Carrie Kerpen

On July 8, 2006, Carrie (Caroline Fisher) and Dave Kerpen were married at home plate after a Brooklyn Cyclones game at KeySpan Park in Coney Island, before 500 friends and family and about 7,500 fans; the two had met while working at Radio Disney.⁠[1]

The Brooklyn Cyclones are a minor league affiliate of the New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team in New York City, playing at Citi Field.Open the full entry. The couple paid about $20,000 themselves and negotiated more than $100,000 in sponsorships: 1-800-Flowers supplied the bouquets and sponsored a flower toss in the sixth inning, and Diageo created a signature drink with Smirnoff vodka. Explaining the choice of venue, Carrie said, “A ballpark has promotional inventory.”⁠[2]

During the sixth inning, a $20,000 check was presented to the David Wright Foundation, which works to fight multiple sclerosis; the couple raised $10,000 and The Shops at Atlas Park matched it.⁠[1]

The same year, the couple founded the marketing and social media agency Likeable.⁠[3]

On January 8, 2013, New York-based Likeable Media announced that co-founder Carrie Kerpen would become chief executive officer, while former CEO Dave Kerpen became chairman of the board to focus on expanding Likeable Local; the company then had more than 60 employees and had worked with over 200 brands, including MedtronicMedtronicMedtronic plc is a healthcare technology company founded in Minneapolis in 1949 that acquired Covidien in 2015.Open the full entry, General ElectricGE AerospaceGE Aerospace is the name under which General Electric Company operates, a jet engine maker listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker GE.Open the full entry, Neutrogena, VerizonVerizonVerizon (Verizon Communications Inc.) is one of the largest telecommunications carriers in the United States, formed in 2000 through the merger of Bell Atlantic, one of the “Baby Bells,” and GTE. Headquartered in New York City, it operates a nationwide wireless network, Fios fiber broadband and communications services for businesses and government, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.Open the full entry, and Logitech.⁠[4]

In the release she said, “I’m excited to take on this new role of CEO.”⁠[4]

In 2014 she launched the podcast All the Social Ladies.⁠[5]

Her book Work It: Secrets for Success from the Boldest Women in Business collects the stories of about 100 women, including Sheryl Sandberg, Barbara CorcoranBarbara CorcoranBarbara Corcoran is a real estate entrepreneur, investor, author and television personality. She founded The Corcoran Group and sold it to NRT in 2001. Known for her role on ABC’s Shark Tank, she also writes books, hosts a podcast and speaks publicly.Open the full entry, and Telisa Yancy; in 2019 it was optioned for a Facebook Watch show.⁠[6]

On April 9, 2021, 10Pearls, a digital transformation company headquartered in Washington, D.C., announced its acquisition of Likeable, whose clients came from retail, hospitality, health, finance, and consumer packaged goods. Carrie Kerpen became 10Pearls’ chief marketing officer and continued to lead Likeable, and the entire Likeable team joined 10Pearls.⁠[3]

She later led 10Pearls’ global digital division.⁠[5]

In 2023 she gave a TED Talk titled “How to Change the Whispers in Your Head.”⁠[5]

On May 6, 2025, BenBella Books published her book The Whisper Way: The Secret Formula for Women Entrepreneurs to Scale and Sell for Life-Changing Money, a 224-page title.⁠[7]

On April 5, 2026, Hard Knocks Business released a short video titled “April 5, 2026,” filmed in Austin, Texas, in which the host asked her whether founders should prioritize growth or profit, which numbers business owners should watch, and what has driven her success. In the video she said she and her husband started the business on their wedding day, built and scaled Likeable Media and sold it, calling it one of the first social media agencies; asked about the sale price, she answered only, “A healthy figure.”⁠[8]

She recalled that the couple could not afford a big wedding in New York City, so they pitched the New York Mets’ minor league affiliate, which quoted $6,000 and agreed to let them resell sponsorships; in the video she said the wedding raised $20,000 for the National MS Society. Afterward the sponsors urged them to “Do it again,” and the couple started an agency instead.⁠[8]

She said her family is her main motivation and that fear of running out of money or of the world changing has also kept her ahead.⁠[8]

She said that early on, revenue both solves and hides many problems, and that once a company is a real business it must optimize for profit, since that is how it will be valued at exit (video at 01:06).⁠[8]

She advised business owners to track the cost-of-goods-sold percentage against a set goal and to know their customer acquisition cost and customer lifetime value (video at 01:24).⁠[8]

She said that if starting from zero she would first think through product-market fit, ask around to validate the idea, and only then build it (video at 01:58).⁠[8]

She said a personal brand matters more than ever, because a business may change many times while the founder remains the same person (video at 02:06).⁠[8]

She said one need not wait to be fearless before acting, since fear itself can be a motivator to keep going (video at 02:31).⁠[8]

After selling Likeable she founded The Whisper Group, an exit-planning advisory firm for women-owned businesses; she publishes an annual report on the valuation gap at exit between female-led and other companies, built The Whisper Collective, a community for exited female founders, hosts The Exit Whisperer podcast, and is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA).⁠[9]

Her research became known as “The Exit Gap,” and she is commonly known as “The Exit Whisperer.”⁠[10]

Personal website: https://www.carriekerpen.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[11]

The Whisper Group: Official website: https://wearethewhispergroup.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[12]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/@carriekerpen3418 (opens in a new window).⁠[11]