"I don't have time for that."

"I'm too busy."

"I'm overwhelmed."

Have you ever felt this way? Time management is one of the most difficult and important things to master as an entrepreneur. It impacts how many clients we can serve, how well we can market ourselves to new leads, and even affects how we present ourselves as individuals.

I recently started doing a mindset experiment in which I stopped talking about how busy I was and I also stopped thinking that I didn’t have enough time to do everything. This experiment was prompted by my recent coaching experience — shoutout to Andrea Liebross Coaching — and I was intrigued. Could I, an overwhelmed mom, wife, and business owner who hasn’t slept properly since the summer of 2019, suddenly have tons of bandwidth? It seemed far-fetched, but I didn’t have anything to lose.

To begin my experiment, I didn’t remove any tasks from my to-do list. That would have been cheating. Instead, I stared down my to-do list (it was Friday, so I was in mom mode rather than work mode) and whispered to myself, “I DO have time for all of this, plus quality time with the kids.”

Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth. Yes. I was still stressed.

As the day progressed, however, I realized that I was getting everything done, even with the many interruptions that come with having two little kids. But instead of getting frustrated every time I had to stop what I was doing to break up a fight, kiss an owie, or serve up a snack, I kept repeating, “I have time. I have plenty of time.”

A few days later, my husband asked me if I had a busy day of work planned. I could see him already bracing himself for the answer of, “Yes, I have a ton of work to get done,” which would have been true.

Instead, I just shrugged and said, “I have the normal amount. No big deal.” It wasn’t a lie, I realized. It was all in how I chose to look at it.

In the weeks that I’ve been practicing the art of creating bandwidth, I’ve picked up on a handful of other habits that allow me to compress more productivity into each hour without operating from scarcity. I’m by no means an expert at this, but I’m pretty happy with the progress I’ve experienced so far, and it reminds me of the Bible’s wisdom on this common human struggle:

“Be still, and know that I am God!” - Psalm 46:10

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” - Matthew 6:33

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28

Whether you subscribe to a Biblical worldview or not, consider this: the guilt, shame, and stress that come from poor time management and misplaced priorities are some of the lowest emotional frequencies. They weaken us. They make us susceptible to failure. They will damage relationships.

It is imperative that you get control of your time and put more generous boundaries on your bandwidth. Your life and business success, to a point, ride on that aspect of your character. To make it easier, today on The Kate Show I’m sharing seven habits I use to get more done in less time — without all the stress.

Have your leads slowed down in 2024? As the economy recovers from inflation, sometimes it feels worse even while it’s getting better. I say this not to discourage you, but to let you know that you're not alone. If your business lacks leads when you previously had plenty, it might not be “all your fault.” It could just be the ebb and flow of business.

That said, control what you can control. If you want to ensure you’re doing everything you can to nurture the growth of your business in the home industry, you need to remain proactive. If nothing else, put your extra downtime to good use by drilling down on your marketing and making it worth every penny.

On the other hand, if you continue to experience a steady number of quality leads coming into your business, don’t let yourself become apathetic toward marketing. Savvy entrepreneurs who understand the requirements of building long-term success will market their businesses non-stop, though the method will vary from season to season. If you want your business to stay in its growth season, this is the episode for you.

I once thought I could have it all — run a business, be a supportive spouse, keep my kids with me 24/7 until they started preschool, and still (somehow) squeeze in enough self-care to help me remember who I was apart from all those roles. Ha!

Needless to say, I was incredibly naive. For the first few years of becoming a mom, having already established the business, I thought I could work while the kids took a nap or played. I thought I didn’t need to “waste time” on doing things for myself out of pure enjoyment and frivolity. I thought I could be a great wife, mom, and CEO all at the same time. It was a lofty goal and, as I eventually — begrudgingly — had to admit, it was not a realistic goal to have.

In February 2023, I had reached a complete state of utter burnout after nearly four years of trying to do it all by myself, as though I were trying to earn a badge of honor for requesting and accepting the least amount of help possible. I was a natural at doing things the hard way, and I turned myself into a martyr. I kept a secret scoreboard of who was actually doing more around the house — me or my husband — and I felt the overwhelming desire to insert myself into every situation. I didn’t know it then, but I was incredibly controlling. It almost cost me my marriage, and it certainly didn’t make me a good mom or role model for my son and daughter.

I knew there had to be a better way to live, but I didn’t think I had the time or ability to slow down and figure it all out. How could I fix it when I wasn’t sure what the problem was?

“It shouldn’t be this hard!” and “I have no time!” and “I’m just trying to help!” were a few things I constantly said to myself between moments of lucidity and chronic exhaustion. After all, I had (and still have) a tremendous number of blessings: My family, their health, my health, a beautiful home, a successful business. Complaining about anything sounded very pretentious and entitled, so I tried not to say much. I just became a quietly bitter, stressed-out human being.

If you feel pulled in too many directions and if you constantly berate yourself for struggling so hard, or if you keep a personal scoreboard between you and your spouse (and frequently find them to be lacking) this episode is for you. The year 2023 was transformative for me, and I’m so excited to share with you what I learned in the hope that you will be able to avoid some stress and heartache.

Bad marketing advice is the reason I am developing frown lines. You should see me sitting at my desk, squinting at my laptop screen and doing a double-take.

“They’re telling designers to do WHAT?”

I’m pretty protective of you guys. I want your businesses to succeed. But when I first started, I fell for (and probably promoted) marketing advice that didn’t fit the home industry, too.

You might have realized in the course of running your own business that design firms, home staging companies, and pro organizing businesses aren’t like other companies. You’re offering, most often, an in-person service that is tailored to each situation and further customized to each person in that situation. Some of you are literally sorting through your clients’ underwear drawers (love you, organizers!).

Marketing such an intimate, high-ticket business means that general marketing tips might not be as effective for your business as they might be for the bookstore or restaurant down the street. If you’re wondering which marketing tactics you can avoid, this episode of The Kate Show is for you. Today, I’m reading through and reacting to some really poor marketing advice. And I’m providing alternative advice for every bad piece of advice that I address.

“Marketing feels gross,” I used to think.

In the early years of business, I didn’t know how to communicate my brand message…and I didn’t even know what a brand message was anyway. I felt so overwhelmed and drained by one steady thought: “How do I know if I’m doing any of this correctly when I can’t see the results yet? Am I just wasting my time and money on marketing?”

Ruminating on those negative thoughts felt awful, as you might have also experienced, and I knew there had to be a simpler way to find and convert clients that I actually liked working with. Fast forward a decade (yes, it took that long), and I finally had answers.

After providing countless marketing consultations, marketing plans, and strategies for interior designers, home stagers, professional organizers, and window treatment specialists, I was able to lay out a framework of marketing laws that can help nearly any home industry business make marketing easier.

If you’re ready to apply these laws to your own business, let’s dive right in.

Knowing what to say in your marketing is only half the battle. What about the words, phrases, or ideas you should completely avoid? Today on The Kate Show, I’m talking about the two key phrases you shouldn’t include on your website, your blog posts, your email marketing, or your print advertising.

I’m also sharing exact verbiage you can use to market your business in other ways, beyond everything you might already be doing online or in print.

So, today, I’m laying it all out there…no fluff, just tough love and action steps that will benefit you and your business long-term.

Ready for some real talk?! Here it is…

I’ve had the honor of working with home industry professionals across the globe, and what I’ve recognized is this: Whether you are an interior designer in Dubai or a home stager right here in Wisconsin, you (we?) all have similar challenges to overcome.

Often, our biggest challenge is ourselves. While this should be the easiest to fix, it’s often the most difficult because, first, we have to be self-aware enough to accept that perhaps we are the bottleneck, the sticking point, or even the saboteur of our own businesses.

In today’s episode of The Kate Show, I’m sharing the eight key phrases that people will say to me on discovery calls that help me predict whether their business is headed for success or failure. It is especially gratifying to work with these clients when they are open to self-reflection and committed to changing their mindset. If you hear yourself in any of the eight phrases I’m sharing today, don’t lose hope.

Marketing shouldn’t be hard. You don’t have to continue being swept away in a tidal wave of confusion and dollar signs when you think about your marketing plan. The amazing part about owning a business in the home industry is that, aside from making spaces beautiful and functional, your marketing is largely based on personal relationships.

That is so much easier than trying to market a business with overtly negative connotations, such as a dentist’s office or a law firm. You and your business are instantly and automatically associated with beauty and personalization — and especially in recent years — overall wellness.

But marketing might still feel like a drag. If that describes your situation, this episode of The Kate Show is for you. With this being my 250th episode, I thought it would be cool (and oh-so-telling) to re-release my very first podcast episode. I had to screen it first, because who knows what I said back in those days… Sheesh.

I hope you enjoy this episode and that it reminds you that we all have to start somewhere.