Kate Toon's Story

Written by Megan MacNeill

Kate Toon’s Story
August 11, 2021

Kate Toon is a talented writer, a successful entrepreneur and above all else, a master hula-hooper who was kind enough to accept the invitation to be my guest on Personal Branding Exposed.

Through her online businesses, The Recipe for SEO Success and The Clever Copywriting School Kate has managed to help over 8000 small business owners whip the beast into submission.

This means that our conversation was simply filled to the brim invaluable tips on the myriad of tools you can use to dominate search engine results and attract people to your business, and of course, how to build a killer personal brand.

The Long Arc

Right from the start Kate had the writer’s life in her sights and after going through the hassle of college to get a “silly degree” (her words, not mine) she started working in events that actually brought back into this initial ambition in what she describes as a “huge arc”.

And indeed quite an arc it was, yet I find it interesting how many entrepreneurs just like me find the way into their true passion through the gateway of events, as there is clearly something in the field that allows people to find what they are truly interested in.

At the end of the day that is requirement number one: Interest, you need to be passionate about what you do otherwise it will be impossible to awaken the same enthusiasm in others, thus making it an essential part of any personal brand.

The Path To Where You Stand

Zooming into this great arc that Kate describes, the turning point of becoming an entrepreneur for her came at a point where though she had financial stability, her work did not provide that personal fulfillment that is so essential.

“I would be crying on the bus every day” as she recalled and that was when she was struck by the news that she was pregnant which made her question her current situation which was not the best.

So, at five months pregnant she set up “a very basic website”, determined to do “anything and everything” and despite the suffering her earlier career brought her, Kate describes the experience as essential to the success of her enterprise.

And to those coming out of corporate careers into the world of entrepreneurship, she advises that they do not disregard all the professional experience they have had thus far, that all the effort done so far has not been in vain.

Your business is going to require the very best of your knowledge to succeed, and to this end you can’t really afford to disregard any knowledge that may come of use.

In The Thick of It

While talking about the early days of her enterprise, Kate mentioned something quite insightful, “part of learning how to own a business is owning a business” which is to say that the best entrepreneurship learning tool is experience.

Even if you have gone through all the courses, watched all the webinars and read all the books, there is never going to be anything that is quite the same as that day-to-day experience of managing your business for the first time.

You will make mistakes, and that is the whole point.

It is only by addressing problems as they come that you can gain a true grasp of what it means to own a business in all of its complexity, so if you are postponing yours right now due to a fear of not being ready… know that you will never fully be.

The Confidence to Give Away

Another important topic Kat touched upon was the mentality that many early entrepreneurs have that they can’t give their ideas away because their ability to generate good knowledge is limited, which is quite simply untrue.

Your capability to come up with new and interesting ideas is virtually infinite, and even the most obvious thing to you can be brand new and invaluable information to others who start seeing you as a figure of authority for it.

So do not be afraid to share what you know in podcasts, e-books, webinars and so on because in doing so you are adding value to your business and not taking any of it away.

And if you’re worried you might be feeding the competition by sharing your ideas, just consider how many tips and input you get every day and compare it with how much you actually employ.

Of course, there is also a matter of how much you are able to give away, naturally larger enterprises can give away more than someone who is just starting out, so keep a sense of proportion in mind.

They Buy it Because of You

Finally, another poignant thought that Kate expressed during our conversation was that the secret to selling a course, be it a $15 or a $2000 one, is that people will never buy it because of bonuses or even for the content. They’ll buy it because of you.

The same applies for any sale or subscription, people will likely be able to find one hundred other places that are offering the same product or service as you, so if they decide to jump into what you’re offering it will be because of you and your brand.

This is the point of personal branding. There are thousands of copywriters and copywriting courses on the internet, but there is only one Kate Toon, and she knows exactly how to capitalize on this singular advantage.

And so can you.

Conclusion

Kate Toon is such a genuine and unique person that talking to her about any subject would already be a great pleasure, yet I had the privilege of having a whole podcast episode to talk about entrepreneurship and personal branding.

The takeaways above are just a small sample of all the amazing subjects we got to dig at, and if you would like to get the full picture along with other exciting interviews, feel free to give my podcast a listen.

Now, if our conversation has you wanting to give that personal branding action a try, the best place to start is through the courses I have available on my website, which will show you how to grow your business by putting the best things about yourself out there.

Book a Discovery Call with me and let me help you build your brand while you sleep!

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