Modern Entrepreneur: Kathy Buckworth

Photography by CL Buchanan Photography
 

How did one Mississauga woman change her life course from a corporate banker to a media mogul? The answers, from Kathy Buckworth, are all here.
After spending nearly two decades in corporate marketing and the arrival of her fourth child, Mississauga’s Kathy Buckworth realized that something had to change. She and her husband both travelled often for work and with four darling children on the scene, she decided to take a break from her corporate life and since then, it’s been an exciting journey into the entrepreneurial world.
She’s a six-time author, an international travel writer, a multi-award winning writer, has been voted as one of “Canada’s Favourite Moms” by Canadian Living and recognized by the Huffington Post as a top parenting Tweeter.  She makes regular TV and radio appearances on CTV Canada AM Parenting Panel and appears regularly on Breakfast Television, CanadaAM and CBC radio.
But wait, there’s more!  She is the Chief Family Advisor for Presidents Choice Financial and PC Plus, and has also acted as corporate/media spokesperson/social media consultant for many other companies including Procter & Gamble, Maple Leaf Foods and Pfizer. 

As one of Canada’s leading media personalities, she’s often asked “how can I do what you do?” 
Her effective advice is “if you really want to do it, go do it.” The only person stopping you from becoming a media personality is you.

On what her biggest obstacle was writing-wise and how to overcome it:
“Not making it a priority. After my fourth child, I wrote for 20 minutes a day because that’s all the time that I had, plus I had my other three children under the age of 10 at the time. I did this for almost a year.
"You just have to do it. I know it sounds really simple but it’s what you have to do…just show up. Whether it’s 100 or 1,000 words a day, whether you like or dislike what you’ve written, just write.”
After a year of those daily sessions, her first book, “The Secret Life of Supermom” was released in 2005.

Her advice to budding entrepreneurs is to determine “what’s the actual reason you’re doing it?” and “what is your end goal?  Are your reasons financial, professional, personal, etc?”
Kathy stresses the importance of talking with friends, family and other entrepreneurs to get various types of feedback.  Being thorough in your research and finding the right contacts is crucial as well.

Another strong piece of advice is being able to say “no.”
“It’s super important to be able to say “no” as an entrepreneur, especially when you’re starting out.  Say no to things that pull away from what your focus is.” 

As someone who travels twice a month and has many media appearances as well, Kathy still has her foot on the gas pedal and pitches 10-12 ideas weekly. Yes, she’s earned a high level of success through dedication and hard work but she realizes that in order to maintain that, there has to be consistency in promoting herself and her brand. 
Also equally important is professional and personal goal-setting, of which she sets at least 5 yearly and revisits them at the halfway point to make sure it’s something still worth working towards, or to see if it needs breaking into smaller components.

Looking back, Kathy says she should’ve “taken more notes along the way” as the one thing she would consider changing during her entrepreneurial adventure, which is something many entrepreneurs can relate to.
She’s currently working on the next book that’s reflective of where she is currently in life and continues to share and enjoy her experiences through her articles and social media.
A true hard working self-starter, Kathy is a prime example of what can be achieved with perseverance, hard work, personal accountability and most importantly, showing up.