Skip to content

Meet Carrie Kim, Chief Creative Officer at UPTIME

Carrie Kim has always had an eye for design paired with an intuitive knack for marketing, and in 2012, she and her husband acquired UPTIME, a company that had been close to their family for decades. Carrie saw this as an opportunity to reinvent an energy brand that would actually be inclusive of a female audience in an industry that is notably “extreme” and male-centric. Carrie stepped in as Chief Creative Officer at UPTIME and she has already made incredible progress with the brand — it is now one of the fastest growing food and beverage brands, a testament to the untapped market potential of the female consumer.

 

 


 

 

My first job ever was… I placed supplement bottles into a machine to be labeled when I was eight. I learned early on about the process.

 

I chose my career path because… I desperately needed energy. I’m a mother of two teenagers, need I say more? I became obsessed with finding good energy. It’s funny how life gives you what you need.

 

My proudest accomplishment is… Showing my children what happens when you apply your vision and hard work what you can achieve.

 

My boldest move to date was… Not listening to what market data said, “Energy is for male millennials!” Women need energy too, if not more. So, I designed the bottles with women in mind.

 

I surprise people when l tell them… That a woman is behind the design of the brand.

 

Best advice to people starting their career… Let your passion drive you, be committed to the commitment. Not knowing everything can work to your advantage.

 

“Let your passion drive you, be committed to the commitment. Not knowing everything can work to your advantage.”

 

My best advice from a mentor was… It was never something that was told, rather than something that was shown to me. My mentors were both people of action; they were relentless.

 

I would tell my 20-year old self… Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.

 

My biggest setback was… Losing my father, he was my inspiration.

 

I overcame it by… Becoming an entrepreneur like him and moving through my life with the same dedication.

 

Work/life balance is… A constant juggle, I feel as though if I win at work, I lose at home, and if I win at home, I lose at work. It’s about being a little gentler with myself, and allowing myself to know that it’s okay, it doesn’t have to be perfect.

If you googled me, you still wouldn’t know… My obsession with skincare.

 

I stay inspired by… Traveling and meeting all types of people, discovering how multifaceted people are, we are not defined by a title.

 

The future excites me because… I have the opportunity to continue to innovate and expand the category by providing good energy.

 

My next step is… I will continue to build a brand that provides good energy, energy that complements our own, so we can achieve at our highest level. It’s exciting to see what happens when you put your best energy to use.