The new ‘It’ Girl in Town: “You can be successful without being a bitch”.

If you haven’t heard about Kata Cser we’re going to assuming you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of years. The Canberra born and bred business ‘IT’ girl is on the lips of many of her Gen Y counterparts and it’s clear to see why.

A few weeks ago we were in a cosy corner of Monster, at Hotel Hotel, ready to chat all things business and what it takes to succeed in a highly saturated market where creating a business seems to be the thing to do.

Kata is the kind of person that strikes you with her presence. She's authentic, bold and brave. She has a drive and passion that’s largely unmatched by her peers. She is unabashed in stating that she is about building business empires. In a society that profits from self-doubt and waits in hope that people will succumb to a fatal case of tall poppy syndrome, it’s a brave move.

The thing that resonates with me personally about Kata, is her fierce passion and the way she speaks of her accomplishments and successes without hesitation. She also doesn’t sugar coat the lows or the need to sacrifice and compromise things for her to be where she is in her 20’s.

Here’s the thing though, why? Where does her motivation and appetite for success come from?

Growing up with single parents who immigrated from Hungary, Kata watched her parents work extremely hard to put her through private schooling and promised herself that she would turn their sacrifice into something worthwhile.

Kata started as an Arbonne consultant in 2012 and less than five months later she was already equalling what she was taking home in her job in the Public Service. Identifying early on that she had a talent for network marketing, she also found herself being approached by many other Gen Y network marketers who could not see their point of difference in the market.

Cue Kata.

“It’s about promoting a lifestyle, not a brand”, Kata says. “YOU are the product, when people see how happy and healthy you are and what the lifestyle is they want to jump on board”.

But her meteoritic rise does not stop there, as her team rapidly grew, so too did Kata’s ideas about where she could take her business. She knew that she had the skills and ability to coach other Gen Y entrepreneurs outside of her immediate circles and that’s when ‘KATA the Brand’ was born.

KATA the Brand is about empowering women in business, whatever the avenue. When asked, Kata explains, “I just don’t believe that there is a place for competition or comparison in the business market. There is room for everyone, this culture of bringing other people down needs to disappear.”

If you aren’t already impressed with her accomplishments, Kata has recently started a new project the “Wine Not” brand. With her business partner, they have created a wine that will be branded and marketed as the “Gen Y wine of choice”.

“This is really just my passion project. I wanted to see if I could turn one of my expenses into an income stream” she says with a wry smile.

Damn girl. What's next?

5 minute musings

What’s your morning ritual?

My alarm is a song, I listen to it the whole way through while I wake up and refuse to touch my phone during this time. These are my moments to get my head together for the day. Then, I jump up, grab a coffee and spend 15 minutes reading something inspiring to get my head in a productive place– after that I’m ready to attack the day.

Who’s your girl crush?

Hands down my business mentor Lauren Heys from Moxxi. That girl is going places!

What’s next for KATA the Brand?

I've just launched a series of ebooks to be released throughout the year, with the complete major book and audiobook to be released in time for Christmas.

`My Wine Not brand will be launched in the months to come. Keep your eyes peeled and your taste buds ready.

After that? Who knows...

After spending the last 3 years splitting her time between Australia and New York, Kata's now settled in Bondi. You can see what she’s up to by heading to her socials, Instagram @katacser, facebook, KATA the Gen Y Business Expert, or her website www.katacser.com