Kate, we met at an awards ceremony in Bath, where your company, Planty Kate, was a finalist in the Creative Awards category. Congratulations in making it to the final in a very competitive field. I immediately had you down for my ‘Inspirational Woman’ section.

Planty Kate does sound as if you should be selling herbs but it’s a bit more than that, isn’t it? Can you describe just what ‘Planty Kate’ is?

Planty Kate grew out of a love of all things plant. I initially grew plants and grew so many I had to share them. I sold plants at Frome Independent & naturally collaborated with others on plant based products. I started to learn more about the ingredients used in these products and wanted to make adjustments to these to make them as eco & natural as possible, so enrolled on a course to learn about organic skin care formulation.

Scent and Candles

Whilst learning about scent I started making my own blends and testing them out in candles. The fascination and love of scent grew. By this time it was too late. Children had started calling me Planty Kate instead of Auntie Kate and the name stuck. People greet me in the street now by that name so it seems  the most straightforward name for what I am & do.

Can we go right back? Where did you grow up? What were you like in school? Were their signs of your entrepreneurial flair and the inspirational woman you were to become back then?

I grew up in various places from Hertford, to the Midlands and down to Devon. My Mum’s side of the family is based in Devon & Cornwall. I guess the various moves meant you had to be pretty friendly to settle into new places.

My Grandparents in Devon were keen gardeners (my Gran grew up on a farm in Cornwall and my Grandfather worked for the Ministry of Agriculture ) Their garden was amazing and always abundant with beautiful plants. We ate all the lovely things they grew and I loved being in it and noticing all the seasonal changes.  

Friends & Family & Cooking

Friends and family used to come over a lot and my Gran was a great cook and was always feeding someone.  My grandparents looked after us whilst my Mum worked and often we would stay over. I have many happy memories of my their house and making and growing things there. 

I’ve always loved drawing. My Dad was an architect and I grew up watching him create these beautiful technical drawings which were done by hand then.

Fashion

My Gran taught me to sew and knit. I drew a lot, too, and always knew I wanted to be in fashion. From a very young age I was an absolute pain about what I would wear. I am ashamed to say I threw some school shoes over the garden wall because I didn’t agree with wearing  them as I thought they were too square! At senior school I organised a charity fashion show and got all the best Independents to lend us their clothes for the event.

I studied Fashion, then went to design for companies on the High Street such as River Island, Wallis and Warehouse and then set up business with my then business partner supplying into them.

Where do you think your entrepreneurial bent came from? 

I think watching my Dad who ran his own architects practice and being on site with him you always felt party to the projects he was working on. It just was naturally part of life growing up.

You’ve had a lot of different roles. Women are frequently described as ‘risk averse” (which drives me bonkers as men are held as the standard bearer, the norm, for risk. Maybe they take too many risks…?) Anyway, let me climb off my soap box. You do not seem to have trouble with taking risks. What has been your biggest ‘risk-take’ to date?

I have taken a couple of fairly big risks regarding work based on instinct and am very glad I did.

Risky Business

I worked for Wallis. The culture of the business didn’t feel like the right fit for me, so I handed my notice in with no real idea of what I would do next, but obviously knowing I had to get on and do something that felt right. It was the best decision because I ended up doing a freelance job at Warehouse that bloomed into a very happy & successful time all round.

At a similar time I worked for a supplier with another colleague. Together we helped to develop and grow the business. However, he failed to honour certain promises to us so we both left and when we got on the plane put together our range of samples and took them to all our retail friends on the high street.

Within a year we had a very big business, and achieved with  a brilliant relationship with the factories we worked with and our friends on the high street.

What’s been the best business decision you’ve made?

Trust your instincts and go with what you feel is right at the time. Hence I started my own business. 

First Job

Before I delve deeper into how Planty Kate came about it would be interesting to hear about your very first job. Do you remember what it was? Mine was as a Saturday girl in Marcus Stores, Chatham. One pound a day! Have you taken anything from that first job into your current role? I certainly learned a lot about retail in my first job. And boys, if I’m honest (Marcus Stores sold boys clothes, it was bliss).

I did tons of part time jobs to whilst at college and university. The first summer I could work I did 3 jobs to buy a car. I was obsessed with getting a Volkswagen beetle. I bought an orange one by the end of the summer. I literally loved that car.

Sadly, my driving skills were very poor and it took a long time and several brave driving instructors to pass. My younger brother passed his driving test a couple of days after his birthday and I cried my eyes out because he passed before I did!

Waitress in a Cocktail Bar?

I’ve been a waitress, worked in bars, sold ice creams at a donkey sanctuary. I have also worked in clothes shops, at festivals and had  a stall at Portobello.

So, back to Planty Kate. How did you end up in Bath with a glorious business based around plants?

I ended up in Bath by degrees. I had been working in London for lots of years and bought a little house in Larkhall that I used to escape to at weekends, Devon was just a bit too far, but I knew I needed a change of scenery.

Gradually I ended up working from Bath and just nipping up to London for meetings and then when I had my daughter I settled here properly.

Most Influential Person

Who has been the most influential person on you, personally and professionally?

Pretty much all my family have had some influence in how I grew up and the things I became passionate about, but I would also say I have always worked with some pretty inspiring people and have gained something from all these relationships. Even at nearly 50 I speak to my Mum most days and she is a patient and supporting sounding board for whatever is going on in my life.

She has great kindness and emotional intelligence and will not hesitate to tell me things from her view point, even if it’s not something I want to hear at that particular moment, but one I will inevitably mull it over and come back to later.

Is there a woman from history that you would have liked to have known?

There’s so many! I could fill endless dream dinner party tables with women from history. I cannot pick one because I would feel like I had let another one down!

Business Advice From An Inspirational Woman

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received in relation to starting up a business?

Do what you really believe in because you will do it so much better. As soon as you are able get the right people doing the right jobs for you. 

What advice would you pass onto to your younger self about the path of your career?

Don’t be intimidated by anyone just because they’ve been doing what they do much longer than you. Be respectful, but remember the enthusiasm and optimism of youth and it’s fresh eyes are an infectious brilliant energy. Whoever you are dealing will remember that & know how exciting that is.

We all bring something to the table and we are all have our unique strengths.

Bath Life Awards

Coming back to where we came in, what prompted you to enter the Bath Life Awards?

I entered Bath Life awards because I am part of the Bath community and want to get my business out there, so that it’s recognised and known. That does not happen if you just sit on the  sofa! I’m proud of the products we make and the people I work with and want to celebrate that.

Ruler Of All For One Day

If you were in charge of the UK for one day, what changes would you make?

I would go on a taxation spree; I would chase up businesses that don’t pay their taxes here, but reap massive profits from their activities in the UK . And I would heavily increase taxation on products in single use packaging to discourage their consumption.

I’d use this revenue to invest in school and educational resources. To bring inspirational people from all sectors into classrooms & to send children into a variety of environments including thief own local communities. They can then learn about people from diverse backgrounds and the different life paths & career opportunities that are out there.

I would bring equality teaching into schools for all, so that our children had an informed understanding of their behaviours and consequences. Sharing experience & learning first hand is the best education and greatest confidence builder.

Ok, that’s decided; I’m voting for you!

PlantyKate Discount for Readers

If you’d like to try out some of PlantyKate’s wares for yourself, (and why wouldn’t you, they are SO gorgeous) I can share a first time discount code with you. (Thanks, Kate!). Simply go to Kate’s website PlantyKate.co.uk and enter the discount code FIRSTORDER10% when prompted. Let’s support all our women entrepreneurs – the world needs more wonderful women doing it their way!

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Posted on March 23rd, 2022 by Jane