Episode 132: Building your Business Blueprint with Catherine Kay

Show Notes for This Episode:

[1:00] Tom welcomes Catherine to the show.
[2:00] Catherine explains what her studio does.
[3:00] Geeky inspiration has lead Catherine to a gold mine of product ideas.
[4:00] From humble Facebook start to full blown KatNipp Illustration Studio.
[5:00] Ian asks Catherine what product sales were like in the start.
[6:00] Catherine manufactures her own prints to keep costs down.
[7:00] Experiment, know your audience and print one-offs to keep costs down.
[8:00] The Curse of Knowledge.
[9:00] Tom recognizes pivoting has been key for Catherine and questions her on it.
[10:00] Slow and Faster burner design sells.
[11:00] When to ditch a product.
[12:00] One thing you should avoid when launching a new product.
[13:00] Catherine’s winning recipe for a successful product launch.
[14:00] Audience participation on product designs builds product love.
[15:00] Gauging product interest with polls.
[16:20] Feeling comfortable investing more money on a product.
[17:00] Dustin gushes over the KatNipp brand cohesiveness. How did you get there?
[18:00] Follow your personality with your designs.
[19:00] Early Catherine emulated top sellers. Today, she’s herself.
[20:00] Experimenting and ditching hated projects led Catherine to her sweet spot.
[21:25] Tom asks, “Is there a ton of thought in your brand voice?”
[22:00] Catherine talks curating her Instagram feed and what she’ll never post.
[23:20] Tom talks about how many suffer from a fear of leaning into their self.
[24:00] Catherine shares that it takes practice to learn to be comfortable in yourself.
[25:00] Pushing outside your comfort zone.
[26:00] Putting yourself out there and going for it.
[27:00] The importance of YouTube in the success of KatNipp.
[28:00] Catherine loves the community Disney geeks have.
[29:00] ‘One platform at a time’ approach.
[30:00] Community, replying to comments and a feeling of belonging.
[31:00] The KatNipp Fam and feeling guilt for not being able to respond to all.
[32:00] Building community and encouraging conversation.
[33:40] Discovering content ideas for products, videos and posts.
[34:00] Keeping a log of ideas for later when time permits.
[35:00] Building your own business blueprint and ditching what you don’t like.
[36:00] Stop doing what you loathe.
[37:00] Forcing yourself will lead to burn out.
[38:00] Outsource your pain points.
[39:20] Catherine explodes with excitement over editing videos.
[40:00] Create a fun atmosphere to work in.
[41:00] Ditch pressure and find the fun in your work again.
[42:00] What Catherine recommends you try if you do not love your work.
[43:00] Change your perception. There is magic in the mundane.
[44:00] Don’t be afraid to turn your brain off.
[45:00] Making mundane things fun… again.
[46:00] Catherine believes business comes naturally to her.
[47:30] Self-improvement is just as important as business improvement.
[48:00] Niching down helped Catherine flourish.
[49:00] Committing to one thing stops so many. Find your passion.
[50:00] Discover your marshmallow.
[51:00] Tom drops next week’s guest lineup!
[52:10] Lightning round. Tom asks, “If hosting a dinner party who would you invite?”
[53:20] “What would you be eating at the dinner party?”
[54:30] “What is one thing everyone should start now to better their business?”
[55:00] Experiment until you find your IT!
[56:00] “What do you say to people who think they can’t do it while working full-time?”
[57:00] Finding time and courage to make changes.
[59:10] Find motivation in life’s hard knocks.
[1:00:00] Grind time.
[1:01:00] Do it because you want to and not because of pressure.
[1:03:00] That’s a wrap!

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