From Hooters Waitress & No Degree To Running Billion Dollar Brands with Kat Cole

Feb 22, 2021

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From Hooters Waitress and No Degree To Running Billion Dollar Brands with Kat Cole

Today’s guest is Kat Cole and she joins us to share some of the frameworks she has developed to become the business mogul and empathetic leader she is today. Kat was a Hooters waitress before she transitioned to becoming the President and COO of Focus Brands, as well as an investor, advisor, thought leader, and board member for multiple companies. Our conversation starts with the story of how Kat was making over $40,000 as a waitress at age 19 when she transitioned into the corporate world for half the salary. From there, we talk about how Kat was able to rise so quickly in this new environment for a number of reasons, where she highlights being placed in leadership positions in unfamiliar situations, and the understanding of human nature she developed as a youth. Kat shares some of the frameworks for success that she has come up with over the years, such as the four characteristics of good leaders, ‘mentorship moments’, and monthly check-ins. She also gets into her method for arriving at these frameworks which involve unbiased reflection and a continuous willingness to apply new lessons going forward. Our conversation also covers the culture Kat fosters in her teams, the channels through which she is currently connecting to her audience, and a whole lot more. Tune in today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[00:39] Introducing Kat Cole and her rise to success from humble beginnings.
[00:50] The new platforms Kat is leveraging to grow her audience and share her teachings.
[02:10] What lay behind Kat taking a huge pay cut to leave Hooters for the corporate world.
[04:20] Developing the knowledge to run SaaS versus brick and mortar businesses.
[06:30] How Kat developed the resilience to lead human-driven business models at a young age.
[09:45] The role of humility, curiosity, courage, and confidence in good leadership.
[12:02] Building trust and having responsibilities as a leader in unfamiliar situations.
[13:45] How Kat builds the mental frameworks she uses to level up using reflection.
[14:48] The mentorship Kat arranged for herself using ‘mentoring moments.’
[16:50] Changing your mindset and applying the advice you are given.
[17:26] How Kat levels up using her monthly check-in and hotshot rule methods.
[19:46] The idea that our progress blinds us to the magnitude of our achievements.
[20:34] A deeper dive into the types of questions Kat asks in her monthly check-ins.
[22:03] The most beneficial tool Kat has recently implemented.
[22:15] The relationship advice to be found in Kat’s favorite business book.
[22:46] How to best reach Kat online.

Resources From The Interview:

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