Kim Overton, Creator of the Spibelt
Why is Kim Overton dancing?
Not just because her company, Overton Enterprises, has sold tens of thousands of her patent-pending SpiBelt personal carriers since their launch in 2007. Not because she’s been featured on CNN, CNBC, The Today Show, and been asked to show off her impossibly-toned legs in the pages of Cosmopolitan.
No, the real reason Kim is dancing is because every day at 6pm, she turns off her computer and turns on her life. A true believer in work/life balance, Kim makes time to enjoy family and friends by delegating what she can and leaving the rest for tomorrow.
And, if tomorrow is a typical day for Kim, it will probably include a little dancing.
1. Carriers for personal items have been available for years. Explain why SPIbelt is an improvement on products already on the market.
This belt is a comfortable and discreet way to carry small personal items without bulkiness or risking looking like you’re wearing a fanny bag.
2. You are one of few entrepreneurs who sets a specific work schedule and sticks to it. Was it difficult to strike that balance in the first stages of your start-up?
For sure. When you first start your business, it’s easy to work until the sun goes down, and begin again before the sun goes up. It’s almost always necessary to work a ton when you’re starting your business. But as time goes on and you’re able to delegate, it’s important for your physical and psychological health to draw the line in the sand for when to turn work off. When I lived in NYC, the rhythm of the city seems to operate on 9-10 hour work days, so it was natural to work late and go have dinner with your friends after work at 8 or 9pm. Now that I’m back home, I shut down as 6pm, regardless.
3. How has being a young, attractive female contributed to (or detracted from) your success so far? Have you ever not been taken seriously in a business relationship?
Most of my sales are done through reps, so gender doesn’t usually have a role in our interaction with clients. The times that I do notice a shift in a people’s tone or body language is at trade shows, when someone interested in doing business asks me to speak with the owner. When I smile and say “I’m the owner”, I have noticed a raise in their eyebrows (only with men, women are elated), almost to say, “hmm, interesting, I didn’t realize the owner could be you”.
4. What was it that drew you to personal training after 9/11?
As with most entrepreneurs, I am not a good employee, and I do not enjoy office politics and I always felt way too creative to be in a cubicle. So when I was laid off after 9/11, I embraced the new beginning and tried something totally different from what I had been doing, but something that gave me freedom and was rewarding on a personal level. I resisted training, but when I gave it a try and met so many wonderful people, I fell in love with it.
5. From CNN to the Today Show, you have received an incredible amount of media exposure. What are your secrets to gaining attention, and how much did major media contribute to your initial growth?
My first passion was dancing and singing, and being on stage. Reaching out to the media, to me, was a part of who I am. I had a product, I wanted them to feature it, I researched how to get their attention. Mix that with a bit of a prayer and go.
6. Do you feel being single has been important in allowing you freedom to focus on your business?
I hesitate to say that being single is how I’ve reached our current status, only because I don’t want to come across to say that being married or a parent or involved will hinder anyone’s pursuit to success, but I will say that if I did have kids at this time, I doubt I’d have as much time, money and energy to focus on the launch of my company as I have.
7. Describe the ideal person who would complement both your life and your business.
The ideal person would be a man who is fiercely successful in his field of choice, and as equally passionate about living a healthy and balanced family life (at the same time, this person is okay with hearing my random business ideas at any given time – my inspiration knows no off-hours!). Having lived around the world, and running my third business, I greatly appreciate being able to chat with someone who knows and can appreciate the challenges that come with running a business while maintaining a healthy family life.
8. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Adventure and educational traveling with my family in a foreign country, checking email every now and then to see how my companies (I plan to have a few) are doing back home.
Kim’s Bio:
Kim Overton founded SPIbelt in 2007. She previously co-founded a tech company in NYC providing back end development for database driven websites. She worked as a personal trainer and nutrition consultant for 5 years in NYC and Austin, Texas before founding SPIbelt.
