Should you work in corporate before starting a business?

After a whirlwind few weeks. a sold-out gala, raising over $500,000 for the Looking Glass Foundation, a sick kid at home, and barely making this episode's deadline. Kate is hitting record with something that’s been on her mind lately: career paths.

In this solo episode, Kate breaks down a perspective that might surprise you. Despite being a founder and entrepreneur for the past 8 years, she doesn’t think you should start with being self employed.

Before building two companies, Kate spent 12 years working inside corporations. from global aviation to advertising to healthcare. And she credits that time as the foundation for everything she’s built since.

This episode is a strategic, behind-the-scenes look at what “working for someone else” actually teaches you. not tactically, but at a level most founders skip.

Kate shares the three biggest lessons she still uses every day:

• How to influence (in rooms that actually make decisions)
• How to build a team culture people want to be part of
• How to develop strategy that scales beyond guesswork

She also opens up about:

• Why corporate experience might be the fastest way to learn how businesses actually work
• The financial advantages most people overlook (RRSPs, education, benefits)
• Why this isn’t a binary choice. and never has to be

Plus, a listener question on how small business owners should think about retirement, where Kate shares her honest approach to money, financial planning, and building long-term freedom (without the traditional “retire at 65” mindset).

This episode is for you if you’re:

• Early in your career and feeling the pull toward entrepreneurship
• Thinking about leaving corporate. or going back to it
• Trying to build a career that actually supports your life, not the other way around

Because the goal isn’t just success. It’s the freedom to make choices from a place of security.

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KEYWORDS:

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