Katie Wussow has built a business in helping people build businesses.
More specifically, she leveraged her background in financial and strategic planning and founded Wussow Consulting as a means to help people start, grow, and evolve their businesses.
We sat down with Katie to learn more about what she does, what she’s learned along the way, and what advice she’d give to current or aspiring entrepreneurs.
Can you tell us a bit about Wussow Consulting?
Essentially, I’m a business coach and I specifically focus on working with creative entrepreneurs.
My clients are people seeking to build a business based around a talent. They range from photographers to event planners, artists, and beyond.
My goal is to help them grow professionally and experience greater success.
What are the most rewarding aspects of your work? The most challenging?
I’d have to say that the most rewarding thing is seeing people really grow and gain confidence in their ability to run a business.
Usually, when I start working with my clients, they’re really confident in their skills but have no confidence in the business side of things.
They quickly come to find that having a talent and knowing how to create a business based on that talent don’t always go hand-in-hand.
So, I love seeing them realize that business-building is a skill that you can grow and develop.
On the other hand, the most challenging thing is essentially the same challenge as my clients have: running a business while trying to make sure I’m also doing everything I need to do within the business. It’s challenging to make sure I’m allocating my time well to all the different things I need to do.
What advice would you give to creative professionals trying to start or grow a business around their talent?
I think the best and most important piece of advice I’d offer them is to really get comfortable making mistakes. You need to know that failing is the best thing you can do.
It doesn’t always feel great, but it’s how you learn the most, by far
It’s also not easy to get comfortable with failure. Along the way, you’ll find a lot of thing that don’t work. And, when that happens, a lot of people get discouraged, throw up their hands, and tell themselves they’re not cut out for this
But really, they need to remember that those mistakes are a big part of growing and developing.
What are the most important lessons you’ve learned since you started your business? What could other entrepreneurs learn from your journey?
One thing I wish I’d focused on earlier—and that I keep coming back to over and over—is the customer experience.
At the end of the day, if you don’t give your customers a really good experience with you, they won’t tell their friends or colleagues about you. They won’t refer you.
In the beginning, you’re so focused on marketing and getting clients in the door that you don’t put the emphasis on taking care of the people you already have.
And don’t get me wrong: marketing is such a big part of what you have to do to sustain a business. But it’s also very easy to forget that your client experience is really part of your marketing.
Whatever you can do at every stage of your business to really double down on that customer experience is key.
This applies to services as well as products. If you’re selling products, is your website easy to navigate? Is it an enjoyable experience? Is your packaging easy to open? Does it help extend your brand experience and make people feel like they’re really getting value from purchasing your product?
Don’t just let customer experience fall by the wayside. It needs to be an active and ongoing effort.
How did you end up working at Launch Workplaces? How has your experience been?
I was actually a member of the space that was here before Launch. I ultimately ended up at a different space and then the pandemic hit.
My kids were home. My husband was home. And when things finally started going back toward normalcy, I was really ready to have a dedicated space outside of my home again.
Launch is less than a mile from home for me. I already knew it was a very beautiful and well-equipped place so it felt like the right place to call home for my business.
It’s been a great experience: the team is really responsive, the space is really well equipped, it has everything you need.
Honestly, it sounds cheesy—it sounds like i’m just saying this—but I get really excited about coming to work. If there’s a day I don’t come in, I get kind of sad about it!
Want to learn more about Wussow Consulting?
If you’re a creative entrepreneur looking to grow your business or even someone with a creative talent looking to turn it into a business, check out Katie’s podcast: The Game-Changer. Or, if you’re interested in speaking with Katie about how she might be able to help, book a call with her today.
And if you’d like to learn about our flexible office services or to book a tour of one of our Launch Workplaces locations, contact us today. Our team is here to help and answer any questions you might have.
