Katherine Friedman and Samantha Heyer, Founders of Habitats By Kat
A habitat is a place that an organism calls home: a setting where one can not just live, but also thrive. While you may be flourishing in your current habitat, National Geographic tells us that not all habitats meet the requirements of a “suitable arrangement.” So, even while thriving, you may find yourself unfulfilled.
Two years ago, Kat Friedman was a Senior Account Executive at Marriott International, and Sam Heyer was Vice President at a globally recognized PR Agency. The twin sisters were not only living in their respective habitats, they were thriving, but still, something was missing.
Kat needed a challenge. She decided to leave her job at Marriott and adapt her hospitality and sales skills for New York City Real Estate. During her first year in NYC, however, Kat found herself doing more of the same. She got to thinking about the connection between the hotel business and real estate: the intersection of the two industries was wide, yet the crossing remained empty.
So, Kat did what any entrepreneur would do. She utilized her pre-existing skill set and network of clients to build her own habitat— a company in that formerly empty intersection of hospitality and real estate, a place where she could thrive on her own terms.
At the same time, Kat’s twin sister Sam was hesitant to make the jump to become her own CEO. After climbing up the ladder at her PR Agency, Sam was ready for a change of pace. But, giant career shifts do not happen overnight.
“It is a financial burden to consider leaving a full-time salaried job,” Sam explains. “It involves months of planning ahead. I thought about it for most of 2020, but I didn’t pull the trigger until the end of the year.”
Leaving a full-time job to pursue a new business is daunting and difficult— Kat and Sam have learned this firsthand. Being the ever-adapting entrepreneurs that they are, the twins took from their own experience to become their own CEOs. They now work to help others do the same.
“I wish I had the offering that I give people now,” Kat admits. “This is what I needed two years ago.”
Habitats By Kat provides entrepreneurs everything they need to grow their own business, be it a blooming side hustle or a fully operating endeavor. Kat and Sam will not only supply one with the tools to expand their brand—a website, business insurance, digital marketing, social media support, etc.— but also ongoing mentorship from the twins. Included in a small onboarding fee is access to global real estate.
The ultimate goal? Help people achieve financial freedom by expanding their revenue streams.
“If you do what truly motivates you, your productivity is going to skyrocket. And it can take people years to understand what motivates them. Our hope with this company… is to help this younger generation do what motivates them from the beginning,” says Kat.
The founder continues, “If you already know that you love travel and social media and marketing, you know what motivates you. Habitats By Kat helps you make that a career.”
Now that Sam is her own boss and doing what truly motivates her, one word comes to mind when asked how she is feeling: “liberated.”
If you find yourself yearning for that feeling of liberation, of thriving on your own terms, Habitats By Kat can serve as the toolbox to unlock doors for your brand and your future.
“Our mission is to make the impossible, possible, for those who crave entrepreneurship in the newfound space of real estate travel.” –HBK.
Tune into Girls Nite Live programming on Wednesday, March 10, for a live shopping segment with Habitats By Kat to learn more about their company and how to get your own real estate or travel venture off the ground. See you there!
