Kelli Saulny lives for entrepreneurship. Her grandfather founded a successful beverage company, and she attributes her entrepreneurship journey to him. She is a goal-oriented operations consultant with more than 10 years of experience in end-to-end business scaling and strategy expertise that directly results in expansion, efficiency improvements and cost savings. Saulny spent 11 years at Carol’s Daughter in New York as a temporary employee and worked her way up to director of operations. She was a key strategist in scaling the business from $3M to $40M.
With one successful startup under her belt, Saulny moved back to her hometown of New Orleans, where she used her expertise to guide emerging organizations seeking growth as a contract consultant. Saulny currently serves as campaign manager for the Campaign for Equity: New Orleans, and strategic partnerships lead at Camelback Ventures. She holds a bachelor’s and an MBA from Florida A&M.
As a Black woman, what do you consider your superpowers to be?
My superpowers are love, consistency, authenticity, moxie, creativity and spirituality.
What thoughtful or encouraging piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell my younger self that self-care is the most radical act you can ever do.
Why is it important for women of color to work in leadership roles and decision-making capacities?
It’s important for women of color to work in leadership roles and decision-making capacities because when Black women win, everyone wins. You can’t find a movement in history that was purposed in equity and justice in which Black women didn’t play a dynamic leadership role — whether they got the credit or not.
What three success habits do you incorporate into your daily routine to maintain your success, sanity and peace of mind?
As I get older, the quality in which I spend my time has become more important than trying to do as much as I can in a certain amount of time. So, all of my daily routines center around making the most of my time. This includes:
– Starting my morning with 30 minutes of exercise and meditating. It makes a huge difference in my day’s productivity;
– Surrounding myself with people who challenge me and staying in constant communication with them;
– Making sure to create space for laughter.
As a successful woman in business, what is your proudest achievement?
I think my proudest career achievement is that that I’ve built a career for myself that has always been dedicated to the advancement of Black people, especially Black women. From my work as director of operations at Carol’s Daughter, to the nonprofit I founded, Bee Legacy, which mentors Black teenagers, to my current roles at Camelback Ventures and campaign manager of the Campaign for Equity: New Orleans, I don’t make any career decisions without considering how my work can service and [support] my community.
