“Do you have a product or an idea that is going to solve a problem?” –Kara GoldinI love Kara’s story because it captures the essence of what being an entrepreneur is all about: There was a product that she needed. It didn’t exist. She created it. Done.
This is why she’s truly a Glambition Girl… but I’ll get to that in a second.
In the 1990s, Kara was one of the first 100 employees at AOL, where she helped turn the company’s online shopping business into a billion-dollar entity. A busy mom with three kids at the time, she left AOL in 2001 to spend more time with her family.
Kara told me, “I took a couple of years off and really took the time to think about, ‘What do I want to do with my life that is going to make a difference, and be something that I care about, and that really fits my lifestyle?’”
The answer came to her in the grocery store while shopping for healthy beverage options for her family. Kara noticed none of the choices (even at “health food stores”) were actually healthy. They all had sugar or artificial sweeteners in them.
Kara went home, cut up some fresh fruit, threw it in a pitcher of water… and her family devoured it. Hint Water was born!
The fact that she knew nothing about launching a beverage company didn’t stop her. She told me that if she ran into a problem or had any questions, she just Googled it! She figured it out along the way and didn’t over think it!
Now Hint Water is a $30 million company that’s sold in 20,000 stores nationwide (including Whole Foods). Fortune recently named Kara one of the Magazine’s “10 Most Promising Women Entrepreneurs”.
During our Glambition Radio interview, I asked Kara to share three of her top success tips with everyone. Here they are… in her own words:
Tip #1 Dream it… Risk it… Do it
Kara says, “Take risks and dream big. I think if you’ve got an idea that you really believe can happen, then you’ve got to take some risks in order to make that become a reality.”
Tip #2 Build an awesome network
Kara says, “I really believe that entrepreneurs who actually get their vision and their dream happening are the ones that have large networks… that have a lot of people around them that fuel them to actually go out and take risks and really make it happen.”
Tip #3 Surround yourself with people that are better at some things than you
Kara says, “Probably the most important thing that I’m constantly a huge proponent of is to really surround yourself with people that are better at some things than you. With that I mean, at skills outside of your own comfort zone. You’re not going to be able to build an organization if you’ve just got a lot of people that are following your orders.”
Lots of great tips and insights from Kara. We had a great talk! I hope you’ll listen to this episode of Glambition Radio by clicking the play button below. And if you want to hear my most recent episodes head over to iTunes to listen or subscribe for automatic updates.
Love and success,
