She Sold Her Car and Started a Business With Just $5,000. Now Her Agency Is Celebrating 30 Years of Turning Stories Into Movements.

Heidi Krupp is the founder and CEO of Krupp Agency. As the company hit its 30th anniversary, Krupp shares how she built the company by taking a big risk on herself and what she’s learned about sustaining her business and her vision.

Please give the elevator pitch of your business.  
At Krupp, we do not just promote brands — we help activate stories that inspire trust, spark conversation, and make a real difference in the world.  Before starting my agency, I worked for Barbara Walters on 20/20. Watching her produce stories taught me that the right narrative can ignite emotion, shift perception, and even change culture. That lesson stayed with me.  

We specialize in working with visionary thought leaders and the thought-led brands they build. We exist to help our clients unleash their positive purpose onto the world. Every one of our clients has an extraordinary story to tell, and it is our mission to tell them.  
 
What inspired you to create this business? What was your “aha moment”? 
Over thirty years ago, a mentor told me all I needed to start a business was $5,000. So I sold my car, started Krupp in a tiny Hoboken studio apartment and I built the agency around a simple belief: meaningful stories can transform lives.  

Subscribe to How Success Happens podcast: Apple | Spotify | YouTube

Since then, we have had the privilege of working with extraordinary entrepreneurs, authors and visionary thought leaders, helping to turn their ideas into movements that shape culture. From iconic books like The South Beach Diet, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and Chicken Soup for the Soul, to groundbreaking media projects and emerging voices like Raising Brows, our work has always focused on unlocking the deeper potential within a story.  

Please tell us a “holy @#$!” moment — something amazing or terrifying that you did not see coming. 
When I first started Krupp, we had a fire in the office within the first two weeks! I had just hired my first employee, and it was immediate chaos. I thought at the time that my career had started and ended quickly. Thankfully, I had insurance, and we shifted to working in my apartment. At the time, I panicked, but we pivoted, and in the end it all worked out. Thirty years later, I still think back and am grateful for how we have grown. 

What does the word “entrepreneur” mean to you?  
An entrepreneur is someone driven by passion. Someone who thinks about things that others would not. Someone who takes risks and inspires others to help make a difference in the world.   

Get the free How Success Happens Newsletter for weekly inspiration.

What is something many aspiring business owners think they need that they really do not? 
A plan. When I started out, I was $8,000 in debt and did not own anything or have a plan. However, I was surrounded by people who believed in me, particularly my mother, father, and an amazing mentor. Entrepreneurs need to believe in themselves and be surrounded by others who believe in them. It takes courage and strength to begin, surrounded by a strong support system.  

Is there a particular quote or saying that you use for personal motivation?
Barbara Walters would tell me the importance of believing in what you are selling, that you must be able to look at yourself in the mirror and believe it to sell it. This has always inspired me to choose carefully who we represent and are in a relationship with. I aim to inspire others to help make a difference in the world.