RISING ICON #85: Clare Richards
Photo cred: Kimberly Windschitl
What name do you prefer to be called?
Clare
What are your pronouns?
She/Her
Where did you grow up?
Born near Washington DC, moved to Sauk Centre, MN, when I was a kid.
What city are you currently based in?
Saint Cloud, MN - a completely underrated and really quite incredible community.
How do you typically introduce yourself to new people?
“I’m the co-founder of a startup called Impacks, and I’m involved in a lot of community work.”
(Then I’d typically turn it back on the new person and ask a whole bunch of questions. I can come on strong sometimes.)
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about you?
I’m extroverted and know a lot of people. But I crave deeper conversations and relationships. Surface level small conversations make me antsy. My favorite thing in the world is connecting people to each other.
Also - I will sing karaoke with anyone at any time in any place.
Who do you help?
Through Impacks, we help parents and educators. We make school supply shopping as easy as humanly possible for parents while also fundraising to support classrooms (no, we’re not a nonprofit).
Beyond Impacks, I’m involved in a number of community initiatives. While I’ve had my fair share of boots-on-the-ground volunteer work (think: school supply drives, highway clean up, etc), I’ve been more engaged with foundational community work in recent years. Think: tackling root causes for large-scale community challenges.
What are you building now?
The majority of my energy and time goes towards building Impacks, alongside my co-founder and husband Brandon. Two years ago we were in a handful of Minnesota schools. Now we’re in 200+ schools across 16 states. My goal is to continue growing our nation-wide presence, and to diversify our product offering so we’re less seasonal. One way we will do that is through a revolutionary product called Kinderkits, which are currently in the MVP stage. These experiential kits are designed to prepare Pre-K students for Kindergarten by improving dexterity, mathematical skills, literacy skills, and creative problem-solving skills.
On the community side, I’m working with some other brilliant women to build a grassroots group called EmpowerHER. EmpowerHER brings together female founders from across the state to create a casual, yet meaningful, environment where women can build genuine relationships with peer female founders on a similar journey. An extension of this project is my passion to bring female founders from outstate MN into the fold. A lot of the startup action happens in the Twin Cities. But - spoiler - there are kickass women all over the state building incredible businesses! We need to create a space that includes those women as well (duh!).
What were you building ten years ago today?
Ten years ago I was doing my best to get out of a career in graphic design and into art direction and client strategy. I worked in marketing for nearly a decade, and working at a marketing agency was the PERFECT primer for entrepreneurship. I saw the inner workings of dozens of businesses at all stages. Building a brand or launching a product is a lot like a truncated version of the startup process.
What do you predict of yourself 10 years from now?
In ten years, Impacks will have changed the way back-to-school is done in America. We’ll be the ubiquitous choice for parents across the country, for school supplies and beyond.
I will have written at least one book, and my days will be filled with speaking opportunities across the world. A significant portion of my time will be spent on building communities that matter.
What’s a fact or statistic you wish everyone knew about your industry?
Teachers spend between $750 - $1,000 out of pocket on school supplies for their students every single year. It’s not right, ya’ll. We need to fix this.
Why do you believe the work you do matters?
Whether it’s making life easier for parents and educators, or working on hard-to-solve community challenges, I think it matters to improve the human condition. It drives me nuts when people say, “this is what every {insert: school, community, company} is like.” I’m not satisfied with that answer. We all deserve better, and we’re smart and capable enough to make things better.
Who is your mentor and what is the best advice they’ve given you?
I’ve had too many mentors to name when it comes to business and life. Perhaps what has influenced my perspective most comes from thousands of hours of podcasts and audiobooks. One statement or idea rarely shifts my methodology. But by listening to founder stories from across history, I’ve picked up on broad themes that always seem to lead to impact.
What piece of content about you or your company are you most proud of?
Impacks was named a 2024 Startup to Watch by Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - that was pretty cool!
What publication do you hope to appear in next?
Whatever publication school secretaries read. They are our primary target, and I want Impacks to be front and center for them.
Who would you love to be interviewed by?
How I Built This with Guy Raz
If you had to give a TEDTalk tomorrow, what would the title be?
How To Get Young People To Give A Damn About Their Community
What award would mean the most to win?
Hmm…Maybe Time Person of the Year? I’m not big on awards, but that particular award would mean I’ve made my mark on the world in a big way.
What makes zero sense to you?
Our healthcare system. In what other industry do you buy something without having any clue what the price is, or how much you’ll end up paying? Insane.
What’s a word in your industry you hope gets re-evaluated?
Innovation.
What game are you changing?
How we truly support students in the classroom.
What’s the next thing you’re a part of that you want to invite more people to participate in?
EmpowerHER! We’ll be hosting an event during Twin Cities Startup Week, open to ALL!
Where can we follow you online? (include link your most active social media profile)
Business slant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarerichardsmn/
Personal slant: https://www.instagram.com/clare.richards/
What’s one thing that makes every leader better?
Accountability
A few other places to find Clare online:
https://www.myimpacks.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarerichardsmn/
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We’re grateful to each Rising ICON for their transformative work. Thank you, Clare, for sharing your story!
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“Building a brand or launching a product is a lot like a truncated version of the startup process. ”
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