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 houses for money. When I was 12, I got interested in doing makeup. When I was 15, I started working at the mall at several different retailers. I LOVED putting together outfits to help people feel more confident. The hours and the pay weren’t great, and the management irked me, but I loved helping customers.
I was in the private sector for a long time working in a day job, and then my mom saw an article on a consultant named Darlene Mathis in the paper who was talking about how wearing certain clothes compliment the wearer and how you should have them in your wardrobe as well. I was talking to my hairdresser about the article (we tell our hairdressers everything anyway, right?) and my hairdresser actually knew this woman, so I got connected! Darlene decided to do a seminar since a lot of people called after seeing her in the article. It was a full day—half of the day we learned how to find someone’s best colors, and the other half was spent on applying makeup.
I took this class around 2001, and noticed that other training on how to do image consulting was outrageously expensive and I couldn’t afford to travel to the consultants and pay for the classes. So I read every book I could get my hands on around fashion, body typing, and image. I kept working and did other things for 2 years until I came across AICI in 2006, or the Association of Image Consultants International, which has three levels of certification; the First Level Certification (FLC), The Certified Image Professional (CIP) and the Certified Image Master (CIM), of which there are only 8 in the world. It was at a conference where I met Carla Mathis, a CIM. Her company is Body Beautiful. I took two of Carla’s Certification classes and loved it! She is truly a professional and a wonderful person. Although I don’t have my AICI certification anymore because the cost of maintaining the certification didn’t translate to business for me, I still attend some of their trade association meetings. I’ve had the chance to be part of Stacy London’s new venture, Style for Hire (www.styleforhire.com) and I am certified through her company as well. I keep up with my education on fashion, style and business by reading the latest books. I am also a makeup artist; I freelanced for MAC Cosmetics for a few years and Christian Dior Cosmetics as well. The only part of image I don’t do is hair, and my daughter is studying cosmetology right now, so I won’t have to!
Did you, or are you running your business as a part-time or full-time venture? Why?
I run this business full-time. I’m also a full-time student at George Mason now studying communication.
Did you take