We were lucky to catch up with Katy Mcavoy recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Katy with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
While it definitely started with my parents, my continued strong work ethic comes from the people I surround myself with. My husband is one of the hardest working people I know. And the five other women in my blogging Mastermind group continue to amaze me with the projects they accomplish and how they continue to grow their businesses. These women cheer me on, motivate me, and remind me that hard work also requires rest and having fun.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Everyone has a COVID story, and Mitten Girl LLC is mine. I had spent 15+ years working traditional jobs in office environments, doing photography, cooking, and mixology has hobbies. In the year leading to the 2020 lockdowns, I was laid off from 2 different jobs the last time being due COVID. I’d had a small blog for years and after my first layoff in late 2019, I committed to regularly posting there as a way to keep my skills current while I job searched. After my second layoff in 2020, job searching became even more difficult.
That was when I started learning about people earning a full time salary with their recipe websites. The more I researched it, the more convinced I became that this was something I could do. I slowly shifted my focus from searching for jobs to creating my own job and in the spring of 2021 re-launched mittengirl.com as a full-fledged food and recipe website.
It was a coffee meet up with a former colleague that lead to my book, Homemade Happy Hour. She asked what I wanted to do beyond the blog and for the first time I said out loud the idea that had been in the back of my mind for years – “I’ve always wanted to write a cocktail book.” Her immediate response was so encouraging and supportive that for the first time the book seemed less like a random idea and more like a new project to take on.
I self-published Homemade Happy Hour in the fall of 2021 after running a successful crowd-funding campaign to raise the money to pay for fist print run. The entire book was created, designed, and printed locally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which was super important to me. My book now in its third printing, and I continue to be proud of it and value how many people have told me that they actually use it. That it’s not just something that decorates their shelves.
Over the years my business has expanded beyond my website and book to include professional food styling and food photography services – two of my absolute favorite things to do. Showcasing the amazing food of local chefs and restaurants as well as small food business is a passion of mine. I love using my skills to bring in new customers and help other business succeed and thrive.
I’ve recently started hosting monthly cocktail classes to teach people the basics of shaking up a great cocktail at home. Each month we get hands on with bartending tools and learn about how to make simple syrups and build a delicious drinks. I also launched an Etsy shop as a place for selling digital downloads, glassware, fun cocktail-themed gifts, and other items I dream up. It’s an extension of my creativity and something I’m trying because, well, why not?
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Consistency was something I committed to when I rebooted my recipe website. I forced myself to consistently create new content, send out newsletters, and post to social media. Even big picture items – like setting goals and working to achieve them, as well as reviewing and adjusting those goals – need to be done with consistency.
As a small business owner, you always have be willing to learn new things. “That’s the way I’ve always done it” will sink your business. Whether you’re running a website, a brick and mortar store, or creating content for other companies, algorithms and trends are always changing. Keeping up on those trends and knowing how to shift your work accordingly is huge. The same goes for learning new technology. You have to embrace it and stay up to date. I’m baffled when other small business owners tell me “I don’t do technology.” That’s not an option. Continued learning is necessary for your business to succeed.
You determine your schedule. Even if your client is requesting specific dates and times, it’s still up to you to decide whether that works for your schedule. When I first started my business, I didn’t change my daily schedule from what it was when I was working in an office. I tried to maintain an 8 to 5 workday and got burned out fast. The reality of running your own business while working from home is that your schedule is your own. Which means it should be highly flexible. I now take breaks in the day to go to exercise classes or meet people for lunch. I stop working when my daughter gets off the school bus. And I work for a few hours on a week night or Sunday morning to get done what needs to get done. These changes let me enjoy my days much more and give me the kind of freedom I craved when I worked in an office environment.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Starting your own small business is a great example of “it takes a village.” You can not be successful without other people. My husband had the game-changing idea of fully converting our guest room into my photo studio. I took classes online and learned so much about food styling and food photography from mentors and teachers in those spaces. Attending conferences put me in touch with other food bloggers and photographers who have helped me immensely on my journey. Knowing I can reach out to any of these connections for help when I need it is not only comforting, but necessary when a challenge arrises. Being a solopreneur can be very lonely, so finding people who will cheer you on when you need it is essential.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mittengirl.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/katymcavoy
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/mittengirl
Image Credits
All image credits: Katy McAvoy/Mitten Girl LLC
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
