Wonder Woman Wednesday - Katherine Hudson
Meet Our Wednesday Wonder Woman, Katherine Hudson.
Katherine is a creative entrepreneur, who, in 2005, travelled to India and spent her life savings on fabric. That fabric and Katherine's imagination, was the first thread, which has been woven into a collection of three award winning event companies:
House of Hud, which includes; The Arabian Tent Co, The Pearl Tent Co. and The Complete Chill Out Co.
When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Although I never had a specific idea of what I wanted to do and lots of ideas popping up – Policewoman, Air Hostess, Teacher...the only course that remotely interested me at University was Entrepreneurship at Edinburgh, but I couldn’t afford the fees. I had always had a sense I’d do something creative and not the ‘norm’. A few years ago I had a wave of de ja vous when I realized I felt exactly the way as an adult that I thought I would when I was 7.
What do you do now? For work? For fun?
I’m a classic entrepreneur, which means for me work IS fun and I could happily class a holiday as spending a day at a Spa doing mind-maps of new strategies or looking through old note books to see if there are any old ideas that should be re-visited! However when it comes to fun festivals are my ultimate escapism. Where else in life do you get to be so playful, free and get lost in your friends for 3 days? That’s when I really switch off.
How did you get into your area of expertise?
Like all the best things in life – through chance! I went to a rave and was inspired by the creativity of the contributions to the party – the benders, hay-bale sofas, hand-made hammocks and the imagination of the people around me. It inspired me to put on parties of my own…on finding that there was nothing more inspiring to waterproof it with than a PVC marquee I set about looking for an alternative and ended up buying a couple of old Pakistani tents held up with giant bamboo that had heaps of charm. That was the beginning of my love affair with tents and when the idea occurred to me that I could design my own interiors for them it really started getting exciting for me.
What obstacles have you faced in following your dreams and how have you overcome them?
I think the leap of faith that I took initially in going out to India and spending my entire life savings - down to my last penny - on sourcing fabrics and then making the first batch of tents back in 2005. It’s got to be the biggest obstacle. Overcoming my own fear and taking the plunge to spend the money I’d dreamed of buying a house with – and instead spending it on tents! However, once the plunge had been taken I focused entirely on the goal and worked harder than I’ve ever worked before to make it happen.
What’s the best part of what you do?
All of it. Back in the day I loved putting the tents up. It’s such a satisfying day’s work and there’s nothing like dropping in to bed at night physically tired but mentally satisfied. I love talking to clients and hearing their ideas, and then translating them into reality. I love thinking of new things that would enhance the inside or outside of the tents and then making them. I love designing the new interiors and most of all I love partying in my tents!
What advice do you have for other women who might want to follow suit?
I often hear people – women - say how much they’d like to get in this industry, because it is incredibly exciting, creatively. I wish them every bit of luck and share all the advice I have – but it takes a lot of hard grit to do what we do. The sheer hard work of it all is often underestimated. You need to be able to sling a sledgehammer just as well as you can arrange a throw-cushion to make it really work. It’s a really practical industry and for it all to be cohesive you have that tomboy edge. But then, that’s the bit I love…
What’s your morning routine?
All very practical! Spring out of bed, put the coffee on, make breakfast for my daughter Cordelia and send all the email drafts I’ve written the night before (I don’t think it looks professional sending emails at midnight and sometimes I mull things over in bed and amend then a bit before I send the next morning)
3 things that are on your ‘to do’ list today?
Design a 6-sided business card
Study the technical drawings of a new tent structure we’re working on to see if there’s a better way of connecting it all together.
Finish my Bodhi Babes questions!
What are you working on at the moment? Next project?
Sending tents abroad to a country with opposite seasons to ours. Currently the huge stock of equipment we have only gets used during the English summer, and I’m aiming to plug that with an Australian or South African winter. I’m also making some more variations on our Pearl Tent structures as they are proving very popular this year and working on some new draping methods and décor items to suspend in our new Oyster Pearl tents.
One woman you admire and why?
My friend Tiffany Kelly. She is a powerhouse of a woman and one of the loveliest people you’re ever likely to meet. Not only is she very successful in her career (high level management training) but she founded and runs a charity to help deprived kids and regularly provides free business advice and support for her friends - and the sort of person that never ever forgets your birthday. She’s unbelievably driven, organized and efficient. She’s the person that recaps a meeting you’ve just had by the same evening) and is wonderfully passionate about what she does. At the moment she’s on a mission to empower women and men using a management training programme she designed to even out the gender inequality in the workplace. She has a cheeky twinkle in her eye, is the life and soul of the party and I hope you’ll get to hear her Wonder Woman answers too.
Three wishes?
I’d love a secret 24 hours tagged onto the end of the week that I can use however I like.
For an invisibility cloak.
Cheesy but sincere - I wish people of differing religions and differing agendas would stop killing each other.
Who do you turn to for advice?
It depends what the advice is about. But I’m very lucky to have an extremely useful collection of friends whose expertise I value greatly. For my part I’m the go-to for décor and tents!
Who do you turn to for a shoulder to cry on?
It doesn’t happen that often, but when it’s does, it’s my partner, Alex.
Favourite book?
If this were a Desert Island Disc question – Without doubt, my Desert Island Book would be the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Favourite movie?
Everything in my life seems to be quirky, including my taste in film. Wes Anderson is pretty incredible. The Cinematography in The Grand Budapest Hotel is beautiful and astonishing and we had a big chuckle to it too.
Favourite childhood game?
It’s still my favorite now. We’ve had some brilliant nights with Balderdash.
Fantasy career? Why?
I really couldn’t imagine anything else. I have no idea what I’d be doing if I hadn’t discovered this. I do know that it would have to be my own baby… I would have to master the creative evolution in something, whatever it was, and I know I would have to be my own boss.
Words for Monday motivation?
“Carpe Diem”, ‘Seize the day’ – it reminds me of a dear friend who has this as her mantra and is a lesson in always grabbing every moment and every opportunity.
#FeelGoodFriday song?
My daughter Cordelia always begs me to put on Daft Punk’s ‘Get Happy’ when I’m driving her to school. She likes a boogie in the morning… a chip off the old block!
Favourite quote?
Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be practical or believe to be beautiful. William Morris – my hero!
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