(Styling by Kaitlin for the CLIC conference)

Kaitlin is the founder of The School of Styling and a sweet friend. Her heart is to help creative businesswomen find community and grow their business. She is also a momma-to-be! Her little girl is due this month and I’m so excited to see her start this new journey into motherhood! Even though she’s CRAZY busy with all this going on, Kaitlin was gracious enough to answer a few questions about business and motherhood. I hope you enjoy this little interview!

What CD is currently in the CD player of your car OR what is currently playing on your Spotify/Pandora player? To be honest, I’m really loving the silence right now (I feel like my mom when I say that). Maybe it’s in preparation for the baby or because it allows me to think and brainstorm as I drive, but I don’t think I’ve turned music on in my car once over the past two weeks! Crazy!

What’s your favorite show on Netflix right now? I think the answer to this question will always be The Walking Dead. I surprise a lot of people when I say that!

Coffee or Tea? Chai tea lattes are my favorite, so I guess they are the best of both worlds?!

What is the “why” behind your business? Why do you do what you do? I have seen too many friends struggle to make their creative businesses work. My goal is to help women build smart businesses that actually make them money, while understanding that ultimately their worth is not bound up in their success or popularity.

How long have you been in business and how did you get started? I began The School of Styling in the winter of 2014, although I had a vintage rental business at the time that began in 2012. My dad is a successful entrepreneur, so I grew up with the understanding that I could create anything I wish existed in the business realm. Both of my parents were so encouraging when I decided to start my first business during my senior year of college. That was certainly a learning and growing experience! I created The School of Styling to provide creative entrepreneurs with the tools they need to succeed and thrive – honestly, what I wish would have existed when I started my first business. At the time, there wasn’t a workshop like ours, which combined hands-on sessions with classroom sessions. We are creative, so I believe we need to actually create with our hands!

(Styling by Kaitlin for Cottage Hill)

Do you have any systems in place to help with the transition into becoming a working momma? Oh goodness, maternity leave is going to be such a sweet but challenging time! I have never stopped working for this amount of time (I’ll take roughly 6 weeks off), but I’m really excited. I have a great employee that I trust to keep things running in my absence. In terms of prepping for being a working mama, my biggest goal is to prep my office space! We recently moved into our house, so I’m making it a priority to organize and prep the office so when I go back to work, with my little one in tow, I will feel as focused as possible.

What are you looking forward to the most about being a working momma and what are you worried about being a working momma? I’m really excited to spend everyday with our little girl! It’s such a blessing that I’ll get to do what I love while being with the little one I love. I’m most worried about having to redefine what productivity means to me. Pregnancy has already pushed me on this a bit, but I know it’s nothing compared to having a child. My plan is to take each day as it comes, give myself a ton of grace, and ask for it from those around me.

What advice would you give to those just starting out in business? Have you received any advice specifically about maternity leave and/or working as a momma that you’d like to share? Surround yourself with people that can build you up! We are so hard on ourselves as women and we can come up with a million reasons why we aren’t ____ enough. Make sure you have a supportive network of friends, family, and fellow creatives that can look into your life and identify the lies you are believing. It is so freeing and absolutely necessary! The best piece of advice I have received is that babies like routines, not schedules. Where as I like to plan my day out by the hour, I have a feeling my little won’t feel the same way :) Again, it goes back to grace!

How can people find you or more info about your business? You can follow us on Instagram (@theschoolofstyling) or visit our website www.theschoolofstyling.com!

Kaitlin Holland is a believer in Jesus, stylist, and creative business mentor who lives in North Carolina with her husband and two pups, Sophie and Scout. Long conversations with friends new and old fill her soul and she is on a mission to extravagantly love and serve those who are put in her path. Kaitlin created The School of Styling to provide creative women, no matter their field or profession, with the education and inspiration they need to create beautiful work, events, and spaces. Headshot by Blue Barn Photography.