Entrepreneur Ahmer inspires spirit of dreaming big

Meet Kristin Ahmer, a nationally recognized entrepreneurial executive who invented and globally distributed the first reusable food pouch to come to market eight years ago: The Original Squeeze. She's a passionate mother of two, determined to inspire the spirit of dreaming big and the power of entrepreneurialism.

Generation: Technically, I am on the cusp between being a Gen Xer and a millennial. I was born in 1980, had a pager in high school, passed paper notes in class to friends as communication and got my first email address at 18 as a freshman in college.

Career and community involvement: I am the community manager of the Innovation Collective: Coeur d’Alene, founder/CEO of The Original Squeeze Company, Eastern Washington/Idaho ambassador for Women's Entrepreneurship Day and a board member and educator for Junior Achievement, an organization that inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy through education of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

Parental status: Mother to 10-year-old son Will Reef and 8-year-old daughter Sage Everly.

1. What motivated you to become the community manager for the Innovation Collective Coeur d’Alene?

I have 19 years of professional experience in design, product development, manufacturing and distribution. Additionally I have built four startups, including inventing a consumer product and scaled that company's distribution into mass "big box" markets as well as 21 countries outside the U.S. As romantic as that may sound, I endured every horror story you can imagine as far as business obstacles. However, I look back with not regrets, only gratitude. Every obstacle I endured in my entrepreneurial journey was opportunity for immense growth personally and professionally; they are assets of knowledge for other entrepreneurs. I am determined to turn my lessons into blessings for others and now I get to do that by pretty much being the point of contact and friend to over 3,000 entrepreneurs in our organization! I feel so grateful to share what I’ve learned and to empower others.

2. What can we look forward to with you in this position?

My new role as community manager has me accessible to all of the members of our leadership network within reason and you’ll see me as the host of the majority of our local events and parties. The member demographic in our organization are entrepreneurs in our community building really amazing and impactful companies. I wear a few hats in my new role and I do feel like a 'mother hen' of some sort. My intention is to be a positive and productive resource for our members, a liaison to our networks, a soundboard of business ideas and a mentor for problem solving. I am a leader representing Innovation Collective's mission which is to help people find genuine community amongst individuals who support one another as they pursue their dreams and enact their ideas with creativity and passion. We are essentially an incubator of human flourishing and I am over the moon excited that I get to be a part of that. Plus, the national resources I will get to access and utilize to empower our local tribe of nerds is something I fully intend to leverage. What's next? Nov. 8 and 9 I will host the next leadership summit at the Innovation Collective. Every three months we have two experts from various places in the world come to our community to connect. They spend two days mentoring and telling stories to our leadership network. At this summit, there will be two leading innovators from Silicon Valley. One of them invited worked on creating the world's first car built by artificial intelligence. It really is the experience of a lifetime and we can't wait to share our next summit with Coeur d'Alene!

3. What is something that excites you about where startups and entrepreneurs are headed?

The journey itself! You can mind map and business plan all you want as an entrepreneur. But there will be plenty of landmines you will endure; you have to learn how to pivot and adjust and sometimes quickly and creatively to survive and stay afloat. Building a startup is the roller coaster of a lifetime. My biggest advice for entrepreneurs is keep your mental health in check, read up on emotional intelligence — not just business books — surround yourself with positive, like-minded people and don't be afraid to ask for help.

4. What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I survived a brain aneurysm the day my son was born, had brain surgery 12 days later where doctors found and removed what is called an AVM. That is the biggest opportunity of my life to date: The gift of mortality motivation. That experience of becoming a mom and then facing the fear of possibly not waking up to be there for my baby (and now babies) has fueled the last decade of my life. I try to live my life with intention, gratitude and in the moment as much as possible, as I never know when it will be my last day. I hope to inspire this in others as well.

5. Who are some of your main influences and heroes, and why?

My family is the biggest influence in my life! We have colorful dynamics that make us each unique, as all our families do, and those experiences have shaped me and my outlook on the human I want to grow into. My children are my No. 1 priority in every decision I make and watching them grow into the humans they are becoming is the most amazing gift. As far as professional influences in my life, I have had a girl crush on Sara Blakely, the inventor of Spanx, since she was a small startup company and I have been inspired watching the growth of her company, as well as her reach and advocacy for female entrepreneurs. I get inspired by strong women with big dreams who aren't afraid to go after their goals and make a difference.