Her Story
About Karyn
Karyn Kennedy is the founder and owner of Vinaigrette Life, a company she launched in 2010 after developing a salad dressing made with only four ingredients and containing zero sugar, sodium, or cholesterol. With 15 years in the food and beverage industry following a 25-year career as a microbiology lab tech at Providence Hospital, Kennedy has grown her business into five retail locations while maintaining SBA and WBC certifications and a registered trademark. She serves as vice president of the Business Women's Network in Royal Oak, Michigan, has taught third-grade entrepreneurship courses through DPS, and assists other food entrepreneurs with product development and store placement. Kennedy is relocating to San Diego in December and has been accepted into the University of San Diego health and wellness program. She attributes her success to her faith in Jesus and the example set by her father, an entrepreneur and one of the first African American foremen at the Chrysler plant in the 1970s who used setbacks as victories and guided young people through Junior Achievement. Kennedy's core values center on helping people live full, whole, and healthy lives by ensuring her products support wellness rather than harm, and she advises young women entering the industry to ignore negativity, stay committed to their path, and recognize that lost relationships clear space for future success.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Karyn
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to Jesus and my Father. My dad always put faith in Jesus in front of the family. He was an entrepreneur and one of the first African American foreman's at the Chrysler plant in the 70s. He used setbacks as victories and helped young kids stay out of jail through Junior Achievement.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do not listen to the no. Ignore the noise. Do not listen to anything that's opposite to where you're going. Stick with that journey. You're gonna lose a lot of friends and family members, but that is clearing the field for your success and the people you're meant to meet.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenge is trying to get on the shelf. Having to represent your product yourself because people want to see who they're buying from and from a health perspective. You have to look the part. You have to position your product into a grocery store that understands your product and the customer. Don't let anyone change your product.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I want to change lives and see people live full, whole, and healthy lives. Make sure each product does not get a person in the hospital. Talk to young people and high schoolers about health.
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