Driven by her mid-western roots and an impassioned work ethic, Karen See "sees" things others don’t. At least she must because her company – the Abovo Marketing Group – has been growing by leaps and bounds since opening for business in 1997. By the end of 2000, her firm was ranked as #4 of the 10 fastest-growing women-owned firms in Atlanta. Not bad for this petite, auburn-haired go-getter from El Dorado, Kansas.

Ms. See is proud to have grown up in Kansas, the daughter of a home economics teacher and a civil engineer. Besides being an engineer, her father was also a 30-year politician with the State Turnpike System. Following a traditional path, Karen left home to attend college and it was there she met Tim See, her future husband and future Chief Operating Officer of Abovo Marketing Group.

After finishing college and getting married, Karen and Tim moved to Kansas City where Karen got her first marketing job with a retail lumber dealers’ association. Within a few years, Tim was transferred with his employer, Georgia-Pacific, to Atlanta, and Karen found work at a software company in the healthcare industry. Still struggling to learn the industry, she was presented with a major challenge: design and layout the annual report. Working at home on her computer around the clock until it was finished, Karen completed the task successfully. She also learned something important about herself that’s still with her today. "For me," she said, "failure is not an option."

It was probably this tenacity along with her inherent marketing talent that saved Karen’s job when the software company she worked for was sold to a large corporation in Charlotte, NC. Karen was the only person who replaced an employee from the acquiring company. Little did she know what lay ahead. She was actually replacing a very popular manager and among her new employees, Karen became "persona non grata."

Despite the obstacles, Ms. See did what she does best. She rolled up her sleeves and went to work. Two and half years later, she had turned around her former foes and to this day, she says, they still keep in touch.

Sensing the onset of another corporate transition, Karen preempted that eventuality and accepted a job offer from KPMG in Atlanta as the head of marketing for the SE Division. She just happened to be pregnant with her second child at the time of her initial

interview, but that didn’t seem to bother KPMG. All went well for a while as Karen continued to learn and grow in her profession. "One thing I came to understand about myself," she said, "was that I liked working for a small agency and didn’t like the big ones. I also liked variety and cerebral challenges."

In August, 1997, two former colleagues persuaded Karen to do something she hadn’t really thought about – to start her own business. Not only that, they would be her first client. This is how the Abovo Marketing Group was born. "The name comes from the Latin - ‘Ab Ovo,’ she explained, "which means ‘before the egg.’ It was catchy and unique. Maybe it could be a brand."

Within two and half years, Abovo did indeed become a brand and was successful beyond Karen’s – and her mother’s – wildest dreams. The company grew from $0 in sales to $15 million "overnight" – or so it seemed. The phones were ringing off the hook and Karen’s staff actually had to start qualifying new clients in order to remain focused.

But just when the world seemed to be almost perfect, along came an economic downturn in 2000. Karen would have to face the most difficult task of her professional life: three lay-offs in one year. A reduction from seventy one employees to thirty two. An emotional roller coaster everyday. Sleepless nights. "I probably earned the equivalent of an ‘MBA’ last year," Karen said, "in terms of what the company went through and what I learned running a business in tough times. I feel that we’ve been fully tested, we’ve faced adversity, and we’ve stared it down."

Now, according to Karen, the signs of a turnaround are in the wind. She’s confident that she has a lean team of "A" players who are loyal, tough, and highly energized. Recently, she received a beautiful picture from her team – a picture depicting furniture in a wheat field. The picture is displayed in a special office suite which she calls "the living room." It’s not only a special gift symbolizing Karen’s home state of Kansas, it’s also a symbol of Abovo’s strength and resilience as a company.

These two qualities might also be used to describe Karen’s leadership. In addition, Karen said, "My people would describe me as charismatic, passionate, and intense." She also uses self-deprecating humor and isn’t afraid to show her emotions, whether she’s happy or sad. "And make no mistake about it," Karen said, "the experiences of the past year have changed me, and made me think about leading the business in a different way."

That decision has led her to hire a former client to be her General Manager. She plans to empower him to run the business day-to-day while she focuses on sales. She’s also thinking about an "exit strategy" at the advice of her Board of Advisors. Not that she’s planning to leave any time soon. But she’d like to spend more time with her two children while they’re growing up. Karen also wants to travel and to play golf with her dad.

"I know I’ve been blessed," Karen summarized. I have what I think every female entrepreneur needs: first and foremost, a strong support system, and second, a fantastic family life. My parents actually moved here to help with my children’s care." She also says that you have to hire the best people and she calls Abovo’s people the firm’s "secret weapon."

Given the success that Abovo has had, there’s no doubt that she’s right. But there’s another weapon in their arsenal - - and SHE just may be unbeatable. After all, "failure’s not an option."

September 2001
By Susan B. Hitchcock (Creator of the Age of SHEroes)
VP - Client Services -Turknett Leadership Group