Q1 • 2021


Understanding that magazine placements and gift guides would be a great way to gain exposure, West sent samples to editors at magazines that she thought would fit well with Good Karmal’s target customer. Since she had been working with magazines and editors for a decade in her previous role, West had a good handle on how to best craft the pitch. Still, even the most high-priced PR agency could never have promised to deliver what would happen next. An early online editorial piece caught the eye of a producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show, who then placed an order. “Next thing we knew, they were calling to


feature us on [Oprah’s] crazy huge Favorite Things holiday show—all within one year of our launch,” West recalls. “We’ve been featured in a lot of magazine gift guides since then, which I view as just an amped-up form of word of mouth, like a recommendation from your in-the-know friend.” And spreading the word of the delicious caramels has resulted in earned media in more than 15 publications, including Food & Wine, Vanity Fair, InStyle, Forbes, the New York Times, Organic Style, and Martha Stewart Living, to name a few. West knew very well that this earned media was far more valuable than paid advertising. The day that Oprah aired in late November


2002, website sales were quickly heading to a point that was more than Good Karmal’s small operation could deliver in time for the holidays. Instead of collecting every dollar they possibly could, West and the Good Karmal team determined to stay true to the brand’s attention to detail and keep the customer experience paramount. They left some money on the table by putting up a notice on their website that said “Sold out until January” so they could fulfill the immediate orders.


Good Karmal sells its caramel online directly


to consumers and corporate customers, not to retailers (because caramel tastes better fresh). West says that when she started the company, she envisioned selling to stores in order to drive growth, but every year Good Karmal has succeeded in bringing in new customers and growing revenue without having to use wholesalers. “In addition to significant retail consumer sales


on our website, we sell corporate gifts with custom logos and messaging to big companies like Nike


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Good Karmal strives to use earth-friendly packaging, choosing either recycled or reusable containers produced from renewable resources.


and Microsoft as well as small mom-and-pops looking for a unique client gift,” she says. A business degree from the University of


Virginia has served West well when it comes to the marketing, accounting, IT, management, and finance aspects of running a business, but the real-world experience she took from her time at Warner Brothers taught her how to keep her head in a stressful, fast-paced environment. “It also taught me to trust my instincts and


tackle new challenges with confidence,” West says. “Every failure or disappointment that I’ve encountered with Good Karmal I’ve been able to view as a gift, an opportunity to learn and grow.” The fact that Good Karmal started as a thoughtful gift for others seems to have set the tone for the company’s sense of purpose. Today, Good Karmal donates a portion of all sales to environmental charities. “When I was just starting to form the idea of


this company, I plopped down in the business books section at Borders in Burbank, California, and started reading,” West says. “I discovered Building a Business the Buddhist Way, and that really sparked the idea for the giving piece. I’d always had a portion taken out of my corporate


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paycheck for charity, and it was important to me to continue that. I think that message attracts a certain customer who feels the same way.” Overwhelmed by the task of trying to figure


out packaging and vendors in the early days, West says she wasn’t as focused then on Good Karmal’s environmental impact. That has changed as the company has grown. “I became more aware of the impact of these choices and more conscious of eco-friendly options,” West says. Today, Good Karmal strives to use earth- friendly packaging, choosing either recycled or reusable containers produced from renewable resources. Don’t expect to see massive social media


advertising from Good Karmal in your Instagram feed or TikTok videos from the staff urging you to buy some for your next corporate event. The company maintains a modest social media presence, preferring to earn its business via word-of-mouth (and taste) references. “I’ve found that the best way to market Good Karmal is to get it in people’s hands or through a recommendation from someone they trust,” West says. “Until you’ve seen the packaging, unwrapped a quote, and tasted the caramel, you might not entirely appreciate the appeal. So that has been the main focus of our marketing.” Until then, Good Karmal will let the wrapping quotes do the talking for them. West has been collecting quotes since she was in high school— “way before they were all over the Internet,” she points out—and the staff at Good Karmal is always on the lookout for a quote that fits the brand’s vision. “We’re looking for positive messages about


living a life of bravery, of compassion, and in harmony with nature,” West says. 


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