Nicole Laino: Hello and welcome to Unshakeable with Human Design, everybody. I’m your host, Nicole Laino, and I am here with a guest today. So happy to not be alone and to have some fun, new energy on this show. This is a woman that I met at an event over the summer, and I was instantly taken with her. We had a little connection call, and I was like, you have to be on the show, because I feel like she’s endlessly impressive, but she’s also got an expertise that I think will serve this audience and really be speaking to something that I know has been on my heart.

I have sort of questioned whether I should take a step in this direction or not, and I know a lot of entrepreneurs do as well. Her name is Cat Roten. She spent a decade in the hotel industry where she found her passion and purpose strategizing, planning, and coordinating events. She’s taken the leap into entrepreneurship, starting Impactful Event Co, where she is helping other entrepreneurs curate a personalized and profitable event.

She’ll take you from feeling lost on where to start or stuck on what to do next, into feeling confident in planning your event from start to finish. I’m actually hoping that she can maybe help me with that at some point. Hi Kat, welcome to the show.

Catherine Roten: Hi, Nicole. Thank you so much for having me. I am so excited for today and we will get there one of these days.

Nicole Laino: I know, and when we started talking, you definitely have that I’ve got this energy, which I think when you’re going to plan events, when you’re going to be that person that someone’s entrusting you to sort of handle everything, you do have that sort of I can handle whatever happens.

You have a very, unshakable sort of energy. Which is sort of why I was like, oh, you have to be on the show. I get why you do this. And then we talked a little bit about your chart. I should say that Kat is a 4’6 emotional generator. She is the cross of contagion, which I love because the cross of contagion is very much about helping people spread their message or sometimes it’s about your own message and sometimes it’s about helping others.

Yours is really led by that need to support people. I was called like the agent, let me help you get your message out there. Let me help you get your unique quality out there. And I love when the chart starts speaking through what you do naturally, even before you necessarily are like actively working with it.

So I’m very excited about having you here today and I want you to talk a little bit about events. I think when we think of them we think of these big, huge, large scale events, and I know from my own personal experience. I don’t deal with imposter syndrome in my day to day very often, but when I think about having an event, there’s definitely some of that, of like, I don’t know if I’m that person, I don’t know if that’s me.

And part of that is that just my alignment saying this isn’t right for you? And then there’s part of me that’s like, no, I think there’s a bit of fear there of me being like, come to my party. Let me, invest in this big thing. And, let me dazzle you for a couple of days.

What do you find to make a really great event or a great event host?

Catherine Roten: So I love this question by the way, I have not had anyone asked me this before. And I really think to be a good event host, you have to know your why and why you’re hosting the event. And I talk about this all the time because I think it comes into your business. It comes into your life, into really anything that we do.

If you don’t know why you’re doing it then you’re going to start making decisions and kind of willy nilly doing stuff until like it happens. And then you’re probably not going to be excited or happy with what happened and then you’re never going to do it again. And that’s what I’ve seen a lot to be completely honest.

And that’s where I actually have these five questions I bring people through before I even will work with them. And I have been very blunt to some people too. I’m like, until you can figure out why you’re hosting this event. I will not work with you because you’re going to start making decisions because you’re seeing things that everyone else is doing and you’re not going to do it for you because to be a good event host, you need to be making decisions based on who you are, who your attendees are, who your community is, your clients, the people that you’re bringing in the room.

You have to be able to make the decisions that are right for you in them, not for other people because then expectations can be blown out of proportion and maybe don’t happen the way you want to. And I think that’s where this alignment comes into piece even that once you start making those decisions for you. You’re gonna see the attendees sign up.

You’re gonna see the money start coming in but you have to be doing it from like a place of your why not anyone else’s. That really is it, so you keep it very simple

Nicole Laino: I think that what you’re getting to like, these are like these big whammy events, they’re like, if this is a short period of time, we’re going to have some big impact. And you do need to understand what’s the impact that I want to make, I love that you start with the why, and I think the why thing, because of like the Simon Sinek craze behind knowing your why and, It can feel almost overused, where I think we can take some of those tried and true things for granted sometimes.

Like where it’s like, oh, like I’ve heard the Y thing. It does become your true north. It does become the thing that either makes you feel like this was successful, or getting to the end of something and being like, this wasn’t what I thought it would be or this didn’t feel right.

And when you talk about alignment, In an event, I think about it the same way that I think about alignment in business, which is if it’s a reflection of you, I’m sort of piecing this together and kind of what was coming through for me as you were talking about that was if your why feels really right to you, and this is what I think design helps a lot with is it is your truth.

It is your authenticity and when you’re leading from that place, Things will feel good, things will work out better than you maybe could have planned if you were orchestrating it some other way. I think an event is just a, one specific way of looking at how, don’t copy other people.

It’s not going to work for you. We know that in branding, we know that authenticity is something that we sell and that we raise up as something that we want to achieve. But I think in an event, maybe you don’t think about it that way, that it’s so important for you to be authentic in your event, for this to really come from a place of like, this is mine.

Cause that’s why people will come to your event versus coming to somebody else’s event.

Catherine Roten: Exactly. They’re showing up for you. And I think that’s another key point that I think people get confused at as well, is an event is an extension of you and your business. It is not something completely separate either. So even finding your why for your event should still come back to who you are and what you do in your business.

It’s not going to be something completely different. It’s an extension. It’s there for you to keep spreading your message. This is going to go right back to my design. Is really the idea of that we are, you are spreading your message to more people and an event is a way to reach more people than just those in your direct community, direct clients.

You are creating a room, usually it’s in person, that’s what I usually support, but there are virtual rooms as well. And hosting an event even virtually, you can reach more and more people, but the idea is that’s an extension of who you are in your business.

Nicole Laino: Yeah, I love that. When I think about an event, I think the thing that has held me back is I’m in a transformation business. That’s what I do and that’s where I have my greatest impact. People come to me for my expertise, for my way of explaining in simple terms, a way to transform your life.

And a way to apply it to your business. And when I’ve thought about having event, my why is there. I don’t know if I’ve seen how I can make that why a reality in an event, I have a very high standards, like if I’m going to tell people to like travel, come to this thing, come to my party, I really want it to have a very strong impact.

And I haven’t figured out how that looks yet. It hasn’t come, the vision hasn’t come together for me. And I think that that’s why I’ve sort of pumped the brakes on it. Do you feel like the why and the vision are two pieces that are interconnected. Do you see them as the same? Or do you see the why and the how connected?

Or are you like, no, no, focus on the why. The how is what someone like you takes care of.

Catherine Roten: It’s both and separates. So, it’s kind of this in between. So, you have to know your why to know how it’s going to come to be. Because you are the visionary. Me as a planner, me as someone coming in as that third party to support you, I’m there to support you. I’m there to make the vision happen versus just you say, well, this is why I’m doing it.

Go for it because then I might have to still make decisions that might not be aligned or might not be what you wanted or see happening in your vision. So really the why and that vision are very similar. They’re very interconnected and you don’t need to see the whole vision. That’s one thing I will say though.

And I think that’s where people get stuck honestly with their events is they feel like okay, I know why I’m doing it I know this is what I see, but I don’t see everything. I don’t know exactly how the day is gonna go I don’t know the flow of it. So this is where that other part comes in that I mentioned It’s the both and is that I come in to fill in those gaps. So somebody as a third party can come in and say this is the vision you see. And then I hope you might see how do you schedule that out and flow it throughout the day or the weekend or over the course of the week. I can come in and say, okay, and like what kind of sponsors or vendors do we see fitting into that?

Cause that might not be something you can really picture kind of aligned with your why and what you want, but you know and have this idea of this is what I’m seeing. And then I help you kind of wrap it up with a bow and tie it up and then we make it happen.

Nicole Laino: I love that. The sponsor thing is absolutely something that I never thought of, but I think the benefit of having somebody like you on board as an advisor, as a planner, as somebody who’s helping you usher this birth of this baby into life is that, so I’ve been to certain types of events. I’ve been to, sometimes it’s within the same circle where maybe you are seeing people put together an event based on what they’ve seen before.

Somebody else’s event where they didn’t maybe have a strong why, or it was just to sell something. Oh, events, or I want to be a star where it’s a little bit more of an ego thing than necessarily like a why for the group. I think what was hitting me there as you were saying that was having somebody like you who has seen so many different types of events.

So when the how comes in, if I came to you and I said, this is my vision as far as what I want to create. I have no idea how I’m going to do it. I know these parts I want to have part of it. I don’t know what it feels like. You can pull from that vast experience that you have of working in different types of events to say, well, I’ve seen this type of thing done before.

I’ve seen this type of thing. This has been received really well. I haven’t seen anybody do this in a long time and it’s super impactful. I think it would be great for you, which then you’re in collaboration with somebody, which for all of my generators out there, we love collaboration. And I’ll say this too, when you were talking about needing to know the whole how, needing to know how it will all come together.

That’s death for all types, but particularly for the generators, we can really get stuck in needing to know what step 10 is and not taking step one before we know what step 10 is. And the truth is, is that we don’t ever know what the whole path will look like. Manifesting generators, we have to have something that’s like, I see the makings, the foggy vision of the finish line.

And I’m excited about that and that gets us excited. Now you got to take step one and then step two comes once you take step one, you pick up those breadcrumbs and now you’re on the path. A lot of times we’ll wait until we’re like, let me see all the breadcrumbs. And they just don’t drop like that.

That’s not how it really works. So I recognize I have been in that place with it. And I’m like, I know it’s coming. It’s just, it’s not here right now for me. But I am excited about the idea of bringing people together for something around what I do. And I have so many things that I would love to expose people to and shift people with that I get excited about that.

And then the how gets me stuck. So I love that people like you exist for that reason. But let’s just shift and for everybody who’s thinking about a big event. So I just went to an event here in Austin, that was like 200 plus people. That’s not how they all are. That’s not what every event is.

Can you give everybody a breakdown of the types of events, just in case they’re thinking about this in too grand a fashion that they’re like, I don’t know how to throw a 300 person event. Will 300 people come? It’s like, well, you don’t really need to do that necessarily. And it might not be the right event for you.

Can you run through the different types of events that are possible for people that you see people running with success?

Catherine Roten: Of course, and I’ll go ahead and say this up front too. Don’t start massively big if you’ve never hosted an event before. I have heard some horror stories where people are like, I’m hosting like a two, three hundred plus people. person event and they’ve never done one and they don’t fill the room because they get caught up just wanting the people to be there and again, not aligned with everything else that’s going on and why they’re hosting it.

So different types of events. There’s so many different names. So I’m going to go with like some core names that I hear most often. But nowadays we’re starting to hear more and more different ways of calling these events things. So the smallest and most more intimate are normally your retreats and or a mastermind style events.

So this can be anywhere from five people to about 25 ish people max is what I see in those rooms. Your next step then goes into along the lines of like a workshop maybe or a training of some kind. These are usually about a single day, maybe two days and then you’re around anywhere from that kind of 30 person mark up to about a hundred.

And that’s also where you can have some more of your social, some community events. I see that a lot of people I’ve worked with in the past that hundred person mark is that sweet spot where you also can keep the personalization, a little more intimacy you as a host can still usually over the course of the one, two, three days you’re hosting the event can touch everyone at some point and make some type of interaction and touch point at the event.

When you start to get over the 100 person mark, that’s when things start to be more broad. You’re definitely more umbrella trying to encompass everybody that’s attending. You as the host might not get to speak to every single person, and just be aware of that going into it. But then yeah, so then there’s anywhere from 100.

I usually say the next range is, range is bigger because we’re getting to the larger events. You go from about 100, 150 to 500. I say that’s a large event. It’s not your large conference per se. That’s going to be anything above 500. But this is something where you usually have a lot more options for venue spaces.

It still can be fun. You can still have a lot of things happening but it is getting big and you are getting broad. These events are definitely more When you’re established is kind of what I say, you’ve hosted those few kind of 50, 100, 150 maybe person events. So now you’re starting to grow those to reach more people, get new people in the door that could be potential clients, potential community members even just people who just start following you and want to keep up with what you have.

Your message is starting to be very honed in at that point too, I will say. So you have really clarified and who you are in your business. This is not always the case, but your message is starting to be reached because you are starting to feel into it more. Great example I’m going to give because I feel like giving an example of this will help also those listening.

If anyone knows Lindsay Schwartz of Powerhouse Women, she started with the first few events of Powerhouse Women around that hundred person event, and it grew to about two-three hundred and it continued to grow. I attended my first event last year. There was 600 women in the room, 550, 600. And then this last year she jumped to 800.

And she has grown this very quickly in seven years, but at the same time she is a great showing a progression and her honing into who she is and what her message is and what powerhouse is. It is a community and who she’s pulling in is very similar women that come into that world. That’s what kind of a tier in growth will look like as you are getting more and more zoned into who you are and your offers.

I don’t always say a large event is for everyone though either. Nicole, we talked about this. Like, I don’t think I would see you really hosting something massive that’s hundreds and hundreds of people because that just is not who you are as a person and what you teach, yes, you could teach it that way, but that doesn’t really match with what you’re going for.

So don’t feel like you have to eventually grow also to these hundred plus thousand plus person events. You can keep it small and intimate and keep it 50 people and under if you really want to, and still be profitable. still create a system behind it. And honestly, once you host your first few, you get into a groove that it just gets easier and easier over time anyways.

Nicole Laino: I know we’ve talked about that and it’s not that, I love a stage, I was an actor. Like, give me a stage, give me all the people. I love to talk about what I do and what, particularly what human design can do for people and all of that. But when I do envision my own event, I don’t see it being that big, I just don’t see it that way. I see it more at max, that kind of that hundred people sort of feels like the right size room at the maximum. I actually look at it even smaller than that. At this point, I feel like I’d like to be able to walk around the room. There were only 90 people at my wedding.

I didn’t have a 300 person wedding. I had 90 people, I talked to everybody, I danced with most I have memories with every person and I like that feeling. It felt very alive, but it also felt intimate at the same time. So let’s talk a little bit about, that we brought up that word profitable a few times.

Now let’s talk about what it takes to have a profitable event. Take us through all of it. And then I think there’s one thing that I think most people, myself included, never even thought of about how to make a profitable event, which is partially sponsors. But how do you see, what are the elements of a profitable event?

And then what have you seen that people have done that has caused them not to be profitable? 

Catherine Roten: So we’ll go to kind of the core profitability side first. Contracts, negotiations, making sure that you have contracts for all your vendors. I recommend this for speakers, especially if you’re paying them to come. Anything like that. Vendors though are very important as well because you want to make sure they’re holding up their end when you’re hiring and paying them on.

Nothing has to be complicated. When I talk about contracts, It does not have to be a complicated contract. You just want to make sure it’s in writing and everyone has signed off, both parties have, to in agreeance of what’s going to happen. And then the last one would be, I would say is sponsors. When it comes to contracts, negotiations, all those things, those are going to kind of be the three things.

So speakers, vendors, and sponsors. Those three people also you can negotiate with. And I highly recommend negotiating with your speakers and your vendors and your sponsors. In the sense of this, and I know we kind of hit on sponsorships a little, but you were saying not many people know about these things.

But sponsors are a way to cover you financially in your event. And honestly can be the driving point to make you extremely profitable at your event as well. But also, sponsorships do not have to be financially like, here’s money, I’m giving you 1,000 for your event. It also can be a service or a product.

It can be a venue is willing to give you their venue in exchange for these services. It can be a catering company gives you 50 percent off the food in exchange for promoting them and mentioning them and seeing their logo everywhere. There’s other ways to utilize sponsorships that tie into your vendors.

As well as potentially even the speakers. So that’s the first thing I would say, contracts, make sure you have contracts written, you’re negotiating those contracts and then utilizing sponsors. The other areas I will also say is when you start hosting events at the beginning, do not think you need all the frill and everything, everything decorated these huge balloon arches, these massive, amazing meals and everything.

Remember people are coming for you. They’re coming for you and your knowledge and your message and to connect with one another in that room as well. So create and prioritize what needs to be in the room to make the difference, to really make that transformation and get your message out there. Make sure you are covered in that.

And then Okay, if you have an extra thousand dollars, all right, what can you do? What can you make as that little extra touch? What could you get donated maybe that’s going to be worth a thousand dollars as that extra touch? Again, sponsorships always come back into this, utilizing your community, supporting your community.

You’re bringing them in and in turn you’re helping promote them, but then they’re also helping support you in a beautiful and wonderful event you’re going to put on. But I think that’s the two aspects I would say is contract negotiation, sponsorships, the nitty gritty, not so fun. Nobody wants to handle mixed with the idea of have your priorities and get those covered first before you start adding all the frills and everything.

Nicole Laino: Get your base budget done where you’re like, this is the core of what we need and then how much extra do we have? I mean that’s just good business Before you think

Catherine Roten: It all comes back to that.

Nicole Laino: stuff. I mean even like renovating my house. It’s like, okay Well, let’s see what we have left after the cabinets, the flooring, like all of these big things that are like, you can’t live without these, and then it’s like, then we pick which tile based on the, what’s left, and these other fixtures.

I think one of the things that you brought up, so getting like a venue to sponsor you, I want to call out for the person who is listening to this and saying like, will a venue really do that? Are they really going to like, sponsor you, they’re the venue. Wouldn’t everybody be asking for sponsorship then?

Does that actually happen? Like, where venues will sponsor events like this?

Catherine Roten: Yes, especially, so I have one client who got 50 percent covered then they ended up getting actually a little bit more afterwards because of some things that happened, but they did. They got 50 percent sponsored by the venue and it’s because when you present them and this is where I’m actually doing a whole training on this at the end of October because what you include in these sponsorships. 

The packages is sometimes and usually you can include something different that they’re not using as a marketing tool. So them sponsoring you is that exchange without them having to go out and spend more money and pay someone. So utilize those extra things you have, whether it’s a podcast, it’s a different community of people who will travel in and see and maybe want to host an event there.

But I’m also not going to say every venue is going to do this. I have another client that has an event in January and that venue said no. They said well, you know sponsor a 300 this little mini AV package thing and that’s all they’re willing to do. So it just depends on where you are But it never hurts to ask. 

Nicole Laino: No, definitely, and I think that’s something that I would just never have thought of, I would’ve been like, well that’s the price of the venue and that’s the cost of the venue and that’s just what it is. Which is why having somebody like you in your corner, either directly helping you plan it, or with one of the resources, or something that you offer, to just open you up to these possibilities.

Like, I already got, like, creative ideas about, like, oh, well, What if I offered them this or what if we came in and did a couple of things and I mentioned them every week on the podcast twice a week for X amount of time and then I leverage like the networks that I have here and like it got my brain going in a direction it never would have gone.

Because I’m just someone who pays people. I’m just like, oh, is that your price? Here you go. I’m not, I’m a terrible negotiator. Just because I just don’t normally do it, I’m like, here, like that’s your price? Okay, fine. With some exceptions, of course. But I wanted to ask you, you have, Do you want to tell everybody a little bit about something?

You have something very exciting coming up. And I don’t know if you want to give, I don’t want to put you on the spot. We can delete this out if you’re like, shh, don’t tell anybody. But you have something really exciting. I think this is a, you’ve got something cooking. Do you want to give everybody a little taste?

Catherine Roten: Yes, I’ll give a little taste so I taste I have had something on my heart for a few months that we were talking about before we hit record and It has been something that I have kept coming back to and I realize I have to make happen. And there is a gap currently in this event host world that we live in, especially for women entrepreneurs who, there is simple events that we can put on that don’t really take us out of our business or take us out of our zone of genius.

And then we get to a point where we can hire someone. But there is a gap between those two, where people want to still keep hosting events or want to finally host an event for the first time, but they’re being pulled out of the business, they’re being pulled out of the zone of genius, away from the client,

community, their family, their friends, and I am working to create a place where all of these women can come together and be supported through resources, through each other, through myself, and ultimately still be able to put on those events that are on their heart and that kind of extension of their business and them without it being pulling them away from everything else.

So, I’ll leave that there. There’s more to come. January is when things will be rolling.

Nicole Laino: There’s so much more to come. I’m very excited about this because I’m like, I’m all over this, but it’s also just from a human design perspective, this is so, like, 4 6, which you are putting on, and I get very excited when I see people doing something where it’s like, oh, this is so you, this is so in alignment.

And I want to also just say, though, it doesn’t mean that 4 6s have to do things. Someone else who’s a 4’6 is going to do something wildly different than you. It’s just, when we pick something that feels so right, and then for me, when I look at the chart and I’m like, I know why that feels right for you.

I get it. It’s sort of, this is in the wheelhouse of what you were born to do. Whether it’s this thing, or if this leads you to the next thing that’s the thing, we never know. But I love it. I’m super excited about it selfishly, because I think it serves me. But I’m also, I’m very excited for all the other people that it will serve, and I love just seeing people do what is their jam, and what they really are meant to do in this life. 

When your expertise is starting to match up with your design. I think that’s where we become just happy, fulfilled. And that’s what alignment is to me. Did you have anything that you wanted to

Catherine Roten: I know I’m lighting up definitely inside. And I know as that generator, when I start to light up about it and I feel more energy, just myself, cause I definitely did not feel that for a while. I’ve been like, I know something’s right. I know I’m sitting much more into who I am.

Nicole Laino: That’s the thing too. So how long have you been dabbling in design? Have you been in the world long? Okay.

Catherine Roten: Six months? Five months? Not

Nicole Laino: So, fairly new, but you’ve seen truth in it.

Catherine Roten: Yes. Oh, a hundred percent.

Nicole Laino: And the generator thing, and you’re emotional, so we have that like, when we’re emotional, we can sometimes get that little bit of interference, so to speak, with am I really excited, or am I just emotional at this moment, and emotionally brought up, so there is that little like, we can not trust the sacral necessarily as much. 

When I talk to people who are pure generators, they’re just like, oh yeah, I know what it feels like. And I go, and when I talk to emotionals, they’re like, I know what it feels like. I know what it feels, but we just have this little bit of, because we’re supposed to wait, we do have that tentative kind of, I just have to feel into it a little bit more before I know, but when we know, we know when we wait, then we know, and I love that

Catherine Roten: I’ve learned, and I’ve learned so much about that. And I, it was the moment I got my human design reading, I think it was May. So it’s been like three, four months at this point that someone actually read my design a little bit more for me. When she said that I had been making gut decisions, especially once I found out I was a generator, I was like, yeah, like, oh yeah, I feel this way.

Let’s do it. And then I realized the emotions tied to those sometimes I have to strip those away and allow the space to know truly what my gut’s telling me and if it’s truly a heck yes or a heck no. And I’ve leaned into that so much the last few months and I think that’s helped me get to this point where I’ve made some larger pivots than I expected and put things on the back burner, but I realized it’s because they were never heck yeses.

They were this, yeah, maybe. And so now I’ve learned more on how to like listen and sit back.

Nicole Laino: Well, that’s why the authority with the emotionals is, it’s waiting, but it’s waiting for clarity. And that’s often not what we’re doing, because we’re not clear. We get excited and then usually it’s coming from something where it’s saying, like, Now, because I want it, or we’re running out of time, or I’m on this timeline, or then I’ll hit my goal.

There’s something outside of us that’s really driving that, us to act on the yes. But really, if you pay attention, there’s something inside of you that’s calling you to say like, it’s a yes, but hang out for a moment. And when we hang and we honor that, that was the big shift for me too. When I first found design was to honor that weight and I realized how much I wasn’t doing that before.

Like it can feel like a big screeching halt when you do it, but it’s really interesting to notice how much more confident you feel about going all in on the yeses. And you didn’t realize that like, oh, I powered through, I made things happen. But it didn’t necessarily feel like my energy was always behind it.

I didn’t realize how much I was pushing until I waited, got clarity, and then my energy just went places. And it was just allowing it to go there and then things became so easy. So, have you noticed something similar with the way that you’ve kind of found that emotional waiting for clarity?

Catherine Roten: Yes. Very much so. And I think that’s where this community basically that I’m wanting, and I’m wanting, I am launching in January. I have sat on it for so long because I think I was letting all the noise and emotions drive me in other ways. And it’s taken a long time for me to strip all that back and realize, this is my purpose.

And it’s what lights me up. And now that I’ve started voicing it to people, people are like, oh my gosh, tell me when, oh my gosh, how can we like get this out to more people? And I’m hearing it left and right. Like I haven’t in the last few months since I’ve had this idea. And it’s because I finally sat back and got clear on what it is so yes.

Nicole Laino: Well, and you did push another idea first, and then you, you hit the brakes on it. Was that one of those things? If you’re, because Hindsight’s 2020, and I do think with our design, it isn’t about making all the right choices. It’s about recognizing when something didn’t work out. Can you look back and go, Oh, I actually see what happened here.

Do you feel like you maybe didn’t wait? Did you move on an idea more than like something you were truly in response to and felt like was on your heart? 

Catherine Roten: Yes, it was something that came afterwards and I was like, Oh, I can do this quicker. This is something I can get going and let’s just do it because I can just do it so fast. And then one, it took me longer to get everything together the way I wanted to. And then two, it was just not right. Something did not feel aligned with what it was.

And I realized it was actually interesting. I’ve realized recently that I was trying to tie in this community to this course I was creating versus, and so everything was getting meshed and mushy and just not what I really pictured And honestly coming back to what we talked about with the events, it’s just like business It’s not my vision was showing me. And I had to come back to what was that vision of this community and realize. Well that course isn’t a part of it, at least not right now

Nicole Laino: I think what design is teaching us and just, what you’re doing is you’re listening to your real intuition. Because when we do something, oh, I’ll make this course, it’ll be faster. That’s your mind making up a solution. It’s saying Oh, this’ll be faster.

That’s not your intuition. Probably what got you excited was your intuition. And then the, how it came out, your mind started to get involved. And then it’s like, Oh yeah, I’ll do that faster. And then it’s not working. And this is, I think where business is going is that we do have to listen to our intuition.

And I think every great businessman, cause it’s usually men, but businessmen and businesswomen, if you hear them talk about, they’ve followed their intuition to their best ideas and their best creations they’ve ever made. We just call it something different or we’re tapping into it a different way.

So I love that you’re doing that and I’m super excited for this. Can you tell everybody where they can stay in touch with you? How do they find out about this thing when you do launch it? And I know you have some free and discounted offers for them here. So tell everybody all the things.

Catherine Roten: Yeah, so best way to connect with me is on Instagram. It’s @cat.roten. So C A T, literally like the animal and then my last name R O T E N. And then for me, so I will send Nicole an updated link because I’ve kind of reorganized it all and everything’s in one place. So it’s very easy depending on what you’re looking for.

Follow her on Instagram

Catherine Roten: I have the community waitlist that’s happening right now. So you can jump on there. That’s where all the updates in the next few months will come. If you’re interested and feel like you’re sitting in this gap of you can’t hire a planner yet, but you want to really get going on your events. And then also on there is my free resources, which is ready set event.

And it’s the five key foundational questions you have to answer before you can even start planning. So if you can answer the five questions, I say you can do it. Just start, but if you can’t answer them, then it’s not quite time yet. You’re still lacking, I think, a little bit on that vision and your why.

And then the last thing that will be on that link will be my event profit planner. This is for individuals who, if you’ve hosted a few events, and maybe you don’t even know. Did you make money? Did you not make money? You really didn’t keep up with the numbers specifically for the event. This is the place for you where it’s all plug and play.

Check out her Event Profit Planner

Catherine Roten: So you can use it for past events or your upcoming. But you can budget and then you literally just track actual sponsorships that you’ve gotten everything in one place to really be watching the numbers and know Am I on track to make a profit? Am I losing money? Am I gonna break even? All of those things.

But it’s all in one link, so I promise very simple that you just whatever you’re called to you’ll find it there.

Nicole Laino: Awesome. And you have a podcast, right?

Catherine Roten: I do. Oh yes, I do. Imperfectly impactful, which Nicole is going to be on soon. I can’t wait to have you on there. Yes. So that’s where I get to share a lot about my entrepreneurship journey. I mean, it’s also a personal development journey that we go through in entrepreneurship and a lot of it comes out there.

Check out her Podcast @imperfectly.impactful

Catherine Roten: So I have that. I bring on wonderful guests as well to share their story and dive into their expertise and their knowledge to share with all of you who listen. So It’s fun. It literally, to me, it’s become almost like my hobby where I really get to share and kind of inspire and hopefully motivate people with everything I do.

Nicole Laino: Spoken like a true cross of contagion person. So, well, follow her, download the resources, get the planner. If you’re like thinking about actually pulling the trigger on event, go get the planner and follow Kat because she’s amazing. She really, really is. She’s the real deal. I encounter a lot of people.

I was like, this woman is someone I would trust with my event. So if you’re thinking about booking one, get it. Please go visit Cat and get on the wait list for the community because it’s going to be, I know that whatever you build will be top notch. So I’m super excited. Thank you for being here.

Catherine Roten: I appreciate it.

Nicole Laino: Thank you for sharing your wisdom, your expertise with us.

Thank you, listener, for making it all the way to the end of this episode with us and being part of this conversation. We appreciate you. And remember, in order to have an unshakable business, you must first become an unshakable human. So thanks for letting us help you become unshakable with human design, everybody.

We’ll see you next time.