When Kathy isn’t helping companies build “bad ass” brands, she enjoys traveling the world.
Why did you start the business, what was the catalyzing event?
I have been an entrepreneur since my mid-twenties, but Red Caffeine was born following a business divorce from a prior business partnership. It was the most challenging time in my career besides the pandemic!
How did you find your first customer?
My very first client came from an introduction from my husband. One of his golf buddies wanted to start a second business. He owned a B2B wire company in the manufacturing space. Artistic Wire targeted consumers who loved crafting and jewelry making. As a result of our marketing collaboration, it became the number one colored wire brand in the space. An inspiring and hard-to-top first client!
Describe your first office/location.
My first office commute took only seconds – a desk beside my bed. I had one of the first Macintosh computers, a dial-up connection, a floppy disc drive, and lots of notable firsts at that desk.
What’s the most creative thing you did to get your business started or kept it going through a tough time?
I opened the books and committed to financial transparency using the Great Game of Business methodology. It was the reason RC survived the business divorce aftermath and is still going strong now. Ask me what happened to my ex-partner’s business.
What’s something quirky or superstitious you do as a CEO?
Maybe not so quirky, but I started Culture Club. It’s weekly lunch with the entire team to share company updates, celebrations and have fun!
What was your last job working for someone else? What was your favorite day job?
My last job was at a travel company as a graphic designer. I created travel marketing materials and now have been to many of those destinations. That job was pretty cool, and it was always fun to work in the restaurant biz, but my favorite job is leading Red Caffeine.
Where did you come up with the name for your company?
It is part of our service offering to do brand/product naming for clients, so we turned the tables on ourselves. If you want to know the details, I highlight the whole process in this blog post: Red Caffeine True Hollywood Brand Story.
