Going into Business with Friends

Kat

Made U Look

June 4, 2013

I've decided to go into business with three other girls who I met online and have since become great friends with. We all run our own businesses independently but this will be a collaboration between the four of us. I'm really excited about it because we all have different skills and I think we can all bring something different to the table. I was wondering if you had any advice about going into business with friends (I know you've done it with Gala and Shauna with The Blogcademy and you all met online too!) The business idea was actually mine so I guess I'm the driving force behind it but obviously I can't do it on my own. My main question is how do we spilt the finances or decide who gets what? Do we split it evenly because that is the fair thing to do, even though each of us will have a different level of involvement and workload? We roughly know where everyone's strengths lie and even though it will totally be a team effort, it was my idea. Some of the others are more driven towards the networking and exposure that this venture might bring rather than the money but at the same time, I don't want it to become awkward further down the line with the potential of someone not pulling their weight because they aren't getting paid.

Business Bites: Being Weird Together

Kat

May 31, 2013

Being friends with other bloggers is totally awesome. I was reminded of this just yesterday when I had a lunch date with the gorgeous Emily of Fashion Foie Gras, who I met at the Cosmopolitan Superbloggers Masterclass. It's the same as when I hang out with Gala and Shauna (19 sleeps and counting!) because we don't have to worry about feeling weird wanting to photograph our outfits or document our hang-out, talking through the benefits of twitter vs facebook or discussing the latest internet drama. To us this is all totally normal behaviour!

The Ins and Outs of Sponsored Blog Posts

Kat

Brighton Photo

May 29, 2013

Business Bites: Starting Over

Kat

May 24, 2013

I've learnt a lot about what it takes to launch a new business of late. Not so much with Rock n Roll Bride, which I kind of fell into by accident, but with The Blogcademy, the bloggers workshop that I launched with Gala and Shauna in the latter part of last year. Its actually really crazy to think how far we've come, the lessons we've learnt and the changes we've already made (to the promotion, the online presence and the curriculum that we teach!) but it's been really valuable having to do it so quickly.

It’s Good to Cringe

Lisa Devlin

Devlin Photos

May 23, 2013

Step Away from the Press Release

Kat

Made U Look

May 21, 2013

The first press release was written in 1906, created by the Pennsylvania Railroad who had just experienced a major accident in which 50 passengers were killed. They quickly released a statement to the press in order to nip any rumours that might be published in the bud. A sensible idea you might think, and yes, it most definitely was. However fast forward 100 years, and similar statements are being released by companies left right and centre, but without this same vital reasoning. These days every small start up business in the world thinks that PR lesson number one is to nail the perfect press release. I'm here today to tell you why I think this is a wrongful assumption and usually a completely pointless exercise.

Business Bites: Being Hungry

Kat

May 17, 2013

One Bad Review

Kat

Made U Look

May 16, 2013

Why is it that one bad review can negate all the great things people say about you? One mean comment, one snarky tweet, one dissatisfied customer? You know this already, but just in case you've forgotten it I'm going to remind you again: you can't please everyone so don't waste your time trying.

The Plateau

Kat

Made U Look

May 14, 2013

I don't know about you, but I always do my best thinking in the bath. I'm sure it's something to do with switching off, being away from technology and allowing my mind to wonder. Regardless, as I soaked in the tub one day last week I started to think about business plateaus, or more specifically, what to do about them.

Business Bites: Magazines & Mini Meltdowns

Kat

May 10, 2013

Yesterday Gareth & I hotfooted it to Brighton for a mini shoot with the inimitable Lisa Devlin for our magazine. Did I mention that I'm working - hard! - on the next issue right now? Oh yes, I am soooo super excited about it because I just know it's going to be even bigger and better than the last two editions. I'm actually taking the idea in a brand new direction and I'm super duper psyched to see what you all think about it! Onwards and upwards and all that...

The Three Reasons Why Your Business is Going to Fail

Kat

Made U Look

May 9, 2013

While there are infinite and varying possibilities as to why your business could fail, there are just three that will all but guarantee it.

Unsupportive

Kat

Made U Look

May 7, 2013

Business Bites: Moving Forwards, Always

Kat

May 3, 2013

Copycat

Kat

Milou and Olin

April 30, 2013

Hi Kat, I hope your well. I really need some help and don't know who else to ask that will give me a straight answer. I have huge respect for you, your morals and your attitude. I hope you'll be able to find the time to reply. I launched a wedding blog less that 2 months ago. Without going into too much detail (and using up more of your time) a lot of blood, sweat, tears and money has been put into it. I've created a team of contributors as well as showcasing local wedding businesses. It was a huge risk but since it launched its hit 23k views already and we've been getting enquiries for advertising! I'm really excited about where it's going.

Business Bites: Striving to Improve

Kat

April 26, 2013

I know it's geeky, but I really love reading anything and everything I can get my hands on about blogging or running a small business. I mean, if we're not constantly striving to improve or better ourselves, how do we ever expect our businesses to flourish and grow? So do yourself a favour, take a break, and spend some time reading up on how you can make some positive changes. Today.

How Couples in the UK Plan Their Weddings & Pick Their Suppliers

Kat

April 23, 2013

Last June, Liene Stevens of Splendid Communications kindly allowed me to publish some of the hugely insightful findings of her annual wedding & lifestyle market research. Each year she interviews thousands of engaged and newly-married couples to find out exactly what matters when it comes to their weddings, how much they're really spending and which factors actually determine how they select their suppliers. The results went down a storm, with many of you commenting that after reading the findings that you had plans to make some serious improvements on certain areas of your businesses.

Business Bites: Make the Web Expensive

Kat

April 19, 2013

Damn, it's been so long guys. I HAVE MISSED YOU! It feels like we haven't spoken in so long but I'm so thrilled to be back posting my Business Bites links. Have you missed me too?

Just Go! Why Fear of the Unknown is Holding You Back

Kat

Milou and Olin

April 16, 2013

I'm not a seasoned traveller and I've never had wild dreams of far flung adventures. I had no internal yearning to fly off to Thailand after school to 'find myself', nor a burning desire to backpack around the world, drinking in all it has to offer. The mere suggestion of solo travel like that terrifies me. The slow and steady safety net of home was quite enough for me - or so I thought.

Offline

Kat

April 11, 2013

It’s getting to be quite the regular occurrence for me when I’m travelling. Every time I return home after some far flung adventure, I start to daydream about the benefits of spending less time online and more time, you know, actually out living my life. I don’t know if it’s the sunshine, spending so much time with friends or all the new experiences, but I always land at Heathrow with a surge of ambition to spend more time away from the artificial glare of my computer screen.

Networking Like a Pro

Kat

Sacco & Sacco

April 9, 2013

Another one of those topics that I seem to get asked about over and over is networking. "How do I get my name out there?", "How do I network without coming across as a a weirdo?" and "How do I get people to know I exist?!" With the majority of us doing a most of our business online these days, thinking about networking and meeting people 'in real life' can be a scary and intimidating thing. But (and this is a big but!) I honestly believe that getting my backside off my computer, out of the safe confines of my house and going to meet people in real life was the number one thing which truly got my name out there