Meet Kara Duffy: Multipreneur & Founder of The Business Edit, KDCC International and The Powerful Ladies

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kara Duffy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kara, how does your business help the community?
All of my businesses have been created to help people realize their dream life and build their dream business. By empowering others to succeed through creating and serving in their unique way, we’re not only allowing someone to be financially secure but also to be doing work that matters to them and impacting their community in profound ways. We specialize in serving creative and heart lead entrepreneurs. I know that when we empower people like that the ripple effect is massive. More people knowing how to do what they love successfully and sustainable, how to serve the people they love and how to change the world in their way is the foundation and access to so many bigger “change the world” topics. Part of our mission is to empower others to be the change they wish to see. 

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Business is never easy, but it is, or can be, much simpler than we make it out to be. Two of my businesses, The Business Edit and KDCC International (Kara Duffy Coaching & Consulting) started because I hated seeing people with great ideas and great intentions not knowing how to turn their idea into a successful business. I had years of corporate experience plus my own entrepreneurial experience and business degrees, so initially my businesses started by me just offering to help friends. I saw the impact and knew I wanted to help more people. I knew a few changes could transform a business from failing or struggling to actually working and allowing someone to follow their dreams. I was already doing that work in corporate spaces, so initially I started my own business coaching and consulting company to help small business and now we’ve added the Business Edit to jump in to launch new businesses from the ground up or jump in to larger organizations to fix an area they’re stuck. My other business Powerful Ladies was born from a combination of wanting to spend more time around women who inspire me and empowering each other. Today we offer a podcast, group business coaching, a community and more. So much of what I offer is in the business “consulting” space, but I am not your regular consultant. I’m not here to make a bunch of spreadsheets or presentations and charge you tons of money. I hate waste – wasted time, money and your potential. I’m here to get to the source of the issue and fix it. I’m here to make a specific plan for you and your business so you both thrive. Especially for small business owners, you and the business are essentially the same thing. How do we craft your business to add value to your life in addition to your customers. My personal path to entrepreneurship has been smooth in the sense that I simply started to share what I know with other people. There weren’t a lot of up front costs or investment, which was great for starting a business. The hardest part has been what all business owners face – the leap of faith that the customers and the sales will come. We all have founder’s fraud. We all panic that we can’t actually make this work. It’s why I have my own business coach. We all need someone if not a whole community to get us back to reality and focusing on the next step that matters. Additionally, when you love what you do, it can also be hard to say no to work or customers. I’m regularly going through my own Time Management workshop to remind myself what I teach others so that I thrive, too! I want people to know that you can have your dream business, your idea is a great idea, and you don’t need to be overwhelmed on your path to a successful business. Call me so I can help you! 🙂

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Two of my favorite places to eat in downtown LA are both at Grand & 7th: Little Sister and Bottega Louie. Little Sister has the best fresh Vietnamese fusion food. Bottega Louie feels like you’re stepping into either a NYC or Parisian turn of the century elegant bistro. Plus their window filled with macarons means you can’t walk by without buying at least two! What’s also great about LA is how secretly close you are to camping and being outdoors. If you haven’t camping in Malibu at the state parks, you are missing out.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My entrepreneurial journey started because of two main forces. The first are my parents, George & Wendy Duffy, who passed on the superhero code of “with great power comes great responsibility”, as well as what it means to work hard and do your work with pride & integrity. The second is Ann M. Martin, author of the Babysitters Club books series. She showed me that to have a business you just have to make it up and start. If 11 year old girls could have a babysitting empire all while having fun and go on adventures, then what else could we do if we tried? My first business, a neighborhood summer camp in our backyard was a complete response to me wanting my own local business that I created with friends.

Website: karaduffy.com
Instagram: instagram.com/kara_duffy
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karawduffy/
Twitter: twitter.com/karaduffy
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kara-duffy-consulting-and-coaching-costa-mesa-2?osq=business+coaching
Other: thepowerfulladies.com instagram.com/powerfulladies

Image Credits
Marika Creative @marikacreative