Karin Abarbanel

Karin is an entrepreneur, author, and an expert on start-up strategies. She has a warm, can-do speaking style and a passion for helping women realize their dreams. A small-business owner herself, she started her own solo communications firm in the 1990s and knows firsthand the demands involved. Her goal as a speaker: to inspire and arm women emotionally for the ups and downs they’ll face on the road to entrepreneurial freedom.

She is the co-author of Birthing the Elephant: the woman’s go for it! guide to overcoming the big challenges of launching a business (Ten Speed Press). Part success coach, part action guide to the first 22 months of a start-up, it takes women step by step through the launch cycle, showing them smart moves to make and pitfalls to avoid.

Karin was selected by Avon as spokeswoman for its “Corporation to Cottage” program. She has appeared on TV and radio as a guest expert – and been featured on ABC TV’s “Good Morning America,” CNBC, WCBS, Smart MoneyTV, and the Joan Hamburg Show.

Karin speaks and writes widely on small-business issues and has appeared at forums including AWED’s Women in Business Conference, Women Inc., the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), Equitable Life, the NY Institute of Technology, Babson College, and Columbia University.

In addition to co-authoring Birthing the Elephant, Karin has published four other how-to guides. As a marketing consultant, Karin’s blue-chip clientele includes small businesses as well as Accenture, the Boston Consulting Group, Chase, and Morgan Stanley. Prior to launching, Karin was a senior marketing director for Booz & Company, the global consulting firm.

Karin received her MA from Columbia University and a BA from Middlebury College. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey with her husband and son.