Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kara Duffy, Founder of Kara Duffy Coaching & Consulting and Powerful Ladies, located in Costa Mesa, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Kara Duffy Coaching & Consulting provides Thrive Based business coaching for small and medium-sized businesses. Thrive-based coaching means more money, more alignment, more freedom, and more impact. Essentially helping people create a dream business doing what they love and earning more money than they ever imagined. I also offer private coaching, small group coaching, business workshops, online courses, and events. In addition to working directly with business owners, I also work with their teams, as well as larger organizations, to have breakthroughs in communication, time management, and prioritizing what actually matters to create success.

Powerful Ladies (my other company) provides empowerment and community for women to change their life and change the world. We have a podcast, host our Powerful Conversation series featuring important cultural topics, host local and virtual events, as well as a global community. Powerful Ladies started in 2016 and is a corporate partner with WomenforWomen.org so that we can make an impact on the lives of women around the world.

Tell us about yourself

I worked in footwear and apparel around the world for 20 years for big international brands. I loved it - I got to make cool products, travel the world, work with amazing people, and have a lot of freedom to make things better. Still, I was craving to be more in alignment with my values which led to me attending a leadership conference focusing on making an impact. At that conference, there were so many people with great ideas, but no one knew how to take their idea from idea to reality. That's when the lightbulb went off because that's exactly what I know how to do! I know how to create something from nothing, bring it to market and grow new brands and products. That day I asked myself, "What if I spent my days helping other people's dreams become a reality?" I started coaching non-profits first and then quickly moved into working with small business owners. It's one of the best decisions I made.

I love what I do, and like any other job, there are days when we'd rather be at the beach! In those days, I remember that my mission is to help people have their dream business so they could live their dream life. That quickly gets me back into an excited mindset to see who I can help today and how I can make the impact I'm committed to. Each time a client has a huge win - such as breaking $1M in sales - I'm reminded that what I do is making a huge impact. Plus, I'm a big believer that dream clients should be people you'd go on vacation with, and I'm super lucky that I do see my clients as friends and collaborators. I work with the best people who are super inspiring and fun.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Like all business owners, I think the first accomplishment is simply existing and continuing to do so year after year. I'm proud that I've helped over 100 companies. I'm proud that I've built a team that I love, and they love the work they're doing. I'm proud that in 2021 I helped 86% of my clients double their sales from the year prior without doubling their work, and we're on track to do the same in 2022. I'm proud that I've helped retire people from their day job and helped them create businesses bigger than they ever imagined. I'm proud that I'm helping clients break the $1M annual sales mark, which is so hard to do, and even prouder that I'm helping women break into the $1M club because only 4% of businesses making $1M or more per year are women-owned.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing about being a service-based business owner is remembering to carve out time to work on my own business. Most of my hours per week are dedicated to helping other businesses exceed expectations, and it's so easy to give up my own work time to help a client when they ask for extra support. Each year I get more and more disciplined about honoring my boundaries for the time I dedicate to scaling my own business.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Definitely get a coach. Every successful person has at least one coach; most have multiple for different areas of their life or expertise. It's impossible to maintain a 30,000-foot view of our own company, so having someone who we can bounce ideas off, hold us accountable and help us to problem solve is critical. Especially since being an entrepreneur can be such a lonely process.
  2. Because it can be lonely, definitely get a community. I built my Thrive Community for small business owners but also for myself. Even businesses that seem so different actually have a lot in common when it comes to hiring, boundaries, communication, best practices, etc. There are tons of communities out there to choose from, both virtual and local. Join a couple and see which ones add the most value to you.
  3. Everything about success is either a mindset or structure. Having experts that we can call on to help us improve our mindset and create great structures to win is a must-have. Experts that every business owner should have includes a CPA, a financial advisor, a marketing advisor, a lawyer or legal team, and at a minimum, a business mentor who has 10 years of experience than you.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website:
https://www.karaduffy.com/
https://thepowerfulladies.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kara_duffy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karaduffy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karawduffy/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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