1.  We love educating women on pitching with confidence. Can you please give us your best 30 second pitch?‍

Sure, my business is Katie Gallagher, PR and Media. I'm a journalist and PR specialist. This means I work with my clients to help them find their unique story and share it with the world. I help my clients to get published in magazines, newspapers, radio, TV, and this boosts brand awareness, brand credibility, and hopefully translates into more sales.

2. 30% of women start their business on maternity leave. A further one in nine start whilst pregnant, which is phenomenal. Can you share a little about your experience? What flexibility do you have now and what does that mean with such a young child?‍

I was working as a TV reporter and presenter, and I had hoped that I would be able to return to work part-time after having my son. When I broached this with my employer they said ‘no it's a full-time position’, and they weren't really prepared to negotiate on that, and I wasn't prepared to negotiate either really in terms of going back full-time. I really was so excited to be a mum and wanted to spend as much time as possible with my little boy. So we had this situation where my husband was working really long hours, then added pressure of interest rates, you know, high cost of living. I needed to go back to work in some capacity. And I thought, well, I know about writing stories, and I knowhow the media industry works. I should try my hand at doing some PR. I know what it's like on the other side. And so I picked up a couple of clients from a business Facebook group that I was in and it kind of took off from there. I didn't expect it to be successful. I sort of felt like I didn't really know what I was doing. But I'd give it a crack and it's been wonderful. I have so much more flexibility now. I am working, but sometimes it feels like I'm not because I can still go out and catch up with my friends for coffee. I can still go to play group. I can still bake in the kitchen with my little boy whenever I want and I can work my work around his schedule and that's such a blessing.

3. As you are in the early stage of your business, how would you describe your relationship to risk as a micro business owner? Is there anything that you wish that you had more of?‍

It's a tricky one. I hadn't given this a whole lot of thought. PR in general, you have to be mindful of things like defamation, and certainly if you're doing PR for a big business and then they have something not so positive happen and you've got to be in damage control. You know there's a lot of risk involved in that side, but because I'm generally working with small businesses and doing proactive media and sharing really positive and good stories that's not something that I'm too worried about. There is a risk financially in that I don't have stable work, regular hours, a regular salary. If something was to happen and my clients dropped off, if the financial climate as it is, if people decide PR is not something they can really afford, that puts me in a tricky position or like everyone who owns their own business, if I was to become sick or something was to happen, I had to stop all my work, I've got no backup or anything there. So I guess that's the thing I think of the most, how to try and cover myself financially.

‍