As part of the Morning Lazziness series about empowering women who encourage and do incredible things with their ideas in society, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kasey D’Amato’s.
Kasey D’Amato is an accomplished business advisor and executive life coach with 20 years of experience as a high-achieving professional across multiple industries. She began her career in pharmaceutical sales, later launching an aesthetic division of a Dermatology practice as a board-certified Dermatology PA. Kasey went on to found a global skincare brand, and then launch and expand her online coaching and consulting business, and later divide it into two independent companies. Simultaneously, she developed a multi seven-figure real estate portfolio across the US while maintaining a happy marriage and traveling the world with her husband.
Despite major setbacks with her own emotional health, and significant business challenges at times, Kasey has developed a deep understanding of what it takes to build a business, make strategic and difficult decisions, build effective teams both at work and at home, plan an exit, and achieve ultimate success, balance, and fulfillment.
On a mission to impact 1 million entrepreneurs and high achievers, Kasey aims to provide easy-to-implement mindset strategies, unique proprietary business tools, and clear road maps that intentionally align business and life to show people that building their dream lives is more achievable than they might think.
Here’s what we found out about Kasey’s daily routine, followed by an exclusive Q+A.
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur, and what sparked the idea for your business?
I have a unique perspective of a combination of business experience and a medically trained background as a physician assistant, so my passion is building business leaders in a holistic way that supports their business growth and supports them as human beings. I have been a part of growing five businesses: three of my own, a start-up wholesale pharmaceutical company, a skincare company, a dermatology practice, and two coaching and consulting businesses. I have had major multi-seven-figure wins and also major losses—luckily, more wins than losses.
I have navigated advanced negotiations in situations including pitching venture capital, negotiating licensing and royalty deals, international distribution partnerships, communicating with shareholders, creating online educational tools that impacted the entire dermatology profession, being an expert witness in medical employment contract litigations, and asking to speak on everything from negotiation strategy, win-win employment structures, entrepreneurship, skincare, and industry and team leadership at prestigious universities like UCLA, USC, and the University of Miami.
After struggling with my own mental and physical health challenges as a result of trying to “do it all” at once, I took a step back, studied patterns of success, spent two years with Tony Robbins, and got certified as a life coach. From there, I used skills that I learned to advance myself as a holistic leader. I exited from some ventures and spent my energy on helping others learn how to be holistic leaders—ones that lead themselves, their business, their team, and their industry while navigating the highs and lows of cash flow and the highs and lows of their energy states.
As a woman navigating the business world, what challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them?
I think every woman struggles with time balance. I created a time-blocking system that allows me to stay balanced and also ensures that I will see massive growth in my business.
How do you balance the demands of running a business with maintaining a healthy personal life?
Boundaries. I say no to a lot. I have a laser-clear vision of my goals and who/what needs to be a priority and who/what can wait, at least for now.
Which networking strategies have most effectively built meaningful connections within your industry?
All of them. The most important is to have a balance of online and offline networking. Everything from masterminds to big conferences to small retreats or business associations to online groups of peers or people in your target avatar industry. Meet people, provide value to them, and the universe will pay it back! One of my favorite quotes is “Conversations = Opportunities.”
How do you approach mentorship, and how has it shaped your entrepreneurial path?
Mentorship is critical. I have had mentors who own $100M businesses. I would not be where I am today, have the resilience tools that I have to overcome failures, and be able to pick myself up and keep going if I did not have mentors along my journey.
What strategies have worked best for selling your products and reaching your ideal customers?
2 strategies. Thought leadership and Partnerships. Be the best in the industry without hesitation. Know that you can deliver better than anyone else and stand behind that. And then partner or collaborate with people who have complimentary skills or who can join your team. Hire team members who think like intrapreneurs to help you grow your business.
Which marketing techniques have been most successful for your business, and how do you track their performance?
I have successfully grown five businesses, and across the board, the most impactful marketing efforts for them have been affiliate and referral-style relationships paired with strategic email communication.
Can you share a significant setback in your business journey and the steps you took to overcome it?
The time I almost got kicked out of USC Medical School: four weeks into the PA program, they introduced a community outreach program, and the benefit to the community was unclear to me. So I took it upon myself to reorganize the program, pitch my “new and improved program” to the students, and get all of the students to sign a petition that they liked my plan better than the university’s plan. This did not go over very well with the dean. It didn’t take long before they called me to the dean’s office and told me that I better refocus my leadership energy into other channels rather than challenging their curriculum.
I learned at this moment that leadership requires more finesse, more diplomacy, and more dialogue and assessment of the entire landscape before taking action. A few years later, I very successfully launched a massive campaign partnering with the University of Texas Southwestern and completely changed how dermatology PAs received advanced training on a national level. Had I not almost been kicked out of USC Medical School and learned not to be a “bull in a china shop” at just one university, I might not have been so successful in changing an entire profession nationwide.
What’s the most important advice you’d give to women just starting their entrepreneurial journey?
Be confident. Brace for failure and embrace it as a privilege. Remember, business is a blessing, failure is a privilege, and fear is a choice.
Is there a mantra or quote that guides your actions and decision-making as an entrepreneur?
There are 2 quotes that I use ALL the time to develop new business leaders who are focused on holistic growth- business and self-growth. “Focus Goes, Energy Flows.” – Tony Robbins. I use this to remind myself if I am spending time on something that is worth my energy and attention or if the thing is better to be assigned to someone else or eliminated from my attention altogether. The second one is “Put the Oxygen Mask on You First.” If you are not taking care of yourself as a leader, or as a human, you can not effectively lead a team, industry, or community.
