We were lucky to catch up with Ann Kaplan Mulholland recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ann, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Ann Kaplan is the founder of AnnKM. Through her love of fashion, her interest in business and her philanthropic drive, Ann developed a platform to put the spotlight on sustainability, fairness, inclusivity and other ways that fashion can have a great impact on social change. The platform is not for profit, it is meant to highlight the positive contributions of industry and to bring awareness to designers, both established and up-and-coming of the important of the consideration of the positive impact that the choices made through fashion can have on the world (sustainability fairness, inclusitivioty).

The AnnKM platform creates social impact awareness, offers support to various partners and works in collaboration with other fashion brands / designers.

Ann Kaplan’s ambition, through AnnKM, is to improve as many lives as she can is her chance to leave a mark of positivity on this world, along with influencing her community to spread the same message of unity. AnnKM is providing awareness to various fashion brands and designers making a positive social impact. It is also focused on making a direct impact on students who we are serving through various partnerships to provide tools and guidance on how to create social change through fashion.

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.

Famous from being a TV personality on Real Housewives of Toronto, the extraordinary and dynamic Ann Kaplan Mulholland launched AnnKM in 2021. She is an academic (Doctor of Business, MSc, MBA, ICD.D) and a business woman. Dr Kaplan was the former CEO and President of iFinance, bringing forward her success as a serial entrepreneur. Ann took the company from Startup (1996) to one of the largest consumer FinTech Companies in Canada. She has received over forty awards for outstanding leadership and excellence in business, including multiple ‘Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ awards in over the past two decades and, twice named, as EY’s Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.

In addition to her business accomplishments, Ann has also written seven books, became a certified Wedding Officiant in Ontario, hosted TV shows / fashion shows and is a much sought-after public speaker. She owns a large real estate empire including a castle in England. Ann has a strong interest in philanthropy by dedicating much of her time and making contributions to various causes.

Ann has always embraced fashion as an expression of creativity and identity, she also launched her own fashion line QuAnn in 2021 to offer her own unique style aligned with her values.

Through AnnKM she is combining her interest in fashion, business and philanthropy. This platform creates social impact awareness, offers support to various partners and works in collaboration with other fashion brands / designers.

Ann’s ambition to improve as many lives as she can is her chance to leave a mark of positivity on this world, along with influencing her community to spread the same message of unity.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I think life presents us many hurdles. To reach our dreams we need to navigate, not give up and not let our own fears get in the way of our dreams…we also have to accept the exhaustion, learn to juggle and go for what will fulfill our lives. I dreamed of a successful life, envisioned I would have children and was full of hope when I married. I had it all. Only I didn’t … but I did. I just didn’t see it that way.

Fast forward just a few years and the bubble burst. I was left a single mother with two small children – not what I envisioned when I put on my wedding gown. I was scared, I felt I had failed (period). But I had babies to feed and, unfortunately (or fortunately) I was the sole provider. I was working full time (as an interior designer) and renting out a room to help cover our rent. It was one of the hardest times in my life (financially).

There was one day that I was bating the children. They were both in the tub, I was on my knees, leaning over doing what mom’s do when they bathe kids. Only I was crying. Crying hard. It seemed that that was a regular part of my day…finish it off with a bath and a good cry. Only this day was different. The two boys looked up at me. Upon seeing my tears and hearing me sob they burst into tears themselves.

It was pivotal. I realized that my actions, my demeanour, my being was an example of what I hoped my children would be. If I was sad, they too would be. If I was happy, so would they be.. It was a realization that I was responsible for being the person that I wanted my children to be – and in that moment I decided to change who I had become … at least how I perceived who I was.

When I removed that lack of self worth, that barrier for accomplishment and realized it was in my control, I became empowered. I chose to be happy, I chose to do what I would say to those that sought advice and I chose to not get in my own way. It was an incredible feeling that what I had thought was a detriment (being a single mother) was actually an asset (being a single mother). I was still the person I was before, but I no longer had excuses or life as barriers.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

You need to be on social media…not something that I really felt before I was on mainstream television…but something I learned very quickly was integral to success of a business or personal brand. I shed away from presenting myself, my businesses and in what I viewed a bragging, overt, over-exposure or any other words that negatively brushed those that dared to post.
What I learned was that if you are at all public (not just television but a business), if you don to post you will be assumed to be whatever someone finds out about you on Google or (yes, this is the way it is) irrelevant!
So….first you must be on Social Media and active on Social Media. Some of the biggest lessons I have learned are the following: 1) Have social profiles 2) present the brand you would like people to see 3) be consistent in your look (the colours, the quality of photographs, the messages) – think going into Starbucks, you would be perplexed if it was pink and sold hamburgers … you get the point. 4) Post quality images, catch and short messages … entertain and/or be focused not he brand message you want to have.

Contact Info:

• Website: AnnKM.com AnnKaplan.com DrM2.com Quann.shop lympneCastle.com
• Instagram: annkaplan_ownit
• Linkedin: Ann Kaplan Mulholland
• Twitter: @AnnKaplan_ownit
• Other: lympnecastle.com DrM2.com

Image Credits
Ann on Stairs: Jonathan Rodriguez Ann Eating Fries: Jonathon Rodriguez Ann in Group: Barret Mulholland Ann in Dress: Barret Mulholland Ann with Group: InColor Studios