Her Story
About Katherine (Kat) 🇺🇸
I'm a veteran and successful entrepreneur who has built three businesses. I've been in mergers and acquisitions for the last 6 years as the owner of my broker agency, where I handle business development, operations, hiring, firing, training, and executing services for our clients. My first business is a marketing company called Hashtag Social Buzz, which I've had the longest since 2014. My most recent venture is Golfing Buddy, a passion project where I help people find other golfers so they can golf together. Marketing has always been my passion - I learned it in college and it's just my comfort zone, my affinity. The mergers and acquisition work came later as a mid-career itch, when I needed a change and wanted to do something exciting and different. And it is very exciting, very different. I absolutely love helping an owner sell their business and go on to retire, or whatever they're going to do, and I absolutely love the buyer buying the business and doing some amazing things with it. It's just a great feeling.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Katherine (Kat) 🇺🇸
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say probably the military for perseverance, teaching me accountability, and letting me know that I can - if I set my mind to it, I can do it. I think that's the foundation for sure of my success, from the military and the training that I got there, and the sisterhood and brotherhood that's there. And then anything after that, I would say I've had some really, really good mentors, and I've been very lucky with some of the mentors that I've had in my lifetime. So I would say that, a combination of both. My first mentor, when I first got into major media selling TV ad times, was Rogan Oliver in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was an amazing mentor, an amazing manager, taught me a lot about myself, about pushing myself, and really just not being afraid to just go and do it. He is, I would say, number one. My number one for sure. Everything I do and how I manage, I use his techniques and the way he did it.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say don't be afraid. I think fear - I mean, here's the number one thing. When I went into doing mergers and acquisitions, I had no clue about it. I had to take it upon myself to train myself, to get a mentor, to do it. I had to figure it out. And I did. I figured it out, I got a mentor, I learned how to do it, I took my courses. I hunkered down and I got it done. And so, no one's going to do it for you, I guess, is what I would say. You really need to control the situation and just do it for yourself. Do it. If you want it, go after it and do it. But you gotta do it. I mean, it's not gonna happen without you doing it.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say to continue to learn, continue to grow. Making time to learn - that's probably the biggest challenge, is making time to learn. Because, I mean, with 3 businesses, your time is stretched out, right? You only have so much time, and then you have your own personal time and things like that. So it really is managing your time and knowing how to allocate it.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Definitely spending time to yourself, letting things go. So, to me, that's important. You got to be able to release the information or release whatever it is that you're doing, so that you can enjoy what you're doing and why you're doing it. I would say that first and foremost. And not letting things get to you, just shaking things off. And knowing when to cut it off. As an entrepreneur, we tend to work 24-7, but you need to know when to stop and make time for yourself.
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