Betsy Wiersma

Betsy Wiersma dreams and lives big. She became an entrepreneur at age 9, and her vision, leadership and resilience continue to be evident in all she does. I met Betsy when I became president of the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and we were sponsoring CampExperience, a 2½-day retreat for women. Little did I know the positive impact that Betsy has and would have on countless women and numerous charities.

Born and raised by an entrepreneurial father and working mother, Betsy learned that attitude, hard and smart work, collaboration and the value of your word were key to success in business and life. She became a master organizer and leader in all her educational endeavors and was selected to deliver her high school graduation keynote address, which launched her worldwide speaking career.

Two months before her graduation from Purdue, tragedy struck. While snowmobiling with seven friends late on a Saturday night, a terrible accident left one person dead and Betsy in intensive care for 21 days, with massive abrasions on her face and internal head and body injuries. While she was in intensive care, she had swelling on her brain and an uncertain future.

As Betsy began to recover, she knew she would have to work hard, but she was determined to meet her goals and to graduate on time. After her release from the hospital, she limped through her last classes, graduated on time in May and was selected as the Outstanding Senior Woman of Purdue, the school’s highest honor. She later returned as the youngest “old Master” to speak to students.

Betsy’s whirlwind career included serving on the Governor’s Fellows for the state of Indiana, working in public relations and event marketing at American United Life Insurance Agency and on the opening of the festival marketplace at Union Station in Indianapolis, a multimillion-dollar renovation of a historic train station into shops and restaurants. She ran the grand opening with the Today show live, raised thousands in sponsorships and ran all the community promotions.

In 1987 her entrepreneurial spirit led her to start Wiersma Event Marketing Co., and for 10 years she offered strategic-event marketing, doing the largest events, festivals and celebrations. During that time, she served on local and national boards, founded community-based organizations and won three ESPRIT worldwide event awards including outstanding industry contribution. In the late 1990s, she met her future husband, Doug, at an event where she was speaking, and soon relocated to Denver.

She started a speaking and seminar business, published her first books and traveled to 12 countries speaking about creative marketing. She also hosted a satellite TV show and developed a resource manual for the U.S. Air Force. In 2007 she was inducted as the first member of the Colorado Meetings and Events Magazine Hall of Fame as best event planner.

On July 23, 2002, Betsy’s life focus and career style took a significant turn with a phone call: “You are having a baby. Do you want to know what you are having?” She immediately flew to Chicago and adopted her daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, at 1 day old.

After the adoption she knew that her life vision was about to change. She designed a “purpose-built life” around her focus of motherhood, commitment to her partnership with her husband, Doug, and commitment to an event-marketing career that made a lasting impact on her community. With reduced travel and time to give to work, she chose to combine all her gifts and skills to found CampExperience. Her dream of encouraging women to live their best lives and supporting women who needed a hand up became a reality with the first camp in July 2006, drawing 140 “campers” and raising $20,000 for Warren Village and Partners in Housing. She was so committed to her dream that she invested $20,000 of her personal savings to pay the bill and worked for free to get it rolling.

Betsy connects with hundreds of women each year who are committed to discovering their true talents and want to make a difference in their worlds. Here is Betsy’s advice to other women who are considering choosing an entrepreneurial path:

“Design your life – first! I ask people to do a ‘mind map’: first family, faith, fitness, fun and then work. I find this exercise helps you see the role of your career and how much time you are willing to invest in your dream.”

“Ask the experts! I interviewed every successful woman business owner in Indianapolis and had some sage wisdom before I started my first company. I now find my ‘network is my net worth,’ as my speaker friend, Sarah Michel, says. My daily routine is to set a clear intention for what I need that day and go into the world open to easily connect with it, and it works really well!”

“Have fun every day – enjoy the ride! After my near-death experience, I value every day. In December of 2009, I had a total hip replacement and was reminded how lucky I am to be able to walk, and now without pain. I remember life is a journey, not a race, and make a point to connect to friends, listen well and LOVE actively my family, my life and my purpose in making a difference.”

CampExperience is Sept. 24-26 at Copper Mountain. This year’s charities are The Women’s Bean Project and the Mile High United Way, Adult Self-Sufficiency Initiative. For a full lineup of speakers and events and other information, link to
http://www.campexperience.com/2010/index.html.