Meet Kathleen Pagan | CEO & Founder, Endlessly Elated

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kathleen Pagan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathleen, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Two words – My customer.

I nurtured my customers well before I ever asked them to do anything for us. I didn’t sit in a glass tower pouring over competitive landscape reports and market research data without their voice. After all, market research is a this or that conversation. It’s not an open dialogue. A subject is given something to look at and provide an opinion, but what’s often lost is that the opinion is between the choices and not necessarily indicative of their utopia. So, I went against the naysayers. Opened social media accounts, created a temporary website, and so on well before I ever had a product in mind. Endlessly Elated would be a destination inspired by home and I was going to co-create that with my community. I gave them a seat at the head of our (dinner) table. I did more listening than talking. I asked what they wanted and how they would want to launch it and this relationship, this idea of us, was pure magic. A secret sauce in the making that on launch day and for the last year has lead to messages like, “I can’t believe WE did this together!” or “Today, brought me the joy I needed!” to actual — real — tangible — sales.

What should our readers know about your business?
My journey has been anything but linear. From corporate CFO to self-made CEO, my path has come with its many challenges. Entrepreneurship is certainly one of the hardest things I’ve ever embarked on but it has also been the most rewarding. I get to live a life by design and build a legacy focused on my passions. I get to do my life’s work and there’s no better feeling.

It took me seven long years to finally make the leap into entrepreneurship. Fear being the biggest factor. So, while carrying out the duties of my demanding career, I nurtured my passions in cooking and interior design sharing my recipes, design ideas, and entertaining tips via a blog/social media platforms by the same business name. I created a virtual destination inspired by the beauty of the home and I reveled in every post I shared.

Over the years, I realized there was a gap between my community of home aficionados and the home products in the marketplace. There was no connection to them, to their home stories. To the way, they celebrated everyday home moments. No one was asking them what they thought, what they wanted. So, after twelve months in development, a five-figure investment derived from my own savings, and amidst a global pandemic, I launched Endlessly Elated the homewares company that co-creates thoughtfully designed products with its consumer. Our first product, the Elated coupe was a huge success, rapidly selling out.

And as they say, the rest is history.

The moral of the story is – that the lessons have been plenty. The obstacles constantly unforeseen, but the moment I stopped letting fear drive the car and began to deem myself and my dreams worthy everything aligned itself. It has truly been life-changing.

So, if you are reading this and it’s resonating with you. If you’re feeling it in your gut. If your intuition is talking to you. As Nike’s slogan says, “Just do it.” Of course, make sure to dot your I’s and cross your T’s, but never and I mean never, stop pursuing your dreams. Find a way to live out your purpose. To share your gifts with the world. Not telling you to go after what makes you tick is not only a disservice to you but also to those gifts that have been embedded within you.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a skip, hop, and jump away from the hustle and bustle of New York City, and as they say, it is quite magical.

As a true New Yorker, having been born and raised there, I create a nice balance between heavily visited tourist attractions and the quaint charm of NYC blocks that the city is known for.

For starters, places to eat: Le Mercerie Cafe for breakfast or a delicious bagel from Murray’s Bagels. The famous Prince St. Pizza for lunch – you can’t leave NYC without having tried a NYC slice, particularly the Spicy Spring. Le Coucou, Oxomoco, Sushi Noz for a fabulous dinner – what’s the point of traveling to NYC if you don’t get dressed up to paint the town red.

For attractions – ALL THE MUSEUMS. From the Museum of Metropolitan Art to the Guggenheim to the Museum of Natural History to the Whitney Museum. They are all spectacular in their own right and the everchanging exhibits are simply non-negotiable. A must-go!

Never do a trip without a walk, bike ride, or simply throwing down a blanket and just lounging at Central Park. Iconic to old New York and a trip wouldn’t be complete without it. Also, a stroll of the 150 yr. old cobblestone streets in Soho or the West Village – a very New York thing to do. Lastly, if you are like me and love to cook a cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education is perfectly interactive as it is delicious.

For a nightcap and a unique NYC experience, try Undercote. It will feel like you have entered into another world! Or the Rose Bar at the Gramercy Hotel. Greeted by velvet furniture and a checkered floor it gives you all the old New York vibes.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Too many to name, but it boils down to the unconditional support of my loved ones. In the moments leading up to my official exit from Corporate America to the months that followed of hard, unforeseen entrepreneurship obstacles it was those that believed in me that made all the difference. From my family, who at times couldn’t grasp what I was doing. Often asking, “So, wait, you’re leaving your Finance career to create home products? Okay, I don’t quite get it but if you need me to help pack orders, answer emails, be an intern, just let me know.” To friends, who told me I was the bravest person they knew when deep down inside I felt the most scared. To my community, who shouted, “Finally! I had been waiting for this forever” never knowing how much they contributed to taking the weight of the world, off my shoulders. I couldn’t have EVER done it without them and in all honesty, couldn’t BE doing it without them. I thank them and I am truly grateful for their support. This journey is as much mine as it is theirs.

Website: https://endlesslyelated.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/endlesslyelated

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-pagan-b3b0972b/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/endlesslyelated

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/endlesslyelated

Image Credits
Alcides Aguasvivas, Photographer Jose Ruiz, Photographer