FOCUSed philoSophie's - " I am the sauce!"
Ever meet someone and you know you’re about to become fast friends? I met Catherine at Altitude Summit this past March. She’s as friendly, sassy and fun as her line of greetings and gifts - kitty meow boutique
Besides bonding through the ALT Sisterhood, we realized we’re also both Delta Gammas! Yay! We continue to " Do Good " ;0)
Catherine’s been setting goals and crushing them. Entering new stores with her witty products and attending conferences that are reminding her that she’s already got what it takes to make her mark as a creative and small business owner.
I was inspired by a recent post of Catherine’s on Instagram where she shared a revelation, “There is no ‘secret sauce’, I am the sauce!”
That’s right, I am the sauce!, YOU are the sauce! We each have the ‘sauce’ (confidence, talent, character, charisma and kindness....) to make things happen. You have all the ingredients! You always have!
Read how Catherine finds FOCUS below:
Catherine Hildner
Occupation: Design and Heart & Soul behind Kitty Meow Boutique - Paper & Party Goods
Instagram: @kittymeowboutique
Hobbies/Activities you'd like to share: I love running and working out to relieve stress from working and my kiddos! I'm addicted to listening to podcasts that have to do with business and love being interviewed on them too. I've had so many people help me along my journey and I'm so passionate about paying it forward.
How do you find FOCUS?
Find/Keep the Fun in business: This is the easy part! I truly enjoy what I do, and I wake up excited every morning pumped up to do it. All of my designs come from the heart, or the goofy way I talk, or inspiration from some pretty cool people. It can get pretty lonely and isolating so I try to network with other business owners in real life or on social media to help fill my cup!
Opportunities/Optimism: I'm a true believer that opportunities rarely just show up on your door step. You need to constantly be showing up, in a million different ways, to get those golden opportunities. The biggest and best things in my life have been presented to me when I've stepped outside my comfort zone. If I'm not uncomfortable I try to rethink my plan of attack in my business.
Confidence: This is constantly evolving! It's easy to put your best face forward out there in the social media world. Everyone loves bragging about the highlight reel. Some of my biggest confidence comes from the ability to be vulnerable. People connect with me more when I'm a little rough around the edges and don't give off this persona of perfection. Sometimes I'm a hot mess, but I'm confident enough in myself and my abilities to totally own that and be ok with it.
deal with the Unexpected: My whole life is one big unexpected! I think most of us deal with this too. As a work at home mom with two little kiddos I don't always have the luxury of a perfectly planned day. Sometimes I have a babysitter but my 3 year old is having a tantrum and beating down my office door. I can't really work under those conditions and it can get emotionally stressful. There are times when I get in work whenever I can because my little family won't leave me the heck alone. Just kidding! But not really. I learn to roll with the punches and find I'm the most productive when I give projects a short deadline.
Simplify ( workload, life, etc...) : Life is busy! I try to only work on projects that fit my design aesthetic and bring my joy. It's really hard to say no to money, especially if you need it, but I think that's sending the universe a wrong message. I believe if you stay true to the things in life that bring you joy and only focus on those things then you'll be in a better head space. I'd rather work on projects that maybe bring in less money, but are more fun. I don't like the ugly feeling I get when I have to do projects that I'm just not in to. That's a disservice to myself and the customer. If something doesn't bring you joy...cut it out. Make room for something positive to come in and fill it.
