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Conversations with the Inspiring Lindsey Sachs

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Sachs.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always been drawn to making connections and bringing people together for healthy reasons. Throughout my career, dating back to early college, I have continued to uncover my passion for event management and creating authentic experiences. There is something so powerful in an event that brings like-minded people together. My early event management experience came as a Co-Director for a women’s leadership and development program in my hometown of Maple Grove, MN. This valuable program gave graduating female high school seniors and college students the opportunity to represent their city as an ambassador, expanding their public speaking and leadership skills while earning a scholarship.

During this time, I also found myself as an enthusiastic spectator of a local Minneapolis, MN triathlon. Being very community-minded, my fellow Director and I decided on a whim that our city needed a triathlon – to inspire our community to lead active and healthy lives by enjoying the beautiful recreation in our backyard. Within just nine months, we formulated a business plan, gained approval from the City Council, and hosted our first sold-out triathlon that included both Sprint and Olympic distances. I recall the morning of the triathlon, staring across the lake before sunrise, holding my breath and wondering “what on earth did we get ourselves into?!” We were about to welcome 500 athletes, their families and friends and their safety in the lake and on the roads was in our hands and that of our trained volunteers, police force, and many others.

The level of logistics, risk and management to ensure a sound event was highly intricate and yet, it fueled a huge fire within because the joy of watching others accomplish their goals was life-changing. We marketed and operated the triathlon for four years before Life Time Fitness purchased the triathlon and included it in the Life Time Tri Minnesota Series. It was such an honor to build an event truly from the ground up and have it welcomed on a larger stage.

Through this experience, I found a deep calling to support others in their fitness goals and soon was hired by Life Time Fitness to create a nationwide women’s athletic event brand, which we named Esprit de She – The Spirit of Her Race Series. This opportunity was highly unique in that I was able to be an entrepreneur within a billion dollar company, with creative freedom to design the brand, curate a race experience that was truly unique, and support its growth. Events included running, triathlon and duathlon events and were held across the country from Westminster, Colorado to Raleigh, North Carolina and impacted over 100,000 young girls and women.

While managing Esprit de She, I married my best friend and the love of my life, Chris. We planned our wedding together and the end result was a truly authentic day. I had never felt so in the moment as I did that day as a result of our careful planning. We also knew that the greatest gift we could give each other was to be present and not be worried about the setup, or logistics of our own wedding. So while we know the depth of event planning and were fully capable of managing, we hired a Wedding Coordinator to relieve that burden.

On our honeymoon, in the pool overlooking the Pacific Ocean, we couldn’t stop talking about how impactful our wedding day felt. We thought about the many couples who are missing such precious opportunities on their wedding day and knew we could make a very meaningful impact in their journey to marriage. Our love has inspired us so deeply, so it was natural for us to be surrounded by other happy couples to support their wedding in a way that feels most authentic to them.

The name COLLECTIVE/by Sachs stems from a toast Chris gave on our first Valentine’s Day date. He said “To the collective experiences that brought us together.” The individual experiences we had prior to meeting led us to one another and taught us many lessons that shaped our values and passions. We felt this central theme applies to all because a wedding day is a celebration of a couples’ collective experiences and the people in their lives.

Shortly after the honeymoon, we wrote our business plan on road trips and on many evenings. It wasn’t a matter of if we would create COLLECTIVE/by Sachs, but when. We made the decision at the end of 2016 and since, I’ve been focused full-time on working with each of our COLLECTIVE/Couples to design their authentic wedding.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Smooth roads are pretty boring and if my journey had been easy, it wouldn’t have brought me the level of grit and determination I have now.

As a stubborn Scorpio, if I get an idea in my head, I won’t give up on it until that idea is accomplished. The ideas that have led me to take giant leaps come from a deep desire to bring positive experiences into peoples’ lives. With that unfailing central goal, I was able to keep coming back to the original purpose when struggles crept in.

Some of the more substantial struggles were a fall out of unrealistic growth expectations at the corporate level. Hosting events with multiple stakeholders (communities, police, volunteers, shareholders and more) complicates the equation. Assessing how to navigate athlete, sponsor and shareholder priorities was among the greatest struggles. Being in a leadership role, you take the brunt of any criticism, missteps, and of course profitability.

As a relatively shy child, I couldn’t have imagined I would thrive in such a challenging leadership position. My mom had a coffee mug growing up that read, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me.” I found that through any struggle, personal accountability is core to bringing resolve.

Now as an entrepreneur and business owner, struggles are much different as I balance growing a business and making important decisions about growing a team to ensure we can support more couples who are seeking a truly authentic support system through their wedding planning journey.

My advice to young women beginning their journey is to hold steadfast to your core mission and values. Recognize your strengths and areas of opportunity to guide your path. Speak up before an issue escalates and seek to find viable solutions. Always think with a critical lens and most importantly, be authentic and transparent.

Alright – so let’s talk business. What else should we know about you and your career so far?
I specialize in helping couples curate an authentic wedding day that is true to their values and style. I love creating memorable experiences both for the couple and wedding guests so that after the wedding, our couples can reflect on their wedding day having no regrets.

I am a full-service Wedding Planner and Designer and thanks to feedback from the couples I’ve worked with and fellow wedding vendors, I am known to be very positive and easy going, highly professional and respectful, with genuine care for listening to my couple’s vision and working diligently to provide ideas and solutions to bring their wedding dreams to life.

As a brand, we celebrate the power of healthy marriages that begins with our own. We know that healthy marriages lead to healthy families, communities, workplaces, and more. Chris and I will celebrate 5-years of marriage in 2020 and deeply understand the power that marriage plays in elevating the adventures of daily life. As a husband and wife team in business and in life, we are proud to set a positive example for the role of marriage and hope that through our work, more couples can enjoy a truly fulfilling and sustainable marriage.

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
The wedding industry itself is highly female-centric and thankfully, very collaborative among fellow small business owners. There is a natural sense of feeling understood because we share a similar “why” for our work and understanding of the rigors and challenges we face, especially working in an industry that is so personal and emotional.

In general, I think women can be their own worst enemy with progressing into leadership. Being risk-averse, leaning into self-doubt vs appreciation for their self-worth, and a discomfort with the unknown can create quick barriers.

I’ve always valued the mantra “you never know until you try,” which has encouraged me to always try without fear of the outcome or process it takes to get there.

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Image Credit:
Photos from Red Aspen Photography, Jennifer Morgan Photography, McKenzie Coyle Photography, and Lucy Schultz Photography.

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