Ep. 2: How I Started My 7-Figure Venue Business With Just $10K (And What I'd Do Differently Now)

Thinking about starting a business but overwhelmed by where to begin? You’re not alone, and you don’t need millions to make it happen.

In Episode 2 of The Venue Underground, I break down the first 5 steps I took to start my creative business from scratch. I didn’t have a roadmap, investors, or a business partner. Just a $10,000 budget, a lot of late nights, and the guts to try something new while my personal life was falling apart.

Today, I run multiple wedding venues, a franchise brand, and a seven-figure company, but I built it from the ground up (literally — our podcast is recorded in a Cold War fallout shelter under one of my venues).

Whether you’re dreaming of launching a venue, planning your exit from a 9–5, or scaling a side hustle — this episode gives you the exact first steps I’d recommend now.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How to start a business with no outside funding

• The difference between starting lean vs. over-investing

• Why your brand identity matters more than your office furniture

• How I got free professional photos without a single client

• What to put on your website to attract ideal customers

• How to gather feedback that actually improves your business

• Why emotional resilience is the secret skill no one talks about

This episode isn’t a Pinterest-perfect blueprint — it’s the real, messy, honest truth about what it looks like to build a business during a breakup, with a toddler in tow, and no guaranteed outcome.

And it’s packed with actionable advice for first-time entrepreneurs, venue owners, and women who are ready to stop dreaming and start doing.

🎧 Listen to Episode 2 on Spotify
📺 Watch it on YouTube

XO,

Kate