Female Founders: Lindsay Bertelli of REACH On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Look at your gender as a benefit, not a hindrance. If you are the only woman in the room, use that as a way to help you stand out, not an excuse to try and fit in. Women have business tools that men don’t have and vice versa, and you should use those to your advantage.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lindsay Bertelli.
As Owner and President of REACH, Lindsay has 20+ years of in-depth experience in tour/event promotion and production and sponsorship management. Her work with top entertainment and corporate clients has made her a well-known force in the industry with the knowledge and expertise needed to navigate the changing, and increasingly virtual, event and sponsorship environment.
Lindsay began her career as a concert promoter at Moore Entertainment Group, which ultimately affiliated with TBA Entertainment and AEG Live. She managed eleven years of production and sponsorship for CMT On Tour, which involved artists Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Sugarland, Brad Paisley, and Jason Aldean.
Other notable career highlights for Lindsay include project management for the Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour, Brooks and Dunn’s Neon Circus & Wild West Show, and Playboy’s 50th Anniversary Club Tour.
With the launch of REACH in 2011, Lindsay combined her years of experience as a concert promoter with progressive experiential marketing methods for clients looking to maximize their visibility and reach in the entertainment and lifestyle landscape.
Lindsay believes that today’s partnerships are more than just the placement of a brand logo on a festival stage or tour marketing materials. Instead, it is discovering, creating, and executing innovative ways to authentically interact with the consumer by providing memorable experiences that bring into sharp focus the desired message of an artist or brand.
REACH has worked for an array of brands since its conception, including Toyota, Norwegian Cruise Line, SiriusXM, Farmers Insurance, Calgary Stampede, ConAgra Foods, Bravo TV, Kretschmar, and more.
A Delaware native, Lindsay loves to travel and explore new places with her daughter. Lindsay is a graduate of Belmont University with a degree in Music Business. Her quick wit and sense of humor stem from her love of great 80’s and 90’s sitcoms like Designing Women and Golden Girls. On the weekends, you’ll likely find Lindsay surrounded by friends hosting a fantastic dinner party at her home in Nashville.
In January 2022, Lindsay was selected as one of the 2022 Board of Directors for the Country Music Association (CMA) and the CMA Foundation. She values the CMA’s dedication to the country music community and looks forward to being a part of its growth.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Like many others, I grew up being surrounded by music. From Elton John or The Moody Blues playing on the stereo at home to singing hymnals in my grandfather’s church, music has been a constant joy in my life since childhood. I knew early on that I wanted a career in the music industry, but my passion directed my path once I landed at Belmont University in Nashville. I took a concert promotion class and fell in love with the combination of the creativity of marketing a show and the logistics of executing and financially selling a show. I was hooked.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
I produced and traveled with the 50th Anniversary Playboy Magazine Club Tour in 2004. This tour consisted of events in 50 cities to celebrate the anniversary of the magazine with Playboy playmates, a female DJ, Playboy memorabilia displays and a champagne burlesque performance. The term “interesting” doesn’t even scratch the surface of this experience.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
At age 22, I was asked to fax (yes, fax!) an offer to a booking agent for an artist to play a specific date. I mistakenly faxed the offer to the wrong agent in an entirely different, competitive agency. It caused quite a bit of hassle and turmoil for my boss at the time, and I was humiliated by my mistake. It taught me to slow down. It also taught me that I could get 150% done in a day, but if the extra 50% is sloppy and done wrong, I should have just focused on doing the 100% right.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My professor at Belmont who taught concert promotion and booking and then became my one and only boss in the music industry, Steve Moore. He gave me my first shot. I worked alongside him and learned from him for 13 years. When I wanted to start REACH, he invested in the company and me. I will be forever grateful because he believed in me and still does.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
Quite honestly, I believe it is the family/work balance. Running a company requires extremely long hours, and for women who are mothers and/or have a family, this can prove to be very difficult to balance. Although not all women have children or families to provide for, there are many out there who are held back to due the fear of failure. Not everyone is meant to be a founder, but it does help to have the right people around to uplift and support your decisions throughout the journey.
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
Champion, support and mentor women. As an aspiring female founder/entrepreneur I encourage women to find a supportive community and to lean into that community to learn from others.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
More women should become founders because they have such valuable insight and knowledge to share with the world. Female founders approach business differently and certainly bring their own personal experiences to the table. Women have the power to interpret unspoken cues and body language. When the power of intuition is balanced with emotional intelligence, women have the ability to develop well-rounded employees.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel (dismiss) about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
Being a founder is far from an easy job. It requires dedication and the willingness to learn from mistakes. However, there are many misconceptions about the entrepreneurial world. People assume that founders are living a plush life, while making the biggest paycheck. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Founders eat, sleep and breath their company.
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
Many people want to start a business, but not everyone is cut out for it. The reality is, there is no single secret to being a successful founder. The best leaders are empathetic and authentic. Empathy allows them to hear others, and by doing so, they build strong relationships with their employees and clients. If you’re committed to always feeling secure in your career, entrepreneurship may not be for you. Risk-taking enables and encourages innovation.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Look at your gender as a benefit, not a hindrance. If you are the only woman in the room, use that as a way to help you stand out, not an excuse to try and fit in. Women have business tools that men don’t have and vice versa, and you should use those to your advantage.
- Get used to sacrifice. You can’t always be the best co-worker, boss, mom, friend, spouse, etc. When you are killing it at work, you will feel like you are dropping the ball(s) in your family life and vice versa…you are not, but you will still feel like you are. Let it go.
- Recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Find others who excel in the areas where you may be weak and add them to your team. Don’t apologize for your shortcomings, but don’t hide them either. Own who you are: the good and the bad.
- Always have humility. No one wants to work with the smartest person in the room who isn’t afraid to tell you over and over again. Humility is a virtue that should be maintained. You can certainly pat yourself on the back for a job well done but make it quick.
- Forgive yourself. You are going to make mistakes. Learn from those mistakes and move on.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
Personally, and professionally, I have always made it a priority to support various non-profit organizations. Whether it is pro bono work for The Shalom Foundation or The Next Door, we will continue to utilize our tools as a company to benefit non-profits that we truly believe in.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I want to lift, champion, challenge and applaud women. When I first started my career working in the music industry, it was a male-dominated field. I’ll never forget feeling like I had to prove myself as a young woman starting her career. I never want women in any industry to feel less than men.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
I would love to have a private lunch with Sara Blakely, the Founder and CEO of SPANX. SPANX is an American undergarment maker focusing on shaping briefs and leggings, founded in Atlanta, Georgia. Spanx’s mission is to help women feel great about themselves and their potential. It mirrors Blakely’s calling to empower, elevate and support women. Her story is fascinating, and she maximizes it. Many ambitious women want to learn from her, including myself, and she’s a relatable yet iconic businesswoman. A mother of four, Blakely has been open about the self-doubt and mom guilt that came with becoming a working mother. As a mother and female founder myself, her authenticity resonates with me, and I believe it all comes back to prioritizing and not being too hard on yourself.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this
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