We at HEYBOO love a female power duo, and the ladies of Brand Authentic are family too!
We caught up with Kash and Caryn, where we discussed why they decided to get into business coaching as well as what it is like being an entrepreneur during the pandemic.
Take a look at what they had to say and why joining their Sisterhood Success Club could benefit you and your business!
Tell us more about yourselves and what you do?
We are Kash and Caryn, sisters-in-law and co-founders of Brand Authentic and the Sisterhood Success Club. Between the two of us, we have more than 20 years of experience in finance, corporate sales, business and marketing.
Caryn has worked both abroad and in South Africa, her most recent job was as the Head of Sales for a well-known travel company in Cape Town. However when the Covid19 Pandemic struck, and travel came to a halt, Caryn was prompted to kick-start our business (back in May 2020).
Kash has been in the private banking space for 14 years and decided to take the plunge and leave her corporate job to pursue the world of entrepreneurship full time as of January of 2021.
We have both always been passionate creatives with side hustles and dreamed of owning our own business within the digital space, whereby we could make an income while making an impact.
Why did you decide to get into the business-coaching arena?
When Brand Authentic was born, it started off as a boutique digital marketing agency, as we are both fuelled by our love of digital marketing, content creation and branding. We wanted to teach small business owners (particularly women) how to get their small businesses recognized on social media platforms and through digital advertising.
As time went by and we started connecting with our community, one of the most frequently asked questions was how to start a business from scratch: how to register a business, how to draw up a business plan, how to get sales etc.
Most people didn’t even know where to begin. They needed guidance, tools, resources and support. The more women we helped, the more we discovered our fascination for business coaching and decided to include it as a core part of our service offering.
Many people lost their jobs due to the Covid19 pandemic which was also a big reason behind us offering business coaching, to help support people to create an income for themselves.
You have a membership program called the Sisterhood Success Club, can you tell us more about what that involves and how one goes about joining?
We started a free Facebook group in November of 2020 whereby we offered useful tools, information and resources.. and the rest as they say, is history. Our Facebook Group quickly grew into a diverse, tight-knight community of 3000 female entrepreneurs.
We also have a paid membership that is housed in our website which we built ourselves with absolutely no funding or tech support. The Sisterhood Success Club is a monthly membership that offers support from ourselves, courses, bi-monthly live coaching sessions, masterclasses with industry experts, business tools and resources, an interactive community of like-minded female entrepreneurs, freebies and exclusive discounted offers. A big goal for us is to make our membership as inclusive, diverse and affordable as possible,
We open the doors to our membership three times per year to accept new members. In between those periods, ladies are welcome to join the waitlist via www.brand-authentic.com/membership. Our next launch is anticipated to be in June 2021!
What is a day in the life like for entrepreneurs such as yourselves?
We are very fortunate to both work from home and be able to design our working hours to suit our lifestyles. Our week always starts off with a Monday morning Zoom meeting, so we can set the tone for the upcoming week. We try to stick to office hours as far as possible (8:30am to 5:30pm), or we would never switch off.
There is a saying that goes, “as a business owner – you will work harder than you ever have in your life” …this is true! So we really do try to structure our days and tasks so we don’t burn out.
As business partners, it’s very important for us to stay in touch and keep on top of what each of us is working on, and be on the same page. We use organizational & planning apps such as: Planoly and Simplish, which makes our lives a whole lot easier.
A typical week involves; updating and maintain our website & blog, client queries & consultations, meetings, content creation, collaborations with brands, marketing, sourcing content and experts for our membership, engaging with our members inside the membership and on social media platforms – the hustle never stops. Fortunately we absolutely love what we do so it barely feels like work!
Do you have any advice for aspiring female entrepreneurs out there?
The entrepreneur life, as exiting as it is, is not easy. You will SWEAT. But the reward from a personal development and growth perspective is unparallel. Getting to your financial goals whereby you are able to pay yourself a salary takes time though. You have to be prepared to wait it out and build your business to the best of your ability in the interim.
Be open to advice and constructive feedback, but stand firm in your beliefs and trust your intuition.
Know your “BIG WHY” and figure out your purpose before starting any business.
Give yourself at least a year of financial cushion if you are planning to leave your 9-5 to pursue your entrepreneurial dream full-time.
Plan and do market research before launching your business, make sure that there is a desire or need for your product or service and that you have identified an ideal target audience who you will ultimately be able to sell to.
Be kind to yourself, and be your own biggest cheerleader.
Having a supportive community, coach or mentor is a game-changer for business success.
Getting to know Caryn & Kash:
Pizza or pasta?
Kash – Defs pasta.
Caryn – Same
Winter or summer?
Kash – Winter baby for sure.
Caryn – Give me Summer all day, every day
What would you sing at karaoke night?
Kash – Anything Beyonce!
Caryn – I’m all for those old school girly songs.
Who inspires you?
Kash – My mom and Oprah.
Caryn – Mama Bear and then I have a whole list of self-made female entrepreneurs who inspire me.
Quote you live by?
Kash – “I may not come from money but my children will” 😉
Caryn – “Walk on the way and the way appears” Rumi – it simply means clarity follows action, just get started.
Thanks, Ladies! Follow their Instagram below ↯
