KATIE BANDSTRA

(I'm out finding the next wave.)

By Katie Bandstra

December 4^th, 2014

Roll up my sleeves

People have always looked to me to get things done. If there’s a tough project, complicated problem, closed door, strained relationship or a conundrum, Katie can fix it. I’m not the typical “fixer” you see on the crime shows. People ask me for help because of my common sense approach to people and problems. I gain consensus and approach solutions with emotional intelligence and creative thinking. But most important of all, I get it done.

I’ve worked in tough industries. My skill set is a great mix of marketing, sales, innovation, cross-functional buy-in, technical and creative. My passion, strategies, energy, vision and work ethic have created success where others have failed or wouldn’t have even entered the ring. I’m proud that my experience is varied, that my superiors trusted me to tackle tough projects — many times well outside the scope of my job. I have a Midwestern work ethic and always keep the customer at the forefront of any conversation.

I hope the next vingettes give you a glimpse of what I will accomplish in the future.

RIng my bell

Tooting my own horn has always been something I’ve struggled with — maybe it’s my Midwestern roots. I’m the person you trust to get things done. My energy and passion for the customer is the driver of my success. I ask questions. Challenge assumptions. I ask my team to do the same. Together we create solutions that make our customers repeat customers. I’m a leader and a visionary. I’ve been brought in to repair shattered images, build brands from scratch, create solutions across functions and departments and foster innovation. I’m a rainmaker. I bring in sales, widen the sales pipeline and help create products and solutions that fit the customers’ needs.

My diverse work experience and excellent training (top journalism school in the country and top-rated entrepreneurial MBA program) make me an asset to any team. My business acumen, attention to detail and toolbox of skills and experience help me draw upon an arsenal of strategies and tactics.

Sales or marketing

I fell in love with sales accidentally. I was more or less forced into the role when our salesman left our startup. I knew the product, how best to market it to our potential customers and was passionate about our success. To me sales and marketing are a natural extension of one another. In sales you get to see the “aha” moment and tweak your pitch to better understand how to best create a solution, not just a product. In marketing we often miss that direct contact. I have always loved and insisted on spending time with our sales people and watching like a fly on the wall. I wanted to see how our product worked with actual customers. When it came to be my turn, it was like I had done it for years.

Turns out I’m pretty good at it.

My husband sat me down about a year ago and said, “Katie, do you realize what you’ve done?” The little kid in me went over any egregious activities I had done in the past 5 years. But then he said, “You’ve walked Found ID into Fortune 500 companies and some of the top organizations in the world. You created and are maintaining relationships with these people. Do you know how rare that is?” Really I had no idea. I just assumed if you worked hard and were genuine, most everything is possible.

tied together

When you climb a mountain you’re tied together in a line as a group. There are pluses and minuses to this practice. The big benefit is if one of you slips, the others can dig their ice axe in and act as an anchor to stop your fall. The largest drawback is you can only go as fast as the slowest member of your group. I look at teams as a climbing team. You need to be each others’ anchors, to help each other give your all to reach the top, to be encouraging and provide the right challenge and incentive. Through empowered and engaged teams we’ve always been able to reach our goals.