These last two years have been filled with major life changes. In 2014, I happily opted to close the nationwide company I founded 14 years earlier. My youngest son asked me to become Executive Director of the non-profit he founded. The idea was that I would take over so he could head to college the following year. At that time, it was a great decision and the first year was amazing! However, after he left, I realized it just wasn’t the same without him. He was heading in new directions as well.
After many agonizing conversations, this past September, we opted to dissolve the non-profit, something that has been a major part of our lives. This was tough because the organization allowed me to focus on my passion and do good work. We literally saved lives. But, it was time to move on. It was time for me to re-focus on my career and I threw myself into a full-time job search. I had to find a way to work toward my passions in a different sector of the working world. Part of the process of my new direction involves blogging, something I’ve never done before! What do I do when I’m clueless? I turn to my kids for advice! With their great assistance, I crafted this opening post.
I have only really known one way to introduce myself in the professional world, and I'd like to use that same introduction:
Hi! My name is Lisa Bachman, and I am the new VP of Partnership Marketing at VIKTRE. Working with non-profit organizations has been my life for the past 6 years, and I'm extremely excited to transfer my knowledge base to the athletes and Olympians that we represent at VIKTRE and the partnerships I can bring to the table.
Before I landed this position, someone asked me about my personal brand. Who was I and what did I want to do? I didn’t know. To me, a brand was a product, not something I needed to have. As I thought more and more about this concept, I realized that I actually do have a brand. Through our charitable work, I have always been a very transparent person. Sharing our family story has allowed us to help thousands. Why not transfer that to my professional life.
So, here we go!
My goal in doing this writing is to help you get to know me. I have always believed that people buy from people they trust. I’m all about helping others and, if appropriate, it is my hope that we can have the opportunity to work together in some capacity.
I'd like to tell you a little bit about my journey to where I am today, and I am excited to share my experiences with those of you reading my very first post!!!
To start, I’ve been through a lot with my family. My husband is at the center of my world and we recently celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary! We have three children who all bring me more joy than I ever thought possible. When our youngest was born, we rushed him to the hospital at 6 days old with a serious case of bacterial meningitis. He was given a 2% chance of survival. He fought and he won, but, it left him with mountains to climb. By age 11, he had attempted suicide 3 times because he didn’t like himself. At age 12, he was diagnosed with a life-long medical condition called Tourette Syndrome. This all sounds horrible, and make no mistake, parts of it were; however, the journey we started, together as a family, to pull him out of the dark, resulted in some amazing things! Reflecting on this is what helped me realize the make-up of my personal brand.
I am a problem solver. We were dealt a tough hand, but, instead of looking at everything as a problem, my view saw challenges to overcome. I became resilient. When a problem arises, I acknowledge it, analyze it and look for solutions. I am highly resourceful. Present me with a challenge and I will attack until it is solved.
I am highly energetic and enthusiastic. I always have a “can do” attitude. I don’t give up easily and I love engaging in conversations that allow me to learn what makes people who they are. Everyone deserves to be happy and if I can make that happen, I will.
My favorite brand component is my drive and passion to help others – personally and professionally. I learned early in my career that the client is king. I pride myself on getting to know my clients and learning how I can make them shine.
As an example, early in my career, I was working for Cisco Systems. In those days, we called on marketing managers because they were driving the applications that required technology. One of my clients was a large performing arts theater. We had a meeting scheduled but he was distracted and perplexed because he had to get several thousand brochures distributed at a festival that upcoming weekend. He had no clue as to how he was going to get that accomplished. I put on my problem solving hat and asked him if he would like me to call some high school students who could hand out the brochures. You would have thought I solved world peace. He was so happy and the job got done!
There is another thing that is very important to me. Every day, kids are contemplating committing suicide for a variety of reasons, or, they simply don’t like themselves. I’m lucky – our son survived and is so happy and successful. It impacted our other kids – they needed to feel important too. But, we pulled together and we made it out. Sadly, I know there are so many families who are struggling. I have made it my personal objective to listen to anyone who is struggling. I have received calls from families across the country who have a suicidal child or are dealing with a child who feels different, or has been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. I will always stop what I’m doing to listen and let them know there is hope. In these cases, I tell people that you don’t need to ask permission to give out my contact information – just give it.
At the risk of getting too long winded, I’ll stop here. I have a number of stories from my journey that I’m excited to share! Thanks for taking the time to get to know me and I can’t wait to get to know you too!