Hey there, fellow cozy business owners!

I’ve got some exciting news to share with you. After months of deep reflection and careful consideration, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of our brand new Cozy Business Common Room!

Now, you might be wondering, “What exactly is the Cozy Business Common Room, and why should I care?” Well, let me paint you a picture.

Imagine a warm, inviting space where you can curl up with your favourite blanket and a steaming mug of coffee (or other beverage of choice, you know I’m choosing coffee). You’re surrounded by like-minded folks. There’s no pressure to “perform” or put on a fake persona. We’re not fixated on one version of success or productivity, or showing up in business a certain way.

Instead, you’re free to be yourself, go on your own scenic route, share your struggles, celebrate your wins, and support each other every step of the way.

That’s the Cozy Business Common Room in a nutshell. It’s a sanctuary for those of us who’ve felt out of place in the noisy, pushy world of online business.

Does this sound like a place you want to be? Join us for FREE until the 28th of August. Get the details here >>>

DO YOU PREFER TO LISTEN RATHER THAN READ? NO WORRIES! CHECK OUT THE COZY BUSINESS WITH KATHERINE PODCAST EPISODE OF THIS POST:

Why I Created the Cozy Business Common Room

Over the past year or so, I realised that having a community of like-minded souls is going to be bigger than ever—with the rapid rise of AI-generated content and the ever-changing algorithms making organic reach on social platforms trickier and more difficult to reach your people.

But the reality is, I’ve personally found it challenging to find a supportive and tight-knit community without feeling forced to change or fit into a box that doesn’t support me.

Throughout my business life (and, let’s face it, life before that too), being an introverted, highly sensitive, and neurodivergent person, I’ve felt the pressure to conform to a specific version of success, a one-size-fits-all approach to strategies and tactics, and often choosing between my values and creating a sustainable business.

And I just didn’t want to do that anymore.

Related post: What is a Cozy Community and Why Is It Important?

The Vision of a Supportive Space for Cozy Business

Let’s face it, I have been a business coach and strategist for introverts for almost 10 years, but I have also found myself attracting more neurodivergent folks and people living with chronic illnesses for a very specific reason.

I care about us making accommodations in our businesses that support our unique needs and strengths.

Mostly because that has never been afforded to us in any other area of our life, and so we don’t create businesses that take care of us. This often leads to burnout, overwhelm, and building a business that is difficult to sustain.

As I’ve started to talk more about the importance of a tight-knit community, strategies that play to your strengths (regardless of what’s trending right now), and systems that give you time to rest and recharge, I began to attract more people who needed permission to color outside the lines.

Thus, the Cozy Business Common Room was born.

Watch the full announcement and get your FREE VIP invitation: 

What Makes the Common Room Unique?

You might be thinking, there are a million communities for introverts and HSPs out there, what makes this different? But what I noticed was that most of the free communities that thrive on Facebook, in particular, are ones that encourage and focus on promotion, fishing posts, and faux value.

I wanted to create something that was so much more than that.

1. The “Cozy” Atmosphere – Like Chatting with Friends Over Coffee

Just like I share in my Cozy Community Hub framework, I started with how I wanted my space to feel. What was the vibe and how did I envision the space?

The first thing that came to mind was everyone coming together in a cozy space with their favorite beverages, to chat, share, and spend time together in a way that felt genuine, supportive, and energising.

Kind of like this.

Once I got a feel for what I was hoping to create, everything else became easier. It gives a FEELING to what I mean when I talk about cozy business and my vision for the community.

A favourite activity from my family is to sit around in a cafe or even just in our dining room, drinking coffee and chatting or sharing ideas.

So, of course, this was what I hope to cultivate in this space because it’s been the constant in my life and something I want my business to embody as well.

2. Focus on Alignment with Personal Values and Strengths

Even in school, I never cared about being the most popular or the coolest. Not that I could be, even if I tried, but it wasn’t something that was even really on my radar.

I just pretty much wanted to survive.

And, since then, I just want to be the most real.

The Cozy Business Common Room has a touch of whimsy and magic. Because that’s what I love and I don’t want to just have a boring business brand when I can mix the two and create something completely different.

I’m not going to pretend I’m anything that I’m not, and I will advocate for everyone to be self-aware—know your strengths, what you love, and what motivates you. And do it unapologetically.

Because there’s nothing worse than doing something every day that doesn’t feel fully aligned with you.

Or that you’ve done trying to impress someone. Or win people over, or even appear to have something that you don’t.

Even a win from that place feels hollow.

We’re not trying to be gurus or experts in the Common Room. This is a communal space to share, experiment, be supported, and cheer each other on. And I’m not going to pretend we’re going to be cool about it.

3. Contrast with Typical Noisy, High-Pressure Online Business Spaces

In my spaces, we celebrate the big and little wins. Sometimes it’s things like your first client, or your highest income month. But other times it’s about a beautiful piece of feedback, or giving yourself permission to rest because that’s what you knew you needed.

In most business spaces, I’ve found there’s a lot of pressure to make a certain level of income (that keeps getting bigger and bigger each year). And that there needs to be a level of push and hustle to have real “value in the market.” I’m just all about deconstructing that way of being in the world.

To each their own, but I wanted to create a space where that was not the name of the game. That we are all on our own quest to personal fulfillment, healing, and purpose… but without it needing to look the same as everybody else’s version.

The Power of Cozy Community for Solopreneurs

Another reason I decided to create the Cozy Business Common Room goes back to about eight years ago when I caught up with a friend for coffee, and she “introduced me to an opportunity” she had just said yes to.

She explained to me that she had been feeling so isolated and lonely in her business, even though she identified as an introvert, and this new endeavor spoke to her because it was so community-focused.

I was supportive and encouraging because she was excited about it. And, luckily, she didn’t try to recruit me. But then I got home and got the full follow-up pitch via DMs. It made me so sad that certain business models and companies used these real feelings many solo business owners have to recruit them to their scheme.

Building a tight-knit community can overcome so much of this and add even more, without the transactional or manipulative tactics.

Overcoming Feelings of Isolation

Imagine a place where nothing is expected of you except to show up, exactly as you are in that moment. No shame. No toxic positivity or spiritual bypassing. Just the truth of how you feel right now, and the support (if you want it), to be with all your human messiness, and help you figure out your next steps.

Over all the years I’ve been in business, I know from personal experience and from working with other solopreneurs that a lot of the universal emotions and challenges that come with business can feel like you’re the only one struggling with them, until you have a space to share what you’re going through.

When you find your community, you suddenly realise that you’re not alone, you’re not a failure, and there are others navigating those feelings right beside you. It can be the difference between giving up and continuing on.

Sharing Experiences and Learning from Each Other

In my Emerge + Expand 1-year mentoring program, one of the greatest benefits that has evolved out of it for all of us is that as we experiment and try new ways of working for ourselves, we inspire each other. This has led to faster progress and a more curious mindset for everyone who is in the community because we feel empowered and inspired to try our own experiments, reflect, and share.

When you’re going it alone, every idea can sometimes spiral into self-doubt—especially if it goes against the mainstream advice spouted by every social media and marketing guru out there.

But when you’re trying things out together, it allows for even more curiosity and creativity. Which has benefitted us all so much.

Things like:

• Changing work styles and schedules—such as alternating weeks for client and creative work, or taking Friday and Monday off instead of pushing through a whole work week.
• Creating systems to support us better—including email automations, onboarding and offboarding, and even workflows that run whether you’re sitting at your desk or out enjoying life.
• Experimenting with different formats—recently, we’ve been focusing on different welcome and nurturing email styles to combat low open rates and the ‘same old, same old’ sequences that everyone has become used to (and started ignoring).

Mutual Support and Encouragement

It seems so easy—surely every community has this!? But if you work a little differently, maybe you have experienced this too—there is often pressure to conform to the values and work style of the group.

It’s human nature, right?

I witnessed this in a community earlier this year. Someone was sharing that they were having a difficult time with procrastination and moving too slowly. Everyone was SO supportive, telling them to just “push through”, “eat that frog”, or “just do it”

But, for many of us who are more introverted and, especially, neurodivergent, this can actually do more harm than good. No matter how well-intentioned it was.

We have been told that our whole lives. Many of us have been made to believe that there is something wrong with us, and many of us carry trauma and even CPTSD from never being diagnosed and not understanding that our brains work completely differently.

For me, trying to start the day with the worst or biggest task on my list is a recipe for procrastination. I’m better off starting with small, easy, quick and fun tasks to get the momentum rolling.

In the Common Room, we are here for each other and will genuinely listen and try to get to the heart of what’s really going on. Sometimes this is through sharing resources, sometimes this is through helping each other find their own direction, and sometimes this is simply through witnessing and holding space for each other.

We can offer support without judgement and encourage one another in a way that honours our own unique paths.

Join the Cozy Business Common Room

If you’re tired of trying to fit into spaces that just don’t feel right or following strategies that don’t align with your values, I invite you to join us in the Cozy Business Common Room.

This isn’t just another business group. It’s a sanctuary for those who want to build a sustainable, fulfilling business on their own terms, surrounded by a supportive community that gets it.

And here’s the best part: You can join us for FREE until the 28th of August.

This is my way of opening the doors and welcoming you in to see if this space feels like home.

All you have to do is grab any one of my offers from this page (from as little as $7!!) plus there are some amazing bonus offers for you to choose from as well, depending on the level of support you’re looking for right now.

Including access to EVERYTHING I offer for an absolute steal!

Ready to do cozy business with us? Get all the details and sign up here >>>

Let’s build something meaningful together.