The American Dream of working hard and establishing your own business has long been lauded and critiqued. One St. Louis Business-Woman, Tamara Keefe, is a great example of the American Dream done right. For readers interested in establishing their own business, I discussed with Tamara exactly how she started her career. We also discussed the various factors that have made her so successful and motivated to this day.
How Purpose Shaped Tamara Keefe’s Path to Success
One of the main talking points of our brief, thirty-minute conversation was purpose. Tamara described this as her “Why?” Tracing her career from being an undergraduate at Pitzer College, in Claremont, CA, to flourishing at a high level for Dupont Inc., Tamara possessed great clarity and assurance about her career path, especially with regard to its contributions to her success as a business owner.
As she put it, every single job she had worked and degree she had earned has led her to her current job. One example of this was her experience within the food industry, which enabled her to develop the necessary taste-testing expertise required to run an ice cream store.
Sacrifices For Success
Simultaneously, Keefe’s willingness to sacrifice her former comforts, as she was starting with Clementine’s, played a role in the business development. One such sacrifice Keefe had made was within her wardrobe: after establishing her own company, she did not purchase new clothes for 7 years. She downsized her living arrangement, ensuring that her money was going towards her business. Forever passionate about and dedicated to her business, Tamara mentioned that once she purchased the company’s warehouse and distribution location, she began telling her employees that if the company’s financial situation deteriorated, she would be living in the warehouse. Again, these decisions demonstrate what it has taken for Tamara and her company to be truly successful.
Challenges of Growing Clementine’s
Speaking of Clementine’s success, Tamara discussed the backward, and at times frustrating nature of growth. A concrete example Keefe mentioned was whenever the time had come to open a new location. Opening up a new location requires a great deal of work, from hiring new employees to renting space to painting the walls. At times, that investment in the name of growth has the immediate appearance of Clementine’s taking steps back. For example, once one location was successful, Tamara would have to re-do the whole process of starting an ice cream store elsewhere, albeit with more experience.
This pattern of “one-step forward and five-steps back” was simply the hard reality of Tamara’s experience growing her company. It seems that growing a company and reinvesting resources into the company are fundamental features of running a successful, lucrative, and consistent business.
How Tamara Keefe’s Passion at Clementine’s Creates Lasting Impact
Although Tamara has and continues to make a large number of sacrifices to establish and grow her company, she is motivated and inspired by the human, more meaningful aspects of her work. Tamara knows that her company is actively “making people’s days better.” At one point, she shared a touching anecdote about a mother she met who said that going to Clementine’s was a wonderful way for her and her daughters to truly connect.
Tamara seemed particularly pleased and inspired by the impact that her work was having on people’s lives. At one point, Tamara highlighted the difference between focusing on money and passion, demonstrating through her journey that passion, rather than money, made her so successful, happy and motivated.
Why St. Louis?
Toward the end of our conversation, Tamara discussed the benefits of living and establishing a company in St. Louis. Presenting the city as a “hidden gem,” she discussed the city’s various benefits from both a financial and cultural standpoint. With low property prices and the efficient use of tax-dollars, Keefe’s St. Louis is both a logical place to begin a company and a culinary, artistic, and cultural hub. Tamara also spoke of the kind nature of St. Louis and Midwest residents. All of these elements contributed to Keefe’s decision to begin her company in St. Louis.
Talking to Tamara Keefe was an exciting and rewarding experience. This summary of the conversation should help readers understand the importance of passion in entrepreneurship. It will provide them with insight into the true nature of starting a business. From sacrificing common comforts to inspiring readers to pursue their passions, the content of this article is hopefully meaningful and helpful.
