Exploring Life & Business with Kathy King of Kathy King Strategies, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathy King

Hi Kathy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Since a very young age, I knew I was never going to live a traditional, status-quo life. I wanted to be a dance teacher for as far back as I can remember, and I pursued that path for myself as fiercely as anyone could. My professional career in dance began at age 15 as a backup dancer for an Elvis impersonator, and I began teaching my own classes about a year later. Over the next couple of decades, I moved to Los Angeles to “live the dream”, moved to Detroit to go to college, launched a nonprofit performance company, founded an international dance festival, and built a name for myself as a go-to freelance guest teacher and choreographer.

In 2020, despite all of the hardship happening around me with the pandemic, I found so many opportunities to create a new exciting path for myself. I tapped into my expertise as a dance entrepreneur and began coaching fellow dance professionals through the pandemic. And after getting more involved with some local networking groups, I discovered the need for women in all types of industries to have someone on their side who can empower them to build meaningful businesses of their own. I eventually pivoted my coaching practice away from exclusively offering “dance business coaching” to offering coaching to women across industries. I completed several certification courses in business and life coaching, with a specialized focus on “women’s entrepreneurship”. It has been such a natural transition in my coaching practice and I’m so grateful for this “second act” of my career!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think anyone’s life story includes an entirely smooth road. Plus, I live in Michigan… we don’t know what “smooth roads” are here (ha!). Anyone in the dance industry or any female entrepreneurs will tell you that it is a tough road to ride! Something I love most about growing up in a dance studio is the perseverance, grit and creativity that is ingrained into your spirit. Dance training is life training! And spending the last several years supporting female business owners, you really start to understand the unique pressures and challenges that women face in society as they pursue their dreams.

I was only 21 years old and still in college when I launched a performance company, and I had NO CLUE what I was doing. I literally went to the bookstore and bought the book “Small Business For Dummies” and read it cover to cover. (I still have it on my bookshelf to remember where I came from!) It was a truly bumpy road filled with fumbling my way through figuring out how to get the funding needed to actually pay my dancers, or navigating a legal battle with a theater over miscommunicated rental agreements. I learned a lot in those first few years and overcame so many personal insecurities. You learn pretty quickly that not many people will take you serious as a young, female artistic entrepreneur if you can’t find some confidence in yourself.

When I launched my second company, a grassroots dance festival that grew into an international event, I was still so young and inexperienced. But I honestly think that’s why it was so successful in the first place – I approached things differently that other established organizations *because* of my inexperience. Most of the struggles I faced during this season of my career were self-made. I became stubborn and failed to delegate or bring people into my inner circle. This led to some major burnout and I just couldn’t run the festival anymore and I closed the doors after 13 seasons.

One of the most impactful challenges I have faced during this journey was the sudden loss of my dad a few years ago. Wow, “a few years ago” seems wild to write. It feels like it just happened yesterday, and sometimes feels like it never happened at all. He was my greatest mentor in life and business. He was my hero. He died just four weeks after learning he had cancer. I spiraled for months after his death, but tried to pretend I was doing better than I was. I literally almost died, and thanks to my husband and doctor I’m still here. Learning to be a productive business owner and an effective coach while also navigating deep grief is something I never thought would be so difficult.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Kathy King Strategies, LLC is a boutique coaching firm supporting female entrepreneurs. We help women build, launch, and grow purpose-driven businesses. We’re based in the Metro-Detroit, MI area, but coach women all over the globe!

I like to think of myself as a part of my clients’ success team. Empowering women to step into their greatness, and feel supported as they do all the big scary things we have to do to launch a business, is what my company is all about.

KKS offers both individual and group coaching programs. Everything from one-off meetings to tackle current challenges, to annual retainer client packages for consistent, ongoing support, to high-impact group coaching programs that put you in the room with other women who have your back. I am also excited to be hosting my first ever women’s retreat weekend in June 2025!

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Be true to yourself, trust your instincts, and be okay with being misunderstood. Being an entrepreneur is really scary to most people, and when you know you have a bigger purpose to fulfill, you can’t worry about what other people think. You will always appear a little crazy to them. Spend time getting quiet and honest with yourself, and really listen to what your heart and your guts are saying, then start making decisions in alignment with that highest version of yourself. We only get one chance at this short life, we might as well live it as fully and as unapologetically as ourselves as we can.

Pricing:

• Individual 1:1 Coaching $65-$250
• 12-Month Retainer $5,000
• Website & Social Audit $125
• Empowered Entrepreneurs Coaching Program $800
• Rise & Thrive Weekend Retreat $800-$1,500

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kathykingstrategies.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathykingstrategies/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathykingstrategies
• Other: https://forms.wix.com/f/7096902958347977060