Since we've shared some history about Bophet, co-owner of Ruff Ruff and Meow, we thought it would be nice to share some background about Caroline, the other co-owner and founder of Ruff Ruff and Meow.
Caroline has been working in fashion and art since she was a child. She was born and raised in Hawaii, and from a very young age, Caroline was always interested in "the creative." Her favorite subject in grade school was art and she loved to paint and draw. As a child, she would enter different contests, like designing stationary for the school or drawing contests. Her first experience leaving country was because of an art contest sponsored by Naha City in Okinawa, Japan for students throughout the state of Hawaii to give their perception of Hawaii. She entered and won. She had the opportunity to meet the mayor from Okinawa and the story made it to international papers. It was an incredible experience and one that led to her fascination and appreciation for different cultures, which would be something that stuck with her for life.
When she was in middle school, Caroline was discovered by a modeling agent, when she was out to dinner with her parents. That is when she first launched her career as in the fashion and entertainment industry. She worked as a model and actress for the next decade and had the opportunity to travel around the world and represent major brands such as Ford, Kenzo, and Coca Cola. Caroline was the face behind over 70 different commercials - both nationally and internationally. Her modeling career gave her the opportunity to learn about different cultures and languages, including German, which she once had to learn phonetically for a commercial shot in Italy.
Caroline attended the University of Hawaii and studied everything from drama, speech and communications to photography and business - staying true to her desire for the arts and humanities. During this time she was still modeling so she would go to school for a semester, work overseas and return to the states after being exposed to so many different people, cultures and experiences. She admits she LOVED school, and would always think about how she would put whatever she was learning to use in the real world.
Caroline fostered her entrepreneurial spirit early on. She decided to study photography in college after being exposed to it for so many years through her modeling and built a successful photography business. She used her background as a makeup artist, and combined the two skills to offer packages for her fellow models whom she met at photo shoots and auditions.
When asked who inspired her you to be an entrepreneur, she remembers while growing up that her father wrestled with the desire to have his own business while at the same time feeling the responsibility to have a stable job to support his wife and children. Caroline believes that between her father's secret entrepreneurial desires weaved into his DNA as well as his strong work ethic and her mother exposing her to fashion, travel and the arts at very young age, that made ALL the difference in making her the successful entrepreneur that she is today!
Her motto in life has been: "Try to experience everything life has to offer." And, with the desire to be "The captain of my own ship" Caroline has done just that, and she is happy when she looks back at all her accomplishments and realizes she has enjoyed having more control of her own life.
What she appreciates and enjoys the most is the fun part of "starting" a business from scratch. Coming up with the concept, nurturing her idea and and growing the business. At times, you are venturing off into the unknown, but that's part of the fun.
Now that her and Bophet have a successful pet retail business, what keeps her inspired? Always thinking of new products and finding fresh and new ways to keep her customers coming back for more fun stuff. In fact, she's busy at work now, developing on a new line of pet products that will be launching at the end of the year... so be sure to stay tuned to the developments of Caroline Leedom.. you haven't heard the end from this successful entrepreneur.
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