Digital Nomad to Marketing Maven: How Katherine Built Catalyst Across Time Zones

Most agency founders start by selling execution.

Copy. PR outreach. Social. Campaign delivery.

But execution without strategy hits a ceiling.

In this episode of The Growth Equation, I speak with Katherine Tuominen, founder of Catalyst Brand Strategy, about what it actually takes to scale a boutique PR agency sustainably — without losing control of quality, culture, or commercial outcomes.

From Entertainment to Commercial Brand Strategy

Before launching Catalyst, Katherine worked with Fox and Warner Brothers. Today, she partners with impact-driven founders in wellness, health, and purpose-led industries.

Her advantage is clear: combine data-backed strategy with strong storytelling.

Not surface-level PR. Not disconnected tactics.

But positioning that drives authority, visibility, and long-term growth.

Why Tactics Don’t Compound

Katherine began as a freelance copywriter. She quickly saw the issue.

Founders wanted landing pages or PR support without clarity on positioning or commercial goals. The work might “perform,” but it didn’t build momentum.

So she moved from selling tasks to leading strategy.

For service-based founders, this matters. Ads and PR without narrative alignment rarely create sustainable growth.

Remote Teams Only Scale With Structure

Catalyst operates across Australia, the US, Europe, and the Philippines.

It works because of structure: clear ownership, defined roles, asynchronous workflows, and disciplined client processes.

Remote doesn’t break agencies. Poor systems do.

The Contract Lesson

In her first year, Katherine lost multiple clients during a personal crisis because her contracts didn’t protect leave.

That forced a reset — stronger agreements, financial buffers, better safeguards.

If your business can’t handle real life, it isn’t built properly.

Scaling Without Ego

Catalyst sits at around ten team members — intentionally.

No vanity growth. Just sustainable revenue, strong culture, and impact.

The takeaway for founders?

You don’t need to scale endlessly.

You need to scale deliberately.