We were lucky to catch up with Kathy Gates recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kathy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

I think we really limit kids in their thinking by creating defined paths and that style inhibits creativity and problem solving. For example, when I was in high school you had three tracks to choose from, 1.) someone who went to college and became a businessperson, a lawyer, a doctor, etc. Or, 2.) You went to trade school and became an electrician, a plumber, a tradesman. Or, 3.) You became a starving artist.

I can barely paint between the lines and society has its stigmas, so I chose option one, college. Needing four years to grow up more than anything, I struggled on a degree until my older sister nudged me towards advertising. Even when I got my account executive job at a major ad agency in New York, these lines were still drawn. The account team worked with the client, helped sell the agencies work and moved the project through the process while maintaining the client relationship. The creative team created. The planning department strategized. It wasn’t until I was working on my first major commercial project, I had an epiphany. I was introduced to someone who’s entire job was to find songs to put to commercials. This individual worked with the creative team at the agency, managed the deals with the artist and helped bring the commercial piece to life. I was dumbfounded. It broke all the rules of the tracks we place ourselves in and made me realize there were a wide scale of opportunities.

Looking back, working at an ad agency was the perfect education a young entrepreneur could experience. After all, with the salaries provided in advertising, you may as well as learn from the experiences.

I look back at those eight years of agency life as a type of non-formal masters degree style of education, I was able to work on, and study, a wide variety of businesses. With each client the team would evaluate the strengths, weaknesses and try to strategize ways to build the brand. I had a front row seat to a wide variety of clients from fortune 100 to non-profits. I was working on a Proctor and Gamble account in 2010 when the economy fell out and I was lucky enough to watch a company who has been around for 100 years respond. The lessons I learned from my pseudo masters degree were greatly impactful as I switched gears to being an entrepreneur.

Now, as businesswoman I still am an account executive moving projects through the creative team, the planning team, and the sales team…I am just leader of all the departments. I am more creative than I have ever been and more strategic, because I have to be. I love breaking down the avenues and being able to dance in-between roles, ‘wearing different hats’ as the pun goes.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

The Running Well Store is a run specialty store that specializes in a stride analysis matching the individual with the right shoe for their biomechanics. We are dedicated to ensuring we stock and understand the latest footwear technology to ensure the best footwear for injury prevention from walking, running to working. We pride ourselves in outstanding customer service and provide free workshops and weekly group runs/walks.

After working for several years in advertising, I knew I needed a change where I could concentrate on helping others achieve their goals. I wanted to combine my drive to help others with my passion for running and set out on a mission to establish one of the area’s best running stores. As I researched the area’s needs for a local running store, I did a cold call to the only running store in Kansas City’s Northland and asked to speak to the owner, Bob. The elderly gentleman enjoyed talking with me and was more than happy to allow me to shadow him on the daily routines for operating a small business. In March, 2013, after six months internship with Bob, I bought his store and became the proud owner of my rebranded Running Well Store (TRWS).

I sought staff who would reflect my personality, beliefs, and values; inclusive, welcoming, fair, passionate and driven to help others. My initial management team members were as opposite as they could be: one a middle aged, former education administrator and the other a 23 year old fresh out of college. Cultivating a culture that reflected my store as “family”, I capitalized on each employee’s strengths. I hired diverse people who represent the community and personally trained them so that my vision of a store that is service oriented, community focused, health and safety minded would be realized. With my sense of humor , honesty, fairness, development of interpersonal relationships among the all team members, openness to suggestions and feedback, I lead by example. The staff is loyal to me and I am to them.

As a service oriented store, TRWS has organized multiple races, started free supportive group runs/walks for our community and partnered with local charities raising money for:
• Girls on the Run
• Northland YMCA Learn to Swim Program Inspire Together
• 2017 Northland Half Marathon, Clay Johnson Foundation
• American Legion Post 318, Parkville, MO
• CDH Run for Little Hearts
• Synergy Services

TRWS provides a welcoming atmosphere for all who come into the store whether elite runner or one who is new to the idea of walking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Keeping the needs of the local community in mind, TRWS focuses on providing free clinics and workshops educating runners/walkers on proper shoe type through video stride analysis, health, wellness and nutrition, running equipment and an experienced, listening staff.

My staff’s personal work ethic, attention to customer satisfaction, and community involvement won Top 50 Best Running Stores in America award 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, 2020, 2021 which is sponsored by Insight Magazine. This award entails three criteria: a mystery shopping evaluation of the store, feedback from vendors, and input from customers on how TRWS serves the local community.

To stay up to date on injury prevention and the latest footwear trends, I and an employee attend the annual Running Event. Being a member of the Running Industry Association, I am involved in collaborative discourse, and inclusion for independently owned small running stores.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I don’t think we talk about the stress that entrepreneurs endure and its toll on our bodies and staff. In 2018 I was opening my third location and was under a lot of pressure as I managed the build out, increase to staff, challenges to operations and inventory levels. My body reacted physically, and I was convinced I had Crone’s Disease. In going into the doctor, I learned that I in fact had depression and anxiety.

I was shocked. I thought that the symptoms of depression were lack of energy and laying in bed all day, I was not doing that! Through therapy (and medicine) I learned that in highly motivated individuals’ depression can rear its head in unproductive ways for business leaders: anger and insecurity.

As I learned how to get myself mentally healthy, I realized how the depression held me back from being the best leader I could be. I noticed simple things “setting me off” and worry to an unhealthy degree if I was making the right choices or saying the right things to my staff. I was indecisive, insecure and constantly on edge.

I now have a lot more empathy for people who have rage and insecurities as I have felt what it did to me and saw how it impacted the team. I am lucky to have a good doctor to spot what was going on and the ability to pay for a therapist to help me see the signs so I can avoid getting in that bad of a spot again.

As we transition to the current state, I am moving my original location and in the middle of a new build out, the biggest project I have ever taken on. It is going to be beautiful and a great experience for my staff and customers. However, I noticed those little nagging signs of anxiety creeping back into my life. I decided it was back to get into the routine of seeing a therapist to make sure I stayed healthy and a good leader for my team.

I think many entrepreneurs suffer the consequences of the stress we put our bodies through. We are all resilient in our ways we cope with this stress. I know I am in a fortunate place where I can afford care that helps set me up for success and I hope these resources become more readably available for our community.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

This is an important conversation for all retailers to have and to continue to innovate as the landscape changes quickly.

Just nine years ago when I started The Running Well Store hosting group runs and having a rewards program was enough to keep customers coming back. Since then drip email campaigns have become incredibly affordable to small businesses and we can now send text messages and emails that are incredibly specific to the customers habits.

A new customer has shopped at my store? Thank you email.

A customer views a product on my website? Google console ads.

Rewards that are about to expire? Email reminder.

Purchased shoes six months ago? Did you know how long shoes last email.

We have not seen a client in a year? Here is a discount email.

A customer purchased only shoes? Here is an email about the importance of socks, bras.

We still host group runs and community events, however the affordability of these drip campaigns are important to make sure that when the customer is thinking about a purchase, we remind them about shopping with us.

Contact Info:

• Website: TheRunningWellStore.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therunningwellstore/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therunningwellstore
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-gates-472b3826/