Breaking Barriers: From Small Town Dreams to CEO Success with Catherine Lang-Cline

In this inspiring episode of the Beyond Hope Project, Jason Tharp sits down with Catherine Lang-Cline, a trailblazing CEO, entrepreneur, and C-Suite executive, to explore her journey from humble beginnings in a small town to becoming one of Columbus’ most influential business leaders. Catherine shares her insights on navigating life’s challenges, from overcoming self-doubt to breaking free from a life that felt too small for her ambitions. With her extensive experience in marketing, design, and entrepreneurship, Catherine offers invaluable advice for anyone looking to chart their own path to success, emphasizing the power of tenacity, creativity, and self-belief. Tune in to discover how Catherine’s relentless drive and innovative thinking have shaped her into a top executive admired by many, and how her story can inspire you to step into your greatness.

Powerful Quote:
“Success isn’t about staying in the comfort zone; it’s about daring to take the next step, no matter how daunting it may seem.”

MEET CATHERINE LANG-CLINE:
Catherine Lang-Cline is a highly accomplished CEO, entrepreneur, and thought leader with over 18 years of experience leading Portfolio Creative. Recognized as one of Columbus’ Most Admired CEOs, she has earned accolades including the Smart Woman - Progressive Entrepreneur Award and the Columbus Chamber Entrepreneur of the Year. Catherine’s expertise spans marketing, design, and strategy, with a track record in scaling businesses, board governance, and public speaking. She serves on the Columbus Chamber of Commerce Board and has been honored for her influence and leadership in both business and community settings.

CONNECT WITH CATHERINE LANG-CLINE:
✩ LINKEDIN  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinelangcline/

CONNECT WITH JASON:

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OFFICIAL SHOP & BOOKSTORE:

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MEET JASON:

Hi, I’m Jason!
Ever since I was six, I knew I was born to tell stories. As a best-selling author, illustrator, and sought-after speaker, I've turned my personal battles with grade four brain cancer, obesity, and negative self-talk into fuel for transformation. My keynotes don't just talk—they spark potential, ignite creativity, and build resilience. If you're ready for an engaging experience that challenges the status quo and propels your organization to new heights, let's turn your 'impossible today' into 'possible tomorrow' together!

For more information or to partner with me - https://www.jasontharp.com/bookjason

Transcript

0

like how did you get there I have found um and asking for help is that there are so many helpers out there and you're

0:08

denying them that that feeling of helping you I guess it's the best way to

0:14

put it because I love helping people and if I can do just even a small thing and somebody else might say it's a big thing it's like I had people come to me

0:20

remember that one time you talked to me and you said blah and I'm like I don't yeah but if I made that impact then I am

0:27

I'm I'm excited for yourself and it made me feel really good that I was able to you know change your trajector in some

0:32

way um yeah people people love to help other people so don't don't deny him

0:37

that it's where I'm going to thr kind of throw [Music]

0:49

that hey Katherine hey how are you I'm really good good good thank you for uh joining me here take some time you are a

0:56

busy busy person I am and so I I appreciate the time um we were just talking before we started

1:01

recording about how it goes back years uh We've like a lot of people in Columbus are involved in the creative

1:08

world have a limited link absolutely not limited like what people think limited

1:13

like Li Brands yes yeah uh because back in the day they were pretty much the all you know and and we all seem to

1:21

crisscross through there at some point in time and we all go our several ways and have this weird reunion I know I

1:27

know I just share our war stories and show our scars that sort of thing who doesn't have an exact oade scar

1:33

somewhere on them 100% I actually didn't cut myself there I'm pretty sure I huffed way too much spray spray fix

1:39

spray because you know you don't want to walk to the spray boots you just yeah exactly all the all the times that you

1:45

had to like just build things was was crazy there too much of a walk down the hall but so to to jump in I want I so how we

1:52

usually start out the podcast is defining what hope is so what I Define hope is is the impact point so it's a

1:59

starting point point so um what will happen typically is people need to have some place to begin they'll start down

2:05

the path and usually they'll go find their gurus and they'll find whoever and they realize that they can't keep up with that lifestyle or they can't keep

2:11

that and they think I'm a failure and what we try to do then is the second definition of Hope which is show them

2:17

that the path didn't actually go away what might have happened it just moved and we just got to change our perspective to start over love that yeah

2:23

so with that idea of the definition of Hope if you can go back at any point in

2:29

Katherine's life M and provide that kind of Hope what would it look like maybe what age can give us a little context of

2:36

oh my gosh um there have been my my sort of choppy definition of

2:42

Hope is I am not stuck here I I can

2:47

figure out how to get to the next thing and I think when people really feel stuck that's when they start losing hope

2:53

and I've always felt like there's some way some way I got to get out of here and I I've always been pretty good with

3:00

figuring that out and it it kind of starts to when I was very young and I run into a lot of people that have a

3:06

very similar background where they come from workingclass parents maybe had to put themselves through school um

3:11

including college and had to get out of that small town because they really didn't feel like they were fit and that

3:17

is me to a tea and I love grouping with people like that because those are the ones that are the scrappy ones you know

3:22

because it is so very easy to just get complacent to get you know be com get

3:27

comfortable in being stuck and like no this is just all there is and not thinking that you know I can figure this

3:33

out I can figure out a way to get out of here so for me it was a matter of you know figuring out how to get the money together to go to college how to find

3:40

that job so I didn't have to go back and Mom I'm back you know especially when you're going for an art degree um so you

3:46

know it was always like just kind of thinking about that next thing and never letting that Spirit kind of die within

3:51

you and there was there have been you know different situations where you know there was you know just putting myself

3:58

through school and getting breaking the mold there and my first marriage ended up being a a very long complete disaster

4:05

and I had to figure out how to get through that um you start a business it's like okay well I'm hoping this

4:10

works and you know you give yourself six months to figure it out and you do you know it's it's just you know just kind

4:17

of constantly keep going don't feel like you know this is it this is all I have or this is all I have in me um I mean I

4:22

think hope is just really just building on what you've learned hard or easy or whatever and just kind of getting to

4:28

that next thing yeah I I love that and I agree completely I'm from a really small town too yeah how many stoplights did

4:34

you have uh at the time we had four so that was actually pretty good size I guess comparatively had one yeah that's

4:41

good that's a that's the perfect small town but we did have a cornfield right in our backyard that was a dairy farm

4:46

that was that was affiliated with but so yeah it was it was pretty small it is definitely uh I think when you come from a small town you you have it's it's it's

4:53

interesting how divided that line is where you have people that stay MH and then the people that leave yes and I

4:59

think a lot of times what people that stay don't realize is how much the person that you were no longer exists

5:07

yeah and you know I think that's where you go back right and they expect you to

5:12

be that person the person that left and you're not anymore you have you know yeah and that I ran into a lot you know

5:18

as far as you know troubles with my family and things like that because it's like oh you're back sort of attitude and

5:24

you're like uh just a visit so and then I'm out of here again and uh there

5:29

people call me Kathy versus Katherine and that's a little bit of a brain twist too and um because I was much younger

5:35

then when I was there right and um yeah it's it's really interesting like you said when you go back and it it's just

5:42

so different and they don't really ever understand you like why would you leave everything is here why would you leave

5:49

um and it's just like I just can't stay it's as simple as that I just can't stay so what would you like say to somebody

5:55

that is out there like that maybe it is a young person like hearing the stuff or somebody is stuck in a miserable

6:01

marriage where did you get The Bravery to take the first step like I I I get I get it from what you talked about the

6:08

small step but like in The Bravery of like continuing to step because I think that's what people think it's like the

6:14

the first step is the hardest oh yeah but it's the getting back and stepping again yeah to me I think is where the

6:20

real challenges absolutely and where do you dig down for yourself what have you always found to be like kind of the

6:25

anchor for you the thing that I would repeat to myself would be if I don't do something this is my life

6:34

and in uh for example the marriage I was in it's like I I got divorced and I was 35 and I had to decide is this going to

6:41

be the rest of my life am I going to be this ha unhappy the rest of my life am I going to be you know connected to this

6:46

person the rest of my life if I don't do something that is going to be the case and it's a it's a pure choice and people

6:52

can decide you know what I'm going to be okay with this um but it was not okay for me I I was like you know I think I I

6:58

have more in me there's more want to do and I think what I can do is is bigger than just what is provided here and um

7:07

you just have to just keep saying that something would come up you know because he was you know a little combative about wanting to get divorced he thought

7:12

everything was great I don't know how but uh for him maybe but um it was uh

7:20

just you know to stay the course this is this is really going to suck it's gonna get really dark and I'm just going to

7:25

have to keep walking just keep walking because I don't want this to be my life I have to get to the other side yeah and

7:32

uh it was just pretty much that tenacity if and more than once in my life where that was was the case if I if I don't

7:37

stop if I don't find a way to finish this last year of college then I'm not going to have this degree I got to

7:43

figure out how you know it's just keep walking just keep walking and I I've applied that for pretty much everything

7:49

it's it's very much of my my nature now yeah and did you find in that a a version of yourself that you were maybe

7:56

afraid of existing like you thought if I could just be this and then when you

8:02

finally started stepping you realized like holy [ __ ] I've been this all along did you ever have that Rel there is a little bit of that yeah or like I kind

8:08

of knew I had it in me but sometimes I get surprised because sometimes I'm like I didn't know I had it in me right um

8:14

because you know you you reread my you read my profile before coming in here and the girl that had a cornfield in her

8:21

backyard was not going to get an award as a most admired CEO I mean it's not I

8:26

mean how do you draw that line right so and that all happened after my first marriage too so yeah and I would AR I

8:33

had more in me and I would argue you don't see a lot of artists getting exactly well there's there is that too

8:39

and we can we can kind of walk too oh yes we will but you know so I I guess like you know one of the things that

8:45

I've I've been asked by a lot of people is like and I've even had my own challenges with it and I'm sure you have

8:51

as well is the idea of like asking for help and like what do you recommend to

8:56

somebody out there listening that feels stuck or at the end of the Rope or you know what is it that you have found in

9:02

asking for help um and how does somebody go about asking somebody that's at a

9:08

position like where you're at like how did you get there I have found um and asking for help is that there are so

9:14

many helpers out there and you're denying them that that feeling of

9:21

helping you I guess it's the best way to put it because I love helping people and if I can do just even a small thing and

9:26

somebody else might say it's a big thing it's like I'll have people come to remember that one time you talked to me and you said blah and I'm like I don't

9:33

yeah but if I made that impact then I am I'm I'm excited for yourself and it made

9:38

me feel really good that I was able to you know change your trajectory in some way um but yeah people people love to

9:45

help other people so don't don't deny him that is where I'm going to throw kind of throw that initially but it is

9:50

it is kind of hard to make that first step though too because if especially I think like if you're Gen X um we were

9:56

making mac and cheese at age 8 because we had to figure it out and we didn't there was no one there to help us so we

10:02

just got very very accustomed to just I got it I got it I got it I'll figure it out I got it or you're going to have to

10:08

figure this out yourself you know we were told that a lot too and um once you start doing it and just ask

10:14

even for a little things it all starts kind of coming around or asking people what they think about something versus

10:21

initially asking for help it's like you know if you're in my position what would you do or what are your thoughts about ex and then they might be able to give

10:27

you some help in that regard if it really kind of makes you um you know you just don't want to ask for help maybe

10:32

reward it in another way that's going to kind of dig you out the whole year in or help you with just even a small thing but um I love doing that now and I love

10:41

helping other people because I find that it ends up building a really great relationship with somebody and I mean

10:46

what's better than that when you just created a new friend you know because like I said it's it's when you help

10:51

somebody else there's there's a bond that's formed so 100% And I think that you know um kind of want to expand on

10:58

that a little bit when you when you were working before we dive too deep into working in the corporate world you know

11:04

if you look back at all those times when you were in there I'm gonna guess you were like me where at some point in the

11:09

corporate world you're like I could do this on my own oh yeah and I'm I feel that's a lot throughout my corporate

11:14

career yeah and you don't and you and you don't go like um at the time and I

11:20

and reason why I bring this up is that I think a lot of people think in order the dream you have to have it all figured out right you know and so now it's easy

11:27

for us to look back and see I mean guys way to you to look at the bio when it's posted on the podcast I mean it's a

11:33

laundry list of accompl accomplishments that Katherine has had but you didn't

11:38

what I want to drive home to people out there is that this wasn't out of the gate no no it's small victories yes and

11:44

they do start with asking for help or or trying so with the along with the tenacity and all that stuff like that

11:50

what Vision did you start with was there like uh I'm just gonna get my first

11:55

freelance gig I'm gonna like what was it that was the the SP that made you start to get confident when I yeah when I

12:02

graduated college I for sure wanted to be in a corner office as a creative

12:08

director in Downtown Chicago because I lived near Chicago when I grew up and for one of the great agencies that they

12:14

had that was it that's what was happening didn't happen even remotely close and it was a matter of just going

12:23

step by step throughout my career um figuring out what would get me closer to that and then it just took a huge deal

12:29

DET tour but it was all based on stuff I had done previously so my first job um I

12:35

got an advertising because I and I'm going totally date myself but I was one of the only candidates that knew how to

12:40

use a Macintosh at the time that's awesome I know and uh they said can you

12:45

use a Mac I said well yes I can and they said do you think you could teach a couple other people how to do it well yes I could all right well we'll be in

12:51

touch and then pratically by the time I got to the parking lot I was hired so um

12:57

that was my big break in advertising so now I just took that and was able to get my next job you know because with all

13:02

advertising you know it's it's very cyclical clients come and go um in this

13:07

case this one was going to relocate to Minnesota and I really thought about going but then I was like you know what

13:13

I I I'm not ready for that quite yet I mean that and that goes back we can talk a little bit more about how the the road

13:19

turns into this fork and you have to kind of decide which way to go so for whatever reason I I stayed and um but I

13:27

used that as leverage to get my next job in at a advertising and design firm and you know I can't say that I was a

13:33

greatest designer what or whatever but when I I could talk a really good game and because I was in advertising yeah

13:40

yeah and I was creative so what do you need okay that I could do that um and there was obviously some truth to that

13:46

because I wasn't going to go in and just totally fake it but I I figured in a lot of cases I could figure it out you know especially if it's your it's like can

13:51

you do advertising for this product versus this product I mean at that point you're like well how it's it's not that

13:57

difficult to figure out how to people are all the same how do you sell it to them is kind of the idea um and I went

14:03

and I designed um gift rep for a while I you know worked at uh as a freelancer on

14:09

and off because I would get bored with a job I would have so I probably was working at different companies for maybe

14:15

three years at a time two and three years before I got bored and then I would go somewhere else and I ended up

14:22

working at sple catalog for probably the longest as a freelancer through an agency much like the one that I started

14:28

and that was one my favorite jobs just because all I did was production work which is so mindless and fun but yet you

14:33

were dealing with all this fashion and all these cool people and it was a really really great job and again but

14:39

then I took that and when I move got here to Columbus I was like oh I'm going to go and um work for a Victoria Secret

14:45

catalog well once I got here I realized I do the catalog in New York so that was you know a problem but you know what

14:51

there's other divisions here so I just started applying to them and just said hey you know I work for you know I work for this agency downtown I work for

14:58

speak catalog start name dropping name dropping name dropping and they gave you a shot so you then you take full

15:03

advantage of that shot um so yeah I mean I I totally forgot what the question was now but it's it's it's essentially you

15:09

know you just you know kind of it's not so much it was all I

15:15

remember now it's not so much that I didn't get what I wanted being that creative director in the corner but I

15:21

got something else that was even better and had I really focused on that um I wouldn't have ended up where I was right

15:27

so I think wanted to to kind of circle back a little bit of on that which I'm I

15:34

appreciate that long story because it's the fill 100% what people I I I find in

15:41

Dreamchasers where they fall short is that you're chasing a dream with an

15:46

expectation yeah and you're not willing to accept whatever happens exactly and you know and what I want to just Echo

15:53

back into that what you were saying for everybody listening out there is that you know what I'm saying is that it was

16:01

a bunch of things that led to where she's at it's not that one break got me this no that one break led to the next

16:07

break I know guy that knew a guy it was yeah and what's also interesting about that too when you start doing it a little more loose um you get to start

16:14

seeing more opportunity because I think people might say oh you got lucky because you got to know somebody and you got into that corner office no I looked

16:20

more at the opportunity and made my own luck um so it's about really being aware

16:26

of who's around you what what chances are out there too because um like for example just starting this company I was

16:32

freelancing at Express where I my my business partner and she said I have this this idea and I could have said

16:38

okay that's a great idea and that would have been the end of it but I'm like you know I work for a staffing company at one time it can't be that hard I I I'll

16:45

treat this as a freelance job because that's what I was doing already and we'll we'll just see how it goes you know so it's it's not so much like I

16:52

said about being lucky it's it's kind of just about seeing those opportunities and maybe just even exploring them I

16:58

mean not everyone's be a great one but um they're they're out there for everybody and I think they Overlook them

17:03

because they're so focused on what they think they should have yeah how many people did you run into that were uh the

17:09

Nays that were you know I will say I will tell people out there right now like when you start living into this sort of thing you're going to have

17:15

people telling you that you're an ass kisser you're going to have people telling you all the things that their their own insecurities that they're

17:21

going to be playing oh my gosh yes and so like when you when you got this idea to to start this company and we can dive

17:27

into a little bit because I met you I think you were just starting and I was

17:32

like wow really cool idea yeah and I was working I was working in a different division of Brands I was like man I

17:39

really hate working here like that sounds really cool um know but you know when you started out

17:46

and you do those things you know I'm going to guess if you go all the way back to when you were younger living in

17:51

the small town when I told people I wanted to grow up and be an artist it was always good luck yep you're going to

17:59

fail you'll be back yep sorry you're going to be starving you know and do you think that that prepared you for those

18:05

to not listen to all of the naysayers you know that's an interesting point yeah probably so yeah probably so and

18:11

what like what kind of stuff when you started your business did you have to overcome in hearing no or hearing that's

18:17

a crazy idea from people maybe you respected or people that you kind of like thought yeah um I it's like I said

18:25

it's so funny that you said that because people would say no or like you go to the bank and they'll say you know we'd like to have some money to pad our

18:32

account so we can pay for payroll because you know we were paying people weekly and um we might not get paid for

18:39

90 days you know so you have to have some coverage and many of them would say no and you know you prepare the most

18:45

best thing but I mean truth is they're not going to give money to a couple of women that just started this company and

18:50

said hi can we have you know $100,000 no

18:55

um so I think for the most part I was always been like like this okay not

19:01

now sort of mentality for stuff I mean people like I I with somebody who I think is going to be a potential client

19:08

they'll say no in my head I'm just going okay no not no it's never really a no for me it's and if it's meant to be it

19:14

it is but there are like I said there's so many opportunities out there if it's not that client it's going to be

19:19

somebody else it's going to be somebody they know or it's going to be something you know it's always about just the moving parts of it that I don't really

19:25

get hung up on so um I'm trying to think of just thinking of some of the naysayers that were kind of out there

19:32

and I I mean I really can't say that I can think of any because I didn't really listen to it like okay that's great your opinion

19:38

is great but I'm GNA do this yeah and um I I just did um I just posted an article

19:43

today on how I think a lot of creatives and Visionaries think about the end product first and they just work their

19:49

way to get there so people might say you know it's a crazy idea no because I know exactly what it's going to be when it's done yes you know so that I I agree with

19:57

that 1,000 % and it's so hard to explain to somebody um that you can have a

20:03

picture in your head and I can I know that I make that a reality oh you know and I think that what ends up happening

20:10

though is that people majority of people aren't like that you know and I I guess

20:15

the reason why I brought that up to you is just is for those people out there that are wanting to do these things that

20:20

that you know ultimately is their dream thing like the what you're a what you're

20:26

really doing is like going back to the asking for help you're denying the world this creativity right that's inside of you right and I think that everybody

20:33

gets hung up when they think that they're not creative oh my God that's like I have a whole podcast about that

20:39

so yeah and and so like go on that Journey with me of because I know you

20:45

your your company portfolio creative is based on creativity but you it's not

20:51

just creative people like it's there's it's it's the whole thing and how creativity is a real thing you know it's

20:57

not a hobby it's not you know something that people just love to do no these people make a living at this and

21:03

sometimes a really good living at it um and how it important is for business too and that's what I kind of started

21:09

exploring too because people would ask me oh you know Katherine how did you get here it's like I've always been pretty right brain left brain you know just

21:14

create something and then he connected to Innovation and then I make something you know and then it just kind of goes to the next thing and then it's like

21:21

okay maybe that didn't work okay let's take it apart let's try it again um and all the people I talk to my podcast are

21:27

people that have done kind of that exact same thing where they may have taken something from childhood that they were

21:32

super passionate about and they just kind of carried it through um into their lives and people always think like well

21:39

I'm not creative I'm not creative well one of my favorite ones and I always talk about this all the time is when I interviewed Francy Henry and she is a

21:45

president at Fifth Third Bank and she is like I'm I'm not a creative person Katherine but I don't know why you want

21:50

me in her podcast I'm like you know what I'm going to change your mind on that yeah and what she did as a kid was um

21:57

and I'm sure people many people relate to this she ran around the neighborhood and just wanted to socialize with people her dad said get to work please work in

22:03

the restaurant cuz I own a restaurant he got her a job at a bank and said you know what you're going to have it was

22:09

right next door to the restaurant you're going to have to work and I was like what did you feel how did you feel when your dad me to do that she was it was great because and people came to me and

22:15

then I could get all the gossip and hear about their stories and their families and things like that if you know Francy the one of the first things she is just

22:22

some like the most personable person ever she knows about everybody's family what they do you know know and just

22:29

really gets involved in this this friendship sort of connection that has elevated her to president of a bank

22:34

because of she is such a great relationship growing person and we all have stuff like that there might be

22:41

situations you know where you love to draw for example and you might um might

22:46

not have been very good at it and then people somewhere usually around the fifth grade will designate you as an artist or not an artist you were

22:53

probably in the artist category like I was you get to you get to explore art the rest of you you better learn

22:58

something else yeah and um sometimes it kind of pops out later in people's lives

23:03

because they might um like uh oh gosh I can't think what his name is now but he plays in a band you know like in his

23:09

spare time and but he's like a CEO and there's other people that uh like uh Charles Penzone is now painting and he

23:16

you know ran a company for years because they still had that creativity that they just kind of brought back out when it

23:21

was more convenient but ultimately a lot of them were doing that all along and like I said just kind of creating

23:27

something and then innovating creative invading and it was just that formula that got them to where they wanted to be

23:33

now for the people that don't say they're creative today I would say go back and recapture what you did that was

23:38

fun and start getting that side of your brain working again because I think it starts to atrophy after a while and you

23:44

don't a muscle doesn't or or an organ I guess doesn't work you know if you don't use it and um just start sparking that

23:52

and then when people say you know you know your idea is crazy well you know it's crazy until it works right and then

23:58

everybody's your friend so I I just say what you know just make make something make a cake make some brownies with your

24:04

kids you know watch a great story on TV it doesn't have to be a masterpiece but

24:09

um but do something yes yeah and I think I think that's the you know that way do

24:14

something I mean it's that's exactly what it is it's because I meet so many people that

24:20

are I wrote a book like uh great how many did you write one okay write 50

24:26

more right you know and it's it I think that what people think is that that

24:31

creativity requires some sort of it I can't think of another thing that doesn't require any sort of like

24:37

prerequisites like you don't you don't have to know how to draw to become an artist you don't have to know how to

24:43

write to become a writer Some people might not think bow is an artist if you're putting it back next to a Renoir or something you know it's just

24:49

different yes 100% and the way you think that and I and you know I don't know

24:55

like if you cover this on your podcast but the way I think about it is that like those things that are in your head that

25:00

seem so crazy that's creativity yes that that's that's exactly what it feels like

25:05

inside my head yep and the only difference I think and my good friend Jim Ben who was on here before he says

25:11

creativity and destruction live really close to each other oh yeah he's like they're like best friends right so you

25:17

at people that say I'm not creative they'll have that idea and then destruction just goes

25:22

you it's like shut up and get in the corner I think the people that will explore are the ones that are able to say like I got this idea and I'm just

25:29

going to do it right and there's people who or then will also say I'm too afraid to do it because I'm afraid of what somebody else is going to say or you

25:36

know or it's not going to work it's not going to fail it's like well but try it right you know how do you know if you don't try it and if it fails so what do

25:42

it again I mean there's things that I've tried that didn't work and all right all right that didn't work go back to

25:48

something else yeah and and so when you when you have those people that come in to because I mean I can only imagine

25:55

I've I've done like guest teaching at art schools and you're T the artists are

26:01

such really tough insecure themselves like and it's so and it's so hard

26:08

because I forever it took me a long time to relate to that until honestly I started digging into my own problems

26:14

with when I getting diagnosed with cancer and I started I like this and it was there was always this Fierce like

26:21

growing up always which is probably the same tenacity you're talking about was if you tell me I'm not going to be able

26:27

to do it I will do everything to show you that I'm right right and it's been that like I'm not going to cut I'll

26:33

create something from nothing and it was like and oddly enough I didn't have successes until I got rid of all my managers and oh yeah sometimes it takes

26:41

a while I had to steer the ship you know and I think you know when you're when what do you tell somebody that you're

26:47

coming in and you're like holy cow this kid is so talented or this person is so talented but the way that they are

26:53

presenting themselves and the way that they are they are carrying El is not

26:59

going to get them the job or get them the place what what do you give a boost to somebody that is in that world the

27:06

first thing I do is I tell them that they're so talented and I would love it if more people when they saw stuff like that would say that to like you see

27:12

somebody playing music on the street or something like oh my God you're so good I'm not saying to you know break out your wallet but for an artist that is

27:19

just that validation is so freaking huge and like we're just such simple creatures we just want to be liked and

27:25

we want our art to be liked which is more important because it's so personal if somebody is doing some other job like

27:30

just say you're um working in uh a restaurant just because you know you're not making the food that's probably a

27:36

great exess you know a great example I can make you're not making the food so if it comes out and somebody doesn't like it you're not going to necessarily

27:42

take it personally because it's like okay well the chef blew it but now I feel bad because I got to work this conversation between the two of us but

27:48

for artists they're putting out something that's heart and soul and mind and if you don't like it or if you give

27:54

like you know big criticism um it it take it hits you personally so first

27:59

thing I always tell a lot of these people that come in for us that oh my God you're so good because they really are I'm not lying and they don't even

28:06

know it in some cases and it's like I want you to go in there and I want you to be proud of what you did because so many people cannot do this and you have

28:13

to really own this that you can do this you are good you're an expert you are

28:19

trained in this you went four years of school for this you know whatever and just kind of reminding them which I

28:25

think we all kind of need this reminding of the things that we've done to get where we are because I think we live so

28:31

much in the right now or living in the next like well what's somebody going to think about me versus what they should

28:37

think about me which is what I've done um we really have to kind of own that a little bit so I I push that a lot and

28:43

for me I like especially or even talking about their portfolios because that look come in it's kind of a very simple

28:49

portfolio because they haven't done a whole lot so I always tell them is there anything in here that you got paid for

28:54

that goes in the front because that's what people are going to want to know did somebody pay you for something and then we're going to put your favorite things in the back and you're going to

29:00

talk about why they're your favorite things but it's always about that stuff that people pay for first and it you if you didn't like how it turned out that's

29:06

fine you could just say the client wanted it to be you know orange and yellow and I did not like this font or

29:13

whatever but they were happy the check cleared yes and it was all good so um

29:19

that's the first part did just show them that they have value people have will buy your stuff and then you're just going to get the next job and then the

29:25

next job and the next job but and it's all based on because you you got this you so got this I I don't like it when people sell themselves short and artists

29:31

are notorious for notorious it it's 100% And even even what I've met and you know

29:37

I know you do a lot of speaking as well like when you meet these seweet people you think they have it all together and

29:43

when you get the moment like us they walk among us they're just like us if that works I mean honestly when you get

29:48

when you can be with a CEO or a CFO when they're away from ears MH and you hear

29:56

you're like oh like wow like here I am thinking this person is at a such a high

30:01

they got it all figured out yeah and here I'm going like whoa wait they're just like me and I think that's where as

30:07

humans we we have forgotten everybody knows struggle everybody knows all the

30:12

the ups and downs and the mountains we got to climb um and I want to talk about a mountain you climbed which is your

30:18

your company okay so you started with two just the two people yeah so can you

30:24

kind of give us like a a cliffnotes version of like maybe if you can highlight like what it was like climbing up maybe a a big one that you didn't

30:31

think you going to get over and then like what ultim pushed you through that

30:36

I know it's a lot to ask in one question no but there was I didn't I never how

30:42

many people do you have working for you now um well we did you know that we sold the business no I didn't yes oh so

30:48

nobody now no well hey congratulations but we' we thank you we've had anything

30:53

from like I think the high the most we've had were like maybe about 12 that's amazing

30:58

um but placed we would have a lot like 50 or 60 people like at our largest that

31:04

I might say the largest that's just because it was before the pandemic um

31:09

because employment was for some reason so different back then but yeah at the very beginning it was just Kristen

31:15

Harris and myself and what we did at the very beginning also which I would recommend to anybody who starts a

31:21

business is to write the job descriptions of all the jobs you need you're going to we divided them up like

31:27

I did half of the jobs and she did half of the jobs but we knew what we needed to hire eventually yeah and once the

31:33

money started coming in we knew all right this job is going to be the one that gets hired and we're going to hire this person first me somebody like who

31:39

can do the paperwork or what have you faxing and all that little stuff because that just took time we wanted to stay

31:44

very much in our zone of Genius if you will this is what we're the best at and we're going to work on that until we

31:50

finally started got to the point where we could duplicate ourselves um so that's how that's the the first big

31:56

thing that I would tell people is are starting out a business but as our biggest hurdle that we started was um

32:03

because we had worked for the limited is that I knew somehow they were going to

32:09

be a client they are going to be our client we know that brand we know what they need as far as creative Staffing so

32:15

we're going to get them so we started contacting everybody that we knew there and say Here's what we're doing we got a

32:22

champion who said oh my God you're right we do need you I'm going to introduce you to who you need to talk to

32:28

and by the end of year our first year we were working with the limited and we I think we were having revenue of over a

32:35

half a million dollars wow and it was just because I wanted it that was that

32:41

was the white whale I was going for and there was no reason in my mind why we couldn't get it so there wasn't any

32:47

thought of oh oh gosh I hope that you know they they like us sort of thing they did they worked with us they they

32:54

knew what we were made of so that's what we just kept putting pushing and it was a little rocky at the beginning because

33:00

they were working with another Staffing firm at the time so we had to kind of be a subsidiary of them um but then once we

33:06

got a good Cadence that somebody had asked well why are you working through them again and we're like we don't know we that's what we were told to do they said we'll stop it just bill us directly

33:13

and that's when things started changing a lot but it was a matter of we're going to get that person and that's how I've

33:18

always kind of looked with like getting a lot of our clients just in that that company not today again but like I said

33:23

before not today but they're going to work with that they're going to be a client someday and I would just figure ways to kind of always oh hey always be

33:30

in the room hey good to see you again sort of thing you know and um the other

33:36

thing that I do that was that I found was really effective as well because like I said I'm just going to figure out how to do this is that going back to

33:44

relationships and things like that I didn't always come in with like in sales mode there was many people that I just

33:50

and I truly just wanted to help them and I would talk to them okay you know what what are you running into right now I

33:55

said well you know it's hard for me to find people like our staffing company and but we can't use you because of XYZ

34:00

okay great um here's my card if there's ever any a time that you think you can

34:06

switch let me know call me directly let me know in the meantime is there anything I can do to help you and there

34:12

might be you know some things that I could do to help there was one time I remember talking to a CEO and he was

34:17

like you know shut me down immediately no we're not going to we have a staffing company we're happy um I said but do you

34:23

have people that you reject you know are there people that almost got the job but they didn't get the job he goes oh all

34:29

the time I said send send me their rums cuz we'll find work for them and he's like oh that would be so great and for

34:36

me I'm like you know I get to stock the database at the same time but then um then he had said you know my my

34:43

daughter's graduating with an art degree and I would love it for you to talk to her would would that be okay I would

34:49

love to do that so now we're friends and when things come up if even if their company never used us and there were

34:56

definitely some that did said I did have another champion that would maybe get me somewhere else like I know I don't not

35:03

here but I know somebody over this company that I'd like you to talk to because people remember and and like I said we're all just humans the CEO is a

35:09

human too he's worried about his daughter getting a job and you know he knows that his company's not going to let him hire anybody else but you know let's we can still work together we can

35:16

still you know we can still hang yeah that that's that's a fantastic story

35:21

because I think that's the the big the big thing in all of it is where as a creative you know my oldest son his uh

35:28

Place Bon and you know he's getting ready to move uh for grad school and you

35:33

know and I'm just like kid it's all networking it's all in relationship building like anybody can be a I wish I

35:41

can go back to like when I was a kid and there people that would tell me that there's no way he can do it and just be like no you don't understand kid all it

35:47

takes is you just being nice to people yeah and just leading with your heart yeah and like your passion is going to

35:53

your passion is what's going to open the door right your heart's is what's going to be welcoming people to the table and

35:58

then you have to show up abut and do the work I I've always believed that people work with people that they like yes so

36:04

be likable yeah you know and you know in a in a world that is incredibly polarizing right now when you get people

36:13

at the table they're so so we all want the same thing you know really you know we want our our families to do well and

36:20

we want to have a great job and it's all the same stuff but we kind of gotten on like as in these crazy different ways to

36:26

get there if you elate all of that you can talk to anybody you know and and

36:31

figure out some sort of common ground and that's when I think the real Beauty happens so I I did know you sold it so

36:37

congratulations that's really really cool like and so now you're you're doing I know you have a podcast which will

36:42

link in all this uh you're doing public speaking you know what other sort of stuff has this like new Journey brought

36:48

into your life that you're scared of uh that you're leaning back on the stuff that you're that you learned in the past

36:56

well very little like I can't say anything scares me there's some things that I'm

37:01

nervous about like I am doing some mentoring I have a few about five clients now that I'm working with and um

37:08

really finding that I like that because I I was really nervous going into it because I like well what if I totally messed this up but then as I'm talking

37:15

to these people I'm like oh well you know what I kind of know things and and I'm actually helping them and this is

37:20

what's good and this is what it's all about so I feel like you know it's worth it for them um to have hired me um so

37:26

that makes me a little nervous think makes me a little nervous is I do want to write a book much about the process that I went through the little bit of

37:32

the journey and I wanted to be and I actually I'm not even going to say because it's already changed twice so I'll just wait for it to come out

37:38

yeah well I can help you with that part so I'll need some cover art um but um

37:44

yeah actually talk about your journey would be really great too but but I I think that I have a couple of stories in here that will help just and in the

37:50

market and the mentoring thing it's kind of kicked that off a little bit too just in that you know I do know stuff yeah

37:55

and I do think I can still help some people if I could just put it in you know a nice book that they might like and keep and if nothing else it could be

38:02

a glorified business card yeah um but yeah I just think I have a story to tell somewhere in there that's great we're

38:09

this time has flown by I I do have a question to kind of WRA it all up is so let's go back to little you yes living

38:17

in a small town yes and if you could duplicate her and set her across the table from you and tell her all this stuff that you've done like what do you

38:24

think her reaction would be um you know cuz like I told herbody in the show not

38:29

you'll see the list of stuff that you've done like it's it's Bonkers and you know what do you what do you think she would

38:35

react and what would she say I think she would be pretty proud of me yeah because she was definitely even a hardworking

38:42

person I mean I my mom went to work right after my youngest brother was born

38:48

there's I have four siblings so I was 11 and he was I mean literally an infant

38:53

and I was making meals making lunches doing laundry just always trying to find

38:59

a way to be kind of useful and help and things like that so from a very young age I've always done that so I think she

39:07

could find a lot of great comfort in knowing that that hard work ethic is going to pay off and I would let her

39:13

know that yeah there's going to be some twists and turns along the way but just kind of stay true to yourself and keep kind of keep knowing that you got more

39:19

to give and um you'll get to where you need to go that's awesome that's a great answer it's really cool so so guys I I'm

39:28

going to make sure that all of Katherine's links are in the show notes uh make sure you check out our podcast I

39:34

um oh it is the secret art of business yes because I am talking about how that whole left brain raping connection I

39:39

kind of touched upon it but um yeah the stories in there are great and I would say I I glad you brought that out

39:46

because it's one of the things I wanted to expand on I didn't was that I think most people that you meet that are

39:52

creative based that are doing it is they from what at least I've found is very

39:57

balanced on both sides absolutely and it's it's like you have this super extreme creatives which people need oh

40:03

yeah and but don't put them in a role where they're leading the charge because it's like it's hurting cats but the

40:11

people that I have found that are like kind of like that are the that's Visionary is such a weird word for it

40:16

but like the person but it is kind of like I said you can connect the creative to Innovation that's all it is you can see how one like you look at the you see

40:23

the holes in the market you see the things that are able to be and so yeah I love that and uh so I want to make sure

40:29

that there's a link in there for this um I would love to come be on yours too oh

40:34

you're you're going to be on and uh I will gonna I will say too that I have had a couple people on there too and I

40:39

want to get a few more that are that pure artist and how they got successful too because I'm super curious in a way

40:46

what how their path went too and what sort of tenacity they had to get um there's people that do clothing they

40:52

like and how they how do they get an their own clothing line how does that even happen yes and then there's people that you know our painters and we we

40:58

know some of the locals around town that have just seem to just struck the right cord with people it's like why did that

41:04

happen I I really want to know what how they did it too because I think that's going to help other people too because

41:09

um but I think honestly I think there's a lot of people out there that just have it in them and they're too afraid to let it out and just start just start making

41:16

stuff it could be ridiculous and or cooking something or taking walks and taking pictures you know I everybody's

41:22

got a camera now just start creating really cool things make cool stuff make cool stuff yeah so so guys as we wrap up

41:29

um you know I I just really you know I think I can share this with Katherine is the goal is we're not telling you how to

41:34

do stuff we're just showing you that see yourself in our stories yeah understand that what you're going through we've

41:41

gone through what you're going to go through we've gone through and you have people around you that are all going

41:46

through that and maybe it's been the first time or maybe you just need to hear this but uh being a human is tough

41:51

yeah and sometimes be really tough sometimes life will hand you stuff when you don't want it and that's kind of the hard part about life is the bad stuff is

41:58

just as normal as the good but uh you're doing a great job and just keep doing what you're doing and you are supported

42:03

and loved more than you realize um and the most important person to make sure that loves you is you so um thank you so

42:11

much Katherine for spending time with me it was my plan um it was great I mean we could we could have another episode EAS

42:17

because that that flew by that totally flew by that was awesome but thank you so much guys make sure you go check out all of Catherine stuff and uh we'll talk

42:23

to you soon [Music]

42:39