Your Name: Karen Milde
Business Name: Reframe Marketing, a marketing and design consultant agency
Type of Business: Design/Marketing & PR
Business Location: Vancouver, Canada
Website http://www.reframemarketing.com
Twitter @reframemktg
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reframe-Marketing/146843832588
Pinterest https://pinterest.com/reframemktg/
Reason for starting
There are numerous reasons why I started this business: – tired of dealing with the battle up the corporate ladder – tired of the company politics – wanted to pursue other interests in parallel of my work – wanted to do something crazy since only live once – encouraged by family and friends saying you are the best person to do this – wanted to challenge myself to do something different – always wanted to start a business – wanted to leave this earth with a big bang, so figure this is the first step to getting there – family members ill and wanted to spend more time with them – want to retire early – lots of ideas and energy
How do you define success?
Success for me is when I am given the opportunity to share my journey and experiences. The way I look at it is if someone is asking me to share my journey and experience with them, I must have done something that stands out from the pack and that it was successful. I’ll be honest, one of the big goals for me is I would like media attention on me someday for some kind of crazy initiative I put together. I also want to sell a company someday and possibly become a Venture Capitalist and help others in their entrepreneurship journey.
Biggest Success
My biggest success thus far has been having developed a business where I am able to travel around the world while working and have fun and passion doing it. The freedom and the ability to travel while doing what I love to do gets me up and out of bed everyday.
What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?
My top challenge has so far been staying committed to being a business owner while a majority of people around me tell me to go back and get a job and say why are you working this hard. This is literally an uphill battle that I have to deal with day in and day out, more so when the world is in a recession right now. To address this, I am continually reading and watching personal development materials to learn to be comfortable in my skin. It’s not easy when there is so much pressure from society to act and operate in a certain way.
Who is your most important role model?
My two biggest role models are my mother and grandmother. Immigrants from India, they were both stubborn minded and determined women, always putting others before themselves. Not even illness could deter my mother from taking care of her family. My grandma raised me while my mother pursued her education in order to provide for us. Both were inspirational women who empower me to pursue my passions and work until I succeed, while remembering to keep family first.