Welcome to Conversations with Authors, where I – Alison Thompson, AKA The Proof Fairy – meet amazing authors and find out what inspires them to write and what advice they would offer other aspiring authors.
My guest today is Kath Parrington, who combined a corporate career in finance with a lifelong love of words to write her first book. “The REAL Business Plan” is a simple, no nonsense guide to writing a business plan that takes out all the angst and complication and makes it a straightforward process.
During our conversation we talk about the process of turning a process into a book, owning your expert status and using networking as a marketing tool. Kath also tells me about some of the problems she encountered using Amazon’s publishing service.
More About Kath Parrington
Kath Parrington is a natural-born planner. Planning is in her DNA. Entering the corporate world at the age of 22 she planned to have made her exit before turning 50. She achieved it aged 47. Through big business, she learned a lot about planning. And goal setting. And measuring. How to overcomplicate it, how the wrong goals drive the wrong behaviours, how planning is seen as boring, a chore, something most people avoid. And yet her own experience was that a clear plan can deliver your dreams. So, she’s now trying to make planning simple and fun!
If you’re interested in the academic stuff, Kath has a law degree, a post-graduate certificate in Business Excellence and a Masters degree in Business Administration. That’s probably as close as you will get if you’re looking for a formal qualification in business plans. And as most entrepreneurs will tell you, education doesn’t teach you how to run a business. What’s probably more important is that Kath makes an independent living from sound investment decisions she made 30 years ago. She has a property business and a coaching consultancy. All of this runs successfully through her planning habits.
You can find out more about Kath on LinkedIn and Facebook. But all you really need to know is that her passion is making planning simple. Oh, and dogs. Kath loves dogs.
Links:
Website: http://mymasterplan.co.uk
Blog site: https://kathparrington.org
