Today we’d like to introduce you to Kara Erickson.
Kara, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset, whether I realized it or not. Growing up in Santa Rosa, CA I enjoyed both team sports and independent sports. Swimming was my number one because while working out my body, my mind also got to work through it’s obstacles in a meditative state. I always got along with most people and felt a deep need to serve others and help them, as well as to learn everything I could about the world no matter the topic.
My family moved to Scottsdale, AZ when I was 13 – right before 8th grade. At first, I was so upset to have to leave everything I knew at that rough age, but the move opened up my mind to the opportunity that lies outside of your comfort zone that you never get the chance to see unless you force yourself. This would be a lesson to stick with me as I continued onward to Malibu, CA to attend college at Pepperdine University. I don’t talk about it often, but I had a full academic scholarship to attend after graduating with a 4.3 GPA and worked my way through my entire four years of majoring in Media Production.
After college, I worked briefly at a production company and bowed out of the Hollywood scene to take a job in Sales & Marketing for broadcast television. Although I abhorred the corporate world, I learned so much about myself, how to (and how to not) successfully run a company with happy and fulfilled employees, and had the chance to move to Washington DC and then NYC with the company which I likely would not have done on my own. My world view expanded further, and through a turn of events, guided by my restless soul and striving for more creativity in my career, I began producing events focused on wellness and spirituality while in NYC. I would pull together a monthly, experiential event with different speakers, activities, and as a result, diverse attendees each time. Each event was hugely successful, and it was so incredibly enriching to create in that way and bring together like-minded people that otherwise may never have crossed paths. From this, I had the opportunity to co-found an event series called Well-being in the Modern Age (WITMA), which launched with 200 attendees in NYC. It was a panel discussion series with leading voices in all industries speaking on hot topics in the wellness world, and we gained momentum early and quickly.
Our second event was in Los Angeles, so I decided to move back to Malibu after our foundational event in NYC. This event was more of a challenge after we lost two of our original four co-founders who decided to pursue other projects. Luckily, the event turned out a success, and through my connections made, I was able to become a part of the founding team of another start-up in LA at the time that was bringing meditation to the corporate world. This role was also incredibly rewarding, but as we brought on another partner to WITMA and planned our third event in NYC, I would be lying if I didn’t say I was overwhelmed and felt pressured by each start-up to choose one over the other. We had our third WITMA event, which was another success, but I was not on good terms with my partners and also came back to LA bearing the brunt on much resentment from the other start-up as well. It was like dating two people at once and having them find out about each other, and it was such a terrible time when both of those opportunities fell to pieces because of me not giving either of them the time and attention they needed because I was split between the two.
Luckily, I was able to regain my roles with both start-ups after the fall-out, but things would never recover fully with either. At the same time, I started developing a relationship with one of the panelists that had spoken on my panel at the third WITMA event. We ended up dating, and after a few months of being exasperated in LA I decided on a whim to pack up all my things and move to Miami to be with him. I left WITMA and turned down the opportunity to continue with the other start-up to create a new company with him. After a year of intense commitment and learning, that start-up was put on the back burner. We began to study digital marketing because we knew how a deep understanding was completely necessary to make any company succeed. We even took full-time jobs to gain experience and capital for us to come back to our own company. After three months’ time, we were both in a position to receive promotions, and in our hearts of hearts, we knew we weren’t meant to take them or even be in Miami any longer. We began looking at places to relocate to, and after less consideration, than you could imagine, we chose Houston. It was completely intuitive, and there was no turning back.
We left our jobs, packed our cars, and drove to Texas after having only passed through on our way from Malibu to Miami the year prior. Since the move, we started our current company, Deathproof Solutions, which combines all the knowledge we’ve gained thus far as creatives and entrepreneurs. We are a full-service online course production company offering video solutions and marketing expertise to help people scale +$1,000 courses to over 1,000 sales without them looking cheesy or feeling inauthentic. We are so happy with the decision!!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has most definitely been a road with potholes, unexpected curves, and a multitude of bumps along the way, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Have I messed up? Big time. But the experiences have humbled me and shaped me, and the failures truly caused me to redirect and create strength to pick myself back up that wouldn’t have otherwise existed. And I’ve relied on so many people to act as mirrors and guides, which I would never have made it without. Financial struggles always felt like they held me back and caused me to act and make decisions that weren’t coming from the noblest part of myself. Also, noticing things in hindsight, biting off more than I could chew, and splitting my time between two start-ups wasn’t fair to myself or anyone involved. I wanted so bad to run with both opportunities as long as possible, and even ideally have them work hand in hand but this was a pipe dream that never took form and my own pride made my blind to so many bad choices on my part. And it wasn’t even large bad choice, it was small choices that caused resentment to be built which is hard to notice in business until it blows up in your face. It’s true when you’re a leader and an entrepreneur that every little moment and everything you say and do counts, even if you think you can get away with bad habits and an attitude at times. You can’t!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Deathproof Solutions specializes in helping high-performing individuals and companies create courses. We see those we work with as partners, and we consult them from ideation to filming to selling and scaling of their courses using hours and hours of research and tested methods. This saves time, money, and effort for all involved because everything is market tested and done in the right way from the beginning. We also have a proprietary digital marketing strategy using the leading tools in the industry to help optimize and scale a course appropriately after its beautifully written and recorded with the highest-quality equipment. We are not just videographers coming in, and doing what is asked, we see ourselves more as business consultants or a “freelance “Chief Marketing officer for anyone we partner with. Everyone we work with is vetted because we see each client and business we work with as an investment, so we need to make sure the decision to work together is the best choice for all involved and the appropriate step for the business.
I’m most proud of the attention and the knowledge we pass on to each client. We have so much clarity about the e-learning industry because we’ve studied in in-depth and then some and all of the components that go into creating a successful course, which includes basically being an expert in market research, video production, psychology, copywriting, media buying, maintaining and building relationships amongst other skills. We know we provide incredible value in a way a not a lot of widely idealized internet marketers do because we are willing to work hand in hand with our clients in a personal way.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Being malleable is an incredibly important quality for success in the entrepreneurial and start-up world. Also, when it comes to video production and heck, marketing too! There are so many industries that being flexible and being able to be shaped when the time calls for it helps you out big time. And it doesn’t mean bending over backward and being agreeable all the time. I mean being malleable when the time calls for it and the conditions are right for a pivot in what you thought might happen. It’s so important to be open to big risks and big moves to yield the biggest reward. I know most people would look at the choices I’ve made in life and be sick at the security and comfort I’ve given up to move forward in this time of business. It takes a lot of trust and faith and letting a higher power beyond yourself work magic as you listen closely to how and when you are supposed to move. And when the time comes, you have to be more than willing to do so.
Contact Info:
- Website: Deathproofsolutions.com
- Phone: (480)266-4222
- Email: deathproofsolutions@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/deathproofsolutions
- Facebook: Facebook.com/
deathproofsolutionstx/ - Twitter: Twitter.com/deathproofu
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