October 10, 2014

Kate Dubauskas, Truelove & Co

Fashion & Accessories | Terrigal, New South Wales, Australia

At a Glance

Kate owns Truelove & Co, a Jewellery & Accessories label established in 2014.

Bio The path that led her to this point

When I finished Year 12 (seems like a million years ago) I had no interest in University and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

My boyfriend and I started a small fortnightly "zine". He taught himself Graphic Design and I became the Editor/Advertising Sales Manager.

This led to a very short lived Production Assistant job at 3D World which then led to a whole bunch of nothing jobs and a whole lot of travel.

I was trying to "find myself" I suppose.

None of my "career" ideas ever really stuck.

Then I kind of fell in to a job with a major Media Agency.

It stuck.

I married my Graphic Designer Boyfriend and stayed in similar Media roles with a couple of different Agencies for the next 10 years (with 2 Maternity Leaves thrown in for good measure).

Then, early in 2014 I was made redundant. Panic set in.

I then realised that this was exactly what I'd been waiting for.

Suddenly I was free to explore what I really wanted to do with my life.

I went to Bali to visit a friend who was living there.

While there I met with a Jewellery manufacturer and showed them some designs I'd been working on for the past few months.

The idea had originally been to have them made "some day" but now I was looking at unemployment and realised I'd been given a gift.

Before I knew it I had my samples and the beginning of a real business.

That Graphic Designer Husband of mine had turned in to a Digital Designer and built me an online store ready for my designs to be produced and stocked.

I finally feel like I've found what I'm supposed to do with my life and it feels amazing.

Q&A Insider advice & tips

What's been your greatest achievement to date?

That's a hard one to answer. Personally it's been my two kids - but then I can't take all the credit for how awesome they are. Professionally I'm going to say resisting the urge to run and get another job after being made redundant and having the courage to start my own business.

What's been your biggest challenge so far?

Facing the fear of not having a regular income is a huge challenge. After so many years of working for other people you really get used to that monthly pay day.

Best lesson you've learned along the way?

It would have been nice to have a little more time to plan my business rather than having to jump in with no savings stashed away but then I may never have done it if I hadn't been thrown in to it.

A website, book or resource that has helped you in your business or inspired you and why?

I LOVE Renegade Collective. It is the most inspirational magazine and really helped me to realise that it's never too late to completely change your career path.

Which person or brand do you most admire and why?

Spell Designs. About 5 years ago I visited their stall at Byron Bay Markets. Now they've gone Global with zillions of followers, stockists all over the world and a store in Byron Bay.

I've been following them from the beginning, they've really harnessed the power of Social Media to build their brand.

What advice would you give someone starting an independent business in your industry?

Come back to me in a year or so when I've figured it all out myself. My current mantra is "Fake it till you make it".