Kim Harrison has taken her passion and experience and poured them into two entrepreneurial pursuits.
Executive Results Coach
As a Results Coach, Kim inspires Executives to achieve their true potential through brain-based coaching.
Accounting for Entrepreneurs
As CEO of Momento Accounting, Kim provides peace of mind to business owners by attending to all their accounting needs, freeing them up to concentrate on their passion within the business.
Kim is this month’s Featured Mom Entrepreneur. Here’s our interview.
Becoming an Entrepreneur
Lauren When did you take the decision to become an Entrepreneur?
Kim 2018 after I was retrenched.
Lauren Why did you take the decision to become an Entrepreneur?
Kim After some reflection time I realised that I needed to step out of the corporate world and realise one of my dreams. Ever since I qualified as a C.A. I noticed a niche in the market of attending to all entrepreneur’s accounting requirements.
I provide this service to small-medium-size businesses on a part-time basis thereby enabling entrepreneurs to concentrate on their passion.
During my reflection time, I had an experience that awakened my other passion, that of helping people reach their potential.
I completed an ICF accredited brain-based coaching course with exceptional tools to aid entrepreneurs, MD’s, CEO’s, FD’s and CFO’s to realise their most inspiring goals, deal with dilemma and most importantly create new habits through their amazing insights during the coaching experience.
Lauren Is this your first entrepreneurial pursuit?
Kim Yes for me personally, however, I have aided my life partner with the opening and running of 3 of his businesses.
Career Highs and Lows
Lauren What highs or lows have you had in your career as an Entrepreneur?
Kim Highs – the concepts and idea of what to do, who I’m serving etc.
Lows – how to go about it, going into areas like marketing which are a step out of the comfort zone.
Lauren What has been the number one highlight of your career?
Kim Aiding a financial service business to start up and grow from 8 employees to 74, including the setup of 2 departments.
Lauren What has been the greatest challenge for you to overcome in your career?
Kim Being retrenched and the emotional elements that brings to the table.
Motherhood
Lauren What has been the number one highlight of Motherhood for you?
Kim Growing with my children, connecting with them and learning from them.
Lauren What has been the greatest challenge for you to overcome as a Mother?
Kim Being mentally present with my children without thinking about work requirements.
Work-Life Balance
Lauren Has it been tricky balancing work and home life?
Kim Yes, I am learning. A dear friend of mine explained to me that working for yourself is like having a 7-day diary in which you can schedule the activities you want to do. School activities are treated as meetings and the time that you might have been working is slotted into the evening or another convenient time. A mindset change, I know, but I’m learning.
Lauren Do you have any daily rituals to maintain your work-life balance?
Kim Not yet. I am putting into practice some of the wonderful tools I have learnt on the coaching course on Health Mental Platter. Watch this space.
Entrepreneurship
Lauren What do you love most about being a Mom Entrepreneur?
Kim The flexibility I have now.
Lauren Is there anything you feel you gained by becoming an Entrepreneur?
Kim I have gained my voice, ability to express myself and learn new skills, even if they are scary to face!
Lauren All things considered do you feel it was a good decision to become an Entrepreneur?
Kim Yes, especially while my children are younger and I can be a part of their lives. I also have a unique ability that I would like to share with the world.
Lauren Where do you work most days?
Kim In the entertainment area in our house, but it is lonely, so coffee shops are becoming a part of life for me.
Lauren How many days per week do you work, on average?
Kim 4 ½ days
Lauren How many hours do you estimate you work per day, on average?
Kim 6 but some days are longer to about 9 hours. Depending on the accounting requirements and deadlines.
Passion and Meaning
Lauren Do you feel you are living your passion?
Kim Yes I love it.
Lauren If you were to die tomorrow, would you be at peace knowing you had lived a full, happy and meaningful life?
Kim No I still have too much to give. Time is short, I need to get out there and share my gifts.
Lauren Or would you feel you were dying with your song unsung?
Kim Definitely.
Advice for Entrepreneurs
Lauren What advice would you give someone just starting out as an Entrepreneur?
Kim Understand your core offering, target market and how to communicate your offering to them. And never give up!
Lauren Is there anything you know now, that you wish you knew when you started out as an Entrepreneur?
Kim Yes. The marketing elements and technical requirements to market your business.
Advice for Moms
Lauren Is there anything you know now, that you wish you knew when you first became a Mom?
Kim Yes. Children grow up too fast, do not sweat the small things, enjoy the moment.
Hopes, Plans and Fears
Lauren What are your hopes and plans for 2020?
Kim To complete my coaching hours to become accredited by providing coaching for 120 hours and to have an accounting business of brilliant clients.
Lauren What are your fears?
Kim Stepping out of my comfort zone to market myself.
Tools and Training
Lauren Which tools of the trade have been enormously helpful for you?
Kim The accounting knowledge I had when I started, exposure to business through the start-up company and my involvement in my partner’s businesses.
Lauren Are there any courses or studies you feel have been essential to your success?
Kim Understanding Instagram, Facebook etc. to get known out there.
How Can I Help You?
Lauren If there was anything I could help you with, what it would it be?
Kim Parting with your entrepreneurial experience – do’s and don’ts as an entrepreneur and how to use social media effectively.
Lauren Who is your target market? If I were to give you a referral, who would I be looking for?
Kim My Target Market on the Accounting side is Small to medium size business who need assistance with growing their business but do not have the accounting insight to do so.
On the Coaching side, I’m targeting entrepreneurs, business owners, CFO’s and MD’s who feel they have not reached their full potential in life and would like to stretch themselves and learn new insights to develop new habits.
Visit Kim’s Website
www.kimharrison.co.za
Connect with Kim on LinkedIn
Such and inspiring story! I can’t imagine the emotions you go through when retrenched. But standing up again to create your own entrepreneurial journey makes it all worth it in the end. I love the bit about knowing your offering and audience and how to communicate that offering to the right people. It’s so so important.
How lovely to read Kim’s interview! Love her business card!
It takes so much courage to decide to start one’s own business, what with all the uncertainty it brings with being your own boss. It is inspiring to read how Kim decided to leverage her expertise to help businesses as well as to empower others through coaching! Thank you so much, Lauren! Truly, Knowledge is Power.