Confession time: one of my driving life and work goals is to communicate clearly. Saying what I mean is important (as is meaning what I say.) Honesty and clarity have gotten me far, even when I’ve known that sometimes my feedback and thoughts are going to cause hurt. Building and maintaining trust with people I either love or work with—some are in both camps!—is everything.
Yet somehow I find myself in a place where my communication hasn’t landed. That’s hard for someone who’s won an international speaking award to face! So I’m going to sort that out right now.
The issue is that when I rebranded last year, my businesses were wrapped up onto one eponymous umbrella website. It felt easier and more streamlined to have the Katrina McCarter brand with all the arms and offerings in one place. But I’m finding that because I wear a lot of hats, there’s confusion in the marketplace. People ask if I’m still doing Marketing to Mums work or if they should introduce me as the founder of Partnership Mastery—and some tell me they don’t actually know how to introduce me at events.
So here’s my cheat sheet about what I do now and the ways we can work together.
In a nutshell, my job as a business wingwoman, coach, marketing expert and speaker is to teach small biz owners and entrepreneurs to create six and seven figure brands with the same strategies I used to found three businesses. My work is not about me, it’s always about what I know that I can share with you to rocket your success.
Some quick background that tells you how I got to where I am and why I don’t believe in business as usual:
I knew how to make and grow money years before I earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and an MBA in international business. As a kid I ran garage sales, saved my KFC $4 an hour pay cheque to fund a New York trip at 16 and made safety pin jewellery to bankroll nightclub expenses during uni.
Leading $140 million teams for a Fortune 100 company, I developed a hard-nosed persona as a sales chief but realised after having three kids it no longer suited me. At 39 I founded my first business between babies’ naps and investor meetings. Without a marketing budget, I discovered partnerships are the best, fastest way to transform your business. In five years, my community grew from zero to 150,000 on a marketing budget of less than $300 a month.
When I sold that online business five years’ later I was hooked on solopreneurship and sharing my insights with others. Am I okay at it? In my pool room are two marketing bestsellers, a Top 50 Small Business Leader nod and recognition as a five-time B&T Women in Media Awards finalist.
Being a mum and having friends and clients who are too made me obsessed with marketing to mums. My fascination with why the world’s most powerful consumer group was misunderstood by adland saw me launch my own research company to back up my business nous and experience with research-based insights.
My Oscars moment was winning that international speaking award after sharing global stages with Google and Facebook.
What I do now in my business is use everything I’ve learned and experienced to help other small biz owners or solopreneurs on their own journey. That happens in three ways: coaching, consulting and speaking. My current program offering is built around Marketing with No Money, Marketing to Mums and Partnership Mastery, although new programs are coming in 2024.
Let’s start with the coaching.
I work with people on a wide range of things including creating a marketing strategy which works, social media strategy, securing meaningful partnerships, growing their visibility/brand awareness, getting more media. The list is long and varied and talks to the key versatility I bring from my corporate sales and marketing background, my academic qualifications and my own experience running successful small businesses.
On the speaking front, I’m a business and marketing speaker. I have a number of marketing keynotes and workshops which will help you better understand all the different consumers in Australia and how to position yourself to attract more of your desired audience.
I can speak to particular consumer segments such as Millennials, Gen X or Mums. Equally I’m a national expert on low-cost marketing strategies to grow small businesses. One point of difference is a highly personal keynote about how I rediscovered play as an adult and the incredible impacts it’s had on my life and business. (It’s the secret strategy most adults in business don’t even know about, let alone use—and I show people just how to do it.)
Then there’s consulting. That’s where I call on the workings of my research company to not just research but provide insights and education, do short term project work and create marketing strategies.
The bottom line? Pretty much whatever you and your biz need when it comes to coaching, speaking and consulting, I can help. If you have questions or just want to connect and talk about how we could work together on your success, I’m always here.