About Kathy
My Story
I've never taken a direct path to anything in my life, but somehow I always end up exactly where I need to be. In the case of Bride Appeal, it meant going back to the beginning.
I actually started my marketing career working in the wedding industry for a successful bridal-preneur. But as serendipity would have it, I would actually have to become one myself before I would realize this was where I belonged.
How It All Began
I was ten years into an advancing corporate career, traveling the country as a Marketing Consultant for a multi-billion non-profit when I got the itch. I always knew I'd work for myself one day, after all, I came from entrepreneurial blood. I just wasn't clear on the when, what or how.
I'm a creative soul and designing eco jewelry was my outlet. So I decided to turn it into something more and I launched my first online fashion & bridal jewelry boutique while working full-time.
I'd love to tell you it was an overnight success, but my mommy taught me not to lie. The truth is, it was a complete disaster. I had paid a fast-talking web company thousands of dollars to build me a fancy custom website and 8 months later when it finally went live, it was a complete dud. No traffic, no leads, no sales. And, to make matters worse, it was a total pain to update.
I was so disappointed because I really had a passion for my hobby and I wanted to make something of it. But I was clueless. Despite a flourishing career in marketing, I simply didn't know how to navigate the waters of selling online.
Lemons to Lemonade
Luckily, I'm hard-headed. When I make my mind up to do something, it'll take an army to pull me away. So, I simply decided that I was going to figure this online stuff out once and for all.
Over the next 6 months or so, I became obsessed with what it takes to create an online presence that sells, while also being easy to manage. I invested in books, classes, mentors, web tools...anything I could get my hands on.
But, most importantly, I experimented. I tested, scrutinized and anaylized my way through it.
And roughly 6 months later, my business looked completely different:
- My lead list quadrupled
- My website appeared on the top page of Google for multiple target keywords
- Celebrities were wearing my pieces
- My work appeared on national TV shows, magazines and countless blogs
- I cut my website management time in half
- My traffic skyrocketed from just a hundred visitors per month to hundreds of visitors per day (which, for my tiny little niche, was pretty darn good).
Things were finally turning around.
A Funny Twist of Fate
I had finally cracked the code on this website stuff and was excited to apply it to my own business. But then something unexpected happened. As my own company started to gain more visibility online, my colleagues started to notice. They'd call me up in awe, saying “Your site is everywhere! What are you doing and can you help me do it too?!”
It wasn't long before I was repeating the process all over again for other wedding professionals and online retailers just like me. As it turns out, I had quite a talent (and a passion) for turning ugly website situations around. Who knew!
Back to the Beginning
From a stepping stone job in the wedding field to launching my own fashion and bridal lines to using my web talents to help other wedding professionals, I've come full circle. And that's how Bride Appeal was born.
Accolades
Kathy's work as a wedding professional has been featured on NBC's Ginger's Green Scene, The Knot, Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine, Natural Solutions Magazine, Style Me Pretty, Style Unveiled, Eco Fabulous and many other blogs and publications. She was featured as one of BrideTide's Top 10 Eco Wedding Tweeps to Follow and was a nominee for The Wedding Channel's Blog Awards.
Work With Kathy
Kathy works with a select number of wedding professionals each year to transform their online presence into a gorgeously-designed website and automated online business that turns more visitors into paying couples. She also teaches several special topic-based workshops throughout the year to dive deeper into specific marketing strategies. To find out more about working directly with Kathy, click the button below.
