Startup advice from a founder who decided to stop making money for other companies and start one of her own. She has since parlayed her skillset into a successful tech consulting company. Here is her advice to would-be-founders.
When Katrina Purcell launched her consultancy company to deploy her unique skillset to help tech companies grow from early stage pre-seed stage to gain momentum and be able to raise Series C financing, she had to be fearless. To give her clients confidence, she had to lead with confidence of her own.
It took many jobs and titles to gain the skills she had once she knew it was time to branch out on her own. Purcell has been a technical advisor, project manager, director of product operations, chief of staff to the CEO, and now … founder.
After graduating Columbia Business School, she rose through the ranks of companies, and quickly realized what she had to offer was in high demand, and instead of making money for others, she decided to launch her own company.
She realized that she was well-positioned to help minority-led organizations, non-profits, and other founders who may not have access to such services at a reasonable cost. She made a plan to bring her vision for her consultancy to life.
Purcell launched Katrina Purcell, LLC to help companies with strategic planning, operational excellence, create their product roadmap, and raise capital. She now creates tailored solutions that drive tangible results for her clients. When she’s not working or volunteering, she spends time with her husband, two cats and a dog in Brooklyn, New York.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t let your fear of failure dictate your choices. Trying new things, no matter how scary, will allow you to learn who you are and what brings you joy. Failure allows growth. Create your own lens to view success. Society will tell you what you should do to be successful.
The people in your life believe they know what’s best, but you have to determine that for yourself. Until you know who you are and what will bring you fulfillment, you can’t understand the version of success that should guide you.
You inspire women through your leadership and fearlessness. Who was your inspiration and why?
The first woman in my life was a true inspiration for me. My mom wanted a bachelor’s degree, so she ensured she obtained it, even though life gave her challenges – and it took her fifteen years. I attended some of her classes as a child and that helped ingrain in me a love of learning and desire for getting good grades.
Seeing my mom constantly reinvent her career path to suit what she hoped to get out of life cemented a desire to work hard and lead. She worked in schools while we were school-aged, then when we grew up, she moved on to lead a training unit at the FBI academy. She led by example and created lasting bonds throughout her life. Not only was she a well-respected leader, but she mentored others to move into leadership roles as well.
What advice do you give to Help Others Get Started On Their Journey, or To Someone who says, “I could never do that?”
Being fearful of failure limits who you are capable of becoming. The only person who can truly prevent you from achieving your dreams is you. If you believe in your abilities and are willing to put effort into meeting a goal, you can achieve anything.
Having a goal or dream, creating a plan to achieve it, then implementing that plan effectively is all you need to make all the things you thought could never happen into reality.
“Never” is finite. Your potential is infinite so long as you’re willing to work hard, face challenges along the way, and adapt and adjust. Maybe the end product is different than you originally thought, but you found during your journey that what you needed to achieve was even better than what you dreamt at the start. It all starts and ends with you. Never say never. The only true never you should embrace is … Never give up.
How do you stay motivated to keep going once you’ve met your goals?
Once you meet one goal, you move on to the next. It’s important to remember to celebrate those wins. I’m still working on being truly present in those bright moments of joyful completion before pushing toward the future.
Being proud of meeting a goal and reveling in what it took to achieve it is just as important as looking to the future and envisioning next steps. I surround myself with people who are constantly pushing themselves because I acknowledge that their influence will keep me striving to try new things and push boundaries.
Finding that balance of always searching for new goals and maintaining the pride and joy from achieving the current one is an important skill to cultivate.
Do you have a mantra, or words you live by, that have helped you through tough times and kept you going?
My cousin fought a battle with cancer which eventually took his life. Despite the physical limitations caused by his disease, he graduated college and continued to live his life as best he could, while fighting for survival. In 2013, we lost him, but his spirit lives on and his mantra “Never Give Up” has been a staple in my life ever since.
“Never Give Up” has pushed me through marathons when my muscles screamed and I thought I couldn’t go another step. Never Give Up saw me through Ironman training sessions which wrecked my body and tested my mind. Even when I felt like I couldn’t possibly move another inch, I remembered to Never Give Up. It stays with me now through the daily tribulations and decisions that come with owning a business. It doesn’t matter how difficult the path is, I will Never Give Up.
Anything else we haven’t already asked—your secret to success or advice/tips you love to share with others?
So often it’s easy to forget to search for what truly feeds your soul as you pursue the elusive status that society claims is success. A certain title or dollar amount in your bank account won’t necessarily bring you the peace or joy you think it should. You have to find what matters to you, then nurture that in particular.
Your happiness is not something that will appear from achieving a goal, it’s something that you have to feed along the way. Being able to recognize your anxieties or dark moods and learning how to mitigate them, is a strong indicator of healthy coping and happiness in your life. Find the balance in your life and work as best you can to prioritize your happiness.
You need to search for what naturally brings you the most fulfillment, then work to meet those goals. What success means for you will be different than what it is to someone else. Embrace that truth and flourish no matter what anyone else says.
Follow Katrina on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-purcell/
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