© Shannon Finn
A photo shoot for our May 2017 “Inner Beauty” story starred prominent North Sound women who received makeovers before a fashion shoot. They are pictured here at our Squalicum Lofts office, along with some area retailers who helped it come together. Upper row (l to r): Hannah Kahovec, Apricot Lane boutique; Germaine Kornegay, Sedro-Woolley city councilwoman; Rose Lathrop, architect and city planner; Jeni Cottrell, artist; Emily O’Connor, Lydia Place executive director; Michelle Bouma, Mi Shoes shop. Bottom (l to r): Morgan Paris Lanza, Bellingham Girls Rock camp; Katheryn Moran of Katheryn Moran Photography; Suzanne Smith, Betty Be Good boutique.
that of a small business owner herself. She could relate to businesses and their struggles. It was her experience as a business owner and in advertising sales at the Seattle Times and later Seattle Met magazine, however, that caused her to dream the “big dream,” she says. Karlberg met skepticism with promises that this magazine would be different, including the bold concept that the magazine would be subscription-based. “A lot of people did not like that,” she says. “We got a lot of, ‘Oh, I see what you’re doing now.’ I was like, ‘Yes, I’m creating jobs, paying employees and I’m putting out a highly reputable publication that I hope people will enjoy. And making all that happen costs money.” As a paid-for publication, she was determined to uphold certain editorial standards. “We’re very careful not to mix advertising with editorial. We don’t do a pay-to-play. You don’t get an article written about you just because you’re advertising with us. If we want to cover something, we’re going to cover it whether you’re spending money with us or not.” But would the magazine succeed? It went from concept to reality in four months, with the debut issue printed
in June 2009. But after a complete redesign, the Karlbergs got a glimpse of their future when the magazine paid for itself by the second issue in August/September. “We had to keep our costs down to ensure that we would make it.” Staying lean was the mindset from the beginning. The company’s first office, on Coho Way in Squalicum Marina, was a third-floor, 1,200-square-foot space that held as many as eight people. “We were on top of each other,” Karlberg says. The graphic design table was also a pingpong table, a good way to pass the time while waiting for the all-clear on pages sent to the printer. At the time, Ken and Lisa were running the magazine while commuting from Issaquah — Lisa had promised her teenage son they wouldn’t move until after he finished high school. For two years, either one or both made the nearly two-hour drive. Unbeknownst to staffers, they didn’t always drive home during the week. On print nights, and sometimes a few others each production cycle, Lisa and Ken slept on an air mattress stashed in Lisa’s small office closet. “I would be up until one or two in the morning getting files in to the
printer, and we would take out the air mattress and we would blow it up and we would sleep on it,” says Lisa, laughing. “We were deathly afraid we’d still be asleep when the employees came in at 9 o’clock.” When they did make the drive, Lisa changed into her PJs before climbing into the car to save time once they got home. A work history steeped in startfrom-scratch, independent ownership helped Karlberg get where she is now. She was one of eight children whose father and mother ran a shipping company in Washington and for a time, in Alaska, where she worked at McDonald’s starting at age 14, hosting kids birthday parties and absorbing the culture of roll-up-your sleeves labor (McDonald’s motto: “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.”). From a young age, she learned about administration and sales from her family. “Knowing what it takes to run your own business, we grew up in that. It’s hard work. You hit the ground running and you stay running.” The Karlbergs eventually found a home in Whatcom County, ditching the air mattress and settling in Semiahmoo. Now, the office commute takes about 25 minutes. Karlberg has brought more than her varied … June 2018 57