Kate Kahl relishes new role helping local business thrive

“The catch with my application is that I’m currently 36 weeks pregnant with my second child,” wrote Kate Kahl when applying for a job at The Exchange in Narrabri last year.

“Not ideal timing, I know, as I wouldn’t be able to start right away.”

Fast forward 10 months, and Kate is relishing her role as The Exchange Business Activator (TEBA) program manager, empowering local business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and community members through eight dedicated programs that aim to have a lasting impact by building confidence, capability, networks, regional resilience, job creation and growth.

Born and bred in Narrabri, Kate now lives on a farm at Wee Waa with her husband Daniel and children Lydia, 2, and Arthur, 7 months.

Kate’s career success is not surprising considering her diverse skill set, kind manner and local knowledge. She has an impressive resume, and it’s easy to see why The Exchange’s founder and chief executive officer Jillian Kilby wanted Kate to join her team and take on this fantastic job opportunity despite the so-called ‘catch’ in her application.

“They were so understanding; Jill has this great mindset of – if it’s the right person, with the skills we need, then we’re willing to be flexible,” Kate told The Courier.

When sharing her story, Kate is very quick to point out that she doesn’t want to come across as a parent who is ‘doing it all’ seamlessly – she faces the same childcare and work/life balance dilemmas as others.

However, her story is a great lesson in what can be achieved when you have the guts to ask a question – even if you think the answer will be ‘no’, put your talents forward and give a new role a go.

Of course, it also helps if your workplace is forward-thinking, and open to compromise and ideas.

“I told Jill, I’ll do whatever needs to happen to make this role a success, but I do need some flexibility,” said Kate.

Coming from five generations of family business in the region, Kate understands what makes the local economy and community tick but also knows what it’s like to start your own small business from scratch because in 2018 she took the leap, launching her own alternative health business as a kinesiologist, reiki practitioner and mindset coach.

Kate also has a degree in Business Management (majoring in marketing) from the University of Queensland.

“I understand the different challenges for established and start-up businesses.

“For really well-established businesses, it’s about reinventing yourself and finding ways to grow into new areas. I understand what they need, and I’m making sure that we are bringing guest speakers and programs tailored to those needs.

“But then also providing for people who are just starting off, who need support, a sense of community around them, and to know what’s out there in terms of technologies they can be using.

“I want to teach people how to create a website in a day, get it done, move on, don’t get stuck on that stuff because that’s the stuff I got stuck on.

“I’m a big believer in following what feels right, and this kind of job really excites me, so that’s why I ended up here at The Exchange.

“With dad’s businesses – furniture, electrical and funeral homes, I was fifth generation in those businesses.

“I worked for dad for quite a while, involved in managing seven businesses and 25 staff.

“But I’d always said to dad, ‘I want to do something for me, and explore what I’m really passionate about.

“And he has been very understanding; I ended up giving him two years’ notice and finished up after having my first child Lydia.

“I just said, ‘Dad, I love you, but I need to explore these opportunities that really tap into my values, that I’m really excited about, and do my own thing for a while.’

“So, I started my own business in kinesiology and loved that, but it can be really isolating being a one-on-one professional; it just doesn’t have that social network and that sense of community I was craving,” said Kate.

“Then a whole lot of events played out – COVID happened, which meant that my income went from normal to pretty much zero, and then floods cut me off because I was out at Wee Waa, which made me realise how vulnerable my own business was.

“And when you add two kids into the mix, who need me when they get sick, it makes it really difficult to have a one-on-one service-based business model in this season of my life.

“And so, when I saw this role at The Exchange advertised – it was just perfect timing and I thought it sounded great.

“I was open to the idea of not just working for myself anymore, and I wanted to feel like I was growing in my career but still had the leeway to be creative and work with someone else to build something up that’s really special and unique. And give back to our community and our region.

“I said in my cover letter, I’ve got all the skills you’re asking for, I know I can do this role, and I’m so passionate about business in the Narrabri region.

“I love my community; I know a lot of businesspeople already that I could encourage to come along to the space and support the events.

“I was 36 weeks pregnant then and staying in Newcastle at the time because I had to give birth at John Hunter and Jill lives there so she said, ‘let’s meet for coffee’.”

And the rest is history. Jill, Kate, and the talented Exchange team clicked, sharing a similar drive and vision to help country communities prosper, and they’ve been supporting and connecting

Narrabri region locals throughout 2022 with a jam-packed schedule of programs and events.

As reported previously in The Courier, The Exchange opened in Narrabri earlier this year and is a co-working, meeting and event space that’s had the North West buzzing with inspiration, hatching new business ideas, and forming awesome collaborations.

Attracting a swag of stellar guest speakers in its beautiful courtyard, from local heroes like Shanna Whan and Will Childs to Andrew Kerr from Toastmasters International, as well as an upcoming session with social media guru and foodie Sophie Hansen.

It’s hard to believe there’s a space quite like it in the region that also hosts everything from workshops for content creators to seminars on agricultural issues and a business circle to tackling the current skills shortage.

It was founder and civil engineer Jill Kilby’s dream to restore the old Faulkner’s Cordial Factory and Ice Works into a co-working space, and although it might’ve sounded like an ambitious project to some – it’s the second of its kind.

In 2018, Jill bought and then magnificently transformed a 133-year-old post office in Dubbo into an iconic co-working space where business owners connect and wonderful ideas flourish under the clock tower.

A cheerleader for rural business, Jill’s passion for old buildings is matched by her desire to help people fulfil their career potential from anywhere in Australia – even the bush – by providing good internet, stylish office spaces and a supportive community that promotes confidence through initiatives like TEBA, which is funded by the Commonwealth and NSW governments.

In 2021, the Narrabri Shire Council was successful in its application for Bushfire Local Economic Relief Funding, putting forward TEBA to run for 18 months from 2021 to 2023.

It’s a joint venture, with council partnering with The Exchange Narrabri and The University of New England SMART Region Incubator to design and facilitate a project that will enable continued economic recovery in the region by providing the space and expert support for local businesses, both established and emerging.

Kate is managing the rollout of TEBA, which includes – UNE SRI leverage program: a 12-month program for businesses committed to sustainable growth.

UNE SRI Hatch+: a three-month program created for those with either a business idea or a new business.

Professional advice support program: up to one hour of free advice from local professionals.

Mentoring sessions: providing people with access to mentors for 1:1 and group sessions.

Masterclasses / learning lunches: inviting industry and skilled experts to host hour long skill building sessions on topics of interest.

Guest speaking: inviting notable business people, industry leaders and experts to present to local people on topics and themes of interest.

Networking events: facilitation and hosting of events giving local and regional businesses the opportunity to communicate, collaborate and network with one another.

Business circles: aimed at resilience building and increasing business confidence.

Witnessing the positive power of connection through TEBA is one of the most satisfying aspects of the job for Kate, especially with the mentoring sessions.

“I like the saying ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’ and with the mentoring program it is all about helping each other, lifting everyone one, and that is going to help to support the region.

“It’s like business matchmaking – experts, professionals and business owners who are willing to give back and give guidance or just bounce around ideas with someone who is trying to carve out their career path – we’re looking for both mentors and mentees.”

Kate’s strong belief that a person’s postcode shouldn’t limit their potential is what makes her encourage friends and family from around the district to check out the opportunities at The Exchange.

“This is the perfect time to bring everyone together, to make sure that you’ve got the skills that you need in order to not only grow within the region but then expand into online markets.

“There’s no barrier anymore geographically, but you need to learn how to get there.

“And so that’s why The Exchange is so important because it’s going to teach you the skills necessary to be a leader in your industry.

“It’s a very unique opportunity, I think there’s so many little side hustles that are actually popping up and turning into proper businesses.

“It’s really exciting, just from my own experience with my own business – I needed skills that weren’t being taught here, and I needed something that was accessible.

“And so having these programs is really going to help because instead of it being online, which can feel very isolating and demotivating, it’s with a community you can meet in person and form real-life business friendships from – and they’re crucial when it comes to feeling supported”.

“When I was learning courses online, I wasn’t actually implementing a lot of it because you just don’t have that community spirit of, ‘Hey, let’s both do this, let’s jump in and make this happen’.

“Whereas The Exchange is going to make that happen, it’s going to inspire people, we’re going to support each other, help put ourselves out there, which you need to do as business owners.

“The great thing about Narrabri is that it’s quite a social community.

“I lived in Sydney, I’ve lived in Brisbane, and I’ve never been as busy as I’ve been here.

“And that sense of friendship and bringing people all in in the same room, I think people are going to realise how important that is, and how, especially after COVID when we’ve all been at home a lot of the time, this is a great way of bringing everyone back together, but with a focus on business.”