unless you’re extremely lucky. Understanding income flow is big deal. That, and dealing with ambiguity.
Why do you think more single/divorced and widowed women start more businesses than men in their respective categories, and does your theory match your own rationale for starting a business?
I am a serial entrepreneur; that is how I live. I like the freedom and ability to do what I want to do. My first business was actually selling gold jewelry. That was a big deal in the 1960s, because it was the first time you could sell gold outside of a jewelry store. I had a stock of gold jewelry and I’d visit friends and they would buy from me. But it allowed me an income, to enjoy what I was doing, and it was something that was all mine. I was able to be who I actually was at “work.”
Also, I think for women with children, it is really tough to leave them behind and go back to the workforce. For example, now I’m watching friends who just had kids re-enter the workforce, and someone else is raising their children. It’s not the mother, because she’s at work. That is a really painful thing to do. Entrepreneurship gives you both worlds—the ability to make a reasonable living working for yourself and a LOT of control over the kind of life you have in a way you could never do within corporate America as an employee.
What is your personal definition of success, and have you achieved it?
My personal expression of success is fully expressing myself and really feeling like I’ve made a difference in the lives of others by doing so. I’ve had moments of this with my teaching and consulting (which in a way is just another form of teaching). When I work with clients, it is always very gratifying to see where they go and how much they can achieve. We just did a strategic planning event for a client; it far exceeded everyone’s expectations and went in directions that could not have been predicted. That to me is success.
What else is important to being a single woman entrepreneur that I didn’t ask you?
Values are very important to a company. Our company’s values are: integrity of the whole, all actions create the conditions that support life, co-creation, curiosity and experimentation. Also lately, with our website design in particular, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what it really means to be ethical. I’ve never had a good description. I’ve always believed that there are fundamental things that are right that one should do. We tend to go to religion for those things, but that’s not perfect either. We are told not to lie, but the minute we do that, we can easily think of situations where we should lie. When you get your values straight and how they fit into the bigger picture by committing to create situations that support life, the appropriate use of other values falls into place for me. This is what I’ve come to believe.
Kara Allan
Kara Allan & Associates, LLC
Kara Allan’s clients are CEOs, corporate professionals, lawyers, actors, entrepreneurs, former military personnel and others who are “fashion-challenged.” Kara Allan & Associates provides services such as personal shopping, closet organization, wardrobe styling, color consultation and body shape analysis, custom clothing for men and women, group shopping trips, couples styling, interview dressing and corporate image consulting. Her team consists of makeup artists, clothing, shoe and jewelry designers, hair stylists, manicurists, custom shapewear services and bridal beauty services.
Kara Allan & Associates, LLC is a full service Style Concierge that caters to upscale individuals, groups, and corporations. The mission of the company is to inspire and educate clients about how great they can look and feel in their clothes. It is Kara’s aspiration to live out her purpose in Christ and express Him by using her abilities and talents to assist others to be their best and have positive interactions with those she comes into contact. Clients are assured VIP treatment with an unmatched level of customer service. Looking current, stylish and polished is essential for everyone today! Find her on the web at: www.KaraAllan.com.
Can you describe your business in one sentence?
We change people’s lives by changing their wardrobes.
You started two businesses—your first business you started while you were married, and the second business, not married. What were the differences, if any?
Yes. I started my first business in 2001, and I was married. I originally started with web design and presentations, because I did that type of work in my former day job. I closed down that business and then began Kara Allan & Associates, LLC. My husband at the time of my first business wasn’t involved in my business at all, so there wasn’t any difference starting either business.
What advantages do you think you have as a single business owner that perhaps married business owners do not have?
There are advantages and disadvantages. You have a lot of autonomy. You have the chance to make your own decisions, but you don’t necessarily have support, either. If you had a spouse or significant other who also was entrepreneurial or had a complementary skill set, that would be an advantage. Also, as a single, you have to do everything. That’s the big thing—you are chief cook and bottle washer! You also have to take care of the kids, the family, and the business—it is all on you.
Do you think business ownership has led you to remain single?
I don’t really think of them as related, so, no.
What advice would you give another single woman who is thinking about starting a business?
You have to definitely have the mindset of an entrepreneur. My mom always says that she wants to start a business, and each time I tell her I am going to do this or that, the first question she asks me is if I’m getting paid for it. When you start, you might have to get out and give your skills away for a while. Savings or another income would be helpful, but that’s not always a luxury for a single woman.
Also, I would recommend that she talk to someone in the industry who is willing to give her some insight, that way she’ll know what she’s really getting herself into. At one point, I thought I wanted to be lawyer, so I went to work for a law firm. After that, I was like—HELL NO, I don’t want to be a lawyer! I’m glad I had that experience. Just work or intern in the field you’re thinking about, because it might not be what you think it is.
What about being a WOMAN business owner?
I see the negative stigmas going away for women in business because women are now starting the most businesses. We are also graduating from college and attending graduate school more than men now too. So, a lot of the ‘traditional’ stigmas are going away because women now own some of the most successful businesses.
What was the best training you received to prepare you as a business owner?
Being an entrepreneur is in my blood. My father owned property, but he didn’t necessarily love it. When I was young, I ran a lemonade stand with some of the other neighborhood kids, and started Kids Incorporated—we’d wash windows and clean
