Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Pannell.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kate. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I wear many hats, and as a child, I would have told you that I’d grow up to wear a tiara. My childhood career aspiration was to become a “Mama Princess,” a title three year old me made up. Ironically twenty years later, my entrepreneurial journey started with a princess dress and a title I made up too.
It all started with a “what if.” During my undergrad, I spent my weekends driving around in a ball gown and hoop skirt–a skill that should have a prominent spot on my resume. I would get all dolled up, warmed up and enchant kids around the city with tales as old as time, sing them “happy birthday” and be on my merry way. I was your average communication student by week, off-brand party princess by weekend.
My business blossomed out of necessity and curiosity. In class, I was tasked with creating a sample marketing plan for a business of my choosing. What if… What if I created a marketing plan for this entertainment company, and then stepped into a new role to execute it? I pitched my plan and got down to business. I started teaching myself branding, web and graphic design, social media marketing, event planning, and photo styling.
A degree, a few more marketing jobs, and stack of 1099s later, I decided to make my expertise available to the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’m convinced a smooth transition to entrepreneurship is an anomaly. Hand-drawing my first logo was fun. Posting a casual, “So I did a thing” on social media was exciting. Filing for an LLC made it real- really fast. With the thrill came the realization that I should have paid more attention in math. Pricing, taxes, bookkeeping, oh my!
Branding and marketing were old hats by this point, but business and sales were new monsters entirely. When I first launched Color Me Kate, I threw my services at anyone and everyone just to see what would stick. And by “threw” I mean I posted on social media, created a website and naively assumed my clients were just waiting for me to open up shop. My portfolio was sparse, but I had one. What I hadn’t done was define my niche, solidify my process or funnels, or invest in all the proper tools. I was once again making it up as I go.
I am fueled by the arts, but I was driven by numbers. Rookie mistake. Numbers drove me to say “yes” to jobs I should have said “no” to. Numbers drove me to giving a price out of unpreparedness that was an insult to my worth. Rookie mistake #2.
Needless to say, my business has been through a metamorphosis in the last two years.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Color Me Kate story. Tell us more about the business.
Color Me Kate is my way of pouring back into the arts that have served me for so long. I’m an off-trend, on-brand marketing strategist and stylist. I work one-on-one with makers, doers, and dreamers to prevent brand identity crisis and connect the dots between what they’re made for and what they’re paid for.
My favorite quote is from Dead Poets Society, “The human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”
The authors, musicians, artists, photographers, designers, etc.; the creatives of this big blue marble are the faces of what we stay alive for, and I’ve made it my mission to flip the script on the “starving artist” story.
My signature 1:1 coaching program combines personal brand development, marketing strategy, and color psychology (the heart of it all). It’s unique in that it’s a collaborative effort to execute the overall brand vision. This isn’t your mother’s marketing coaching. No spoon feeding here. My client’s capabilities are not lost on me and I place high value on marketing education and retention. I love to celebrate my client’s achievements and teach them a new skill that serves them long-term all the while satisfying that “DIY” itch.
However, what started as a boutique branding and marketing agency has become my greatest asset and differentiator in my 1:1 coaching program. My 1:1 clients have exclusive access to my creative services roots—branding, copywriting, web design, social media management, brand photography, and styling, the works— should they need me to execute part of the plan. What other coach offers done-with-you and done-for-you services? I make sure we leave no stone of growth or possibility unturned. Ultimately, I get my clients to a place where they don’t need me anymore (and their dreamboat clients are allured to their brand through subconscious color influence!)
Talk about royal treatment!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There have already been so many shifts in online businesses in recent years. My favorite being, authenticity, and transparency! It’s empowering to see others who’ve paved their own way show up and share stories of their successes and failures. I love the influx of authentic storytellers as opposed to bad ads, and sales pitches. I love that CEOs are managing their own platforms and developing real relationships with their fans. I love that we have several platforms to choose from. But, in the next 5-10 years, I hope that brands will be more deliberate in their own choices as opposed to following the trends. In my own entrepreneurial circles, many women use the same stock images, presets, color schemes, succulents and script fonts… they blend in. Is that out of fear of being noticed or uncertainty of their own brand or were those choices made because that’s what’s popular right now?
My creativity is something I take great pride in. My brand is another. Anyone who knows me can point to an antique, article of clothing, mid-century something-or-other, or shade of lipstick and emphatically say, “That’s SO you!” I have an aversion for all things “trendy,” aesthetically speaking. I could write a book on why I’m anti-gray…but that’s another story for another day.
Visually, I think we’re drawn to what’s comfortable or expected as a society. For the future, I just hope all brands can keep showing up authentically and have their own “That’s SO you” experiences.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.colormekate.co
- Email: hello@colormekate.co
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/colormekate.co
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/colormekate.co
Image Credit:
Headshots by: @thistle.woodphoto (Thistle + Wood Photo)
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