Q and A with Kara L. from Blanding, UT

“A solid business foundation saves you time, makes you more money, and helps you avoid expensive mistakes.”

Q: Tell us about yourself.

A: I am passionate about business. Overly passionate. I love everything about it. My passion for business started when I was in the 6th grade. The entire grade had the project to create our own little businesses. At the end of the week, we had a “market day,” and everyone brought stuff to sell in their “business.” We used Monopoly money to shop with each other. I just thought it was so cool. I loved that we could all make money by making and selling our own things. I loved how we were all essentially selling the same stuff (Rice Krispy treats), but the way we presented ourselves and our products changed where people spent their money. It also changed how much they were willing to spend. I thought it was awesome, and I have loved business ever since. I have started six businesses; I have sold four of those, and now I run my last two. The business I am passionately devoted to right now is called Launched. At Launched, I teach other business owners, especially women, how to start and run their businesses the right way. I teach them how to build solid foundations for their business. A solid business foundation saves you time, makes you more money, and helps you avoid expensive mistakes.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: I grew up in a small town (one stoplight and Walmart is 100 miles away…kind of small town). It is easier to see entrepreneurship here because many people have their own businesses. We don’t have very many corporate businesses around, so it wasn’t uncommon to know the business owners at every place we shopped growing up.

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: The most valuable thing that I think I have learned is that none of us should be going through life alone. When I started my first business, I thought that I had to do it alone or it didn’t count. I didn’t want to get help or follow a plan because I thought it was cheating, it didn’t feel like my win. It took me five years of screwing up, losing money, and constantly struggling before I let myself get the business help that I needed. It is good to ask for help. If every kid who was interested in science had to learn everything for themselves and were never given the knowledge of the scientists that came before them, science would never move forward. I think that business ownership, especially for women, is the same way. Many men (some women, but more men) have businesses handed down to them. They have generations of knowledge and tools. The people who are just starting their businesses don’t have those benefits; they don’t have that edge. So, they need to go get it. Learning to actively seek business knowledge from the right sources completely changed my life and all my businesses. We all need to be willing to ask for help in our businesses. Learn from the people who are further down the road.

Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A: For a long time, feminism meant being angry to me. It meant marches and hating men and not wearing a bra. I didn’t identify as a feminist because I don’t like crowds, I do like men, and I am attached to my bra. I didn’t want to wear a vagina hat and scream at people. I didn’t want to breastfeed topless. I didn’t want to be angry all the time. Turns out, that isn’t what feminism is. [Kara laughs.] Feminism is understanding the insane value that women add to our communities. In whatever capacity a woman chooses for herself, she is bringing value. She is worth recognition; she should be treated with respect. She should be listened to, have a say at the table (whatever table that is), and be treated like a human being who is equal to anyone else. Feminism, to me, is not dismissing women in any capacity.

The only additional thing that I want to mention is that if any woman is starting a business and wants the steps to do it right, I have a free checklist for all of you. This checklist gives you all the steps, in the right order to make sure you are building a solid foundation for your business. Here is the link: https://launchedacademy.com/business-essentials-checklist/. None of us have to do this alone, and we shouldn’t have to.