Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate McDermott.
Hi Kate, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always been so jealous of those people who knew what they wanted to do from the time they were little. We all love to hate those people. The ones who know from age 8 that they want to be doctors, so they relentlessly pursue that dream until their orthopedic surgeons in their 30s? (If that sounds too specific, it’s because I have this friend. No one should be that smart, talented, focused, and good-looking.) Anyway, I’ve never been one of those people. I wanted to be a lawyer, a writer, and a singer. The last one stuck the longest, so I went to music school in Boston. But after graduation, I didn’t feel called to make music alone.
So, like many people who don’t know where to land, I took refuge in the service industry. And that’s where I spent much time between 19 and 33. I worked as a server and then a bartender for about six years. I moved back to the Austin area in 2010 and eventually got a job at a law firm. But it didn’t pay enough to live on, and this was in 2010 Austin, back when mimosas were $1, and the cost of a 1-bedroom apartment didn’t make you want to laugh/cry/vomit. So I continued working catering jobs on the weekends to supplement my income and cover those crushing student loan payments.
While the day-to-day work of bars and restaurants didn’t thrill me, I do love hospitality people. They’re just a different breed. Eventually, I landed employment at one of the big Rainey Street restaurants/bars as the executive assistant to the owner. Over nearly five years, we tackled SXSW, leadership team upheavals, the construction of a massive new building bar/office/event space, and a city bureaucracy that didn’t like us. There’s always more to learn, but after 13 years of serving, bartending, catering, and working on the executive team, I felt I had a strong hospitality foundation for my next act. It was time to strike out on my own. I love to write. I love to read. I love the misfits of the hospitality world. Why not throw them all into a blender and become a hospitality copywriter? I did that, and Last Call Copy was born.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Running my own solo business hasn’t always been easy. I’ve had to learn my craft and learn how to run a business while in the middle of it. It’s kind of like building a car from inside of it when you’re already on the freeway. I’ve done tons of reading and taken courses on copywriting while serving clients and marketing myself. Unfortunately, when you’re a one-woman show trying to do it all, the first thing to do is when there’s too much to do in your marketing and behind-the-scenes work. Clients come first, right? So I still have a lot of work to do that will help my business grow.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us more about your business.
Last Call Copy is a solo copywriting firm in South Austin. I write websites, blog posts, marketing materials, and emails for hospitality businesses and brands that do cool shit. It’s hard to be more specific than that because my clients are pretty diverse! I have written for hotels, restaurants, and event venues. A culinary school. An interior designer. Visit Austin. International tourism boards. A few cannabis brands. A French press manufacturer A DJ. My clients have been as close as South Austin and as far as New Zealand. What sets me apart from other copywriters is that I “speak” hospitality. I know the unique challenges that come with this business. The crushing turnover. The rising costs of food. Something expensive breaking every dang week. And beyond that, I’m reliable. That sounds like it should be a given, but I’ve learned it is not.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I am a cautious risk-taker. I’ll walk the tightrope but let’s keep that net underneath, just in case. When I struck out on my own, my husband had a full-time job, but it didn’t earn enough for us to live on long-term. We knew that we had some cushion between his income and our savings—enough that I could try running my own business for at least six months before we’d have to reassess. Fortunately, copywriting is a low-overhead business. Most of what I made that first year went into our bank account. And as my client base grew and I got more projects under my belt, I felt more confident that I’d made the right choice.
Pricing:
- Website Writing – starting at $2,000
- Blog Writing – starting at $250/blog
- Email Copywriting – starting at $125/email
- Marketing Brochures & Assets – starting at $450
Contact Info:
- Website: lastcallcopy.com
- Instagram: kate@lastcallcopy.com
Image Credits
1. GRAV® Labs 2. Pearl Snap Events 3. Stonewall Motor Lodge 4. Austin Insider’s Guide
