DAYDREAMING OF A CAREER CHANGE? DANIELLE MUSTARDE SPOKE TO THREE ENTREPRENEURS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHO’VE CARVED OUT NEW CAREERS AS SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS TO FIND OUT WHAT IT REALLY TAKE TO GO IT ALONE

PHOTO LIZ FINLAYSON/VERVATE

KATHY CATON

Founder and Owner, Brighton Gin

LOCATION: UK

WORDS OF WISDOM

“Never put anything in an email you wouldn’t be willing to stand on a table in a crowded pub and bellow!”

KATHY CATON, 43, HAS BEEN “PLUGGING AWAY AT ALL THINGS GIN-SHAPED” FOR FIVE YEARS NOW. AS OWNER AND FOUNDER OF BRIGHTON GIN, KATHY CREDITS HER MUM AS HER INSPIRATION FOR STARTING HER OWN BUSINESS. “SHE’S THE LIVING EMBODIMENT OF PUTTING ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER UNTIL THE MOUNTAIN IS CLIMBED”, KATHY EXPLAINS. “SHE’LL BE FURIOUS WHEN SHE READS THIS!”

When did you first have the idea for Brighton Gin?

It was five years ago now, which is nuts! To have gone from a light-bulb moment during a jog along Brighton beach, to winning the UK’s Best Gin in the People’s Gin Awards, to sending our first exports to Europe – it’s such a cliché, but what a journey!

What was the driving factor in deciding to go for it?

When Brighton Gin started, I was fitting it in around my full-time job as a radio producer. Every non radio-shaped moment was crammed with all things gin-shaped and it became apparent I was quickly developing two full-time jobs! At the time, craft gin was riding the same kind of wave as craft beer, and people had begun to really care about the provenance of where their food and drink was coming from. That, combined with the first batch of Brighton Gin selling out in just a few days, meant it was time to take the gamble and go for it. It’s been a nerve-wracking but exhilarating roller coaster ever since.

How would you describe an average day in five words?

Exhausting, exhilarating, hilarious, gin-tinged, coffee-fuelled (and overly-hyphenated).

What’s the best thing about owning your own business?

Two things: one is the team, which includes my best friends and my mum. The second thing is that there’s a whole lot of gin… making it and tasting it on a regular basis are essentials of the job.

And the worst?

I’m no longer in the first flush of youth so the hours can be really punishing. Friends, family and relationships are the ones to pay the price unfortunately.

Has your sexuality or gender identity ever been an issue since starting your own business?

The drinks world can seem hugely male, white and privileged a lot of the time. I’m very proud though that we have a team where the majority of us are LGBTQ and come from a real variety of backgrounds. There are some trailblazing queer women, particularly within the craft brewing scene, who are really shaking things up.