Meet Katy Zales

We were lucky to catch up with Katy Zales recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katy, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
That is an interesting question, because I lost my creativity the last few years. Just like life, there are highs and lows in business. I went from catching an epic wave and surfing it for a few years. Once it hit the coast, I was unable to catch another wave. Everyday I would paddle out and was either tossed around, or just waded in the water surrounded by silence and my own negative self talk. While using the same business formula that once created a profitable past business, the current market left my business flat lining. I faced a choice of continuing in the choppy waters or paddling in and calling it a day.

Through these difficult few years I had blinders on and was only looking at my sales or lack there of. I don’t care how much of an optimist you are; when you label yourself a failure and feel like your product and content aren’t connecting with anyone, it’s easy to call it quits. Maybe that would have been the smart choice, but I decided to listen to my gut and follow my heart. I adjusted my perspective and realized I’m a creator, not a sales person. Once I recognized my energy was focused on sales, it was easy to see why my customers and I lost passion for my business; the creator was no longer creating. It was time for a reset. I pressed pause on my business, allowing myself to create a moodboard, and acted as if this was day one of a brand new company. I started asking, what would I like to create? What can I share with others? How can I give back to my customers? What brings me joy? As soon as I started asking myself the right questions, the spark reignited my passion for my product and business. New ideas began flowing in.

Never lose sight of why you began your business and the purpose it provides. Shoppe 815’s purpose is to help others never let their flame burn out™.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m dedicated to helping others never let their flames burn out, figuratively and literally. After acquiring a traumatic brain injury in 2017, it would have been much easier to call it quits on my business. I never want others to feel discouraged like I did and burn out. I hope that my candles and content help create a healthy environment for others to support their mental health, stay lit, or help them reignite after a hard day.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Anyone who is looking to being a journey into owning their own business must have self confidence. If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone believe in you and your product/service? Another trait that helped me is my authenticity. Anyone can smell a fraud. I’m proud, but also have no shame in being vulnerable, which allows others to connect with me. The third skill that helped me is I’ve continued to educate myself over the years. Never stop learning because you’ll get left behind.

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
Big hearted achiever’s who challenge themself to keep growing, learning, and appreciating everyday and everyone. I’m focused on connecting to people who are up to having a “scents of adventure”, continually learning to improve, grow, and develop themselves and their surrounds.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Ben Zales Kat Kingston

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