Like many creatives, Jessica Karalash had a lot of ideas about what she’d like to do — but didn’t quite know how to choose just one to focus on. But after taking a course with bestselling author Tim Ferriss (The Four-Hour Workweek), Jessica found the inspiration she needed to identify and pursue the idea she was most passionate about. She turned her focus to the world of fashion and technology and — using her well-rounded marketing, investor relations and fashion background — launched her business, KurateStyle, an online personal styling service for men and women.
“I wasn’t sure what I would get out of the course until I was in-studio [in CreativeLive],” Jessica recalls. “Then I was blown away. The structure of the course, the teaching style, and the mentors I met were unbelievable, some I still keep in touch with today. The whole experience propelled me to a new level of growth in both my business and my life.”
Tim asked the students in his CreativeLive course to set three goals, and after Jessica accomplished her first two (doing a yoga headstand and becoming a better cook), she hit the ground running on goal number three: working on her own business, while simultaneously banking a million dollars for a non-profit or socially-sound company.
“Number one, it’s important for me to grow my business,” Jessica explains. “Number two, for me; it’s important to help others do the same.”
Jessica already has a degree in Business and Commerce, as well as a background in finance and marketing, but Tim’s class offered a unique “holistic” perspective on business, and provided Jessica with the tools needed to successfully network and build her business.
Thanks to Tim’s advice to focus on both her business goals and her non-profit goals, Jessica developed a mentorship platform among similarly-minded business women. In addition to working to grow KurateStyle, she also devotes time to Girls Raising, a New York based organization that hosts “pitch events” to help women-founded tech companies gain seed capital and recognition.
“We just think that women can use more of that support system,” Jessica says. “I know that I have such a good support system but I’m very social and I reach out. I also want to help women that may not be as apt to do that or know where to start.”
Jessica is currently organizing pitch events in Vancouver, Canada, in order to help other women-founded companies get investment, feedback from experts and network, and is continuing to grow her network of peers in tech, fashion, and startups.
Thanks to Girls Raising, Jessica is able to share the knowledge she gained from Tim and CreativeLive, and inspire other entrepreneurial women to accomplish their business goals, share ideas, and mentor each other. That valuable mentor-student relationship was fostered for Jessica the moment she took her seat in Tim’s class.
Jessica’s inspiring success story is a testament to how businesses can benefit from peer and mentor guidance alike, both through online education, and through communities like Girls Raising.
Find Jessica at KurateStyle or over at Vanity Fair where she was recently featured in their International Best-Dressed List .
