Redefining What Winning Looks Like
- Feb 9
- 3 min read
By Kate Rambo
Founder & Managing Partner, KRPR
Five years ago, I thought I knew exactly what “winning” meant. I had the job I’d worked hard for, a clear career trajectory, and the sense that if I kept pushing, everything I envisioned for myself would fall into place.
Today, I define success very differently. And honestly, I’m grateful for the shift.
As the Founder and Managing Partner of KRPR, and as a single mother by choice, success now means building a business with intention, integrity, and people I genuinely respect. I get to work with clients whose missions inspire me, alongside collaborators who make me better. And, I get to be a present mom. I get to close my laptop and sit on the floor with my daughter. I get to show her what it looks like to build something meaningful from the ground up. That balance isn’t effortless, but it is incredibly fulfilling.
When I think about what success will look like five years from now, it isn’t about revenue milestones or industry awards, although I won’t pretend those aren’t wonderful. It’s about impact. I want to be able to look back and say that I built something that mattered. That my clients made an impact because of the work we did together. That I modeled resilience, creativity, and independence for my daughter as she heads off to kindergarten. If I can say that I grew KRPR thoughtfully and sustainably while being fully present in her life, that will feel like a win in every sense.
Of course, the path here didn’t look anything like the plan I once imagined for myself. The truth is, my biggest win started as a loss. I was laid off from what I believed was my dream job. I was devastated. I had wrapped so much of my identity into that role, and suddenly the ground dropped out from under me.
But hindsight is clarifying. That job, I now realize, had ceilings I never would have broken through. Staying there would have held me back from becoming the woman I am today: an entrepreneur, a single mom by choice, a homeowner, and a dog mom. Losing that job forced me to take a risk I never would have taken on my own, starting my own business.
I didn’t launch KRPR with a grand strategic vision. I did it out of necessity, and a little begrudgingly. But within six months, it grew faster than I could keep up with and I brought on a partner. We took on clients doing meaningful work. We built something nimble, modern, and personal, something that reflected who I truly am rather than who I thought I was “supposed” to be.
That layoff shattered my idea of success, but it gave me a much better one.
Along the way, I’ve been lifted by incredible women, including mentors, former managers, peers, clients, and friends who pulled me along with them, shared their time, and took chances on me. Their support shaped the trajectory of my career, and I’m committed to paying that forward. Whether it’s making a connection for someone just starting out, sharing advice with another mom navigating entrepreneurship, or mentoring young women in the industry, helping other women win is core to who I am. None of us reaches our goals alone.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that success rarely follows the path we expect. It might develop from a setback or show up in the moments we slow down. And sometimes, if we’re lucky, it looks like the life we never knew we were capable of building.
That, to me, is winning.
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