To celebrate International Women's Day we wanted to invite some amazing business women to feature on our blog and tell their story.
These are women who have made a difference and inspired others.
The first of which is Kat Molesworth of Blogtacular.
Thank you for inviting me to your blog Chiara!
Kat you are best known for founding Blogtacular, a fantastic annual conference for bloggers and indie business owners. As well as your blog Housewife Confidential that you have been writing for over a decade, what was it that made you decide to start blogging?
Back in the 90s I really wanted to make a fanzine but I didn’t have a reliable way of reaching people. In an IT lesson one of my friends who had a fantastic fanzine said people were shifting them online. I created my first site a couple of years later. It never really went anywhere and I’m not sure who visited but it did turn me on to the idea of blogs when they emerged.
Housewife Confidential itself began just 11 years ago when I found myself isolated from my previously busy corporate environment after the birth of my first child. I wanted a way to connect with the world and to share our lives. There were times when I blogged three times in a day and others when I let it go quiet for months but Housewife is the story of growing into myself and I grateful to have it.
Supporting the blogging community is at the heart of everything you do, how has it felt to watch Blogtacular grow over the years?
The atmosphere at Blogtacular the first year was electric. There was this joy of connection and appreciation in the air as people who had never met came together for the first time. As it has grown, the mission has been refined but the same magical connection remains. There is nothing that beats being in person for learning and connection, it’s only once you’re there in the room that you realise what was missing online.
In some ways it has been overwhelming as it takes over my life for months at a time. I adore seeing collaborations, business partnerships and careers launched at Blogtacular. The event and our supporting work is a catalyst for people succeeding in their work and lives which is incredibly motivating for me.
You have a number of strings to your bow including your social media consultancy business, Blogtacular and your blog where do you think your entrepreneurial spirit comes from?
Honestly I don’t know! I never really felt a connection with traditional work settings (I have worked in labs, coffee houses, offices and call centres – I was always getting something wrong). This put me at odds with my family whose work had been conventional. I’ve always had a desire to create something and an ability to see how an enterprise could make money or connect with people, that fed into what I was doing online and eventually got in the way of my offline business so much that I closed it and decided to invest my time in my online businesses.
International Women’s Day is the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate women who inspire us, from Mums to business leaders. Which woman has inspired you the most?
There are so many women who inspire me but I think the biggest influence on my life has been my best friend Amy. She was the friend creating fanzines and pressing records to sell while we were still in school. She hosted the first Ladyfest London when we were barely out of our teens. I don’t think I would be as kind a person as I am today if it were not for her friendship with a damaged and difficult younger me. Having someone in your life who confidently does what they want and explores new avenues is an incredible motivator. I am very lucky to be part of her life.
If you are thinking of attending Blogtacular for the first time you can book your tickets HERE:
Quote 'Hoobynooworld' so they know we sent you :)
You can find Kat in the following places:
Twitter: @thatkat
Instagram: @thatkat
Facebook: Blogtacular
Podcast: Blogtacular
Website: blogtacular.com
