Kathy Rast
Thought Partner (business)
Specialist Generalist (business)
I work with business owners to build their business as usual to (actually) work with them.
Heya 👋
The purpose of this website is here to build on what you need and want to know about working with me, Kathy Rast.
The gist of it is that over 20 years I’ve collected a mad swag of skills, knowledge and experience that have come at a cost of a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of energy in the pursuit of being a ‘proper professional’.
Now, as my hard-earned pieces of paper collect dust, I sometimes feel a little silly not ‘fully using them as they were intended, while other days, I love to lean on the skills that are a part of everything I do.
About six years ago something happened where I could no longer work the ‘normal’ way. So, naturally, I started my first business (that was not in the areas of one of my paper professions 😅)
Fast forward to the working ways and days that I love to enjoy, making we sure to pay no attention or mind to the countless tears, tantrums, and trials that ended in soooo much error, instead focusing on the now knowing.
It’s here you’re meeting me in my second business (the sister business where I work with wool). It’s here I share the wins and woes with other business owners, especially solo business owners, to lessen the learning curves and minimise the misteps and mistakes, all the while framing the focus to find a balance and growing belief that their business, maybe your business, can have a business as usual (BAU) that fits with you. Enjoy.
Kathy
W H A T I' M C A L L E D
Specialist Generalist (business)
A specialist generalist is someone whose profession is the perpetual pursuit of knowing and growing a lot about a little across a specific area (e.g., business).
Think of that person who lives in the detail as it connects to being a part of something bigger.
In the context of business, this means one has the knowledge, skills, and experience to apply a high level of attention to the detail in both the thinking and actions.
Being a specialist generalist in the area of business means being across the main business areas of executive functions, operations, finance, sales and marketing, and customer service.
W H E N T O C A L L M E
Where I sit in working with other business owners, especially solo business owners, as a fellow business owner.
The closest analogy I can come up with is much like going to see a GP (doctor) where you book to ask about something you’re concerned about, not sure what to do with, or to be referred to a specialist.
As a business owner, it’s much the same, with most specialists biased to their area of business, as a generalist, I make it my business to be aware and connected to all parts of a business.
As a specialist generalist, I’m the one you can call to ask pretty much anything to get you started and unstuck in your business.
Think of me as your go-to for your initial who, what, and whys.
And, while many skills and knowledge may be in my business wheelhouse, sometimes I’m just the one to help you know what to call 'it', how to ask for ‘it’ or who can resolve ‘it’.
It all starts with a simple phone chat.
W H A T M A K E S T H E D I F F E R E N C E
Thought Partner (business)
A thought partner is someone who has trained and practised thinking in parallel with others in a specific area.
Think of that person who’s about and for the process of processing while simultaneously processing the content of the agreed shared focus in focus.
Think of it almost like temporarily having extra capacity to be fully present in your processing while having access to areas of competency you may not have (nor need more than to do something specific).
W H Y W E A L W A Y S S T A R T W I T H S O M E T H I N G S P E C I F I C
My role as a thought partner isn’t a service one typically specifically asks for in the beginning.
My way of thought partnering in business is one that’s a sort of processing system that is always on in the background while we work on something specific (aka when we build something in your BAU).
Often, the whole 'let's thought partner this part,’ comes out organically when a build highlights thinking that is incomplete or not yet started. The type of thinking that is often rushed through at the start of the business, or hasn’t been updated since the start, or sits unused because it wasn’t clear until where it needs to be put to work in the BAU.
Often we find ourselves on the same page and both see the need to sidestep into thought partner territory to clear up and capture business thinking. Some examples of thinking often thought together are:
capturing that key focus (aka vision and/or tagline/core message)
supporting daily decisions with clear and congruent values and/or business operating model
clearing up that actual difference you want your business to be in the world, or
peeling back some of the collected complexity to support simplifying business delivery.
T H E P R A C T I C A L . T H E P R O F E S S I O N A L . T H E P E R S O N .
Approach
My approach is one of structure, safety, and a sense of professional wonder.
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The main way I detect, draw out, and work with data is through one’s words. Leveraging my growing linguistic knowledge, I work with the words one says to learn and work with one’s thinking.
It usually only feels weird the first couple of times until you grow to know that it takes so much of the past pressure you may have felt in needing to know what’s wrong, what you need, or what you mean.
Here, we have ways that make it easier and actually enjoyable to explore and find you way out of the unknown.
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One of my professional pieces of paper is in the psychology field. No, I’m not a psychologist, but I do regularly refer to models, frameworks, and research that supports building and navigating the business-owning experience.
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My working background is in professional government and private organisational roles where I acquired skills in advanced analysis, human behaviour, communications, and strategic thinking.
Here this feels like someone who’s been around long enough to get many things, to suffer no fools, and to get the work done.