Karen Kaplan, Founder of A Little More Special
Name: Karen Kaplan
Founder: A Little More Special
In one sentence, what problem do you solve and for who?
We inspire women to make their everyday life a little more special with menu planning and easy recipes, hosting how-to’s and pretty table settings, and well-balanced lifestyle ideas.
What's your story?
After being fired from my job as VP at a boutique design agency, I leaned into expressing myself in creative ways through my love of cooking, setting a pretty table and creating more self-care and balance in my life. It felt like I was coming into my own self as I mourned the loss of my career at my age (62). I got a feeling that I had aged out of my industry, so I started my own Instagram page to share what I was doing, because I wanted share my knowledge and experience. I discovered I really enjoyed it, even though it was a bit terrifying putting my real self "out there". But the feedback from my friends, family and others was reassuring and encouraging: "you're a natural", "I love your videos", "your recipes look delicious", etc.
My dear friend Jen and I (we raised our kids together in Deerfield IL - 3 each and now all young adults) share a passion for entertaining, cooking and love to make our family and friends feel welcome and cared for in our homes. Jennifer has deep experience as a catering director for years and has a master’s in journalism. After several conversations, we decided to partner and launch A Little More Special at the end of August.
Together we aim to create a lifestyle brand for A Little More Special that helps women learn easy ways to bring more joy into their lives...to take the placemats and cloth napkins out of the closet and use them to make Tuesday dinner prettier, to sprinkle a little finishing salt on a dish to make it taste more delicious and flavorful, to find a moment outside to see the beautiful colors that nature offers and more...all the things that we know make life #alittlemorespecial!
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
It means having a community of support with other like-minded women, building and growing businesses. It means having access to others' experiences and expertise. It means not feeling alone, having an outlet for brainstorming and problem solving. It means being in an environment that is motivating, inspiring, always learning and growing.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
I buy their products or services. I tag them in social media. I actively engaged with them.
What podcasts do you listen to that have helped you with your business?
Mel Robbins’ Podcast, Dear FoundHer
What is ONE BOOK that you would recommend every female business owner read?
Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork by Dan Sullivan
Who is a female entrepreneur you look up to and why?
Mel Robbins because she was in a deep financial hole, was not her strongest self, ignored bad signs of self-care and then reinvented herself to dig out of all the negativity in her life - from financial to health to family life. She seeks the advice of experts to help get more clarity on the important things in life. She put herself out into the world and shares how she overcame every obstacle in her way to achieve success. She constantly strives for better in her own self-care, financial stability, always wanting to learn more and be happier with what's important in life.
What are the first five things that you did when you were starting your business?
Plan what the business stood for - what we believed in and what we wanted to do, what our values and purpose are.
Decide on a name, create a logo.
Determine a target audience.
Ways that we could help our audience - categorize areas of our expertise. How we could make an impact.
Determine ways to monetize the business.
Who is someone who has helped change or shape your business for the better and what did they do to help you?
Nina Abnee, a career coach, helped guide the above areas to better define what we do and why. I also got help from my Vistage business coaching group that I have been a part of for 4 years. My Vistage team helped me better define our why and ways to monetize the business.
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
I made it an official full time gig at the end of August when we announced the beginning of the business. I decided I was all in for learning ways to develop the business through networking, joining the Forum, learning Canva/Flodesk, video work and editing, social media posting, etc.
From a timing standpoint, I knew in order to make this work, I had to be all in and focused. It still is hard when there is no revenue yet, so I work hard to stay the course.
What lesson or skill did you take with you from a prior job to help you succeed in your role today?
Discipline in networking, ongoing learning and relationship building. The more time I spend with others, the more I believe in what I'm doing and my motivation increases, and I'm always learning something new or where I can help others.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
My partner and I both work on social media. The biggest challenge is tracking what is working and what is not; there are not consistently "great posting days" or "times". The current biggest challenge is the learning curve on filming, lighting, editing, etc. And that my partner does not have an updated cell phone with a good camera - her videos and photos are not good quality (but she will upgrade soon).
How did you land your first client?
We've done a few gratis consultations with others for menu planning, recipes and table settings to learn what's important to our target for curriculum building. We believe our first client is right around the corner!
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
We offer deep expertise in all the areas of inspiration and consulting we offer: from menu planning and easy recipes to hosting how-to's and pretty table settings. Additionally, we focus in on each individual’s challenges and work hard to build relationships that will last! We want others to like us, trust us and believe in us.
What would you do differently if you were starting your business today?
Since I am just starting, I'm not sure! My partner would make sure that we are aligned on our vision and mission.
What was an obstacle you overcame to get your business where it is today?
Confidence to put myself in front of the camera. I am still working on that! I want to be authentic yet inspirational, so I fret over how I look, if I need to have makeup on, what I'm wearing, am I smiling enough, etc.
What are three actionable tips you would give with other women who want to start a business or are just getting started?
Just get started. Have a good idea what you want to DO and WHY, then do it.
You'll make some shifts along the way as you learn what's working, what's not, and what needs more clarity.
Be open minded to constructive criticism and always have a learning mindset.
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