Today we’d like to introduce you to Katona Payne.
Katona, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I consider myself a multifaceted girl boss and philanthropist. While pursuing my degree at Temple University, I decided to start my entrepreneur journey. I was always a creative at heart with an undeniable work ethic. A friend of mine had started a marketing company in Philadelphia and brought me on board as a market researcher and content curator, being as though I am certified in research. Behind the scenes, I trained myself to be a graphic designer, with my understanding of how to gain people’s attention in presentation. I then realized that I had other skills outside of those roles. I was then promoted to the chief operating officer of the marketing company.
We started a business school for early and aspiring entrepreneurs, where my job was to develop the material, organize the weekly lessons, and recruitment of the students. Myself and a core group of individuals helped build the company from the ground up. I started to understand my natural ability of highlighting the process of giving a meaning to specific companies and services by creating and shaping the brand to their target audience. This evolved into me having my own clients as a brand strategist, social media analyst, lead researcher and product developer at the time. However, I realized the company had a lot of male traffic, and soon realized that women needed more help. When women’s history month came around, I wanted to do something that would have an impact on my city.
I was then supported by my team in creating a women’s entrepreneur campaign. It was only supposed to be once a year. Build A Boss was born in March 2018. The original goal was to help 10 GIRL BOSSES build their dream business through marketing, branding, coaching, mentoring,internal networking and business guidance. I exceeded that goal with 14 female ran businesses in three weeks. A year later, it grew into a full company as I began to attract more women and other cities.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’d have to say, developing real-time management for all the businesses I pour into and the many hats I wear as an entrepreneur. I’m the CEO, the assistant, the chief financial officer, the graphic designer, the website designer, the researcher, the marketing consultant, the product developer, the sales team, the brand strategist, and the HR department. All while having to still be a motivator for myself and others. I do this at least two more times with having more than one business, so I have to be on point being as though people are depending on me. It wasn’t long before these struggles actually became what I needed to grow and become better.
Build A Boss – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I specialize in startups and idea visionaries who aspire to be entrepreneurs. I am a brand strategist and business coach. I ensure a consistent and effective brand message while enhancing the elements and tones of a brand. What sets my company apart is that it provides the girl boss experience for female entrepreneurs from all walks of life, by being a place for motivation, guidance, support, and resources. It is founded on education, entrepreneurship, and lifestyle. One thing about my company is that I understand the importance of support wholeheartedly. Every week despite how many businesses I am coaching or consulting, I check in with every single one. Having an accountability partner and someone who believes in you will go a long way.
I am most proud of the growth of Build A Boss because it now helps girl bosses from all over the world. Build A Boss also has an incredible community around it that understands the impact in helping other women. I am very appreciative of them. I believe me sticking to my core values of starting this company, is and will be the reason for its growth. It offers e-books, business tool kits, workshops, and a focused committed coach. In one year, I was able to reach women from far Pennsylvania, California, Florida, New York, Nigeria, Georgia, and hoping for many more.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment is when I was told “Thank you for believing in me when nobody would listen and now I can do for my family.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://schedulewithkpayne.as.me/
- Email: Buildaboss101@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildaboss/
Image Credit:
DakotaxMichael, LLC FaceBook & Instagram @DakotaxMichael
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