Winter 2022 Member Spotlight: Fuhrman Creative LLC

Kathi Fuhrman celebrating the five year anniversary of her business, Fuhrman Creative, in May 2021

Work life balance. It’s something we hear all the time, yet so many of us struggle to achieve it. Kathi Fuhrman, owner of Fuhrman Creative, knows the feeling of trying to find that balance all too well.

After 10 and half years of working in the insurance industry, Kathi found herself at a crossroads in November 2015. She loved her job and her industry, but, at the same time, she was feeling burnt out. In addition to juggling many roles at work, Kathi was also missing out on spending time with her family. She needed to make a change.

​Kathi grew up in an entrepreneurial household. Both of her parents were deeply involved with building and running their own small businesses. While this allowed Kathi to understand the importance of small businesses, it also introduced her to the struggle to find an ideal work life balance as her parents missed out on milestones over the years. Despite her respect and appreciation of small businesses, Kathi felt that becoming a small business owner was not the right path for her when
she started her career.

​Nevertheless, back at the crossroads in her insurance career, Kathi made a decision she swore she would never make - she chose to start her own small business. From the beginning, Kathi knew she had to put some ground rules in place. She would operate her business on her own terms, always maintaining control of her schedule and priorities. 

With a passion for marketing that she discovered during her time in the insurance industry, Kathi’s goal was to help small business owners with their marketing so that the owners could take the time they would have spent on marketing and instead put that valuable time into being with their families and experiencing life outside of work.

Kathi’s approach to being a business owner has proven to be successful. As Fuhrman Creative approaches its six-year anniversary in May 2022, Kathi continues to write her own rulebook. Over the past few years, her team has grown to 10, including herself and her husband Frank, who produces and creates digital videos and pictures for clients. The team members at Fuhrman Creative all have local roots, which makes them deeply invested in the community and businesses that they serve. Kathi strives to run her business in a different way, putting an emphasis on being a person – parent, spouse, friend – before being an employee. Her belief in offering grace and avoiding placing unnecessary pressure on her team members continues to be a successful formula as both her team and clientele grow.​

​​Stacey Rice, the assistant marketing coordinator at Fuhrman Creative, is grateful for Kathi’s leadership, saying, “Working for Kathi…is such a blessing. Kathi is an amazing boss and mentor! She provides a flexible and ​

professional work environment and gives constructive, positive feedback. Kathi is supportive of my role as wife and mother, something I wasn’t sure I could find in a job. She also creates engaging opportunities for achievement and offers possibilities for growth.”

As Fuhrman Creative continues to grow, Kathi is grateful for the memories made on her business journey so far. When asked about her favorite memory related to her business, two memories came to mind. The first memory is the publishing of Kathi’s first article in the Huffington Post in December 2016. Since then, she has had two additional pieces published as a ghostwriter in the Post. Kathi’s other favorite memory and accomplishment is reaching her five year revenue milestone before year four in February 2020. With her revenue milestone reached, Kathi was able to accomplish another one of her goals – adopting a local non-profit as a client for free. Kathi chose Roots for Boots, an organization that addresses the needs and challenges of military heroes and their families, as her non-profit recipient. She hopes to expand this initiative in the future.

Kathi at the East Berlin Turkey Trot with her husband, Frank, and her sons, Ajay and Arie

Despite the continued growth and success of her business, Kathi continues to keep her family as her priority. Kathi, Frank and their sons, Ajay and Arie, are active in the community. The whole family recently participated in the East Berlin Turkey Trot benefitting Roots for Boots. Kathi and her oldest son Ajay also served as guest radio hosts in support of New Hope Ministries’ Feed-a-Friend initiative in early December 2021. During their hour on the radio, they received pledges for approximately 17,000 cans of food! 

When Kathi and her family aren’t out in the community, they enjoy watching movies together. They’ve even watched the entire Marvel series in chronological order!

So, that work life balance that can seem hard to find? While no two people are the same, Kathi has found a balance that works for her and allows her to feel fulfilled both professionally and personally. With a thriving business and happy home life, Kathi looks forward to what the future has in store.

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About Fuhrman Creative: Founded in May 2016, Fuhrman Creative is an online marketing agency based in Abbottstown offering search engine optimization, content writing, Google AdWords and social media marketing services for local businesses. To learn more, please visit fuhrmancreative.com, or give Kathi and her team a call at (717)965-4406.