This week on OWN IT, we’re talking to Krista Carroll of Latitude. She and her husband took a mission trip to Haiti in 2009 and returned to reshape their life to reflect their values. Latitude was the by-product of that shift as they launched the agency with the purpose to spend half of their time reinvesting in purpose-driven causes and brands.
The company mantra is “Purpose Elevates Talent.” They’ve been using that talent for clients from a multitude of industries and verticals for almost 14 years now. Perhaps the most fascinating piece of her story is that prior to founding Latitude, Krista was a school teacher.
As you can imagine, this episode produced a very different conversation. So let’s get to it.
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Krista and her husband's mission trip to Haiti profoundly impacted them, leading them to question their previous lifestyle and consciously align their business, Latitude, with their core values of purpose and service. This shift highlights the importance of introspection and ensuring your work genuinely reflects what you hold dear.
Before launching Latitude, Krista and her husband calculated their worst-case scenario. This exercise, realizing they wouldn't starve and could find other jobs, made the risk of starting a new venture seem manageable and luxurious compared to the struggles they witnessed in Haiti. This mental preparation helped them overcome the fear of failure and move forward with their ambitious plan.
In the early days, leading with their purpose fell flat as people were in self-preservation mode post-recession. They learned to first prove their capabilities and deliver excellent work. Only after earning trust and delivering results did they introduce their purpose-driven model, demonstrating how their business contributions directly led to positive social impact.
Krista emphasizes that ownership, especially as an independent agency, grants the freedom to prioritize purpose and generosity, even when conventional wisdom suggests it's a liability. This autonomy allows her to challenge traditional measures of success and operate in a way that reflects her deepest values, inspiring others to consider how their businesses can also contribute to a better world.
Krista believes women have a unique ability to see the "big picture" in a self-sacrificial way, fostering generosity, collaboration, and a belief in abundance rather than competition. She suggests that more women in leadership roles would lead to a "softer," less competitive world that embraces everyone's potential.
