Catherine Tede is the founder of Impact Content and a social media strategist. She started writing online last year and grew her account to over 50,000 followers. Since then, incredible opportunities have come her way, such as being recognized as one of the Top 50 Creator Gems on Favikon, featured on a Times Square billboard, and receiving leads knocking at her door. Motivated by these experiences, Catherine created a course to help others attract similar opportunities through pull marketing in the creator economy.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your Entrepreneur journey/venture/initiative.
I grew up in a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, where the norm was to graduate, attend college, get a job, and settle down. While many of my friends and cousins chose to stay close to home, I ventured to the University of Missouri. There, I tasted a small amount of freedom and knew I didn’t want to return. After college, I moved to six states, experienced 13 relocations, and made lasting connections, stepping away from the norm. Early on, a sales job focused on mindset and motivation sparked my interest in entrepreneurship. Encouraged by my successful entrepreneur uncle and grandfather, I ultimately took the leap.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business/initiative? What motivated you within to say YES, go for it?
My motivation stemmed from my uncle’s advice to “just go for it.” Although I didn’t immediately act on it, I later found myself in real estate, which gave me a taste of entrepreneurship. Eventually, I discovered content creation and realized the vast opportunities available in this space. Confident that I deserved success, I continued pursuing this path, eventually creating a course designed to help others tap into similar opportunities.
Tell us something about your initiative or current role. What is it about, and what impact are you trying to make?
My current initiative revolves around attracting opportunities by writing online. These opportunities found me simply because of my online presence. My goal with my self-paced course is to help professionals who feel stuck realize that opportunities can come to them without having to chase them. I want to empower people to believe in themselves and create pathways to success using the creator economy.
Your journey and your vision are very inspiring, but are there any achievements or accomplishments you would like to mention?
I’ve grown brands online professionally, but the achievement I’m most proud of is the growth of my first child, whom I’m currently seven months pregnant with. Knowing that he will be joining my family soon brings more excitement than any professional accomplishment.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
I hope to see more women breaking the societal norms set for them in their families, careers, and communities. I want to emphasize that opportunities are abundant and that women can easily attract them with the right tools and mindset.
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. What are your thoughts about women leadership today?
I believe in balance. Having input from both men and women is essential for creating balanced workplaces and lives. Since women have taken more prominent leadership roles, positive changes have occurred in workplace policies, such as parental leave, flexible work options, diversity, and inclusivity. Slowly, gender pay gaps have been narrowing, and balance is being restored in homes and societies, all due to women being part of leadership conversations.
What would you want to say to our young leaders/audience reading this?
I encourage young leaders to trust their intuition, which I believe is uniquely built for each individual based on personal experiences. If something feels right, they should start pursuing it and continue feeding their intuition by educating themselves. Action is key to progress.
