International Women's Day

 

As a female-founded business, we are passionate about supporting women.

Kate founded Love Kate's from her garage in 2008 with the vision of connecting people through the simple act of card sending.    This year's theme for International Women's Day is #breakthebias.   To help break the bias, we thought we'd interview Kate to understand her journey as a woman in business.

Why did you create Love Kate's?

I originally started the business as I had a family to support, my two daughters were nine and twelve years old at the time. I had previously worked in business, so I was excited by the challenge of starting my own. I'd always loved giving cards, especially to my daughters. They loved receiving the special cards that I had picked out just for them, so much so, that they started to make me handmade cards like the one below. They were definitely 'hand finished' but I recognised how cards were an amazing way to send sentiment to loved ones. From a business perspective, I thought cards were small so they'd be easy to store and post. That was until our stock quickly started to fill each room of the house and we needed to move to a new warehouse!

Did you find it difficult to enter the card industry?

At the time, no-one else was really selling cards online so the initial entry wasn't too difficult. However, it was harder to be taken seriously because it was such as novel idea. Through trial and error, my suspicion that there was a demand for cards online was soon realised and that’s when I started to get really excited about Love Kate’s.

What's the most importance piece of advice you have been given?

If you believe in something then you can do it. I've always been known to make things happen and I think having the firm belief that it will work out makes it possible to work through the more difficult stages of starting a business.

How did you feel entering the business world as a woman? Did you face any barriers?

I'd previously worked in construction which is a largely male dominated industry so I quickly learnt how to make sure that I had a voice and how to tackle difficult business scenarios with stakeholders. One of the initial factors that acted as a barrier to the business was sourcing finance from banks. I did find it difficult to secure funding, and had my suspicions that it was because I was a woman.

What do you think are the most important qualities in a leader?

I think that it's important for leaders to empower their team. Rather than simply designating tasks, I enjoy teaching people new skills so they gain the independence to flourish in their role. During my previous roles, I remember moments when other's mentored me in the same way and the results I gained from it inspired me to be this type of leader.

Why do you think it's important for women to support women?

There are so many talented women that simply need the opportunity to have a voice and showcase their talents. For instance, a lovely lady named Tabby joined our team last year to help us pack orders for Christmas, little did we know that she is also an incredible artist! To showcase her talent, we're hoping to make cards featuring her art that we will sell at Love Kate's at some point this year.

In the 14 years of Love Kate's, what is your favourite moment?

There's been so many amazing moments over the years! It felt incredible when we moved from my house (that was filled to the brim with cards) to our very first warehouse in Newquay. This was a huge milestone that really inspired me to keep growing. I've also loved seeing the brand grow over the years, with our very own jewellery lines, exclusive pop up cards, and our new branded envelopes. It's so exciting! However, I think that the most satisfying part is seeing the customer feedback, and interacting with customers who have been regularly shopping with us for 10 years. The stories of how our cards helped them to connect has made it all worth it.

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