Introducing Kim Flynn, Serial Entrepreneur and Startup Princess Fairy Godmother
October 28, 2009
What a pleasure it’s been for me to get to know Kim Flynn, one of our newest Startup Princess Fairy Godmothers sharing wisdom and inspiration! Kim’s also in our Utah County Royal Court helping to organize our events here, love her energy and vision. Talk about a bright and talented woman- WOW. Kim just blows me away because she’s the mother of 4 and owns not just 1 business but 3 (Tutoring Connection, Fabulous Living, and Real Estate) and consults as well. How does she do it? Kim has figured out how to start companies and let them manage themselves, she’s teaching me a lot about organizing and setting up systems so you can spend more time overseeing a business and not running one. Here’s a couple of her recent posts for Startup Princess. Enjoy getting to know Kim.
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Current Residence: Cedar Hills, Utah
Education: BA, English Education, BYU
Professional Background (brief, please): Taught jr. high & high school English before starting a tutoring business.
What you wanted to be when you grew up: English teacher
What you are: Business Owner, at-home mom of 4, wife to luckiest man in the world
Brief Summary of your Startup: I started tutoring out of my home, and it grew out of control! We had 5 tutors at a time set up all over my house & cars parked up & down the street. The neighbors started to complain, so we moved to an office location. After almost 10 years of business, we started Fabulous Living, a division of Tutoring Connection that provides in-home classes for women. We currently offer a Kick Start to Fitness class and a How NOT to Dress in Utah Valley class.
Company Website?
www.tutoringconnection.net
www.fabulousliving.net
What inspired you? My dad is an entrepreneur extraordinaire wannabe— and he would be if he didn’t have a day job. As a kid, I grew up hearing about all the businesses he wanted to start. (One of his most recent is opening a tilapia farm).
How long have you been in business? Almost 10 years
How did you fund it? We grew the business internally—I probably spent $50 of my own money to start with my first client.
Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? No—but I cherish lunches out with friends who have a similar business spirit as mine.
Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? Startup Princesses, of course! I also belong to Utah Trading Center.
Current Business Challenge? Marketing Fabulous Living in a different way than I have done for the past 10 years! I always did door-to-door marketing for Tutoring Connection, and in this economy it just isn’t cost effective.
What are you doing about it? I read Guerrilla Marketing & am going through it & implementing each marketing idea that I can do one by one. It is extremely labor intensive.
Favorite motivational quote:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
-Marianne Williamson
Family? 4 kids, age 9 to 9 months.
If so, how do you balance family and business? There is no such thing as “balance.” We are always searching for a magical place where work doesn’t run into family time and family time doesn’t run into work. It isn’t going to happen—we are only given 2 hands and 24 hours a day, so something has to give. A stay-at-home mother of 4 without a business doesn’t have enough time to get the laundry done, house cleaned & kids nurtured beautifully every day. Throw a business on top of that, and you are just going to have to accept that some things won’t get done. For me, the hard part is making sure the intangible duties of motherhood (looking my kids in the eye & giving them my attention) get priority over the tangibles (checking business duties off the to-do list). This is a huge challenge for me.
Favorite book? Fiction—Pride & Prejudice ; Non-fiction—Bonds that Make us Free
What do you do to relax? Read a junk (read—not a business) magazine in front of the fire
What do you want to change most about your world? I want to show women that they can give themselves permission to be more.
What are you most proud of? My marriage
What advice would you like to offer other Startup Princesses? Just do it. Don’t spend one more minute researching. Take that step into the dark, and then another . . .
Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? Books in general
If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Anything but diamonds. My culturally responsible sister would not approve.
