9 Questions For...Katherine Dyer

"9 Questions For…" is an interview series in which we ask soloists, founders and leaders working in the Shopify, ecommerce, and related industries to share their experiences of doing "their thing, their way". The questions might be the same but the insights certainly aren't! If you fit the bill and would like to share your learnings please get in touch.

In this edition of 9 Questions For…, we hear from "founder" of The Pocket Strategist Katherine Dyer.

Q: Are you a founder, co-founder, solo entrepreneur, consultant or something else?

I call myself a founder, but in reality, it is just me and a few freelancers, so it makes me feel a bit like a fraud. I have struggled to find the right title since I set out on my own — none of them ever really seem to fit.

Q: What type of business do you run?

I am a straight-talking, super practical, strategic partner empowering small business owners to regain control and intentionally build the business they want.

I love working with ambitious service-based founders ready to make changes and do the work.

I only work in person, in beautiful and inspiring locations across the UK, to take my clients away from the day-to-day distractions where they feel good and can think big. I work with people 1:1 in small mastermind groups and I also deliver workshops.

Q: Why did you start your business?

Short story — to help me live the life I want.

Long story — burnt out, single mum tired of giving her soul to the corporate world, knowing I was capable of more. Plus, two of my sisters have their own businesses, and as the youngest of five and pretty competitive, I decided I could do that too and do it even better! It's the best career decision I've ever made.

Q: What's the biggest challenge you are facing in your business?

How to scale successfully. I love love love the 1:1 work I do and I'd like to grow with a team and continue with the in-person magic, but finding the right people and then marketing the business in the right way will be challenging.

Q: What's going well in your business?

The results and feedback I get from clients. I also have a great balance between working on the business with clients and having time off for myself or with my children.

Q: What skill do you excel at, and which one do you want to get better at?

I'm an excellent listener with a great ability to find bespoke solutions for my clients that work specifically for them.

I'd like to broaden my knowledge and experience of working with larger business leadership teams. I only really work with businesses up to about £2m at the moment, but mainly in the low six figures.

Q: What will be different about your business this time next year?

Great question. I will have achieved a larger revenue, taken on my first Associate, and have greater confidence in my ability to scale. And hopefully, I will finally have a website that I'm no longer embarrassed to share!

Q: What's the one thing you wish you'd known before starting your entrepreneurial adventure?

That I was going to be able to make money which would have helped me take the leap into starting my own business earlier.

Q: Where do you live, and what do you love about your city?

I live in a beautiful countryside village in Somerset. I love that it is a classic English village with a pub, bakery, butchers, greengrocer and little wine shop. Although it's a bit further from the coast and the fun of the city than I'd like.