Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an entrepreneur, writer and scholar in the fields of innovation, entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial resilience. I have a special interest in cognitive–behavioural therapy and disruptive technologies, particularly in artificial intelligence. An educational professional by day and writer and mentor by night, I received her PhD in philosophy from Aston University and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
My mission is to teach business owners the critical action steps needed to build entrepreneurial resilience, survive business challenges, and use powerful strategies to review, reinvent and relaunch their businesses. I am a host of the Mental Wealth for Entrepreneurs podcast, which is all about building entrepreneurial resilience and approaches to mental well-being.
My first publication was for the International Academy of Management of Technology (IAMOT) conference held in Dubai (UAE) in 2008 (as a conference proceeding paper and then an article in a peered-reviewed journal). I was doing my PhD at Aston University and was encouraged to present papers at national and international conferences. I’ve since published academic papers and book chapters on the topics of innovation and international business and now a book, Generation AI: The Rise of The Resilient Entrepreneur.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Generation AI: The Rise of The Resilient Entrepreneur.
In 2017, as a researcher with experience of running two businesses, I was asked to present an introductory talk at Global Entrepreneurship Week on a topic of my choice. I didn’t know what to present at first, but I ultimately chose to speak about automation and its effect on jobs. A few years earlier, I had travelled to Malta as a researcher to learn how to bridge education and the skills demands of the workplace, and I was aware of the central importance of the topic of automation and how employers’ requirements in this area were not being fulfilled by providers of education. What I have learned since has not only changed my perception of education but also opened my mind to what the future might hold. My rationale for writing the book is to provide a concise but comprehensive research-based outline of the challenges we’re facing.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I usually write late at night after my son who is 5 years old goes to bed and it’s quiet. My typical writing hours are between 8 pm and 11 pm. Usually, after my writing, I practice Manga drawing for an hour or so.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Seth Godin’s books The Icarus Deception, Free Prize Inside!, Linchpin, Purple Cow and The Practice gave me courage to get unstuck, innovate and share my creative work. They have been a great inspiration.
What are you working on now?
My next book is for people who want to become entrepreneurs or become more resilient in their existing business. The number one question people ask is how they can be more successful in their business. Running a business can create strong emotional states and intrusive symptoms that can derail your effectiveness as an entrepreneur. I know this from my experience of running an e-commerce business. Being aware of your vulnerabilities is the first step in identifying the ways to manage them. Entrepreneurship has many challenges, and there is no one way to tackle all of them. Entrepreneurs always try to put their best foot forward. However, just like one person’s experience may be completely different from another person’s, so is yours. To acknowledge your insecurity is to accept your vulnerability. There is no more significant challenge than to change one’s behaviour and mindset. It’s a humbling experience to take stock of your strengths and weaknesses as an entrepreneur. Once you do, it opens the door to a host of better future success options, including who you need around you to overcome your weaknesses. If you search the book marketplace today, you’ll see titles like Starting A Business: A 7-Step System To Successfully Launch Your Own Business In 30 Days, How to Succeed by Creating Your Own Business, The Lean Start-Up, Online Business – How to Start an Online Business in 30 Days or Less, How To Be an Overnight Success, How to Start-up Money Without Any Money. The list goes on and on. These so-called business and marketing gurus like telling how to be a success whilst they fail over and over again. In reality, most entrepreneurs start repeatedly again before they realise their vision of a successful start-up. The book will show you how you can readily identify these cognitive biases so that you can actively avoid them and make better decisions to help you in your entrepreneurship journey. You can signup to be notified when the book is available at www.katerinathomas.com/books
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think it’s very individual and depends on your book’s audience and genre. You need to be selective regarding your marketing platform and spend energy on social media channels that are likely to have an audience interested in the topic of your writing.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just start writing and practice writing every day, and you’ll get there.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Seth Godin’s advice on how to ship your creative work, and that the Imposter syndrome simply means that you are a well-adjusted human.
What are you reading now?
Artificial You: AI and the Future of Your Mind book by Susan Schneider.
What’s next for you as a writer?
After my next book about cognitive biases and entrepreneurial decision-making, I’d love to write a fiction trilogy.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
This is a tough question. I’d like to bring a paper and a pen so I could write. But if I had to bring books with me, I’d probably bring a couple of fiction sci-fi novels.
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