Meet Kate King | Co-Founder & Operating Partner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kate King and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Like all things in life, my work life balance has been a journey and a learning process these last 3+ years with the shop. When you are excited and passionate about a project you put all your time and effort into it, even when it is unhealthy. I initially was working two jobs as we started the process of filing paperwork for the business, creating the brand, finding a place to lease, and thinking about potential vendors for the shop. As we geared up to open the doors of Go Far, a lot of unknown work had to happen so I knew it was time to quite my 9-5 job and focus solely on the use review for the space and eventually the buildout. Even after we had opened the shop I definitely still had the notion that I could do it all. Eventually, I realized that in order for anything to do be done correctly and for me to avoid burnout, I needed to delegate more tasks to my amazing employees and put up massive boundaries. This has taken me almost 2 years to wrap my head around and amongst the COVID pandemic it became even more apparent that success isn’t defined by how much you work, but the quality of your life (work or otherwise). For me, balance is about taking care of what NEEDS to be done in your life, whether that is work or personal life, but also making sure you are not neglecting your WANTS for the sake of others.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Go Far Shop is unique in the fact that we try to merge our favorite single day adventures into one shop. Our background stems from running, but we also recognize that in Boulder, most of us are not just doing one hobby. Our goal is to service outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy running, hiking, skiing, yoga, and many more outdoor activities. We do this in a highly curated manner and partner with key vendors in the industry that we trust and stand behind. Our main partner is with Smartwool and we can proudly say we have the largest assortment in the Front Range. If you are working in retail, the road there is never easy. For us, overcoming the challenges has been a mix of patience and testing new opportunities. In a market where other shops have been in business for 30+ years, to stand out, we’ve had to pivot quickly and try anything different we could think of. And like all great journeys, the lessons I’ve learned have been life changing. I’ve learned the beauty of starting something from scratch, how to truly build lasting business relationships, the art of work life balance, and navigating the waters of brick and mortar during a global pandemic.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When friends come into town, we usually do a combination of lots of running and hiking! I’d show them some of my favorite running trails, like Doudy Draw or Mesa Trail and then hike up Green or Bear Peak. Whenever we eat or drink out, we prefer to visit local spots, so I’d take my friends to coffee at Boxcar and eat at places like Walnut Cafe, Pizzeria Locale, Southern Sun, and of course ice cream at Sweet Cow! Visiting local breweries like Avery or Sanitas is also always on our list as well. No visit to Boulder is complete unless you take some epic photos next to the Flatirons in Chautauqua Park. After that, I’d drive them up Flagstaff Road for some great lookout views. If they weren’t too tired, we would rent bikes and ride along the Boulder Creek Path, stopping along for breaks in the creek before hitting up the farmers market.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
For the last year, my amazing employee and shop manager, Ashley Mena, has been a life saver when it comes to truly finding that “work life balance.” Her customer care, aptitude for learning new skills, hunger for more responsibility, and overall knowledge about the industry has allowed me to step back off the sales floor to fully take on all the operating functions. Our customers love her and know that they are in good hands. When people leave us raving reviews, this is mostly because of the work Ashley does on a daily basis! Thanks Ashley!

Website: http://gofarshop.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/go_far_shop/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/go_far_shop
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gofarshop/
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7SmVVYR1upyGzm30_OyYgw/videos

Image Credits
The personal photo image was taken by Caveman Collective