Katherine is the founder of Francis Henri, a curated children’s clothing retailer that brings together thoughtfully selected international baby and toddler brands for the U.S. market through both brick-and-mortar stores and an online platform.
In this episode of Be Anomalous, she shares her journey from a childhood dream of becoming a wedding planner to building a career in PR at Neiman Marcus and ultimately leaping into entrepreneurship during the pandemic to create a growing retail brand.
What started as curiosity, a personal Excel list of favorite brands, and frustration with international shipping costs evolved into a business that now spans online retail and physical storefronts. Katherine’s story is one of experimentation, intuition, and learning by doing—while raising three young children.
🎧 Listen to the Episode
What You’ll Learn
How Katherine turned a personal passion for kids’ fashion into Francis Henri
Why did she start by building an Excel sheet of global baby brands before launching a business?
How COVID unexpectedly became the catalyst for starting her company
The transition from corporate PR at Neiman Marcus to full-time entrepreneurship
Why she believes brick-and-mortar retail still has a powerful future
How pop-ups validated product demand before opening stores
The realities of bootstrapping a physical retail business
How motherhood reshaped her priorities and decision-making as a founder
Why hiring slowly helped her understand every part of her business
The importance of staying lean while scaling intentionally
Favorite Quote
“Work hard and be nice to people.”
A simple but powerful principle that guides how Katherine approaches business, leadership, and life, balancing ambition with empathy and integrity.
Favorite Books
📖 The E-Myth Revisited — Michael E. Gerber
A foundational book on building systems and scaling a small business into a sustainable company.
In This Episode, We Cover
(00:00) Introduction and Katherine’s journey into Francis Henry
(05:00) Early ambition and shifting career paths
(10:00) From PR at Neiman Marcus to entrepreneurial curiosity
(15:00) The origin of Francis Henry and the Excel brand list
(20:00) Discovering international baby brands and unmet demand
(25:00) Launching online during the pandemic
(30:00) Growing through pop-ups and early customer reactions
(35:00) Why brick-and-mortar retail still matters
(40:00) Hiring, delegation, and learning to let go
(45:00) Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship
(50:00) Bootstrapping, funding decisions, and staying lean
(55:00) Redefining success across life and business
(01:00:00) Final reflections and advice for founders
Referenced in This Episode
Building Francis Henri from online to brick-and-mortar retail
Entrepreneurship during COVID and business resilience
Multi-brand retail strategy in children’s fashion
Bootstrapping vs. fundraising decisions
Hiring, delegation, and early-stage team building
Work-life balance as a founder and mother of three
The future of in-person retail experiences
Global sourcing of children’s clothing brands
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