A deeply personal account of inheriting a family business following a mother's passing, exploring how grief and responsibility intersect while honoring a legacy of integrity, determination, and relationship-building.
Her Story
About Kristin
Kristin Bucklew is the Owner of Spurrier Consulting LLC, a hospitality and commercial real estate consulting firm specializing in hotel feasibility studies, market analysis, and development planning. Based on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, she leads the firm in providing data-driven insights that support hotel development projects across the United States. Her work helps investors and developers evaluate opportunities and structure projects for successful financing and long-term performance. Kristin is proud to carry forward the legacy of Spurrier Consulting, originally founded in 1995 by her mother, Abby Spurrier. After becoming a mother herself, she began working closely with the firm in 2014, where she was trained in all aspects of feasibility analysis, financial modeling, and report development. Over the years, she gained hands-on experience supporting complex hospitality projects, building a strong foundation in both analytical rigor and client-focused service. Today, Kristin oversees all operations of Spurrier Consulting LLC, including financial modeling, spreadsheet development, market research, and the preparation of comprehensive feasibility studies and business plans. She works directly with clients seeking to develop hotels in markets across the U.S., maintaining the firm’s reputation for accuracy, clarity, and integrity. It is both a professional commitment and a personal honor for her to continue and grow the business her mother built.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kristin
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my children, who are my greatest motivation and inspire me to lead by example every day. I want to show them that the world is full of opportunity and that they can achieve anything they set their minds to with hard work, determination, and confidence. I am also deeply influenced by my mother, who broke glass ceilings in her own career and demonstrated what is possible through resilience and perseverance. Their example has shaped my values and continues to drive my commitment to grow professionally while building a legacy that reflects strength, purpose, and possibility for the next generation.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received is not to let others discourage me and to stay focused on proving what is possible through my own actions. My parents instilled in me the importance of resilience, confidence, and persistence reminding me that challenges and doubt from others should never define my path or limit what I can achieve.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is to embrace the opportunity fully and not be intimidated by how specialized or unique the field may seem. It is a rare and rewarding career that is both challenging and exciting, and success comes from being willing to take the first steps, invest in learning, and continuously challenge yourself. Stay curious, remain open to growth, and understand that you will always be learning something new along the way, which is part of what makes the work so meaningful.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge and opportunity in my field right now is stepping into the role my mother built and continuing to grow the legacy she established in hotel feasibility consulting. She was widely known and respected in the industry, so much of her work came through long-standing relationships and trust rather than marketing. My focus now is on honoring that foundation while continuing to strengthen those relationships, expand the firm’s reach, and uphold the same level of credibility, quality, and integrity she built over her career.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Professionalism and creativity serve as my guiding principles in both my work and personal life. I value approaching every situation with integrity, excellence, and a strong sense of purpose, while also embracing creativity as a way to solve problems, adapt to challenges, and continuously improve. Above all, I believe in treating others with kindness, actively spreading positivity, and remaining open to new opportunities and challenges that support both personal growth and professional development.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Kristin
Leading Through Grief
How I Honored My Mother's Legacy While Building My Own Path as a Business Owner
I always knew I would take over my mother's business someday.
It wasn't a question of if - it was simply a matter of when. Over the years, I worked alongside my mom, learning the industry, talking with clients occasionally, and watching the way she approached every project. We often talked about the future and what the business would look like one day.
I just never imagined that "one day" would arrive so soon.
When my mom passed away earlier this year, life changed quite literally, overnight.
Along with losing my mom, I suddenly found myself responsible for carrying forward the business she had spent years building. While our family was planning a celebration of her life, reports still had to be completed and deadlines continued to come and go.
One of the biggest lessons I learned is that grief and responsibility don't take turns. They often walk beside each other.
Thankfully, I wasn't stepping into something unfamiliar. My mom had made me part of the business long before I officially became its owner. Many of our clients already knew me or knew of me and I had spent years learning not only the technical side of the work but also the values that made the business successful.
She never believed in cutting corners.
She believed in building relationships.
She believed that your reputation was earned through consistency, honesty, and doing what you promised you would do.
Those lessons became my roadmap.
She wasn't someone who stayed in one lane
My mom spent her life proving that women belong wherever they choose to be. Early in her career, she worked as a cashier for Beneficial. She was told that was likely all she would ever be-but she refused to let someone else define her potential. She worked her way into management, proving that determination and hard work speak louder than expectations.
That same determination followed her throughout her life. She wasn't someone who stayed in one lane. Every time someone suggested a limit, she found another door to open. From managing a finance office to becoming a licensed real estate broker in California and Arizona, owning a construction company, and eventually building her own hotel feasibility and consulting firm, she approached every chapter of her career with the same determination: if she didn't know something, she'd learn it. If someone said she couldn't, she'd prove she could.
Learning about each chapter of her career shaped the way I see leadership today. She became my mentor, my biggest supporter, and ultimately, my mom. Watching the way she led her business taught me that leadership isn't about titles-it's about character. Through her example, I learned that determination, integrity, and perseverance could take you farther than anyone else's expectations ever could.
She always joked that her phone number could probably be found written on the wall of a Love's Truck Stop restroom because she never believed in marketing. To her, relationships were the best advertisement a business could have. Nearly every project she completed came from relationships she had spent years building. She didn't just earn clients-she earned their trust. For more than 20 years, she built a company known not just for the quality of its work, but for the relationships and reputation behind it.
I was building my own
As the weeks passed, I realized something I hadn't expected. I wasn't trying to fill my mother's shoes.
I was building my own.
The business still carries the same foundation she created, but I've also begun adding my own perspective, new ideas, and creative touches that reflect who I am. From developing visual presentations for clients to finding new ways to tell the story behind each project, I've discovered that honoring someone's legacy doesn't mean standing still.
It means allowing it to grow.
Leading through grief
Leading through grief has taught me more than I ever expected about resilience.
It has reminded me that leadership isn't about having every answer. It's about showing up, even on difficult days. It's about serving people with integrity, adapting to change, and continuing to move forward one step at a time.
As a mother myself, I hope my daughters grow up seeing the same lesson my mom taught me: that there are no limits on what a determined woman can accomplish.
Every day I walk into the office, I'm reminded that I'm not just continuing a business. I'm continuing a legacy built on resilience, integrity, and the belief that hard work always speaks for itself. Those values shaped the woman who led this company before me, and they'll continue to shape the woman leading it today.
Leading through grief isn't about leaving someone behind. It's about carrying the very best parts of them with you as you move forward.
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