Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Wasserstrom.
Hi Katie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story is rooted right here in Kansas City. After earning my finance degree from KU (Lawrence being the farthest I’ve ever strayed from the KC metro!), I started my career at Hallmark Cards. It was a great chapter, especially considering I met my husband there; we actually started in the corporate finance department on the same day. I eventually moved over to Mariner Wealth Advisors. Both Hallmark and Mariner are KC institutions led by families who give so much back to the community, and those values really stuck with me.
Despite having a career I loved, I hit a point where I didn’t feel a lot of purpose in my 8-to-5. I realized I was supplementing that by serving on nonprofit boards and company foundations, where I ended up stretched too thin. I realized I wanted a career where “giving back” was the job, not just something I did after hours.
At the same time, I realized the traditional corporate structure wasn’t necessarily created for moms. I wanted to work incredibly hard, but I didn’t want to “ask for permission” to leave for a 4:30 soccer game or a doctor’s appointment. I wanted to show my two daughters that you can be a mom and give back to the world in a way that makes sense for you, without feeling like you’re sacrificing your career or your family.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
To be honest, I loved everything about the corporate structure – the stability, rules, I found it to be so comfortable! Leaving the security of that was a huge leap of faith. In that world, you have a title, a ladder, and a team. Honestly, I loved that structure… it felt reliable! Moving into entrepreneurship felt very vulnerable. I had to learn to trust my own intuition now that I was the one making every decision.
That vulnerability hit me hard right after I left. I initially launched a professional organizing business and quickly learned I hadn’t found the right intersection of my skills and my purpose yet. It took several months of networking, listening to other business owners and ultimately reading e-Myth (highly recommend!) to realize my true value wasn’t in organizing their closets, it was in organizing a strategy for their business.
I find that the struggle is often internal. It’s the constant work of proving to myself that I can be the mom in the school car line and the consultant helping a million-dollar business navigate a major growth inflection point. I’m living the same journey my clients are, which I think makes me a better partner for them.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Elevate Your Business?
I am a Business Consultant for owners who are usually on the cusp of a major growth inflection point. Typically, they’ve been in business for 3–10 years and have hit that $500k to $1M+ revenue mark, but they are drowning. They didn’t start their business to get stuck in administrative tasks or owner-dependency, yet that’s exactly where they find themselves.
What sets me apart is that I’m a real partner. I’m happy to give strategic advice, but I’m also happy to roll up my sleeves and dig in if that’s what the support calls for. My favorite thing is getting to know an owner’s personal and business goals and then helping them prioritize where to focus.
There are 1,000 things we “should” or “could” be doing in our businesses, but I help owners cut through that noise without judgement. I want to normalize asking for help and having people in your corner that complement your skillset and bring in a different perspective. Building a business can feel isolating, and it’s easy to think you’re failing if things aren’t perfect. But guess what? Literally zero businesses are running perfectly behind the scenes. I saw that in the corporate world and I see it now. My goal is to create a “no-shame” zone where we can structure your business to actually support your life.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m incredibly excited about the direction of Elevate Your Business. I founded this company because I believe that professional excellence and personal fulfillment, especially family, don’t have to be competing interests. My big goal is to make an impact not just on the business owners I serve, but on the people I hire.
I’m currently looking for a high-caliber professional to join the team as a Strategic Business Advisor. I want to empower a team of people who, like me, might have stepped away from the corporate ladder but still have a passion for high-level strategy. I’m looking for someone with a deep background in Finance, Accounting, or Operations who wants to use their brilliance to help small businesses succeed but needs the flexibility to keep their family a priority.
Eventually, I want Elevate Your Business to be a hub for these professionals to do high-level, meaningful work while never having to miss a 4:30 soccer game. If you know someone who fits that description and shares my values, I’d love an introduction!
Pricing:
- The Strategy Session ($350): A 60-minute working session to identify your goals and key challenges, resulting in a written action plan outlining the three priorities that will move your business forward and a follow-up call to review the plan.
- The Value Growth Assessment ($3,450): A deep-dive engagement that includes a financial review, an assessment of operational and system dependencies, and a collaborative roadmap to identify where value is leaking and what must be addressed for growth to work for you.
- The Strategic Partner Membership ($425/month): A high-access partnership designed to eliminate decision fatigue and bridge the execution gap through a monthly 90-minute alignment session, plus “advisor-in-your-pocket” access via Voxer and email for real-time troubleshooting and professional sanity checks.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elevate-yourbusiness.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwasserstrom
