Meet the Mentors- Get to Know Adele Buettner
Week Four of WIA #mentorshipmonday with Adele Buetler
In case you missed the first three weeks of the WIA #mentorshipmonday, here’s a link to our website. https://www.womeninag.ca/new-blog Stay tuned next Monday for our recap and highlights from our Mentors.
Finishing off our month of #mentorshipmondays we have Adele Buettner. Adele founded in 1993 AgriBiz Communications which serves the management, marketing and communication needs of agricultural and food organizations with a local, provincial and national reach.
The success of AgriBiz is grounded in Adele’s leadership skills and natural diplomacy, her focus on collaboration, and an innate ability to problem solve. She has exceptional insight into board governance through her experience as a manager and senior executive, as well as serving on several boards including an executive member of Canadian Western Agribition and serving as President of Saskatoon Prairieland Park Corporation, SaskTel Centre and Agriculture in the Classroom (SK) Inc.
Adele is a passionate foodie and farm girl based in Saskatoon. She was raised on a mixed grain/beef operation east of Saskatoon and resided in that area until 2009. Today, Adele lives and works in Saskatoon while maintaining involvement in the family farm. Her daily life combines elements of urban and rural Saskatchewan.
1.What is the BEST mistake you have ever made in your career?
As a young entrepreneur, I had to learn how to bid on contracts. One important lesson I learned early on was not to divulge too many creative ideas in a proposal because, if you are not the chosen contractor, the potential client has all your ideas and can use them.
I only made that mistake once and it was a valuable, educational moment.
2.What have been your biggest “ah-ha” or learning moments throughout your career?
I have had many “ah-ha” moments in my career, but I would say the most significant one came within the first few months of launching my business.
Around the time I started AgriBiz in 1993, the business culture was generally quite focused on having secure, steady employment with a 40-hour work week, pension plan and other benefits. However, I knew I was not made for the traditional career mold and longed for the diverse professional experience that a contract-based business model could give me. It did not take me long to realize that AgriBiz, which began as a single part-time association management contract, could quickly evolve and expand.
My new goal was to make AgriBiz the company to fill in the blanks; pick up where someone else couldn’t, plug the holes that others may not be able to fill and to lead people and groups…not just one, but multiple.
This realization – or ‘ah-ha’ moment - came a few short months after I launched AgriBiz when I had multiple organizations and businesses approach me to manage short-term contracts. I saw the potential and quickly expanded my focus. To be successful, I realized I was going to need to be well versed and connected in many areas. I knew I would have to be able to switch from one task to another to take advantage of opportunities that would come my way.
3.What external organizations have you been involved with that helped build success for you?
It is hard for me to put my finger on a single external organization to which I would attribute to helping me build success. I have always made an effort to belong to several very different organizations with diverse mandates which I think has helped create a well-rounded business and professional experience.
While some have had an agricultural directive, others are more business-focused, and others yet are community-minded. I would say they have all had a role in shaping who I am and the direction my business has evolved by providing learning and networking opportunities and the chance to expand my professional profile while fueling personal growth.
4.What is your main tool in managing life while cultivating your career?
That is a tough one. Like many new enterprises, the first several years for AgriBiz was very demanding. My business expanded and diversified early on, so it took a great deal of time and energy to keep all the balls in the air while staying two steps ahead of industry and business trends. Therefore, in the early years, my work-life balance was not balanced at all.
However, as I matured and the business became more secure, I realized that having a talented team in place and setting work time boundaries was key. Working at the office seven days a week is no longer acceptable to me. Self-care and personal time is so very important, for me and the entire team.
5.Do you have any advice or words of wisdom you would like to offer Sask Women in Ag members? Consider: some members are just entering the workforce, others have been working for 5 years, and there are also those who are 10 years into their careers.
I thought I would share a few lessons I’ve learned through my journey as an entrepreneur, business owner, farmer, mother, and lover of all things agriculture, food and Saskatchewan.
Don’t be afraid to say “yes, I can do that”……and then figure out how after.
Take chances. Life will be boring if you don’t take a chance now and then!
Network with people outside of agriculture. It is amazing what you can learn from other industries.
Have a plan but write it in pencil. Let it be a living document and be prepared to change with the industry, business environment, times, challenges, opportunities and people.
It is okay to make mistakes. Making mistakes can often be our best lesson. Just own them.
Don’t be hung up on getting credit for the good things you do. Rather, be hung up on ensuring you do good things.
The way you do anything is the way you do everything.
When the fire is out of your belly, move on.