WOMEN
ENTREPRENEUR PROFILE
FEBRUARY 14, 2008

The perfect equilibrium
A Ladera Ranch mom balances her designer bag company with raising a family.
BY KRISTEN SCHOTT

If there is one word to describe Suzanne Rispoli, president and co-founder of Theresa Kathryn, Inc., it is driven. Motivated by a desire to have it all, this Orange County mother works day and night running her company, caring for her 4 children and helping women achieve success.

Theresa Kathryn, located in Beverly Hills, takes hip fashions and combines them with usability for working women. Named after Suzanne’s grandmother and role model, the company’s vision for women is: “Be smart. Be successful. Be spectacular.”

And these bags are indeed spectacular. Every bag has satin-brocade lining, a laptop case and zipper sections. The line offers various designs to fit particular needs. The Gabrielle bag, for example, is a “mommy-friendly bag,” says Rispoli; it has a laptop pouch that doubles as a changing area for the baby.

Rispoli credits her sister, Tammy Trenta, with the idea for this company. It all started with a question posed by Trenta: “Why do women have to carry their laptop bag and their purse? Why can’t they just carry one?”

And a company was born.

While Trenta was filming “The Apprentice 5,” which aired in February 2006 (she was a finalist), Rispoli worked with designer contacts her sister provided. Her many years as a certified public accountant gave her the wherewithal to strike out on her own. She rallied investors to raise capital and called on friends for help. “Everyone believed in us,” she says.

But it wasn’t easy balancing work and family life – which included 3 children and a pregnancy.

“Coming into a business and starting to see what you’re creating, you take ownership in it, and it becomes your life,” she says.

The key is to not give up, and “be creative,” she says. “(You have to) find a way to get things done.”

The hard work paid off, and in fairly short order: They launched the company in just 14 months.

It didn’t hurt that the company’s birth coincided with Trenta’s departure (she was “fired”) from “The Apprentice” – because of her association, it garnered nationwide publicity, and many of Trenta’s cast members attended the May 2006 product launch. Then, a few months later, in August, another coup: InStyle magazine featured the company’s Melania handbag in a work-related fashion article.

Since then, the company has grown from just 2 employees (Rispoli and her sister) to about 10 contract employees.

But her work isn’t finished. The Theresa Kathryn Foundation supports women’s health and education programs through fundraisers. And she knows there are still obstacles to overcome on the business end, like “growing too fast and being able to quickly get people onboard to continue momentum,” she says.

Still, she remains undaunted. As a female entrepreneur, Rispoli knows the struggles women face. She wants to prove to the corporate world that women can do it all. She certainly has. (theresakathryn.com)