I so understand where your head is at and how difficult it is to stay motivated when you dread going to work.
I understand that you are terrified of giving up your security blanket of a job and a steady paycheck to start fresh with that business idea that is just dying to get out of your head and into being!
13 years ago, I was sitting in my office, my fourth year as President of the Canadian arm of a global PR agency and I was done.
I was done never having a vacation without being interrupted constantly – I didn’t even get any peace on my wedding day for heaven’s sake!
Most of all, I was done with living quarter to quarter and always being on edge when it came to the numbers. I spent more time with my CFO than I did with clients (good thing my CFO was an amazing guy!)
Working for a multinational, publicly traded company was soul sucking and although the people I worked with and my Canadian team were brilliant, I was done and dusted and ready to move on.
But how do you move on from the corner office, being the adult in charge and working with world class brands?
Well, you just take a deep breath, and you jump into the deep end.
Hi, I’m Kerry.
I’ve spent most of my career working with some of the world’s best known and best loved brands and I’d like to work with you as you embark on your journey of becoming a newly minted entrepreneur and business owner. I guess you could call me a brand anthropologist.
I’ve always been fascinated by what makes a consumer connect to a brand, buy a product or service, or engage with a company.
I like to say that we all curate our lives and I’ve spent much of my career working with and studying brands that deeply resonate with consumers. I call them Love Marks and they are among the best of the best
For the record, I’ve launched and built four businesses and counting and I love the challenge of creating and building new ventures. I’ve been in your shoes, and I know just how terrifying it can be!
The way I see it, there’s no reason why you can’t build a successful and sustainable brand the same way that big corporate brands do.
It’s not rocket science, it’s just all about having the knowledge, experience, and processes to build your blueprint, your plan, and your path to success.
My dream today is to take all my insider knowledge and experience and work with solopreneurs and small business owners like you – individuals who are passionate, committed and driven.
Business owners who are not afraid to dream big, but pragmatic enough to know that they don’t know what they don’t know and aren’t afraid to plan to succeed.
Some fun facts about me:
My company name SISU is a Finn word that means “perseverance in the face of all adversity”. My grandmother was Finn, and she lived that mantra each day.
She taught me so much and I still miss her dearly. She would have been 110 this year and I am blessed to have had her in my life for so many years.
I’m an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) At Ivey Business School at The University of Western Ontario and what I like the most about mentoring MBA and HBA students is that they are passionate about changing the world – what an amazing gift I get from them.
I started my first business (a communications management agency) at 32 and was a new mom with a 2-year-old. When I look back, I think I must have been delusional, and sleep deprived to think that that was a good idea. It paid off though and at our best and brightest the agency had 10 plus consultants and was doing work with clients all over the globe.
I have had the rare opportunity to create a brand from the ground up and Remai Modern, a 160,000 square foot contemporary art gallery in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan that opened in 2017, is the project that I am the proudest of.
I was a nationally ranked Canadian sprinter when I was in high school, and through this, I learned so much about perseverance and dedication to a singular cause. This trait has served me all my life!
My second job out of university took me from a small city on the Prairies to Houston, Texas where I was a field producer/writer for a production company that produced materials for The Travel Channel. I produced many shows over the two years that I worked for them and can still say that my favorite assignment was the six months that I spent living and working in Australia.
In my spare time, I am the co-founder and CEO of a SaaS company that is currently in another fundraising round. I believe that you need to stay curious, in learning mode and to continue to jump in the deep end even if you don’t want to.
My favorite piece of advice to new entrepreneurs is either “to let go of the dock” or “to jump in the deep end” and take the first step towards your dream!
I get up each day and ask myself “how can I be disruptive today!”
“If not now, when?
If not me, then who?”
The Official Bits
Mexico City, 2022
After leaving her role as President of the Canadian business unit of global PR agency Weber Shandwick in 2010, Kerry formed her brand strategy and strategic implementation firm Reboot Consulting.
She has spent most of her over two decades long business career either launching start-ups in the technology space or consulting with start-ups and brands on brand and business strategy with a focus on new market development and customer acquisition strategies.
Kerry has extensive experience working with government, big brands, not for profits and other private sector clients.
On the brand strategy front, she has worked internationally with The Governments of The Bahamas, South Africa, Cayman Islands, Barbados, Turks and Caicos, Ontario, and Canada in a variety of sectors including CSR, tourism, international business, financial services, economic development and trade, education, and health.
On the private sector front, she has worked with professional services firms, banks and other financial services firms, real estate companies, CPG companies, QSR and several hospitality companies.
She celebrated, in October 2017, the opening of Remai Modern, a 160,000 sq. foot modern art museum located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where she had the opportunity to work in tandem with The Board and CEO to lead, create and launch that brand from top to bottom.
In addition to her consulting business, she is also currently the CEO and an equity partner at Smart Structuring, a SaaS start-up in the wealth tech space that has developed a blockchain enabled trust management platform.
Kerry also has extensive experience in developing and implementing traditional marketing strategies and plans with digital, interactive, social media and mobile delivery channels and was a contributing blogger for The Huffington Post Canada.
To date, she has worked with several partners and built several technology products including a digital platform and two mobile engagement apps to immerse herself in those critical delivery channels.
Kerry also speaks frequently on business strategy, customer acquisition, fundraising strategy, pitching to win/persuasive presenting, crisis and issues management, brand strategy and reputation management in the digital age.
She was also visiting professor for five years at Ryerson University (TMU) in the Department of Radio and Television Arts, her alma mater and is an EIR at Ivey, the business school at the University of Western Ontario in the MBA program.
2023 will mark the launch of SISU Brand Coaching, a new venture geared towards helping solopreneurs, small business owners and consultants build and launch profitable, sustainable businesses anchored by informed and best in class brand planning.