If you’re like me and you like to learn from the success of others, this How She Did It series is for you.
The purpose of this series is to give you access and insights to female entrepreneurs who in 8 brief answers will let you learn from their businesses and mindset.
Today’s guest is a lady boss who does it all and makes it look oh so easy. She is an entrepreneur, a mom, a wife, and an involved member of her community both online and offline.
She and I were even able to take our online friendship online and meet in Miami. Even though it wasn’t literally yesterday when we met, it feels like yesterday because this lady boss is always willing to connect with the same warmth she did on day 1.
I know you will like her just as much as I do and more importantly, will love to learn how Katherine Sullivan Did It.
As I write this, I am preparing to go overseas and take on some new life & business adventures with my hubby.
So who better to present to you today, than a lady boss who retired her hubby?! Pretty awesome huh?
Well I’ll let her give you all the juicy details.
How Katherine Did It:
Please share with us what you do and who your business helps.
Marketing Solved is an online marketing education platform for small business owners and Entrepreneurs who want to get results from their own efforts using digital marketing.
We are an all-in-one service providing marketing strategies, marketing content creation, planning, and education to our readers and members.
How did you go from “idea” to an online business?
I always say my business built me! After starting as a blogger in 2009, I was able to build a significant readership and social media following.
Shortly after, business owners, bloggers, & Entrepreneurs were asking for my help. After I maxed out the amount of people I could personally help one-on-one, we built Marketing Solved to serve an unlimited community!
In your opinion, what is a hard-to-spot pitfall that is critical to avoid in entrepreneurship?
Not trusting yourself is one of the BIGGEST mistakes I see people making. There is a lot of noise out there and everyone has an idea on what you should be doing. It’s critical to shut out the noise and listen to what YOU believe is the best action to take for your business.
The second one is taking action. Overwhelm, not knowing what to do, and fear keep people from moving forward. The ONLY way to get through this is to take action, every single day, that pushes you towards your goals.
In your opinion, what was the #1 thing that helped you experience a breakthrough in business?
My husband. He believed in me from the beginning and without him, this would still be a part time hobby. He encouraged me to follow my passion and saw how fulfilling it is for me to help other business owners.
My goal when starting this business was to retire my husband. I didn’t want him to have to work his corporate job ever again.
After 2 years, after working on this business part time, I was able to retire him. We hit that goal and it was a phenomenal feeling.
It helped me realize that all that hard work, late nights, tears, fears, and joy were worth it! The best reward is having him home.
What is one thing you’ve told yourself that kept you going during your darkest hour?
Just keep going. Do not quit. You may not know “how” or “what” the best path forward is or what’s going to be the “right” thing to do…but you have to keep going. Keep trying, keep testing, and do not let anything stop you.
What’s your best advice for entrepreneurs who are frustrated and overwhelmed?
Pulling back and reassessing your path forward is critical for breakthroughs when things get hard. Start meditating & listening to motivational videos or podcasts. Filling yourself up with positive success stories and focusing your energy on hitting your goals will break you through the overwhelm.
If you can’t do it alone, find a mentor that believes in you. I’ve hired coaches and taken programs but the best mentors are the ones who believed in me before I believed in myself.
They are who I turn to when I need a kick in the pants and always help me overcome hardship.
What are your favorite tools and resources that make your life easier and keep your business running smoothly?
Monthly Marketing Solved…yes, shameless plug but it’s exactly what we use! We have an editorial calendar, all of our social media content graphics created, and statuses prewritten so it’s easy to plug and play our social media for the month.
Then it’s LeadPages for opt ins, Zoom Conferencing is a new favorite for screen sharing on Facebook Live, and Asana to keep me in check.
To conclude, what is one thing you would like to share with my audience to inspire them to go for new goals?
The world needs what you have to give. When you think deep down about who you are or who you want to be…hold that vision because that is your calling. Don’t let it fade. You can achieve ANYTHING you set your mind to. With a lot of hard work, of course. But nothing worth having comes easy.
