Kari Warberg Block is the founder and CEO of Earth-Kind. She is a champion for inventors, entrepreneurs & CEOs who are scaling their businesses. She is considered a market disrupter and is a fierce environmental advocate.
What motivated you to start your business?
With two small children at home, I was determined to find a natural solution that would rid the family farm of rodents. At the time, 90% of pest control solutions contained dangerous toxins. I created Fresh Cab, the first botanical rodent repellent safe enough to use at home, but strong enough to meet Federal EPA standards for efficiency.
What is the greatest barrier you faced in launching your business and how did you overcome it?
Barrier: Aside from taking an idea all the way to market leadership, the greatest barrier has been educating both pest professionals and households on how taking a preventative approach can replace poisons and other forms of killing rodents & other pests in a majority of situations.
How I overcame: (I’ve still got a long way to go!) The use of online educational content with targeted keywords has been critical to our ability to engage people with the problem who were looking for a practical safe solution.
Do you have a mentor? How did you find him/her?
Yes, I have had several. Both formal and informal. I found people I admired, people who had already been where I wanted to go, and asked them to help me do the same.
If you could go back in time to when you were first starting, what would you tell yourself, with the intention of avoiding mistakes and heart ache?
I can’t think of anything because each learned lesson from a mistake got me to a better place. I would not be who I am, where I am, without those experiences.
Leadership is something you need to DO to learn.
What does success look like for you?
Joy in my life.
What do you do to recharge?
Spend time with family, spend time with my husband in the BVI, and serve causes I believe in.
What’s your advice for a woman that’s considering starting her own business?
You can grow your business as big as your vision.
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