Entrepreneurial journeys: Katie Thompson

Katie Lingo is a content marketing service for agencies and small businesses. They offer a range of marketing services and have worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Amazon and Reuters.

Katie's Journey

Katie graduated from the University of York with a degree in Spanish and Linguistics in 2012. After graduating, she  took editorial assistant roles in local magazines, where she would interview figures such as Simon Schama and Kevin Keegan, whilst also completing a journalism diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists.

In 2014, things began to change as print media was going digital and Katie’s career transitioned into marketing with agencies. Here, she honed other skills in search engine optimisation, pay-per-click and conversion rate optimisation.

In 2016, Katie Lingo was founded in a pub, a freelance side hustle at first which soon became full-time. Today, Katie has a second degree with the Chartered Institute of Marketing and now works with her husband to provide content services to agencies and small businesses. 

Challenges

Katie says “I lost my father in 2019 and had to navigate spending time in his final days with balancing client needs. This required a lot of travel and I still had a part-time job whilst also supporting the business. I needed time off when the time came and had to reconsider what was important to me. At first, I threw myself into work but I knew this was just doing more harm. I read several books and started letting my heart guide my decisions as well as my head. I soon realised that people are human, deadlines can be extended, and the best work comes when we're in a healthy state of mind - and that needs rest.”

“I would also say confidence was a huge issue for me when starting the business. I'm naturally risk-averse so I started it as a side hustle and found myself working all hours because I didn't want to say no to clients. At one point this led to a hospital stay because I was simply too stressed. I realised it was time to reshuffle my priorities and leave my full-time role to focus on Katie Lingo exclusively.”

Words of advice

“Know your worth - it's so easy to put yourself down and not go for what you deserve!”

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