- Please tell us about yourself and your business background.
My name is Kate and I’m the founder of Olivier Consultancy. I provide much needed practical guidance when you’re in the messy middle of your online service-based business journey. I’ve seen time and time again a block that female entrepreneurs face when they have a full book of clients and need an extra 3 hours a day to get everything done- client work, business admin, childcare the list goes on!
With a varied CV from wealth management practice manager to business administration manager for a medico-legal company, with a 4 year stint as a teacher in South Korea in my 20’s!- I have over 12 years experience in designing and improving behind the scenes systems and operations.
I work with a wide variety of service-based entrepreneurs including lawyers, doctors, accountants, consultants, coaches and VAs to name a few.
I help you design the business that you left your 9-5 for and create a practical roadmap of how to actually get there. I’m not a coach- I know you can do it, you know you can do it- but you’re in the thick of it and you need tangible steps to clean up your messy and time consuming business operations, hareness the power of automations, build a small but mighty team and step back from the day to day tasks which takeover your business- you get to regain control and move forward as a leader.
- What is the most common problem faced by inexperienced business people and how can this be overcome?
Saying yes to every client. Not only is this a way to pick up horrific clients who don’t respect your boundaries but also plays havoc with your capacity planning.
When my clients come to me they feel overwhelmed- they can’t keep up with the volume of work. 99% of the time it’s because they’re genuinely over-capacity and they physically can’t keep up- no one could- but they feel it’s something that they’re doing wrong!
So how do you overcome this? When you’re starting to feel the pinch, step back and tot up how many hours per week are taken up with client work- they are your chargeable hours whether you charge by the hour or by package. Then add in how many hours you spend invoicing, liaising with clients, booking calls, creating marketing materials etc. These are your business administraiton tasks and generally not billable. Finally, total up how many hours per week you physically have, or want, to put in to your business. If your hours available are less than the hours it’s taking to actually run the business then something has to change- you’re a short distance away from burnout.
- What are the most important things to consider before starting your own business?
That you’ll question your own judgement like never before. So start working on your mindset, resilience and determination as soon as you can. It’ll help keep you motivated when you start your rolller coaster of a ride business journey!
~Business Game Changer Special Promotion~
Boundaries are crucial when starting a business. Ringfence time for clients, time for your business administration and development, time for your marketing, and learn the art of enforcing your boundaries. If a client sends an email at 10pm, don’t respond until you’re next at your desk.
You’ll find yourself comparing everything you do to everyone around you. Don’t get sucked in to it. Social media can be amazing for marketing- the majority of my clients come through Instagram- but it breeds comparisonitus and it takes real strength to stay in your own lane. It’s worth it though, you’ll feel more authentic and be less tempted to copy what others are doing because they look successful. You have to remember that peopel generally show the good parts of business, so if you real life doesn’t reflect the highlight reel that you’re being shown, then know that that’s 100% normal.
- What is the best way to recruit / hire members of your team? For example, should you recruit based on their attitude or experience?
Of course if you’re hiring for a skill-specific role then experience has to be a priority to an extent. However, for me it’s more important to have the right people in the team who are willing to learn and develop, than have someone with the right skills but a terrible attitude. Attitude and morale are crucial to building a team who are in it for the long run. If you can find team members who share your vision then you’re on to a winner. Double points if they come form a first-hand recommendation!
My tip here would be: stay open and curious to all candidates and to not write anyone off until you’ve explored who they are a llittle more as a person. Growing a loyal, motivated team takes a lot of effort- but you can make it much easier on yourself by having the right people on the bus.
- How has the pandemic changed business?
To begin with, online services boomed and virtual netowrking events naturally popped up whilst we couldn’t leave our houses. All hail Zoom! Clients are now much more open to meeting online and costs have reduced for many businesses who no longer need to pay for offices or an endless supply of choloate digestives. However, in the last 6 months I’ve noticed a real change. We’ve swung back to wanting in-person connection and even more so than pre-pandemic. Face-to-face networking has never been so popular. You can’t quite beat that connection of speaking to a new client or business friend in-person. I’ve seen services being set up to plan in-person coaching retreats for clients who are sick of working online and I completely get it.
- What is the most important lesson you have learnt as a result of your business? This may also be advice you can offer to budding game changing business professionals.
That there’s no destination- it’s all about the journey. It’s about leanring to be happy with where you are and not fixate on the next milestone or ultimate goal. Our goals and priorities are constantly evolving so if we pin our happiness on destinations such as ‘£10k months’ or 6-figure years then when we do achieve it, it can feel empty as we now have a new goal.
My advice would be to write down why you started- was it to spend more time with your family, have flexibility to travel more, or simply the freedom of working for yourself? Time-freedom comes up again and again, yet we take on so many clients that we feel just as trapped as we did in our old corporate life. Focus on that and when you feel yourself being swayed by £10k months, ask yourself ‘would achieving that truly bring me closer to why I started?’. Inevitably the answer is no, or not quite, without sacrificing something important. And then is it really worth it?
I started my business to spend as much time as possible with my new son, Oliver. When I get tempted by the latest milestone, I think about his little face and make a much smarter decision. I leverage other areas of my business and push forward with the bigger picture plan inlcuding launching more passive income products and hosting group training so I’m not constantly exchanging more of my time for money.
Always remember why you started.
About the author
Kate Kurdziej (34) is on a mission to empower female startups and entrepreneurs to strike a better work/life balance by running their online businesses more efficiently. By advising on and building bespoke online systems, transforming processes and freeing up time, Kate hopes to eradicate the burnout and stress that can hold so many people back.
As a business owner and travel lover, Kate is no stranger to working remotely or from new places. Her previous jobs and experience have seen her move to South Korea, Morocco, New Zealand and the US, and in 2021 she moved from the UK with her husband and baby to settle in the Dordogne, France. After successfully navigating the complex move following Brexit and COVID-19, Kate has expertise to share in adjusting to expat life and taking the big leap to settling somewhere new.
With a senior level background in business operations, financial systems and client administration, Kate has spent 12+ years ensuring organisations run smoothly and efficiently. As a result, her knowledge and skills in systems training and transformation are highly sought after.
Kate is now regularly called upon to support entrepreneurs around the world seeking more autonomy and a working schedule that works for them. Via workshops, one-to-one training or ongoing consultancy, Kate’s streamlined processes and plans have already allowed many solopreneurs to achieve more whilst doing less, and means that they don’t have to compromise their life, time or family in favour of business, money or success.
