then
deliver their work as
their employee, but
through your own
business. So, so you're
(04:49):
almost like a contractor,
if you like. I quickly
realized that at any
given moment they could
turn the tap off to
giving work to me. Wow.
So. It was one of those
moments where I was like,
Okay, I have obviously
got some choices here. So
the first thing I did was
become an associate with
another four different
companies who I still
(05:09):
work with these days. So
I get a good, steady
spread the risk. Yeah,
right. So I get a good,
sort of like, steady
stream of work coming in
from those companies. But
then I also had to get
over myself and start
doing business
development as well, and
that included marketing,
that included marketing,
and that's
Lea Turner (05:25):
a really
scary part, I think, for
a lot of entrepreneurs
that start out with their
small businesses, and
we've talked about this
many times with other
people, you're really
good at the skill that
you're selling and the
work that you do, but you
don't have sales skills,
marketing skills and
social media skills and
accounting skills and all
of those other things
(05:45):
that you need to learn to
successfully grow or
maintain a business,
because you've spread the
risk by signing up with
those other companies,
but you still sort of
felt the need to market
yourself and establish
yourself in your own
right, as your own brand,
right? So where did you
turn to after that to
(06:06):
find those more clients?
So
Kate Hughes (06:08):
I am, and in
a way, it's a lot like
the leadership
development. You know, I
work with a lot of new
managers who are promoted
because they're really
good at their technical
skills, but then they
start leading people, and
it's like, that's a
different ball game,
yeah, because people
aren't these inanimate
beings with no emotions
and no feelings. You
know, they're not just
going to point in that
direction and off they
go. So, yeah, it's a bit
(06:29):
of a comparison there, I
guess, in terms of me
running the business and
being like, Oh my God,
I've got to do all of
this stuff. The weird
thing was, or the ironic
thing, if you like, is
that my background in
communications means that
I can actually write
quite decent marketing
copy. Just couldn't do it
for myself.
Lea Turner (06:47):
And it's such
a different game, isn't
it such a different
especially, and I find
this particularly with
women men, generally
speaking, it's a complete
generalization, because
there's definitely
exceptions to the rule in
people that I've worked
with men tend to find it
easier to talk positively
about themselves and
about their achievements,
(07:08):
and women struggle more.
Like I said, complete
generalization, and
they're absolutely
exceptions to the rule,
but the pattern that I've
seen with my clients is
men tend to be more
comfortable when talking
about the things that
they're good at, and
women really struggle to
do that for whatever
reasons. And we could do
a whole podcast on that.
And you were one of those
people. You were very you
(07:29):
really struggled to talk
about yourself and center
your excellence in the in
what you were creating
online. But you need to
do that, because if you
don't, people hire
somebody else that does,
and quite often that is
going to be a man,
because they're more
comfortable. Saying,
yeah, right, and it's so
uncomfortable at first,
but the vast majority of
us to say, I'm actually
(07:50):
really good at this, and
this is why you should
hire me, and this is how
good results are that I
got with people. How did
you get over that? And I
would say, and I might be
out of turn saying this,
you haven't got over it
yet, right? Because I
know you quite well, but
you're better than you
were. And how did you get
to that point?
Kate Hughes (08:12):
Oh, yeah, so
I mean, yeah, you're
right. It is one of those
things that I it's a it's
a daily it's not so much
a battle anymore, but
it's a daily give myself
a talking to you've got
this. You know exactly
what you're doing. You're
building great
relationships with
people. Yeah, people are
(08:33):
interested in what you've
got to say. So it's
getting great results.
I'm getting really lovely
results. I've got repeat
customers, which is
obviously brilliant,
showing up on that daily
basis. The social media
side of things, the
engaging things, it
depletes your energy. It
can really take it out of
you. But that's not I
don't like doing, because
I've built some wonderful
(08:54):
relationships with people
who we talk to offline
and stuff. But for me, I
guess the biggest
emotional journey
throughout this whole
thing has been battling
shit from my childhood
that just kept on rearing
its head again, that I
thought I dealt with. You
(09:14):
know, I've had lots of
therapy over years, and I
thought, yeah, yeah, no,
that's all locked away
neatly in a little box,
but the moment you feel
slightly exposed is it
comes back up with and
for me, the things that I
had going on was, no
one's going to listen to
you. No one's going to
believe anything. You've
(09:34):
got to say. People are
going to tell you that
you don't know what
you're talking about.
You're going to get
rejected. These
Lea Turner (09:43):
are all
things that you're
actually telling yourself
in your head, right?
Yeah, because they're
ways we treat ourselves.
We'll self reject, we'll
self criticize, we'll
have doubts about
ourselves. And actually,
the behaviors we're
fearing from other people
are generally made up
most of us don't get
that. That, or it will be
from people that really
don't matter if they are
(10:03):
saying those things,
because they're never
going to be your clients.
How have you managed to
build that confidence up,
to try and stop listening
to those voices in your
head and those fears that
in the main part are
completely they're
completely fabricated,
then those aren't real.
You are good at your job.
You do know what you're
(10:23):
talking about. You are
successful and get
successful results for
your clients. How do you
remind yourself of that
so that you can market
yourself and keep getting
those clients?
Kate Hughes (10:33):
So I use one
of the tools that I use
of a lot of my clients
actually myself, which is
a belief and confidence
tool, a really simple
tool, but it's a way of
some people have, like, a
brag file, you know, just
sticking your emails, all
of the different
feedbacks, you get the
great things we've talked
about, yeah, yeah. I can
buy my smile file, right?
Yeah. So you look at it
like, Do you know what?
Yes, I have got this
(10:55):
belief in confidence
builds builds on that is
to dissing out all of
your achievements, the
values that have helped
you with that your key
attributes, all of those
kind of things, and you
just add to it. You know,
it doesn't have to be a
bit complicated, like
massive spreadsheet or
anything. It's just a way
to just log all these
things that are
achievements that you've
done that you can look
back on. So I use that a
(11:15):
lot. I also have my own
coach. It would be, I
would, don't think I'd be
a very good coach myself
if I didn't have my own
coach. So I, you know, I
have my own coach. It's
always useful to bounce
things around and have
that mirror held up to
you, if you like. So
yeah, because a lot of
the stuff we hold up and
we make it true, yeah,
(11:36):
you know, Thoughts become
things, that kind of
thing. And unless you've
got someone holding that
mirror up to to make you
question, actually, what
is really true here?
Yeah, you run the risk of
then acting out those
beliefs. So I have my own
coach, and also I carry
on with therapy for all
of the reasons, you know,
the fear, the fear of
rejection, the fear of
abandonment, the other
stuff that this deals
(11:56):
with, I think it's really
important that we're able
to lean into that and
work through stuff.
Lea Turner (12:02):
I think
that's that's something
that people don't talk
about a lot for a start,
finding the right coaches
is really important, and
it's not and the same
with therapists right
finding the right
therapist that does the
right style for you. And
I've tried different
types of therapy.
Psychotherapy was my
favorite, but I I tried a
few different types to
help me over certain
(12:22):
points. It's not constant
for me, but it's when I'm
facing something that's
particularly difficult,
rather than trying to
struggle through on my
own, reaching out and
finding that support from
somebody that can really
help. I'm interested to
sort of understand how
it's impacted. So it's
been kind of nearly four
years since you've been
doing this yourself,
which is amazing. Your
daughter would have been
(12:42):
more eight at the time
she was Yeah, so, and
you've got, you've got
another child and a
stepchild as well. So
Kate Hughes (12:50):
I have my
daughter, Frankie, who's
12, and my steps are
Noah, who is nearly nine,
Lea Turner (12:54):
near nine. So
two children. So how has
it impacted your family
life running your
business, as opposed to
what your life was like
when you were working for
another company before
COVID.
Kate Hughes (13:06):
So with
starting the business
during COVID brought his
own challenges, because
there was homeschooling,
yeah,
Lea Turner (13:14):
trying to get
a business off the ground
when you've got children
at home and you're not
allowed out of your
bubble, yeah,
Kate Hughes (13:19):
and she
never fails to stop
reminding me just how bad
a teacher I was
Lea Turner (13:24):
sure. Yeah, I
outsourced it to my
lovely next door neighbor
that I, uh, bubbled with
because i i My son would
not listen.
Kate Hughes (13:33):
Yeah, I was
not good. There was there
was times we'd be sat at
the dinner table, looking
at the laptop, looking at
the homework, and she'd
be going, I don't
understand it. I don't
understand it either my
Lea Turner (13:43):
son's my
son's nine next week, and
I don't understand any of
his maths homework. I'm
like, it's just
thankfully one of my best
friends is primary school
teacher, so I just take
photos and like, for me,
it's me, thankfully, I'd
be stuck otherwise. Yeah,
so how did it affect like
that? Obviously, had its
(14:03):
own challenges.
Homeschooling was just we
got through it. We did.
We made it out the other
side. We got
Kate Hughes (14:09):
through it
sort of by the seat of
our pants. But I think
actually, I came out of
it stronger,
Lea Turner (14:13):
and you're
setting a really good
example for her now. I
mean, you're launching a
business alongside her to
encourage that. So do you
feel like she's taken a
lot of strength and
encouragement from seeing
you out on your own.
She's an
Kate Hughes (14:25):
amazing
girl. She's she's got a
very strong mind. She's
not backwards in coming
forwards in telling which
I'm sure she's also a bit
taller than me now as
well, which isn't hard.
So when she's given me
Sass, she looks down at
me. So that's always
really interesting to
deal with. But I guess
how it impacted me at the
time was everything I was
(14:47):
doing for the business
meant working late at
night, so the content
creation, I would
literally crawl into bed
with my laptop and just
spend hours on Canva,
just like, oh my god, I
just need to make more
stuff and just get this
bank of. Content. And I
think that's probably
something that I've
carried through, that's
that's the thing I
struggle with most, the
content creation, not
because I don't have the
(15:08):
content, but because
making the time to create
it. And there's been lots
of people I've spoken to
that have been like, it's
about time you got a VA,
Kate to do this. And I'm
like, You're raising
you're like, yes, Kate,
I'm one of those people
that's told you this,
yes, I do need to get a
VA to do my content
creation. Help me with
that. At least, I've
Lea Turner (15:25):
got a great
recommendation for you,
amazing.
Kate Hughes (15:29):
So I guess
that's, that's one of the
struggles was like the
late nights and trying to
juggle everything. But
then what I take from
that, you know, from what
that time I put in, then
to get the business to
this point. I'll be
honest, when I set the
business up in 2020
there's not a part of me
that thought in four
years time I'm still
going to be running my
Lea Turner (15:48):
own business.
It was just to get me
through COVID. Yeah,
genuinely,
Kate Hughes (15:52):
I thought I
was going to go back to
the corporate world, get
another job, have a
regular salary, and be
like, safe. What stops
you? Because even if you
have a regular salary in
a corporate job, you're
still not safe. And
Lea Turner (16:07):
that's that's
going to be one of the
core reasons people
listening, you know, the
target market for this
podcast is predominantly
people who have a small
business are side
hustling with the view to
going full time, or are
thinking about starting
something that they
eventually want to leave
a job and have something
that's their own, and
they have that control
over. And I think there's
(16:27):
a, there's a big myth
involved in, you know,
you're going to just
start a business, and
everything's going to be
brilliant, and you're
going to be off on a
yacht, spa days, and
it's, it's not like that.
The social, yeah, the
social media filter, and
that sort of it's really
easy. It's not easy those
first few years,
especially. And for some
people, it can go on for
(16:47):
10 years, but for the
first few years,
especially, you
sacrifice, there will be
things that you
sacrifice. And especially
for people like us, and
there's a lot of them
that started their
businesses because of the
pandemic, because of
furlough, and they had
the opportunity to give
something a shot, or they
were forced to give
something a shot. That
was even more
challenging, because we
(17:08):
were juggling all sorts
of things, and the
isolation and the fear
and the anxiety that the
pandemic brought. But we
have this kind of, I
don't know. I find that
people have this
disillusion that it's
just going to be easy and
the clients are going to
come. And actually, the
(17:28):
reality of it is, and you
were, obviously, you had
clients immediately when
you started, but you've
had to keep a pipeline
going, and you've had to
make sure that you are
creating content so that
you can continue to
market and you continue
to fill that pipeline of
work for the future, and
you know, even if you
can't serve them all at
once, how has things
changed? But that first
year obviously, COVID
(17:48):
wasn't necessarily a fair
reflection of what people
would experience now if
they started a business,
but maybe from like year
two to where you are now,
what's changed in how you
run your business and
also how you feel about
your business because you
didn't want to go back to
corporate. And yes, being
a business owner isn't
safe, but you're more, a
lot more in control. And
(18:10):
I
Kate Hughes (18:10):
think that's
the thing, is, there was
a realization that, you
know, yeah, I could go
back to corporate, yes,
I'd have a job, but I've
been made redundant. And
I've been made redundant
three times. It's a gut
punch. So it is the
first. The first two
times were the first time
I was I've been working
at the place for 14
years. It was time for me
to go, so I had the
(18:30):
opportunity to take it.
The second time I had the
opportunity to take
redundancy, and I was
glad to see the back of
the place. And the third
time was that was
probably the most
heartbreaking, because I
loved that job so much.
It was like I'd finally
found something that I
felt like I was meant to
do, which was the
(18:50):
leadership development
piece. I was able to
bring in coaching. I
trained as a coach after
I lost my my job for the
second time, so I was
able to bring in all of
those skills, and I loved
it. I think what that job
did was make me realize
that when I lost that
job, it wasn't personal.
Because they asked me to
go back, it became a I'm
(19:12):
okay. So they actually
don't think that I'm shit
at my job. They want me
back. They They literally
just have to lose the
permanent headcount, if
you like. So that was a
real sort of eye opener
that actually it's not
personal. But what's
changed has been that,
you know, we had our
(19:32):
conversation. So I set up
the business in August
2020 I spoke to you in
August 2021, I have
joined several different
business programs, if you
like, some have been
really good. Some have
been not that great. And
my accountant always says
to me, because, so the
(19:52):
first thing I did when I
set the business was I
got an accountant. So
despite the fact that I'm
still resisting getting a
VA, I'm not averse to
actually outsource.
Stuff, because I know I'm
no good with numbers.
Exact
Lea Turner (20:03):
saying an
accountant was my first
hire with every
Kate Hughes (20:05):
business
like that needs to be
safe. I need someone who
really knows what they're
doing there so and she's,
she's been absolutely
phenomenal, and I will
keep her for as long as
she'll have me as her
clients. But she does
love she's like, I can't
believe you invested that
in that, and you're
talking like this, and
I'm like, so there's been
(20:25):
lessons along the way,
but there's, you know,
been really, really good
lessons as well. And
like, I stuck with you
because I think, you know
what, I think it was, it
was how personable you
were when we were
talking, and I had a bit
of a hangover when we had
our one to one as well.
(20:49):
And you humored that, and
just sort of like talked
me through everything in
a way that was like, You
know what? Actually, I
can do this. It still
took me so after we
spoke, after we had that
one to one, I did start
posting a little bit, but
I was still very
corporate Colin. I was
still really sort of like
I remember, I was not one
(21:10):
of those people that you
recommend and tag.
Lea Turner (21:13):
I did today,
Kate Hughes (21:16):
and then I
started out on myself
again. So I disappeared
off of LinkedIn for six
months because I was just
like, I can't be doing
this and focusing on the
business. It's too much.
It's got quite a
struggle, isn't it? So I
disappeared for a bit,
and then something
happened. And I don't
know to this day what
happened, but I woke up
one day and I thought,
This is crazy. None of
(21:38):
these people that I'm
worried about pay my
bills, and that's
crucial, right? That's
just like an epiphany
moment, yeah, and from
then on, I haven't looked
back. So I was, I was
scheduled in all this
content, and the LinkedIn
scheduler has been a
lifesaver for me, because
it's one of those things
that I then don't have to
think about on a daily
basis, which I think a
lot of people worry
about. It's like, what am
(21:58):
I going to post today?
I'm like, just use a
scheduler. You know,
block out a couple of
hours. Get what you want
done and schedule it out.
So that was a real life
saver. And then I started
posting. And then, do you
know what? I had my first
corporate client come
inbound to me, and it was
a quite a big program
(22:18):
that we that we were
talking about, and it
didn't turn out as
planned, but we did some
work off the back of it,
so that was a real like,
oh, actually, this works,
and it's worth doing, and
it's worth doing
Lea Turner (22:30):
prioritizing,
yeah, excuse me for
briefly interrupting our
guest, but I need to tell
you about my business,
baby, the HoLT. I started
the Holt in June 2022 to
create a supportive place
where small business
owners, solopreneurs,
freelancers and side
hustlers could learn
essential business skills
at an affordable price
while coming together to
network and support each
other and our businesses.
(22:51):
Every month, members get
live Q and A's and
problem solving on tech,
sales and marketing, plus
four or more master
classes on skills such as
copywriting, finances,
sales, social media,
branding, mindset,
confidence, resilience,
graphic design,
automation, AI and so
much more. We also host
weekly community calls to
meet fellow members.
Content Creation, hours
and monthly well being,
(23:12):
circles and in everything
we do, we encourage
collaboration, regular
communication and most
essentially, mutual
respect and kindness. The
hold is where the square
pegs of the business
world fit perfectly. So
if you've never felt like
you quite belong in
business, we're the
community for you. Visit
the holt.com for more
information and to get on
the waiting list. Now,
(23:32):
we're opening again soon,
and we'd love for you to
join us. Now, back to our
guest. Would you say at
this point now, when it
comes to the content that
you're putting out, and
who you are as a business
woman that you are,
you've continued to, and
it's not always, you
know, a straight line up,
but you've continued to
grow and grow in
confidence. Yeah, what do
you think's been the key
(23:53):
in helping you to grow
that confidence? Is it
the people around you,
the the jobs that you've
got, the clients, like,
what? What has been the
bit that you you've drawn
the most confidence from.
Kate Hughes (24:05):
I think it's
been a mash up of all of
that. There's been a lot
of it has been a mindset
thing for me. So
realizing that, you know,
all of these other people
who have put themselves
out there, they are all
in the same boat. They're
all just trying to grow
their business and build
great relationships. You
know, no one, no one I
meet is a knob. I mean,
(24:26):
okay, there are
occasional ones and they
get blocked, yeah, but
best way, absolutely,
but, um, it's
depersonalizing things.
And, you know, it's, I
think when, when you're
thinking about putting
yourself out there, it's
easy to make everything
about you, yeah, and it's
(24:46):
right, it's like going to
the gym. Okay? So I
started going to the gym
in January this year
because I'm getting
married on New Year's
Eve, and I don't want to
have big arms in my
dress, right? So I have
always told myself I hate
the gym. Will not sit for
the gym, because there's
all these like people in
there who are looking all
like amazing and they
will know what they're
doing, right? And I am
not one of those people.
(25:07):
What I've realized is
that every other person
who is in the gym, no
one's looking at you,
they're either looking at
themselves in the mirror,
they're either on their
phone or they're
concentrating on what
they're doing, yeah. And
there are people in
there, of all shapes and
sizes who are just
looking to be better.
Yeah, and it's like that,
and it's
Lea Turner (25:26):
the same the
business, and you're not
when you're posting on
social media, or you're
starting a business,
you're not going to know
everything straight away,
and it's just showing up
every day and giving it a
go, and you get a little
bit better every time.
And some people get
really good really
quickly, and some people
take a lot more time, but
everybody's going in the
same direction. And
there's really no rush to
(25:48):
get to wait Well, you
know, you've got a
deadline because you've
got a wedding, but, but
when it comes to
business, there isn't a
rush. And it's well, you
know, you want to be able
to pay your bills, but
there's no rush to
suddenly become a million
pound business. And it's
not always. You see so
many people saying, Oh,
I'm doing this, or I'm
doing this, and it's and
it's not the case. No
(26:09):
one's no not many of them
are as successful as they
would have you believe
straight away. So when
you decided to go out on
your own, I know
personally that my
business growth and the
changes that happened to
me in that time meant
that I lost some
(26:29):
friendships. Now I don't
mean that people were
horrible to me and I and
the friendship, but they
kind of burned out
because I found that I
was changing so much
inside and my priorities
were changing, and my
conversations were
changing, the things that
I was interested in were
changing, and I found
that I couldn't find the
(26:50):
commonalities with some
of my old friendships.
And I also found there
were some people that
made me feel like I was
holding myself back. They
were confirming my fears.
So it was, it was almost
like they were very risk
averse. They were
employed, and the idea of
starting a business was
very alien to them, and
they would come at me
with, but what if? What
if? And there were things
(27:11):
that were already in my
head, I was like, No, I
don't want to listen to
that. I need to listen to
people to say, No, you
can not. But what if you
can't? Were there people
in your life, that as you
have changed and grown as
a business owner, that
have maybe impacted how
you felt about yourself
in positive and negative
ways, that
Kate Hughes (27:31):
that's an
interesting one. So in
short, no, I've been
really lucky. That's
amazing, but that's only
because I have such a
small friendship group
already, because I lost
the majority of my
friends in my 20s when I
started changing as a
person. Then, right.
Okay, so it was I
throughout my teens and
my early 20s, I was what
(27:52):
you could only describe
as a wild child. Me too.
I like I look at my
daughter, and I think as
long as you don't be like
me, everything's going to
be fine.
Lea Turner (28:07):
Or as long as
if you're going to be
like me, you at least
come out the other side
like I did. Yeah,
Kate Hughes (28:12):
that's a
good way of looking at so
far. She's so showing no
signs of being like I was
going into my teens.
Yeah? So I went off the
rails in spectacular
style. Yeah, I was the
same. So it was sort of
around about my late 20s
that I started shifting
and realizing that
actually I needed to sort
all of these demons out.
So at that point, I shed
(28:34):
quite a lot of, yeah,
everything that was
around me. So my friends,
my but that's a tongue
twister, isn't it? My
friendship circle is
really small and really
tight, and so they've
stuck with me. There are
people in my family who
cannot get their head
around what I do. It's
like I've said to my dad
before. Now, you never
(28:54):
ask about the business.
You're not interested.
And he's like, in all
honesty, love, I don't
really understand it. So
my
Lea Turner (29:01):
family are
the same, fair enough I
find having
conversations. And, you
know, I love my
grandparents to bits, but
they don't. I could talk
to them for hours, and
they they try to show
curiosity, but they don't
really understand. And
that's we were living in
a digital world now. And
so much of what I do and
with you, it evolved. It
revolves so much around
online and marketing and
social media. And you
(29:21):
know, they can barely
post a photo on Facebook,
and it's, you know,
that's, that's some of
their technological
advancement. And even my
mom and and her husband,
they struggle sometimes
and and I think that's
quite typical for us, for
business owners, to find
that maybe the people
around them, when they
start their business,
they might not understand
(29:42):
quite what it is. They're
not unhappy for you, that
they'll support you, but
they don't necessarily,
and that's why it's so
important to also develop
friendships with other
business owners. Have you
found that like have
having new friends that
are business owners, that
you can talk to about a.
About the unique journey
(30:02):
of being a business
owner, right? That the
roller coaster,
emotionally, the ups and
downs, the people that
you can say, Oh, my God,
I've had a 10k months, or
20k month, or, you know,
I've just signed my first
biggest client. How
valuable is that for you
to have those people
where you don't have to
(30:22):
edit yourself and play it
down when you when
something really good or
really bad happens. Yeah,
Kate Hughes (30:28):
it's really
special. So this year, my
business was set to hit a
goal that I set when it
first started, which was
to turn over six figures.
Congratulations. Thank
you. And then some work
dropped out the pipeline.
So not so much, congrats.
But it was one of those
moments that I was doing
(30:48):
the forecast, and I was
like, oh my god, we're
actually going to do it.
And I text one of my
friends, Jules, who, who
I do quite a bit of work
with, and when I went
around to see her to do
some prep, some prep,
some other work. She had,
like, a bottle of
Prosecco and stuff for me
and stuff. So it was such
like that nice that
someone can go, do you
know what well done?
You've done this is all
(31:09):
on you. You've done so
well to give
Lea Turner (31:12):
yourself that
pat on the back that
we're so bad at giving
ourselves. Yeah, because
you, you do really need
that, don't you? Because
other business owners get
what it means. And six
figures is not the goal
for everybody, you know,
and for me, when I hit
six figures, I was like,
oh my god, this is
incredible. And it didn't
even end to my head about
(31:32):
hitting seven figures.
I'm not asked about
hitting seven figures.
Like, great if I do, but
that's not I don't need
that much money to be a
very happy and content
person that can afford
everything I would need
in life. But you need to
have those people where
you don't have to feel
bad, and your employed
friends that maybe would
never hit six figures.
They'd never be on a six
(31:53):
figure salary. That
sounds, I don't know, you
almost feel like you're
bragging, or you're being
self absorbed, or you're
rubbing it in their
faces. And that might not
be how they receive it,
but it can feel like that
sometimes
Kate Hughes (32:07):
I think it
can do and I'm really
lucky with the circle I
keep who they are, just
so proud that I've taken
this, you know, what was
a really shit time of
losing my job and trying
to get another job, but
then realizing that
(32:28):
absolutely that's not
what I wanted to do,
setting up a business,
finding my own way. They
really celebrate me, and
I think that's so
important that you have
people like that in your
corner who do celebrate
you. And it's something I
say to Frankie a lot is
that, you know, if she's
got friends around her
who don't get excited
(32:49):
when she does something
good, who or who have a
flash go across their
face like, oh, yeah, I'm
doing this instead. You
know, they're not your
people,
Lea Turner (32:59):
and that's a
hard lesson to learn at
any age. That's a hard
lesson to learn, and it's
definitely something that
I've experienced not
necessarily with current
friends or friends that I
was very close to, but
acquaintances that I'd
met in the past, who you
knew that they weren't
necessarily they would
(33:20):
smile and say the right
things. You could see it
in their eyes. You could
hear it in their tone
that there was some envy
there or resentment, and
that's a hard pill to
swallow, because I
personally know that when
people around me are
succeeding, people that I
care about, I am nothing
but happy for them and
full of encouragement. I
(33:40):
am a perpetual
cheerleader for those
around me, and it
probably wouldn't have
always been that way. I
think when I was younger,
I probably would have had
that flash of resentment.
But now I'm surrounded by
so many people that are
doing better than me or
are on their way to
reaching the same success
level, and I mean
financial success level
that I am, I am
constantly there cheering
(34:00):
them on, but there's
definitely been people,
and some people have
struggled through the
resentment, and they're
now happy for me, and I
haven't lost those
relationships. And then
there's been some people
that I've gone it's
better for me not to have
you in my life and and
it's not because I don't
like them as people. I
think they're good
people, but they're just
they don't suit the
journey that I'm on
anymore. And there's that
old cliche that some
(34:22):
people are in your life
for a reason, a season or
a lifetime. And there are
definitely people in my
life that have been there
for a really good reason.
I've taken great lessons
from them, learned some
tough lessons from them.
There are people that are
definitely there for a
season, the party season,
the new motherhood
season, the broke single
mom season, and now the
sort of successful
(34:43):
entrepreneur season, the
people that I'm meeting
now in this season of my
life, I feel like they're
people that are here to
stay, because they're
happy to see me win, and
I'm really happy to see
them win, and I want to
help them win, and that
those people are so
precious. I. And I
encourage any
entrepreneur or new
(35:03):
business owner you can,
you need to find those
people
Kate Hughes (35:06):
that's so,
so important, yeah, and
it's like they spur you
on. They do. They do. And
I think the thing is, as
well, is that, you know,
for people who perhaps
feel that envy, and yeah,
I would probably say in
my 20s, when I was in
that different stage of
my life, before all of
the healing work and
stuff, I would have been
one of those people that
would have been like, Oh
(35:27):
my god. How is like, how
is someone earning that
much, doing that that's
not fair, you know. And
it's like, actually get
over yourself, because
what these people are
doing is showing you it's
possible.
Lea Turner (35:39):
And that was
that thing for me that
was such a pivotal moment
for me, when I logged on
to LinkedIn for the first
time, as much as I hated
it when I first logged
on, I had been running a
business for like, eight
years, and I'd been
barely scraping minimum
wage, working ridiculous
hours, and I thought that
was the sum of all of I
was capable of. I didn't
think I was good at
anything more than typing
very fast in English.
(36:01):
Like I was good at
grammar, crazy typing
speed, yeah. And I was
really, really fast at
typing. I was like, this
is all I'll ever be able
to do. Because all I was
told at school was, you
go to school, you get
your GCSEs, get your A
levels, you go to uni,
you get a job, you do a
job for somebody else,
till you retire and then
you die. And that was it.
That was the path I was
on. And then I'd started
a business. And I was
(36:21):
like, Well, I've always
been told that if you're
going to look like that
and you don't get a
degree, you'll never make
anything of your life,
you know? And I was like
that, okay, I just
accepted that as fact,
until I was in a job
where I was working for
two guys building
surveyors who were 27
when they left their jobs
and set up that
consultancy. And I went,
I'm 26 maybe I could do
(36:42):
that. And that was when I
set up the typing
business as a side
hustle. But when I got
onto LinkedIn, I was
seeing women like me,
mums, women who were as
smart as I was, probably
a bit smarter than I was,
that didn't necessarily
go to uni, and they had
these businesses, yeah.
And I was like, what if
they can do it? Why can't
I do it? And I'd never
seen women like that.
(37:02):
There's no female
entrepreneurs in my in my
family. And I went, huh?
This is new, but it took
me till I was 34 years
old to see women ahead of
me that I felt like I was
capable of what they were
capable of. And I think
that's another real
lesson, is if you want to
(37:24):
be successful in
business, you've got to
be around people that are
doing what you want to
do, maybe not in the same
industry. Doesn't have to
be the same industry, but
set an example for you.
And I'm in such a lucky
position now that I can
be that woman for other
women that look to me and
go, I want to be able to
(37:44):
do what she's doing, but
I wouldn't be doing that
unless it was women ahead
of me that I saw and
went, you're amazing. And
that's you know, there'll
be people that looking at
you as that. Now, because
you're sharing it online,
you can be that example,
whether they're letting
you know that you're that
for them or not you there
will be other people that
go, wow, look at what
(38:05):
Kate's done. Well, it's,
how amazing is that I
could do that now maybe I
can do that.
Kate Hughes (38:09):
And you know
what? That's what is
brilliant about the whole
right, is that there's
this community. And I
know I don't show up
often in the community,
and a lot of that comes
down to the overwhelm of
the whole, sort of like,
I'm doing the engagement
online as well. It's hard
to show up there as well,
but when I do, people
always really welcome in.
When I decided to set up
(38:29):
Rome the rainbow with
Frankie, I contacted
Carly Denton. Oh yeah,
she's amazing. And
because she, I think
she'd only recently
joined the whole, she's
like, by now, yeah. So I
kept seeing her posts on
on LinkedIn, and I was
like, she's doing the
kind of stuff, or she's
done the kind of stuff
that I've just been
talking with Frankie
about. So I dropped her a
note and just just said,
(38:51):
I'm in the hot two. Um,
lovely to connect. I've
seen your posts. I'm this
is what I'm thinking of
doing with my daughter.
Any tips? And she, sent
me some really helpful
things that what it meant
I could do was get my
ducks in a row,
essentially, so that me
and Frankie could then
work logically and look
at actually what we
(39:12):
wanted to and focus, you
know, who our audience
was, that kind of thing.
That's what's brilliant.
When you've got that
network that people are,
are happy to support you.
They will cheer lead you
on. They're happy to
share their knowledge.
It's not like they're
going to sit on their
knowledge and go, Oh my
gosh, there's going to be
too much competition.
Because you've
experienced that along
the way as well, don't
you? Yeah,
Lea Turner (39:32):
we've all
experienced people that
treat us as competition.
I've definitely had it.
I've had people copying
my work. I've had people
that have, you know, not
wanted to bring me into
conferences because I'm a
direct competitor, so
they don't want me there.
There's all sorts of
things like that, but I
think it highlights the
importance of having a
supportive community
around you, and that
doesn't necessarily mean
people from the same
(39:53):
industry, it doesn't
necessarily mean people
that are even business
owners, but it means you
need that we can't. Do
this on our own. We might
call ourselves
solopreneurs, but none of
us are really doing it
solo. Are we? We need?
Whether it's an
accountant and a VA or
it's people around us
that are informal mentors
that we can sound off a
business idea to that go
(40:15):
that's probably not the
best, but you could try
it this way, or, you
know, give it a go, and
it's just having that
outside, impartial but
understands what you're
experiencing, and isn't
just going to go, No,
that's too scary, That's
too risky, people that
will push you outside of
your comfort zone and
challenge you and hold
that mirror. And you know
you have that with a
(40:35):
coach, you have it with a
therapist, but you'll
also have it with the
your community around
you, your colleagues,
your associates. It's so
valuable. So if you could
give yourself advice
based on what you know
now four years into it,
if you could say
something to yourself,
maybe not that first
year, because that was
(40:56):
such a unique one year.
But at the end of your
first year is there like
a piece of advice that
you would give to Kate of
three years ago that
would help you to get to
where you are now in a
more linear fashion?
Kate Hughes (41:12):
I don't know
if it's ever going to be
a linear fashion. Really.
It's like,
Lea Turner (41:19):
oh, I mean,
yeah, emotionally,
mentally,
Kate Hughes (41:22):
do you know
what I would say to
myself is stop putting so
much pressure on yourself
to do, do everything, to
be everything, all the
goddamn time. Really
valuable advice. I went
from posting five days a
week, and I know some
people post seven days a
week, and from them being
scheduled as well, to
(41:43):
realizing that that that
was too much for what I
was doing at the time. So
narrowed the content
creation down, and I do
it three days a week,
saying that I just had
August off altogether. I
literally did not post. I
maybe went on. I maybe
engaged a little bit the
business was still
obviously working in the
background, but, but that
is right, one of the
benefits of working for
(42:04):
yourself. I was able to
spend the entire summer
holidays with my kids.
Wow. So
Lea Turner (42:11):
that's and I
bet when you started your
business, you never
imagined that you'd be
able to do that. Never in
a million years, and it
wouldn't have happened
that first year. It
probably wouldn't even
happen the second year,
but you you get to that
point, and you've been
consistent, you've built
your confidence, you've
built great relationships
with repeat clients, and
You've nurtured
everything around you.
You've done amazingly,
and I hope you do
(42:32):
actually take time to pat
yourself on the back,
because from when I knew
you three years ago,
where you are now, even
though we put so much
pressure on ourselves,
and we're like, Well, why
am I not that six, seven
figure business? Yet
you've massively, like,
you've reached probably
goals that you weren't
expecting to and being
able to take the whole
summer off, that's,
(42:53):
that's a hell of a goal.
That's the kind of thing
that I didn't even manage
to do that. I couldn't
have done that
completely. I did it a
lot more. I was a lot
less hands on than I have
been over previous years,
but that's that's an
exceptional milestone to
have reached. And we'll
talk about you finding a
VA because you need to
listen to your own
(43:13):
advice, but then we all
need to listen to our own
advice more, don't we,
Kate, thank you so much
for being on the podcast.
I'm really looking
forward to how people are
going to receive this,
because I think you've
touched on some really,
really important really
important points that are
very, very relatable, and
I appreciate the journey
up here. And thank you
again to Bronson for
being so well behaved.
Thanks
Kate Hughes (43:29):
for having
me on there. Before
Lea Turner (43:31):
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people who find
themselves in toxic
workplaces to realize
that they're not alone.
Subscribe to the safe
space from the workplace
podcast on the links
below. Thanks for
listening, and I'll see
you next time
Unknown (44:42):
you
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