2022 Women in Print and Promo: Heather Rausch and Carrie Tysdahl, American Solutions for Business

HEATHER RAUSCH AND CARRIE TYSDAHL
Senior Sales Associates
American Solutions for Business, Glenwood, Minnesota

Working with family isn’t for everyone, but Heather Rausch and Carrie Tysdahl make it look easy. The sisters, who are only 22 months apart, admit they have a lot of differences. In some ways, that’s to their advantage. They each bring a unique perspective that allows them to connect with a variety of client personas. They also know each other’s strengths and weaknesses well.

“We get each other,” Rausch said.

There’s a familiarity that comes with creating visions for countless campaigns — and it doesn’t hurt to have shared a lifetime of memories with your business partner. Rausch and Tysdahl grew up in the industry. Their parents, Rod and Julie Johnson, started working as sales associates for American Solutions for Business (ASB) when Heather was just 11 years old. At the time, the siblings were preoccupied with non-print and promo matters, like showing horses and playing sports.

When college came, they went their separate ways. Rausch studied communication arts and played basketball at Wartburg College, a small private liberal arts school in Waverly, Iowa. Tysdahl attended Northwest Missouri State University, where she majored in public relations and played Division 2 volleyball. After graduation, Rausch moved to Houston with her fiancé (now husband). She took a sales job at an upscale saddle shop before finding a marketing position at a mortgage company. She missed her family, so she returned to Iowa after two years.

Rausch accepted a customer service role for Soy Basics, a soy candle manufacturer, eventually making her way to marketing there. She spent many hours trekking across country to gift shows to market and sell the candle product line to retailers. Traveling became difficult after the birth of her first son, and Rausch found herself re-evaluating her career choices. Her father encouraged her to consider the family business. He needed someone to take over when the Johnsons retired and pointed out that ASB would give his daughter the flexibility and earning potential she craved. It was a no-brainer.

Tysdahl felt similar dissatisfaction with her sales role in the financial industry. It was a largely male-dominant industry, and as a young female, she didn’t enjoy that dynamic. She also wasn’t a fan of having an assigned territory to call on. While vacationing at the beach with her sister, Tysdahl expressed her unhappiness. Rausch, who by now had built her own client base, told Tysdahl to team up with her.

“I had to fact-check that in the morning to make sure it wasn’t the margaritas talking,” Tysdahl joked.

It’s been an exciting journey for the pair. Both are recipients of ASB’s President’s Club award and members of its Million Dollar Club. They’ll always be sisters, best friends and training partners, but, in business, they view themselves as extensions of their clients’ teams.

“We not only sell them merchandise, but also work to be valuable resources to [clients] with the ideas and service we provide,” Rausch said.

Their Proudest Career Achievement
Heather Rausch: I’m most proud of the solid business we’ve built over the years. Sales is very challenging and some days it really beats you down. But, in the end, the relationships we’ve built with great clients make it worth the tough days. We love the fact that there’s no limit on our earning potential and that we can truly get rewarded for hard work.

Carrie Tysdahl: Successfully building and maintaining a book of business with my sister. We have always had a close relationship, but working together has brought us closer. I am proud to say that we will work together at American for the duration of our career.

On Working in a Traditionally Male-Dominated Industry
HR: When I began with ASB in 2007, it was a very male-dominated sales force and most of them were upper middle-aged. There was definitely a “good ’ol boys” club vibe in which I really had to work hard to be taken seriously by colleagues and potential clients. I feel like I definitely had to prove my capabilities more than my male counterparts. I think ASB and the industry in general has made outstanding strides in the last few years in this area, and I’m proud to be a part of it. I think I was able to overcome the challenges mainly due to my competitive personality and my ability to use my communication skills with colleagues and clients.

CT: I have found that some of our colleagues have been (perhaps not intentionally) condescending and even offensive in professional settings at times. Simple things like calling us “the girls” implies that we are young and is not professional in my opinion.

Who Inspires Them
HR: Honestly, my 94-year-old grandma inspires me. She’s lived through so many different parts of history and seen so many eras come and go. Visiting with her is so interesting, and thinking about how the roles of women in general have changed so much through the decades is mind-blowing. It’s pretty impressive to me how adaptive she is keeping up with all her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. She’s a treasure.

CT: Miranda Carfrae. She is a professional triathlete that took time away from the sport to focus on her family. She is an amazing athlete, but prioritized her husband’s health and children over her career and herself. She is now working very hard to resume racing. There are many parallels with athletics and daily life, and I am inspired by her because she is working hard physically, for her family and for her career.

Their Job Advice to Women
HR: I would tell other women to stand their ground, believe in themselves and know that they can be successful in this business. I feel like many women have a stronger ability to understand and relate to clients in real-world ways, which is very helpful in building valuable relationships.

CT: Be confident and go for it. Get involved within your community and promote your business through all networks in your life — everyone is a potential client.

Their Biggest Lesson Learned
HR: Clients will come and go. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how hard you work and how much you want it. It’s just not meant to be. There are always more opportunities out there. It’s really important not to dwell on lost business or lost clients, but to focus efforts forward. “The windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason.”

CT: Follow up, follow up, follow up! Do not assume that everyone along the line is going to do what they are supposed to do. Ultimately, the client is our responsibility and in order to best take care of them or follow-through, we need to check, double check and continually follow up.

Their Upcoming Goals
HR: I think professionally our sales team’s goals would consist of continuing to build relationships with our clients and really trying to seek out more A-type clients that we can start with and then build on. I also want to nurture relationships with our vendor partners who really understand our end-customers’ needs and expectations. Suppliers who understand that we as distributors are their customers really impress me because it tells me that they take the same amount of pride and ownership in their roles/businesses as we do in ours.

CT: Continue to grow our business through relationships and referrals in order to quickly fulfill business acquisitions currently in process. We can then grow as a staff and better serve our clients. Personally, I am also training for my second Ironman triathlon in November. My goal is to effectively manage my family, business and training throughout this year. Be the best version of myself.

What They Want People to Know About Them
HR: I’m very loyal to my clients and strongly value supplier partners and colleagues who have the same vision and same goals. I like to get to know people personally so I can relate to them and also learn more about different perspectives. I take very seriously the aspects of my life that I really care about — sometimes to a fault. I don’t give up easily and believe that we can all contribute positively to society by being involved in our communities and taking care of our family and friends.

CT: I am a strong Christian woman, mother, wife, sister and friend who strives to always do the right thing. If I am going to commit to doing something, I want to do it right and treat everyone involved right along the way.

How They Think Companies Can Attract and Retain Female Talent
HR: I think the flexibility part is huge. Speaking to sales positions in this industry specifically, I think it’s safe to say that most of us have type A personalities. We have high expectations of ourselves and are really focused and driven to get to our goals. Companies who understand that work is just a part of our lives and build relationships will have an edge on others who don’t see the actual people over just the employee.

CT: Place women in positions of leadership and connect current and prospective [female employees] with other successful women within the business.

How They Recharge
HR: The older I get, the more I crave peace. I personally find peace in being alone sometimes. I love working out and have been a triathlete for many years. Training and exercising are outlets. I also love to be outside and crave fresh air. I love spending time with my family in the mountains doing all kinds of activities and sports, and am also very partial to fun breweries. My close friends are also very important to me, and I love downtime with them.

CT: Work out! Swim, bike and run. I also love to spend time with my family in our backyard or going out to eat. I also very much value my sleep — I am usually not available much past 8:30 p.m.

Read the complete Women in Print and Promo feature here.