Joining the Marketscale Podcast today is telecom entrepreneur Katherine Tracey, CEO at KATT Communications. She shares with listeners her journey to launching her own business in the telecom industry, one that has been male-dominated.
KATT Communications started with a focus on converting businesses to Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), but Tracey remarked, “The growth of the company has been unexpected and kind of went in a different direction. We’ve seen exponential growth on the cabling side of the business.”
Tracey’s path to becoming a business owner was not always linear.
“I had planned to relocate to Texas to take a larger role with the telecom company I had been working for, but life changed,” she said. “I found myself not relocating and a single mom that needed to find a new job. There wasn’t anything that really fit where I was, so I decided to take the leap and start my own business.”
Tracey admits it has not all been positive. “There have been ups and downs. I am fortunate to be a certified women-owned small business. That has provided opportunities, but I’ve had to blaze my own trail in a way. Part of is because I don’t just run the business side. I’m part of the technical side as well and often go to installations to be out in the field.”
Overall, Tracey wanted to find a balance to be able to experience all the important life moments with her kids while still being the one in charge of her own business and future. She believes this has been key to her success.
She also offered that because she is a small business owner, she understands the concerns and challenges of her clients.
“I know they have a budget they have to be under but also need the tools to keep their business running. It’s a significant investment. So, I educate them, and we also offer lease to own options, so it’s not such a huge up-front cost,” she explained.
Finally, Tracey wanted to express how important it is for other young women to support each other in telecom or any field and spoke about her involvement with Alliance of Channel Women, which is a group that helps women in the industry become educated and certified, while also offering mentorship.
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