Watch the video of this podcast here.

Kim’s Business Transitions

Kim started her own business in 2008 and it has evolved so much over years. She started out thinking that she would be a millionaire from being an Information Marketer but that didn’t work out. That’s when she discovered WordPress and got sidetracked. She named her company “WordPress Chick” which she says was a ballsy name to claim but she stuck with it and figured it out as she went along!

At first, she was bartering for websites and got a couple of people to help her and one thing led to another and it wasn’t long until she had built up an agency and an outsourcing company.

She started podcasting and realised she was much more of a content creator and connector. She loved being able to connect with people and use her voice. She says “I’d rather be the star than the producer” She was having fun and saw the validation that she was getting just from using her voice and being herself.

Kim explains that it got to a point where she was tired of building everyone else’s businesses and so now she has now made the scary leap of faith to wrap up all service work with the WordPress Chick and go all in with a web app with her business partner - Gordon Orlick (Spelling? Cant find anything on him on the internet)

I talk to Kim about starting out and how you never know where you’re going to end up. Kim says she has reinvented herself so many times. She gets inspiration from motivational speakers everywhere she goes and is passionate about audio. “I always have stuff in my ears” and she says she loves it because it is the easiest type of content to listen to and it can be anywhere you go. So podcasting is something she will definitely keep going with, but now it is to build her own business.

Kim's App

Kim talks about how she got her inspiration for her app. She was about to buy a product online and as she was filling in the data about herself, she realised how much this person would then know about her and it was all very valuable data. This got her thinking… creating quizzes is hard work. It has to be engaging, draw in right audience and yet be valuable data that you are collecting.

She asked her partner Gordon to hop on board and they hired a developer. They are creating an app called “Lead Surveys” to help people gain valuable data and leads for their business.

She is nurturing the culture of “Lead Surveys” and making the voice be fun and playful. She also says that she is taking her audience on the journey with them into development.

Kim’s Advice on Changing the Direction of Your Business

• Find a Partner That You Connect With. She says that Gordon and her connect, so they work well together. He knows the technical side and she knows the marketing.
• Build Your Audience First. Before Kim transitioned, she already had an audience and relationships with this audience who trust her. She says that nothing compares to the relationships that you build when it comes to marketing.
• Become a Student of Marketing. Kim observed people who were getting right and learned from what they were doing.
• Build a Solid Foundation. Paid ads don’t do anything unless you have a solid foundation for your business.Focus on the fundamentals and get them set up right.
• Document and share the journey and show up as yourself. Love this! Be authentic - People will feel it!
• Course Correct. If you haven’t got the right formula, change it and move on!
• Put Useful Content Out There. Make value deposits. By doing this, she was able to build trust with her audience that she knows what she is doing. Once you have the audience you can monetize this. “You have to give without expectations.”
• Don’t worry about being judged. Just be a decent human being and show up genuinely! When you are vulnerable, people will like you. This is more important than the technical stuff.

Running a Business and Dealing With Personal Tragedy

I also talk to Kim about what happens when you experience an unexpected crises in your life and how this impacts your career. Kim lost her husband 14 years ago when he was in a car accident. At the time she was working in retail management whilst raising her two children who were ages six and two.

She talks openly about her grief and how it was surreal for such a long time. She kept working full time despite being in shock for a good year. She then became quite angry and she didn’t know how she wanted her life to be. So she took a leave of absence and found a grief counsellor to work through it. This started her on her journey to reinventing herself as well as her career.

She eventually got herself fired from her retail job and tried different things but got to a point where she knew she “couldn’t keep doing things the same and expecting a different result.” She wanted to move gently through her life and be in the moment. She had listened to so many motivational speakers for years but it took her a long time to put all the things she knew about how to live a peaceful life into practice.

Everyone is going through a challenge of their own so being vulnerable with our stories also helps us connect to people. Recently Kim wrote a blog post about her husband’s death and her journey since then. She said that this is one of her most shared blog posts and within an hour she had received 30 emails. All because this was a connection piece. But she also says to baby step your way into the sharing.

Some Advice on Dealing with Grief and Work

• Prepare financially so that you have peace of mind, such as life insurance.
• You never want to be ready for devastation and you can’t prepare for it emotionally. But she says you must always put yourself first. There are times when you’re thinking “I’ve just got to survive”. In those times, just let go of your business - it isn’t the priority. You have to take care of yourself. So focus on that personal foundation spiritually and physically.
• Make sure you have proper support around you and a network of friends and family.
• Kim’s therapist asked her to meditate for five minutes a day for 30 days. After one week she noticed the difference. Her weekend was relaxed and she was able to come back to Monday knowing she can deal with it. Very good tip! Especially for those who think that they don’t have enough time for anything!
• Prioritise a little bit of time to make sure you are filling up your cup. Take baby steps with this too and find what works for you. As for me, I find it hard to meditate so I listen to the “Slo-mo” podcast. ?? (gin- cant find a link for this). Try it if meditation isn’t your cup of tea!

So there you have it. Kim is awesome right? There was so much more in this podcast, so listen in and let us know what you think. Have you been through crises whilst trying to run your business? How did you get through? We would love to hear your comments below.