Meet Kara McKeage

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kara McKeage. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kara below.

Hi Kara, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?

Growing up as an Air Force brat, I moved to a new school every year until high school. This constant change taught me to be adaptable and perceptive. I would sit back and observe the students, teachers, and school culture before opening up and choosing my friends. Each new environment exposed me to different cultures and ways of thinking, shaping my ability to embrace uncertainty and diversity. I don’t fear failure; I see everything as an experiment. If something doesn’t work, I learn from it and move forward. When I know what I want, I don’t wait for the ship to come to me—I dive in and swim out to it. This mindset has been instrumental in developing my ability to take risks, as it allows me to approach challenges with confidence and resilience.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I started Pepper’s Personal Assistants in 2012 as a way to balance being a stay-at-home mom with earning an income. What began as a side hustle soon blossomed into something far beyond my dreams, bringing immense joy by making life easier for both our clients and employees. For the first five years, the business grew organically, but once my kids were in middle school, I dedicated more effort to its growth, focusing specifically on long term household management.

Our mission is to simplify life and elevate happiness for our clients in the Seattle, WA area. We provide curated personal assistants who handle chores, errands, and vendor management, thereby bringing peace of mind and headspace back to our clients. In a world where the mental load of running a household often falls on women, our services help alleviate that burden. It’s incredibly rewarding to be a part of our clients’ support systems, making their lives smoother and more manageable.

As we continue to grow, we’re excited about expanding our services and reaching more households. Our commitment remains steadfast: to bring ease and joy into the lives of our clients, helping them focus on what truly matters to them.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Resiliency – The journey of an “accidental” entrepreneur is a challenging path, but I have zero regrets taking it. I’ve had to learn many aspects of running a business the hard way. You get knocked down, you learn, and you get back up. The pandemic was one of the most difficult times for both my business and home life. I had 30 employees to care for during a four-month stay-at-home order while homeschooling two high schoolers. This experience strengthened my belief that we can survive and thrive through challenges.

Outsourcing – Outsource as much as you can afford. Along the way, I hired experts who could either teach me new skills or handle tasks more efficiently and effectively than I could. It’s smart to hire people who can do things faster and better than you. The first job I outsourced was bookkeeping. More recently, I hired a fractional Director of Operations to manage day-to-day operations for me. This allows me to focus on strategic growth and other core aspects of my business.

Make it your own – This is your business, and you have the freedom to build it around your life and values. Be wary of the “supposed to’s” and “should’s,” as they are often untruths. I’ve made mistakes by thinking I needed things that I didn’t, such as paying for an overcomplicated CRM system like Salesforce when I was first starting out. I’m constantly checking myself to ensure I truly need something and that it’s aligned with my business goals. My advice is to create a business that fits your unique vision and lifestyle, rather than adhering to external expectations.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I firmly believe in focusing on our strengths and finding our zone of genius. When you discover that sweet spot where your skills align with what energizes you, it opens up incredible opportunities for growth and learning because your energy isn’t drained.

I first learned about the zone of genius from Gay Hendricks’ book, “The Great Leap,” which has had the biggest impact on me as an entrepreneur. Hendricks categorizes work into four zones: Zone of Incompetence (tasks you’re not good at and others can do better), Zone of Competence (tasks you’re competent at but others can do just as well), Zone of Excellence (tasks you’re extremely skilled at but don’t provide deep fulfillment), and Zone of Genius (activities uniquely suited to your talents and passions, bringing joy, fulfillment, and a sense of timelessness).

Additionally, there’s now a Working Genius book and assessment to help you and your team find your zone of genius and focus on everyone’s strengths. We also use the Clifton Strengths assessment to identify our team’s top five strengths. This assessment emphasizes that it’s better to focus on your strengths than to waste energy on improving weaknesses.

Living in your zone of genius brings numerous benefits, including greater satisfaction and joy in work and personal life, increased productivity and creativity, and a profound sense of purpose and contribution. Balancing self-improvement with leveraging one’s strengths has always been my approach, and it has led to a more fulfilling and effective professional journey.

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