"One piece of advice I wish I had received when I started my business journey is to prioritize self-care and personal growth."
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with Catharine Montgomery, the visionary founder of the Better Together agency.
With her diverse background and passion for social justice, Catharine has dedicated her career to amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities and driving meaningful change.
As a seasoned communications expert, Catharine’s work spans a variety of industries, including gender equity, LGBTQIA+ rights, climate justice, and more.
Through Better Together, Catharine and her team strive to create a more equitable and inclusive world where everyone has a voice and the opportunity to be heard.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET FEATURED?
All interviews are 100% FREE OF CHARGE
Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Catharine Montgomery: I am Catharine, founder of Better Together agency.
I am a seasoned communications expert focused on human and social rights in a variety of industries, such as gender equity, LGBTQIA+ rights, climate justice, dismantling stigmas around people with disabilities, cannabis and psychedelic decriminalization, and many more.
I have worked at several agencies and helped to bring about social change through various campaigns. My experience in media outreach, stakeholder engagement, events, legislative affairs, and community involvement has all been integrated to support those disproportionately impacting communities of color and who are already stigmatized and under-resourced.
Better Together is dedicated to amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities and raising awareness about the challenges they face. We believe in the power of storytelling and use our platform to give a voice to those who are often marginalized.
We understand the perspectives and experiences of these communities and work to accurately represent their stories. We work with organizations and individuals who are advocating for these communities by amplifying their messages and driving real change.
Through this work, we aim to create a more equitable and inclusive world where everyone has a voice and the opportunity to be heard.
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
Catharine Montgomery: Better Together is my greatest business achievement as well as my passion, founded with the goal of making a positive impact in the world.
Everyone can play a role, no matter how small, in creating a better world for all people. Through Better Together, I aim to help organizations ensure they are not just providing lip service to social responsibility, but that they are actively taking steps to make a positive impact.
It wasn’t until I found myself in a position of privilege, with the ability to take a step back from the job market and focus on my goals, that I was able to fully pursue my passion for social good. However, I understand that not everyone has the same opportunities or resources to dedicate themselves fully to their passions.
My journey to starting Better Together was not without its challenges because I left my previous job due to a racist employee, but ultimately, I was able to overcome them and achieve my goal of starting a socially-responsible business that could make a real difference. I am going to continue growing Better Together and make it a scalable solution for others to join me in making a positive impact on the world.
My experience in various agencies and seeing the lack of representation and resources for communities that needed support also inspired me to create Better Together. I wanted to create a space where we can use our skills and expertise to support organizations that are making a difference in the world.
What advice do you wish you received when you started your business journey and what do you intend on improving in the next quarter?
Catharine Montgomery: One piece of advice I wish I had received when I started my business journey is to prioritize self-care and personal growth.
Running a business can be incredibly stressful, and it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks and lose sight of your own well-being. Taking time to recharge and invest in personal development can make a significant difference in your overall success and satisfaction.
In the next quarter, I intend to improve my delegation skills by empowering my team members and giving them more autonomy. I believe this will not only free up more of my time but also help my team members feel more valued and empowered.
I also want to focus on streamlining our processes and identifying areas for efficiency gains to improve our overall productivity and effectiveness.
Here is a two fold question: What is the book that influenced you the most and how? Please share some life lessons you learned. Now what book have you gifted the most and why?
Catharine Montgomery: The book “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler has influenced me because of my passion for social justice.
Some of the life lessons I took away from the book include the importance of self-reliance and community-building in the face of adversity, the dangers of complacency and inaction in the face of societal problems, and the power of empathy and compassion to bridge differences and create change.
I read Parable of the Sower at the exact right time in my life — as I was leaving a previous job — and the book taught me how to be adaptable in times of crisis. My identity has had a profound impact on my leadership style.
My experiences as a Black woman, cultural background from being raised in Alabama, values as a Southerner, and beliefs after growing up as a Christian all shape my perspective. Since I come from a diverse background, I bring a unique perspective and an inclusive leadership style.
My identity informs my communication style and how I connect with others. By embracing and leveraging my identity, I have become a more authentic and effective leader, building strong relationships with my team and creating positive change in communities across the world.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Catharine Montgomery: As a Black woman in a leadership role, one of the biggest challenges is overcoming imposter syndrome, constantly feeling I don’t belong. This is compounded by the systemic barriers and biases that Black women often face in the workplace.
However, I am committed to overcoming these challenges and growing as a leader. By embracing my identity, building strong relationships with allies and mentors, and continuing to educate myself and grow my skills, I am confident that I will continue to overcome these challenges.
Recent years have thrown many curveballs at businesses on a global scale. Based on the experiences gleaned, how can businesses thrive moving forward? What lessons have you learned and what advice would you share?
Catharine Montgomery: As the founder and CEO of Better Together, I’ve learned that running a successful business is all about adapting to changing circumstances and staying ahead of the curve. Based on my experience since launching earlier this year, I know the key to thriving in 2023 will be a focus on social impact, innovation, agility, and a customer-centric approach.
In all areas of business, companies will need to be purposeful in all of their actions. No longer will stakeholders allow companies to not make that a priority.
Businesses will need to embrace innovation to stay competitive. This means constantly exploring new ideas, technologies, and ways of doing things. It also means being willing to take risks and make bold moves to seize opportunities as they arise.
In addition to innovation, agility will be essential for success in 2023. With markets and customer needs changing rapidly, businesses must be able to pivot quickly and adapt to new situations. This requires a flexible mindset, streamlined processes, and a willingness to experiment and learn from failure.
Finally, a customer-centric approach will be more important than ever. Customers have become more discerning and demanding in recent years, and businesses that prioritize their needs and preferences are the ones that will thrive. This means investing in customer experience, gathering feedback, and using data to personalize and optimize every interaction.
Overall, I believe that businesses that prioritize innovation, agility, and customer-centricity will be the ones that come out on top in 2023 and beyond. At Better Together, we’re committed to staying at the forefront of these trends and continuing to deliver value to our customers in new and innovative ways.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Catharine Montgomery: If I had the ability to pick any business superpower, it would be the power of foresight.
With the power of foresight, I would be able to see into the future and anticipate market trends, customer needs, and potential obstacles before they arise. This would give me a significant advantage in making strategic business decisions and staying ahead of the competition.
I would put this power into practice by conducting extensive research on industry trends, customer behavior, and emerging technologies. I would also invest in data analytics tools and hire a team of experts to help me interpret and analyze the information.
By continuously monitoring the market and predicting future developments, I would be able to adapt my business strategies and offerings accordingly.
Additionally, with the power of foresight, I would be able to foresee potential challenges and take proactive measures to address them. For example, if I anticipate a shift in customer preferences, I can develop new products or services to meet their evolving needs. Or, if I foresee a potential supply chain disruption, I can diversify my suppliers or secure additional inventory in advance.
In essence, the power of foresight would enable me to make more informed decisions, stay ahead of the competition, and ultimately drive the success of my business.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Catharine Montgomery for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Catharine Montgomery or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
