We were lucky to catch up with Kayla Starr recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kayla, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so one thing we think people don’t talk about nearly enough is investments – either time or money. What’s one of the best or worst investments you’ve made and what did you learned from the experience?

As many entrepreneurs do, I learned the hard way.

Early on in my professional career, I fell into a trap that a lot of mission‑driven people find themselves in. My greatest strength, loyalty, turned out to be my greatest weakness. I stayed far too long in roles that no longer aligned with who I was, or where I wanted to go.

I kept thinking, “If I just hang in there, if I just stay loyal, it will get better.” But loyalty without direction is just spinning your wheels. It wasn’t until I made the tough decision to cut ties, walk away, and trust myself that everything shifted.

I invested years of my time, energy, and expertise into something I believed in only to realize I was staying for all the wrong reasons. It cost me more than just opportunity; it cost me peace of mind, creativity, momentum, my health, time with my family, and progress.

The greatest investment I made was choosing myself. Yes, cliché, I know, but its true. Choosing myself meant letting go of something comfortable and stepping into the unknown. It meant trusting that my ability to innovate, serve, and lead was greater than the roles I had gotten comfortable in. That decision opened the door for North Starr: my own personal galaxy designed to align my expertise, passion, and authenticity with the people I serve.

Of course, hindsight is 20/20. It’s easy to connect the dots once you’re safely on the other side. But you’ll never gain that clarity if you stay within your own bubble, unwilling to step outside and view your situation from a new perspective. Sometimes you need to detach, zoom out, and see the bigger picture. It’s in that view, from outside looking in, that you realize just how much more you’re meant for.

The big takeaway for me, and for all entrepreneurs, is this: Loyalty is a powerful trait, but it’s meant for relationships and missions that match your values and goals. It’s okay to walk away from something that no longer serves you. It’s okay to put yourself first and make a dramatic change when your future depends on it, because your future absolutely depends on it. If you’re on the fence, unsure whether to stay or go, ask yourself: “Is this honoring who I am and where I want to be?” Your greatest transformation starts the moment you answer honestly.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m the founder and lead strategist at North Starr, a high-impact marketing and business consulting firm designed for CEOs, creative innovators, and small business owners who are ready to break free from “the way it’s always been done.”

My path into this industry wasn’t a straight highway, but I turned those bumps in the road, struggles, and wild loops into a powerful mission: to help other entrepreneurs avoid those pitfalls and navigate their journeys faster, smarter, and more strategically.

At North Starr, we’re not just a service provider, we’re a strategic counterpart. We come alongside you in your business, not from a distance but from within, to illuminate your greatest potential and bring it forward in a way that feels true to you. Offering a full spectrum of services from deep-dive business strategy and brand development to tailored marketing campaigns and creative direction. We blend intellectual insight with a rebellious, forward-thinking approach, helping our clients cut through the noise and become unmistakable in their markets. Think tried and true methods paired with solutions designed uniquely to fit you and your business.

Picture us as your business North Star: a guiding light that shows you exactly where you want to go and how to get there without losing your authenticity in the process. We combine deep industry expertise, a keen understanding of human psychology, and a bold creative touch to help businesses clarify their unique value, connect profoundly with their ideal clients, and scale in a way that allows you to become a real CEO. The companies we work with aren’t looking for a cookie-cutter solution. They are innovators, creators, and trailblazers who know their future isn’t meant to look like everyone else’s. They come to us when their mission is clear but their path forward isn’t. From there, we eliminate the feeling that something’s holding them back from their next breakthrough.

So we dig deep. We listen. We question. We illuminate blind spots and uncover opportunities you hadn’t even considered. Our role isn’t to dictate or impose, it’s to collaborate, challenge, and empower you to become more of what you already are: a powerful, purposeful force in your market. This very strategy drives and informs the rest of what we do. We approach your business in a holistic way from business strategy to content creation and marketing solutions.

We’ve helped companies find their voice, align their operations with their goals, and increase their revenue by simplifying, focusing, and dialing in on what matters most. We’ve supported innovators in growing from side hustles into thriving enterprises, and we’ve empowered veteran business owners to break through plateaus and reconnect with their original sense of purpose.

We are not here for everyone. We’re here for the ones who are ready to challenge the status quo and lead in a way that feels exhilarating and true. Whether you need a powerful branding overhaul, a fresh marketing strategy, or a complete business transformation, we become your business partners and strategists (and often times, really good friends)!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing our clientele has been simple, yet profoundly powerful: we do our job well, really well and we become impossible to ignore.

When you consistently go above and beyond for your clients, you’re not just delivering a service, you’re creating advocates. Our greatest growth has come from those clients turning into our most passionate champions. They refer us, talk about us, and celebrate us in their own circles because we exceeded their expectations in a way that made a measurable impact on their businesses. Think of it this way: You could blow your entire marketing budget on ads that don’t convert or you could invest a little extra love, hard work, and money back into your clients and they become walking billboards.

We also believe in staying deeply involved in the community we serve. That means participating in conversations, showing up at industry events, mentoring up-and-coming innovators, and making sure we’re not an isolated consultancy but a true part of a thriving ecosystem. It’s this combination: delivering outstanding results and staying connected that establishes both our presence and our credibility. When you invest into your community, your community invests back into you.

When you do your job well, the need to “sell” yourself drops away. Your reputation starts to precede you, and growing your clientele becomes a natural byproduct of staying true to your mission and delivering excellence, time after time.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The greatest lesson I had to unlearn (and it’s a big one for many entrepreneurs) was believing I need to do it all myself in order to be successful.

As I was first growing North Starr, I fell into a trap that countless innovators do: I tried to be the strategist, the accountant, the designer, the salesperson, wearing all the hats. I believed I had something to prove by doing it all on my own, whether to others or to myself, to show I was adaptable, powerful, and “in control.” But in reality, I was only weakening my ability to function at my highest level of genius. As the saying goes, “Jack of all trades and a master of none.” By spreading myself thin, I ended up straining not just the business, but my health, relationships, and happiness in the process.

So I had to do the one thing that scared me most: let go. I was holding certain tasks hostage knowing deep down I was not the best one to handle them. When I began outsourcing to people who lived and breathed their craft, I felt like I could breathe again. Suddenly we were freed up to operate in our greatest ability, guiding, mentoring, innovating, and serving, instead of wearing ourselves down with tasks outside our expertise. The result? Ours doubled in just months, we were able to serve more clients at a deep, transformational level, and we fell back in love with the soul of our business.

Let me say it louder for the people in the back: OUTSOURCING IS NOT WEAKNESS, IT IS LEVERAGE. It’s a powerful form of trusting in a team of experts to carry forward your mission while you focus on what you do best.

If you find yourself battling overwhelm, wearing all the hats just to keep your ship in the air, remember: the greatest leaders know when to let go in order to grow. Letting someone else handle the details doesn’t diminish your power, it expands it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayla.starrr/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylaleilastarr/
• Other: 714.614.0931

Image Credits

Laura Mertz
Valeria Par