Mentoring for creatives
I help a small number of creatives with all the unglamorous stuff. The sort of things that keep you awake at night. You might be trying to grow a business or figure out what to charge clients. You might feel invisible, wondering how to stand out as the industry changes around us. Whatever it is, I’ll help you get there – just you and me, one-to-one.
THE 3AM QUESTIONS
Any of these sound familiar?
Busy but skint
You're flat out with work. You can’t remember the last time you felt relaxed. And somehow, you're always short on cash. That’s not a workload problem; it’s a pricing and value issue.
Talented but invisible
Your portfolio is bloody brilliant, so why doesn’t anyone know about you? Meanwhile, mediocre studios get all the press and likes, and you can’t figure out why. You need visibility, and fast.
Hitting a ceiling
You’ve had a good run for several years, but now you feel stuck. It’s like you’re in first gear with the handbrake on. That’s not you running out of talent; it’s your positioning topping out. Time to rethink.
This is for those who are a few years in: the founders and leaders looking to grow. If you’re just starting out? Come find me when you’re ready. I’ll still be here.
WHY ME
I’ve spent twenty-six years seeing what works.
I graduated in journalism in 2000, and spent five years running around the Midlands with a microphone and reading the news across the airwaves. As radio was impacted by Google taking all the ad revenue, I moved into PR and marketing. In 2007, I went freelance and eventually co-founded an agency in Manchester, specialising in communications.
For the last seventeen years, I’ve also been behind Creative Boom, where I've read over 40,000 pitches and interviewed hundreds of creatives. Through it all, I’ve watched a whole generation of studios launch, grow, wobble, pivot and (mostly) survive.
Somewhere along the way, I’ve realised I’ve built quite the skills and experience, including a huge network of creatives. That means if I can connect you with someone, I will.
HOW IT WORKS
It all begins with a free and friendly Zoom.
You tell me what’s going on, and I’ll be honest and recommend the support I think you need. It might be a one-off session or a three-month package. I’ll only work with you if I think I can genuinely help.
01
The Strategy Session
You get me for 90 minutes, one-to-one, on the 3am question that's bothering you the most. You bring the problem and I’ll bring all my years of experience, talking things through to give you a solid written plan of action.
02
The Quarter
You get me for three months, working alongside you. That means a monthly 90-minute session, plus a written check-in between. You send me the issue, and we work through it together. Paid upfront, renewable, never a rolling arrangement.
03
Something Bespoke
Some of you will need more than a quarter with me. You might have a specific project or need support through a sale or scale-up. I’ll provide a service shaped around you, priced on scope. All agreed upfront, we’ll help you get there.
THE SHORT VERSION
“Getting to know Katy and her team has been a real highlight. Her support for James Cropper and for me personally is something I’ve truly valued. Having a woman in the creative space I can turn to for advice and encouragement has made all the difference. More than anything, this has felt like a true partnership built on shared values, trust and care, simply good people coming together to create something great.”
Jordan Scott
Head of Marketing, James Cropper Paper & Packaging
WHAT WE’LL WORK ON
Six things every creative business needs to succeed.
Voice
What makes your work unmistakably yours? And why are you so special? Finding your voice will help you stand out.
Visibility
To be found, you have to earn visibility and trust. You can’t rely on social media or SEO anymore. You need to be recommended.
Money
Pricing your work without cringing is a good starting point. Then you decide between retainers and projects, and why being busy but broke is a pricing problem.
Clients
Not just any client, but the right ones. You need to get good at spotting the red flags before you sign any contracts. And know how to enjoy repeat business from the good eggs you find.
Growth
Growth doesn’t always mean how many people work for you. You don’t have to double your studio size to succeed. Growth can mean different things.
Endurance
Everyone risks burnout at some point. You need to build a business that doesn’t take over your life, and you’ll still love in future. I’ve been in this game long enough to know where the potholes are.
£600 a session. £2,400 a quarter.
The Strategy Session is 90 minutes of my support and a written plan to start working on right away. The Quarter is three months of me working alongside you, and includes a session a month with written check-ins in between. Whichever we choose, we’ll always focus on one 3am question that’s bugging you.
I only ever have space for five places because I run a magazine, and I need to be realistic with my time. When a space opens up, it tends to go fast.
WHO’S THE MENTOR?
I’m Katy, and I’ve seen it all.
I’m the founding editor of Creative Boom, one of the UK’s leading creative industry publications. On my CV, I’m a qualified journalist and experienced PR and marketing professional. But I’m also an entrepreneur, still going strong after all the inevitable ups and downs of the last 25 years. I could tell you some juicy stories. Mostly, I’m passionate about creativity and helping others succeed.
1m+ creatives reached every month across Creative Boom’s platforms.
The magazine
1m+ downloads of The Creative Boom Podcast, 200+ episodes and counting.
The podcast
Nearly 10,000 members of The Studio, online and IRL, with 14 chapters globally.
The community
Still have questions?
Here are some answers.
-
Arithmetic, not marketing. I still run a magazine read by over a million people a month, and I'd rather mentor five people brilliantly than fifteen adequately. When a place opens up, the mentoring page is where you'll hear about it first.
-
Everything is booked in advance – proper 90-minute sessions in the calendar, not "quick calls". The structure is the value: you get my full attention, and you get it predictably.
-
On The Quarter, yes – one written check-in between each session, by email. You send me the messy situation; I send back what I actually think, within two working days. Not WhatsApp. Never WhatsApp.
-
Give me 48 hours' notice, and we'll rearrange happily. Less than that, and the session's spent – your slot is real, and so is my calendar.
-
Sometimes, genuinely, yes. And if I think that's you, I'll say so rather than sell you three months or something bespoke. If your question is specific – a pricing decision, a positioning knot – one session with a written plan is often the whole answer.
-
Investments, pensions and anything a regulated financial adviser should handle – I'm not one and won't pretend to be. And this is business mentoring, not therapy: if our conversations drift somewhere that needs proper support, I'll say so warmly and point you to the right place.
-
No. And that's a promise, not a snub. While you're a paying mentee, you won't appear in the magazine, the podcast or anything else. Nobody will ever be able to say you bought coverage, and nobody will ever be able to say I sold it. It protects us both.
-
I'd honestly rather you didn't pay me yet – everything I'd tell you in year one is already free in the magazine, the podcast and the community. Come find me in a few years. I'll still be here.
-
I read every application myself and reply within a week, whichever way it goes. If it's not a fit right now, I'll tell you straight – and probably point you to free things that'll help in the meantime.
-
If we're both getting something from it, yes. But quarters have a beginning, a middle and an end on purpose – no rolling-forever arrangements, no drifting into friendship-with-invoices. Each renewal is a fresh decision for both of us.