So, hello everyone, it's Mandy and Judith back again to unveil some more insights. Hello. Um, before we explain a little bit about what we are doing back here, um, firstly just wanted to thank everyone who's given us fantastic feedback on the first series. It's been really gratifying to know that it's been useful for some of you. and for those of you who haven't had the first series, just a reminder that it was set up to tackle some of those really naughty business issues that get chucked at. In market research. So we are looking at things from both the client side and an agency side perspective. Um, do go back and have a, have a listen and download. So, Judith, why are we back then? Wow, why are we back? So as part of that lovely feedback that we got, um, there, there was a bit of a, uh, request for a second series, and we'd love to do that. But, um, we don't have time to do a full series. We've both got other projects on the go, but what we have done is put together some bonus episodes and these are about people with, non-traditional jobs in the market search sector. And, uh, we hope you find them really, really interesting. because it's all about the, the wonderful contribution that they make. Well, we really hope you enjoy the, the episodes and do let us know what you think. So Mandy, who have we got for this episode? So, uh, for this episode, we are interviewing, or I'm interviewing a lady called Kat Aino. Um, Kat is a co-founder of a business called Imagine Insights. And the reason I thought. This would be really good for this series is because I wanted to find entrepreneurs within our sector. Um,'cause I think actually the market research sector's been entrepreneurial for a while. I mean, it is a sector, we have a lot of small businesses, but it strikes me that it's not one that's generally associated with entrepreneurial behavior and endeavors. Um, but I see it all the time, and as I say, this particular agency. For me, represent everything you would see from an entrepreneurial behavior. Um, they're, they're really fast, they're continuously improving. They're always really upbeat and ready for anything and, and, you know, reaching out, ready to help. So, yeah, I thought it'd be a really good, really good interview. I. And indeed it is. Wow. Sounds exciting. I can't wait to listen to that. Okay. So I'm here today with Kat. Um, Kat, I'm gonna get you to introduce yourself and just tell us a little bit about your career date. I. Sure. Thank you. I'm Kat Nu. I am the co-founder of Imagine Insights. We enable our clients to crowdsource qualitative feedback, ideas, and insights from our communities all via our Imagine Index. And we have access to 37,000 global consumers, and that spans across three generations. So Gen Zed, millennials, and Gen X. And how did I get to this point? Well, it's uh, probably a bit unconventional. I loved school, but I chose not to go to university and instead I followed this pull towards travel, but also work. And I just really wanted to get started. I actually started out in media agencies in a digital role and building my career between London and on Australia. And then later moved to a publisher. But deep down, I always had this entrepreneurial itch. And in 2009, I co-founded a female network called Dawn. Which man successfully for a decade. And at that time there wasn't really anything accessible to junior to mid-level women. And then in 2014, I launched my consultancy working with agencies, brands, startups, on operational based projects. In 2019, I co-founded Imagine. And during the pandemic, I actually qualified as a personal trainer and I started my PT business in 2022, and then more recently added indoor cycling to that. So I qualified as a spin instructor in 2024. I mean, it's always, fitness has kind of always been. You know, a big passion of mine. But during Covid I kind of went, well, I'd just had a baby, we'd started the business. So everything was kind of, you know, crazy and I just thought, but what, I don't know what's gonna happen after the pandemic, so what could I do? Could I have an online business where I was training people? And that's, you know, the rise of online fitness was absolutely huge during those years. And then I've kind of gone, great, well if I do another qualification and I become a spin instructor, then you know, if we sell, imagine or if you know, who knows in, in five years what's gonna happen? I've always got something else. And that's, yeah, that's really where it's driven from. so that's really, really entrepreneurial. So it would be really good to get inside your head. Um. What is this entrepreneurial itch? Then why, why would you want to be an entrepreneur, and particularly within the market research industry, what, what draws you to, to that as a, as a place where you can kind of create new ideas? It started when I, I always had this idea that I wanted to do something myself and I loved being agency side. You know, it was a fantastic part of my career and it's, it's shaped who I am to date for sure. But there was something inside me that was going. I don't know if I want to follow the traditional path of that hierarchy, and I'm really keen to try stuff and just see if it works and see if I can do something that is a real passion point of. So what had fascinated me in the agency days was very much the insight behind the strategy. So I kept asking, what does the data mean? How does this change things? And that curiosity naturally pulled me towards research. So having built my own business, I knew that I had the foundations to do that again, but this time in a space that felt really meaningful to me. And I met my co-founder on LinkedIn and we were both doing very separate things, but talking about very similar things. And the vision that we shared was around giving young people a voice to shape their futures. And when we started, imagine we were solely focused on Gen Z on young people, and we had spotted a gap in the market, which was quote, insights at scale. And brands were doing loads of research, but they weren't to us really hearing the perspectives of consumers from a qual perspective, especially diverse ones. So we basically built Imagine to change that. That's, and, and as a user, imagine, I, I, I know that the beauty there is that you are hearing it in their own voice. You are hearing it immediately as they would type it in, say social or something. So it is, it is a great tool. Exactly. What's then, what's the best thing about your role? What, describe some really a, a really good day for you. The best thing, I mean, we have an amazing team, so firstly, that's just a pleasure to be able to work with incredible people that are all very different. But the, one of the best things is that we have thousands and thousands of insights written in multiple languages, from many different backgrounds, in different styles, from people all over the world, and I get to see and hear their unique voice, and that absolutely is one of the most beautiful things, and something I think is very unique to us as a platform. And what's the worst thing? There must be some bad things about being an entrepreneur in the market research industry. Can I say client demands? No. Yeah, you can. Um, no. The, one of the, the cha the biggest challenges I would say is that entrepreneur, being an entrepreneur can be glamorized a lot of the time, but the emotional labor is not often talked about and. As in, imagine I have a co-founder, so that burden is, is shared, but for other businesses, it's all on me and it's very hard to properly switch off. I also have a young child, um, to kind of add into the mix of, of all of those other things. And there are times when you go. Wow, I'm really overwhelmed and you know, can I juggle everything that's going on? And it's, it's all on your head. You know, this business is gonna work because of you and because of the work that you put in. So that ability to. be able to separate and to step away is very hard. So I'm a big advocate of therapy. I talk about it very openly. I don't think it's talked about enough, but that is absolutely a huge help for me to help me put, to put things into perspective. Because there are days when you go, oh my God, am I doing the right thing? Is this, is this something that that I can continue with? And then you take a step back and you go, absolutely. I would not want to be anywhere else. But it is emotionally hard. Imagine I was gonna ask as well, um, is it something you would continue doing? Um, I, I can't ask if there are more projects in the pipeline'cause you're an entrepreneur, you're not gonna share necessarily. But is this the path you are on now to, to create new things? Yeah, and you know, since we've had imagined, we've actually pivoted the business at multiple stages with that vision of going, what is our long-term growth plan? What is it that clients want? What are the demands that are out there? How can we continue to solve a problem? How can we continue to be a, a place, a platform that people need to use, that people will keep coming back to? About to launch something else within Imagine, uh, which we believe will be, you know, another game changer for the industry. So definitely can't say too much on that now. But yeah, we, we are always thinking, you are always ticking, your brain is always going, what's next? What's next? What's next? And, you know, imagine might not be forever, but there'll definitely be something else because I, I'm now in a position where I don't think I could work for somebody else. I would find that very, very tricky. That's so fascinating. I I love that that thought that, you know, you're constantly looking for how can we solve issues? What's, what's, how does that give us ideas for new things? It's, there are obvious parallels with the, the wider market research industry as well, because of course, that's what we are looking for all the time. It's like, you know, how do we understand people better? What are the. What's non-ideal for them? How can we create things that, that are better, but we need to understand people to get there. That is absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much, Kat. One final question for you. Uh, what advice would you give to others? Um, not necessarily in market research, but perhaps market researchers, who might be looking to do a similar kind of role, who want to create new things in the industry, create new businesses. So it's such a great question and I always like to have advice if, if people, um, ask me that question. Firstly, you have to really care about what people think and feel within the research, research space, especially qual. And that sounds really simple, but it means being deeply curious. It means being really open-minded. It means being non-judgmental, which is very crucial. And secondly, be prepared to work in the background. Research powers, everything from strategy to creative, to marketing, and not just in these industries, many more medicine, for example, but it's rarely in the spotlight. So if recognition is your fuel. That can be quite tough. But if your passion is shaping work through insight, then it's one of the most important roles that there is. And hopefully, over time more and more businesses will understand how crucial research is to absolutely everything that we do. I completely agree. That is fantastic advice. Thank you so much. Thanks again, Kat and uh, no doubt, we'll speak soon. Thanks Mandy. Um, wow. Yes. So that was an amazing interview, and like you said, so entrepreneurial and I mean, I think that's the thing that, that really stood out for me is, you know, e everything she's done ever in her entire career has been entrepreneurial and I'm so impressed by that. Um, and I just, I just wonder, you know, is that a characteristic of the person that she is? Or can anyone do it?'cause I think, you know, we are, we're starting to see, as you said, more and more sort of entrepreneurs in our sector and more and more entrepreneurial people. So perhaps anyone could be an entrepreneur in the market research sector, maybe, although, I dunno if I could do what she does, to be honest. You, I mean, says, you know, set up things like, you know, exercise and, and, and different businesses and different sectors like that. Um, yeah. But it's a good, it's a good. Um, question to all of us really, isn't it? It's like, what, what would it take to take that leap, um, and to do something different? Because I think there are potentially more opportunities coming through with the different technologies that are out there now. Um, but uh, yeah. Absolutely. And I think, you know, one of the, one of the reasons we are doing this podcast series is to look at all the different roles and all the different adjacent things that you can do without being employed by a big brand or a big agency, um, and doing things differently in the research sector. So I think, you know, if you're going to do things differently often, being an entrepreneur is part of that, isn't it? So, yes. Yeah. Yeah. And having that entrepreneurial drive and that ability to spot, I think she, she talks about, um, that curiosity thing and, and, and spotting new absolutely. Opportunities. That was really fascinating as well as, as. People who are in the market research industry. Yeah, absolutely. Something else that really stood out for me was that, um, she said that she's a, a huge advocate for therapy. And I think that that's not only a very brave and, you know, vulnerable thing to say, um, but also that it, you know, you don't tend to think of like a hot shot entrepreneur as someone who also uses therapy. But, um, but how, how refreshing to hear her say that and to say that, you know, actually being an entrepreneur is incredible. Incredibly overwhelming, and she's managing a, um, a young family at the same time as well. And, you know, to manage that overwhelm that she, she gets help where she needs it. And I think that's, that, that's actually a really strong thing to do. And, and really lovely to hear someone talk about it reminds me of the, the episode on coaching. Um, you know, being able to find. Energy. Um, I'm sure this applies to, to many sectors, if not all sectors, but particularly within our, our own. To hear people talking about the need for that coaching and therapy and to, and to find energy to do this, the, this role I think is refreshing and it isn't something that's discussed very much, but is is very important. Part of our industry that is perhaps hidden and needs to be brought for. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. No, I'm a, I'm a huge advocate as well. So that, that was really lovely to hear. Um, and then the other thing that really stuck out for me as well, you've mentioned it already, is that, you know, you asked her at the end about what advice you would give and one of the things she said was about being curious and I love to hear that because I think she's so. Different from a lot of people in market research, you know, very, very different sort of characteristic. But, but curiosity, I think is that one thing that we all have and it runs through us. Like, like the writing on a sticker rock doesn't that, you know, that, that, um, being curious is such a positive trait and it's so important to our sector. Yes, absolutely. It's the one thing that I think we're all really. Proud of and, and really bring to, to the world, whether it's commercial or, or social research or whatever. Yeah. Curiosity is really important. I have to write back to you as well then, Judith.'cause of course you too are an entrepreneur. You have set up multiple small and small businesses and you are just going through a, a startup now. Tell us what it's like for, for you with explainers. Oh, gosh. So, I mean, I, I feel like I'm a, I'm a bit of an entrepreneur by accident rather than by intention. Like Kat, I mean, Kat Kat's always wanted to be an entrepreneur and done that her whole career. I sort of, well, I fell into market research and then I fell into being an entrepreneur. You know, I, I started as a freelance and, and set up the writing business content. Right. Um, but really it didn't feel like I was setting up a business at the time. It was just like, oh, I have some work and then I'll do some more work. And then, you know, gradually I came to understand, oh, I have a business. This is a business. But then explain as there's something quite different in that it's, it's much more like setting up a business and actually. When we got into it, I think that the thing that was driving me was just the excitement of the storytelling and the creativity, because that's, that's what I love to do, to, to do, you know, creative, creative communications and storytelling. But actually the more we got into it, actually running the business is, has been really exciting to, and, and, you know, actually, um, marketing a startup and, um, thinking about. Our goals and our brand and our values and all of those sorts of things has been, has been just as exciting actually as doing the work as well. So, yeah, I guess I'm an entrepreneur too. Thanks, Maddy. There you go. Alrighty. Well, that's it I think for, for this episode. Um, subscribe, like, download, et cetera, et cetera. And hopefully we'll see you next time. Thanks all for listening. Thank you.