Karen McMahon is a seasoned entrepreneur who started a second business is 2013. She’s been growing ShopforMuseums.com for nearly a decade; the skills she’s developed have lead her to several contracting positions and inspired her to create her latest business, The Affiliate Whisperer.
In her interview here, she discusses how those businesses came to be. Karen also shares her insights into what it takes to be an entrepreneur, and gives us a glimpse into what she enjoys when she’s not growing two different, yet related, companies.
Karen and her husband, Al, champion efforts to care for their neighborhood’s feral cats. They have had several homeless cats spayed/neutered, and have adopted a few that were willing to accept Karen & Al’s offer of love and a warm home. These cats also enjoy helping Karen run her businesses!
Tab Cat after a long day of work; these cats go the extra mile for Karen!
About the Business
• How did the idea for your business come about?
I run two companies. The first is ShopforMuseums.com, an online portal where you can shop with major online retailers such as Target.com, Sears.com, Staples, HP.com, etc. and have a percentage of your purchase amount donated for FREE back to a museum or organization of your choice. ShopforMuseums.com was founded by a retired science museum director who over time saw her time and job responsibilities become almost solely focused on fundraising. In talking with her colleagues, she realized museums across the U.S. were struggling with the same issues- how to stay financially viable. She started ShopforMuseums.com as a way to help museums big and small find new ways to generate vital funds while connecting with their communities. I have been overseeing ShopforMuseums.com and guiding its future for the last nine years.
ShopforMuseums.com partners with hundreds of online retailers, mostly through affiliate marketing relationships. I recently started a marketing agency called The Affiliate Whisperer, where I help various retailers with their online marketing needs, including strategic planning, relationship building, mentoring and troubleshooting. Once I got good at one side of the industry, it was easy to hop to the other side and provide unique perspective and results for the companies I work with.
• What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Determination, persistence and the ability to be open to learning new things. There is always something new to learn to better yourself and your work.
• How do you generate new ideas?
Sometimes ideas come to me in the quiet times – when I take a walk or in the middle of the night. Other times, energy begets energy. The more I get into a task in front of me, the more my creative self kicks into high gear.
• What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
I love check writing days when we are sending donations out to our participating museums. It’s a great feeling to know we are collectively working to make a difference for these organizations. And in my consulting practice, I love the days where I get off a phone conference and just know I am in my element. That I gave all I had in that moment and it is helping someone.
• If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?
I used to work for my Father-in-Law who was a very successful, if not unconventional, entrepreneur. He told me that at some point in the first 1 to 2 years in business, you are usually faced with some kind of crisis- something that feels absolutely insurmountable at the time. If you can get past that point, then you really have a chance to make it.
About Karen McMahon
• What ability or skill do you most wish you had (that you don’t have already)?
I really wish I had programming skills and graphic design skills. I can do just about everything else when needed, but do have to rely heavily on others for theses aspects of my businesses.
• What would constitute a perfect day for you?
I actually love to solo travel. I love to go to a place I have never been and just explore, meeting people as I go. I am especially interested in the stories of people I meet along the way. Everyone has a need to connect and it’s always fascinating to find a way to bring those connections out in people. And of course, I love to visit museums in the process. Oh, and I refuse to use a GPS, unless I absolutely have to, because I like to practice trusting in my intuition to get me where I need to go.
• If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or ability, what would it be and why?
I still sometimes fear rejection, so I would love to wake up tomorrow feeling fully confident in asking for what I want and celebrating either way. I’m still working on this ability.
Fast Five – Something for you to ask her about when you need her!
• What was the first thing you bought with your own money?
I remember the first suits I bought myself for work when I was in college. I still have them tucked away somewhere.
• What is something you enjoy doing that you think no one would expect from you?
Karen & Al look like they stepped out of a bygone era – steampunk gear seems natural to them!
My husband and I are part of a Steampunk club. We attend various local events dressed in 1880s Victorian Sci-Fi costumes.
• What’s your favorite season?
Spring
• If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
1900 or so. So much was changing at that time.
• Aside from food, water, and shelter, what one thing could you not go a day without?
A book – I am always reading something interesting. Also my art studio- as in all of it. I don’t know if I could live without it!
• What movie, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, do you have to watch when it’s on?
The Princess Bride, The Notebook, Pride & Prejudice, and The Count of Monte Cristo
• What’s your favorite color?
Blue