We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kate Gibbs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kate below.

Alright, Kate thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Traditional business models push constant growth, rigid quarterly planning, and an expectation to always be “on.” But that’s not how people—or sustainable businesses—actually work. Instead, I teach a three-season approach that aligns with natural cycles of expansion, creativity, and rest, allowing entrepreneurs to grow their businesses without burnout.

Rather than forcing clients into an exhausting cycle of always selling or always creating, I help them identify their best seasons for launching, visibility, and deep work—ensuring they’re marketing and scaling in alignment with their energy, rather than fighting against it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Kate Gibbs, a strategic marketing consultant helping service-based businesses grow through organic marketing, brand storytelling, and cohesive messaging. I work with boutique-sized businesses—particularly those in hospitality, retail, and service industries—that are looking for sustainable, results-driven marketing strategies without relying solely on paid ads.

How I Got Here
For years, I worked as a big-picture business coach helping women-owned small businesses prioritize their peace along with their profit—building a business that loves them back. But over time, my coaching became more and more focused on marketing, messaging, and brand positioning.

At first, I resisted stepping into full-service marketing. I had built a coaching business around one key offer, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to pivot. But as more clients asked me to take over their marketing entirely, I realized: this is where I thrive.

In 2022, I dipped my toes into done-for-you marketing by taking over one client’s marketing and offering a handful of implementation services for others. Then in 2024, I made the leap. I went all in with a high-level client, and by early fall, I had shut down my group coaching program—despite it making up 60-70% of my income—closed my books to new 1:1 coaching clients, and committed fully to building my boutique marketing agency. I gave myself four months to lay the foundation, stepping away from coaching entirely. It felt like jumping off a cliff in the dark, but I knew it was the right move.

What Sets Me Apart
I don’t follow one-size-fits-all marketing formulas. Instead, I provide full-service marketing rooted in a three-season approach—ensuring my clients’ marketing efforts align with their energy, capacity, and audience rhythms. This allows them to grow sustainably without burning out chasing industry trends.

I’ve lived through multiple pivots—shifting from life coaching to business coaching to full-service marketing. I know what it’s like to be in the messy middle of redefining your brand while actively running a business. That’s why I take the reins for my clients, building and executing cohesive marketing strategies that support both their long-term vision and day-to-day operations.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In 2023, I had multiple requests to take over client marketing—but I kept saying no. I was deep in a coaching program built around one key offer, and I didn’t want to spread myself too thin. But by the end of the year, I felt the pivot happening.

Just like when I shifted from life coaching and yoga into business coaching (a move I resisted way longer than I care to admit), I found myself lit up by something new—something that was truly landing with people. And I just needed to say yes.

So, 2024 became my tester year. I did both—coaching and done-for-you marketing services. And wow, did that challenge everything I thought I knew about balance. The woman who teaches and preaches anti-burnout, sustainability, and rest was suddenly working 50-60 hour weeks. Not sustainable.

Midway through a group coaching launch, I made the call: shut down a revenue stream that made up 60-70% of my income. Close my books to new 1:1 coaching clients. Fully commit to marketing.

I gave myself four months to build the foundation of this boutique marketing agency—an experience that felt a lot like jumping off a cliff in the dark. And now, standing here today, I know I made the right move.

But I’m also still in it.

I’m still defining this direction.
I’m still refining my message.
I’m still learning the new tone of my brand.
I’m still figuring out who my best-fit clients are now.

This pivot isn’t just about changing what I do—it’s about trusting myself to step into something bigger. Something that aligns with where I am now and where I want to go next. And that’s the part that feels both unsettling and wildly exciting.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

My first business was an assisted living home, which I ran alongside my yoga and life coaching business for years. But by late 2017, I was burning out hard. I wasn’t running either business in a way that felt aligned, and I was constantly angry, exhausted, and strapped for cash.

So I did something radical.

I closed my assisted living home—which accounted for the majority of my income—and sold the house where the facility was located. Instead of reinvesting in other business (yoga and life coaching) right away, I used that capital to fund a full year off. While it wasn’t a traditional way of accessing capital, I knew that investing in my own well-being and mental health was the best way to ensure the kind of business success I actually wanted.

When I returned, I used the remaining capital to launch an international yoga retreat, which catapulted my yoga and life coaching business into massive growth. From there, my business has continued to evolve and reshape itself—each pivot building on the last.

Now, as I transition into my boutique marketing agency, I realize that my greatest investment strategy has always been betting on myself. Instead of securing capital in traditional ways, I’ve chosen to fund my own growth by aligning my business with my energy, values, and capacity. And that decision—again and again—is what has allowed me to build a business that feels truly sustainable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blissandflourish.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blisscoachkate/

Image Credits

both photos are by Kayleigh Brozik of Wild Soul Capture Co