Interview – Katherine Lehman

Hi everyone, welcome to today's episode of Female Fractionals. I'm your host and fractional CMO, Amanda Nizzere. On today's episode, we have Katherine Lehman—Fractional CMO, advisor, and entrepreneur at KT Creativity.

Katherine started as a graphic designer, then mastered automation, and ultimately merged creative storytelling with data-driven strategy to become a powerhouse in marketing. Now as a fractional CMO, Katherine helps companies scale through bold, creative, and results-driven strategies. With deep expertise in startups, SaaS, e-commerce, and logistics, she specializes in revenue marketing from the ground up, demand generation, strategic partnerships, and high-impact event activations.

As the fractional CMO of ReturnBear, Katherine is redefining how brands approach returns, especially across borders—making them seamless, sustainable, and bearable. Beyond marketing, she’s passionate about financial independence and career acceleration, teaching people how to turn niche skills into sustainable income through courses and coaching at KT Creativity.

Not one to stay in a single lane, Katherine is also a dedicated fitness coach. Balancing multiple roles, she thrives at the intersection of business, fitness, and family—proving that you can have it all with a little strategy and a lot of caffeine.

I hope you enjoy today’s conversation. Katherine provides a lot of prescriptive, helpful tips and tricks around tools that are helping her business grow, how to master niching down in a different way, and pricing strategies—something almost every fractional grapples with.

And don’t forget—at the end of every episode, we do a rapid-fire round of questions so you can learn a little bit more about Katherine. Thanks for listening.

Hi Katherine, welcome to Female Fractionals. I’m so glad you’re here.

Katherine:
I’m really excited to be here and have this conversation.

Amanda:
I’d like to start every conversation by asking guests to share a little bit about their professional background and how you got started in your field.

Katherine:
Absolutely. As a kid, I wanted to be a designer. I was a big art kid, but I was also analytical. Naturally, my art side won out, so I went to school for graphic design. That quickly turned into me helping teachers with this new thing called social media, which slid me into digital marketing.

That’s when I realized I could merge my creative brain with my analytical brain. Eventually, that led me into automation and what I call “skill hoarding”, learning everything I could about marketing, automation, analytics, and how it all fits together. It became the career path that made sense for both my left and right brain, and it turned into my superpower.

Amanda:
When we spoke earlier, you talked about “boomeranging” across industries. Can you share what that experience was like and what you’ve learned?

Katherine:
Yes, and not just from design to marketing but also across industries. I started in D2C—literally selling shoes at a shoe store and doing marketing. Then I boomeranged into B2B—manufacturing chemicals, waterproofing, welding, HVAC. Then I pivoted again into aerospace, defense, automotive, and tech. Later, I came back around to software and startups.

What I learned is that marketing principles transfer. No matter what industry, the core principles work everywhere. I compare it to driving: if you can drive a Ford, you can drive a Chevy, you can drive a Subaru. You just learn where the buttons are.

And through those moves, you also learn what you can and can’t tolerate in an industry, which helps you find your home. For me, variety and challenge are motivating, which ultimately led me to fractional work. I get flexibility, collaboration, and the ability to choose my path.

Amanda:
Can you share something that helped you early on?

Katherine:
Niching down. People often think it means picking an industry, but you can also niche down on a skillset. For me, it was marketing automation and ops. That became the in-demand skill that broke open opportunities. It doesn’t have to be permanent, but picking a specialty helps you stand out and opens doors.

Amanda:
I like how you reframed that—it’s usually talked about as industry-only. Given your automation background, how do you use tools to be successful?

Katherine:
Tools are important, but tools don’t solve everything. Especially in startups, you can end up with way too many. I love trying new tech, but the key is: does it work with your brain?

For me, a good CRM is critical. I really like Folk. It’s simple and works the way I think. Others love Notion, some prefer monday.com. It’s about testing what clicks for you.

Amanda:
How do you stay up to speed on tools and trends?

Katherine:
I lean into LinkedIn’s new wave of B2B influencers, which I find super valuable. I also rely on community Slack groups like CMO Coffee Talk and Pavilion. Those are people actively doing the work, not just talking about it. And I keep taking courses like Winning by Design’s Revenue Architecture course. There’s always more to learn.

Amanda:
Let’s talk about building your business. How did you land your first client?

Katherine:
My first client was actually one of my professors who owned a design firm. He didn’t understand Facebook, so I managed his social media. That gave me confidence, plus he taught me a lot about client management.

Amanda:
That sounds like more of a consulting arrangement. How have you shifted into fractional roles?

Katherine:
Yes, and I think this distinction is important. There are advisors, consultants, interim employees, and fractionals. Fractionals are embedded leaders—part of the team, on Slack, in leadership meetings, steering the ship. That’s where I’ve landed.

But there’s confusion in the market. Many consultants brand themselves as “fractionals,” and that devalues what we actually do. Fractionals aren’t just project-based—they’re leading and integrating into the company.

Amanda:
That confusion must affect pricing too. Can you share your experiences?

Katherine:
Pricing is scary at first. The key is knowing your worth, understanding market rates, and asking for the budget upfront. A mistake I see (and made myself) is bidding down too fast. If you say $250/hr, stand by it. Adjust only with a reason.

For me, I price based on my hourly rate, the long-term package, and the value I bring. And I’ve learned—always ask for budget early, or you may waste your time.

Amanda:
Great guidance. Any other early lessons?

Katherine:
Yes—always be nice. Even if a project doesn’t work out, leave on a good note. 95% of my business has come from referrals, including from people I never actually worked with. People remember how you make them feel.

Amanda:
Are you actively asking for referrals?

Katherine:
I usually ask for recommendations on LinkedIn at the end of projects. That way, they’re public and available long-term. And yes, I’ll mention that if they see something that fits me, I’d appreciate a referral. But often, they just do it on their own.

Amanda:
Let’s talk about work-life balance. You run a growing business and a wellness practice. How do you manage?

Katherine:
First, I don’t believe in perfect balance. It’s not 50/50—it swings. Some days are 95/5. But I focus on what fills my cup, blocking time for clients and not multitasking.

Tools like Motion help me stay on track—I’m neurodivergent, so it’s a lifesaver. And I’ve learned to outsource things that drain me, like housecleaning. That helps me feel balanced, even if it’s not mathematically equal.

Amanda:
Funny—you’re the second guest to mention Motion, so I just downloaded it.

Katherine:
Yes, I love it. I was an early adopter and it’s only gotten better. It auto-schedules my day, keeps me focused, and makes collaboration easier.

Amanda:
Perfect segue into rapid-fire questions. Ready?

Katherine:
Let’s go.

Amanda:
Most unusual place you’ve taken a client call?

Katherine:
In a kayak—on Hemlock Lake in New York. I was listening to an audiobook, the phone rang, and it was a potential client. I answered, landed the client, and they loved that I was in a kayak.

Amanda:
Favorite productivity hack?

Katherine:
Motion, hands down.

Amanda:
Fun fact not on LinkedIn?

Katherine:
I was a professional clown for five years—scaring people for money.

Amanda:
Early bird or night owl?

Katherine:
Perpetually exhausted pigeon. (But really—a night owl forced into early bird life.)

Amanda:
Most unexpected skill that’s helped your career?

Katherine:
Yoga. My teacher certification made me a calmer, better leader.

Amanda:
If your career was a movie title?

Katherine:
#AllTheThings.

Amanda:
Sauna or cold plunge?

Katherine:
I have both. Prefer sauna, but I’ll push through the cold plunge because it’s good for me.

Amanda:
Most used emoji in professional texts?

Katherine:
Thumbs up—it’s my version of “K.”

Amanda:
Last impulse buy?

Katherine:
An Instagram T-shirt that lists all DEI protections.

Amanda:
Hidden talent?

Katherine:
I can lick my elbow—most people can’t.

Amanda:
Dream superpower?

Katherine:
Teleportation—would save me tons of travel time and expense.

Amanda:
Love it. Katherine, thank you so much. This was packed with actionable tips—from Motion to pricing confidence to LinkedIn referrals.

Katherine:
Thank you for having me. This was wonderful.

Amanda:
As always, please remember to follow, comment, and share. And don’t forget to head over to femalefractionals.com for the full transcript and links to everything we discussed. Thanks for listening.

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