Good Business: An Interview with All You Need Method
MEET KATHRYN AND CARLA!
When we first heard about the All You Need Method through our good friend Nan Phillip, we knew we had to chat with the co-founders Kathryn Worsham Humphries and Carla Nikitaidis. Kathryn and Carla have over 30+ years of combined experience working across brand strategy and PR, and even worked together once upon a time in NYC. They always dreamed of working together again – and when the pandemic hit, the two were brought together by kismet. Kathryn and Carla saw an opportunity to help solopreneurs, content creators, creative entrepreneurs, and small businesses who were not ready to bring on an agency or consultant learn how to tell their own stories and build a lasting brand – and the All You Need Method was born, creating an affordable online course called the Brand Starter Kit. We love that Carla and Kathryn are helping the next generation of women in business start their own companies – enjoy this inspiring interview with this dynamic duo!
We are so excited to be chatting with you, Kathryn and Carla!
Thank you so much for having us!
Describe your style in three words or less:
Kathryn: Classic, collected, imperfect
Carla: Simple, casual, beachy
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
Kathryn: Interning for Michelle Adams (co-founder of Lonny and former EIC of Domino), reading Teen Vogue loyally as a teenager, and spending my college summers interning in New York and absorbing everything I could about fashion, art, and interior design.
Carla: My best friend Kelley Carter, a former magazine editor and now the fashion home director at Bloomingdales taught me everything about style. She helped train my eye to look at things from an editorial perspective. To play with proportions, textures, layers, and how to use different elements to curate a look or a space. Working in the home and lifestyle industry in New York for ten years surrounded by the best photographers, editors, stylists, creatives, and designers turned dear friends, like Elizabeth Bauer, had a profound influence. My grandmother was the most effortlessly chic and stylish woman I’ve ever known, and I still hear her words of wisdom in my head when I’m getting dressed, or setting a beautiful table.
How did you two meet, and how and why did you start the All You Need Method:
Carla: Kathryn and I met over 10 years ago in New York when she joined my boutique PR agency CMN PR. We specialized in launching and working with early-stage design and lifestyle brands, including Spindrift, Alton Lane, Elizabeth Bauer Design, Kim Sybert, Decor NYC, Zatista, and so many more.
We worked with an incredible portfolio of brands and experts and when one of our clients presented the opportunity for our team to come work in-house we decided to move the business in that direction. It was a big transition and risk, but we went for it and eventually, it took us in different directions. Kathryn stayed in New York and went on to work on the Global content and social media team at Gap, and I started a new chapter out in San Francisco that led me to transition into the consumer tech world. I worked both in-house and on the agency side for venture-backed startups, leading consumer tech companies, and retail brands such as Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Nest, and Airbnb, to name a few.
We always stayed in touch and dreamed about working together again. In early 2020, I left my role at a leading communications firm in LA and took the leap once again to go off on my own. Kathryn was also consulting on her own at the time and we started brainstorming about how we could build a business again. The traditional PR agency model has become outdated and inefficient for many small business owners and creative entrepreneurs and we wanted to come up with a better solution.
When the pandemic hit, it reinforced what we were already brainstorming about – so many small business owners were struggling, or pivoting, or even seeing unexpected success from the pandemic. With all the changes in the media landscape, the rise of social media platforms, content creation, brand storytelling, and influencer marketing, it was no longer a “nice to have” for small business owners to have a digital presence. Traditional PR & Marketing agencies require a monthly retainer that many small business owners are priced out of. We saw a huge opportunity to help solopreneurs, content creators, creative entrepreneurs, and small businesses - who are not ready to bring on an agency or consultant - learn how to tell their own stories and build a lasting brand. The idea for All You Need Method grew out of this time.
Who is the All You Need Method for, and what will they learn from it:
Both: All You Need Method is a PR & brand strategy consulting firm for small business owners, creative entrepreneurs, and digital creators who are looking to grow their business through PR, social media, content creation, influencer marketing, and strategic partnerships.
We are not a traditional agency and do not take on monthly retainer clients. We offer a range of ways to work with us and to learn the approach that we have used over the past 20+ years with clients. As a starting point, we offer free guidance and resources through our newsletter and Instagram @allyouneedmethod. We have an online course The Brand Starter Kit, 1:1 Strategy Sessions over Zoom, live workshops, and custom client projects.
Our approach centers on teaching the fundamentals of building a brand: establishing the substance and personality of your business so you can evolve beyond selling a product or service and become a leader in your industry. Especially in our social media-driven world, having a brand foundation in place can take a lot of the guesswork out of showing up online and telling your own story. Our objective for everyone we work with is to learn our simple but powerfully effective and scalable way to build a lasting brand.
What is one piece of advice you can share with someone who wants to start their own business:
Kathryn: Get a business partner! :) Also, get really clear on your “why” and who you’re building your business for – and how you will make a positive difference in their lives. This will be a guiding light as you make decisions, and it will keep you motivated when things are tough (which is inevitable!). And be prepared to iterate and evolve again and again. You learn so much in the early days of starting a business, and you have to be willing to take steps backward in order to move forward.
What’s a myth you want to debunk about starting a business:
Kathryn: That once your business is off the ground it will take off in the first year. You also can’t compare yourself or buy into “unicorn” stories. Even if something appears to be an overnight success, it most likely isn’t.
Carla: That you will be “doing what you love” every day. At the start, you will most likely be doing it all. The bookkeeping, the taxes, the grunt work. Entrepreneurship can be a romanticized endeavor. It requires next-level self-awareness and honesty with yourself. Know what makes you motivated and go in with your eyes wide open. Be patient and willing to put in the work. It’s so worth it.
What was your favorite and least favorite part when you started your own businesses:
Kathryn: Favorite: After years of helping other small business owners build their brands, it has been an exciting chapter to build our own. I enjoy the creative aspects of starting a business, such as creating a brand mood board and selecting fonts, colors, and logos. My least favorite part would probably be the technical aspects of running a digital business, like setting up the back end of our website. Although I do like to nerd out on Google Analytics.
Carla: I love meeting and working with our clients! They are so inspiring and creative and just all around amazing. It’s so rewarding seeing their progress and the results of our method. My least fave is that I’ve had a really hard time getting comfortable with putting my face out there on social media. I’m used to being behind the scenes so that has been out of my comfort zone for sure. I’ve had to take my own advice that we give to many of the clients we work with to get out there and just do it!
It’s such an interesting time in the workforce, where pretty much anyone can really start their own business in the age of social media and influencer marketing. How important are social media skills when starting a business? Are they necessary?
Both: This is one of the primary reasons we created All You Need Method. It is no longer a nice-to-have, it is a must-have. Not only are social media skills essential to starting a business, but learning the fundamentals of brand strategy and storytelling are just as important. While many business owners might get some initial momentum from posting on their own, learning how to strategically position your brand, how to describe your business, how to stand out in your industry, and create a unique, differentiated brand are critical. Without a brand foundation and story, many small business owners get stuck when it comes to social media. They don’t know what to post outside of their products or services, and their social media efforts fall flat. A brand foundation takes your business beyond your products or services and leads to content that adds value to your target audience, rather than just selling to them. This content shift allows you to connect with your dream customers, build their trust, and turn them into loyal customers.
This is what we teach in our online course, the Brand Starter Kit. We help you learn how to build a brand foundation to tell your own unique story so that all your efforts across social media, PR, partnerships, and digital marketing work together to grow your business.
What is one thing someone can do today if they're ready to take this next step?
Both: If you’re ready to take the leap and start your own business, congrats! That is a huge step in itself. Start by writing down your “why,” what problem you’re solving and for whom. Keep it on your desk as a motivational reminder. If you’re ready to dive in and get clear on your goals, target audience, what makes your business different, your mission, your unique founding story, and how to tell your story, check out our online course.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food:
Kathryn: it’s impossible for me to choose one! If you go out to eat with me I will want to order everything and share. French fries with mayo always make me happy.
Carla: I share Kathryn’s enthusiasm for food. : ) I recently traveled to Italy for the international Truffle Festival in Alba and that was an incredible experience. I love to eat locally wherever I go, whether that’s tacos in Houston, escargot in Paris, or fresh seafood in Rhode Island in the summers. I also love a good burger!
Drink:
Kathryn: French red wine or an extra dirty Tito’s martini (extra dirty, extra dry, extra snacks)
Carla: Organic wine, a spritz on a sunny afternoon, or Tito's martini (straight up with a twist)
Film:
Kathryn: You’ve Got Mail
Carla: Troop Beverly Hills
Hotel:
Kathryn: Predi Son Jaumell in Mallorca
Carla: My neighborhood gem is The Proper Hotel in Santa Monica
City:
Kathryn: London
Carla: a tie between Paris and Rome. Stockholm and Milan are a close second.
Bedding:
Kathryn: Parachute sateen sheets and linen duvet cover, and printed sheets from Biscuit
Carla: Simple white organic cotton sheets layered with a chic blanket, extra pillows, and a cozy throw in fun colors and patterns. I currently have a print from the Matouk Schumaker collection in my bedroom and it brings me joy.
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it):
Kathryn: black coffee in the morning, a whole milk flat white in the afternoon, and turmeric ginger tea in the evening
Carla: I dream of drinking Italian coffee everyday. It just tastes better! When I’m home in the states it’s black coffee with coconut milk or an almond milk cappuccino with cinnamon.
Playlist:
Kathryn: my dinner party playlist
Carla: My music is all over the place. I simply cannot sit still if I hear any 90’s
Hip hop or rap, 80’s jams, jazz, The Temptations, Abba, I love oldies. Taylor Swift, Whitney Houston, Madonna, and the list goes on.
Weekend Activity:
Kathryn: walking to get croissants and coffee with Jim and Annie
Carla: Beach walks with my dog Sunny and going to my favorite pilates class.
Design Book:
Kathryn: British Designers At Home and Beata Heuman: Every Room Should Sing
Carla: The Big Book of Chic