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Strategy

I Earned My BASI: Rachel Wach

Rachel Wach, who earned her BASI in July, is an account manager for Score Promotions (asi/321353) in Toronto, Canada. Her roster of companies includes software development, law firms and nonprofit organizations. 

Who in the business world do you admire most or strive to emulate?
As a woman, I admire Bethenny Frankel. From one product she built her brand up and expanded the product line. In 2011 she sold her company for several million dollars and stayed on to continue building the brand. She is super passionate about the company and takes it to the street, literally, doing a lot of the grunt work herself. She feels it's important for her customer to see her as both the face and the machine.

If they made a movie about your life, what would it be about and what actor would play you?
If they made a movie about my life it would be a snapshot of the last 10 to 15 years. It would showcase all of the ups and downs that many women in business face trying to find a career they love. Anne Hathaway would play me; she's smart, funny and tenacious. She seems to be really light-hearted and doesn't take life too seriously.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I receive always comes from my mother. She always tells me to keep striving in any role to be the best. Take on all challenges head on and never stop learning. Once you stop learning, you become stagnant and you don’t do your best work.

What’s one thing you’d do to improve the ad specialty industry?
One thing I’d love to change about this industry is the perception that comes along with "promo products." Yes, it's lower-priced pens and bags, but it's also full of other price points and categories – such as incentive brand name gifting. A promotional product can truly be anything for any company that helps spread the word about their services/products and carries a perceived value.

What’s on your business and personal bucket list?
One thing from my business bucket list is to learn Mandarin. I have always wanted to learn another language and considering how much I work with China, this would be an amazing challenge! For my personal bucket list, I'd love to start travelling more! Areas of interest are the Mediterranean, Dubai, Asia and Easter Island.

What’s one sentence you’d like to hear from your boss?
I'd love when I pitch an idea to my boss that he'd tell me he "has never seen or heard of that concept, but thinks it’s cool and could work."

If you could choose an age to remain forever, which age would you choose? Why?
I don’t think I could pick one year. Every year we live is different and comes with its own challenges and lessons. I have an upcoming birthday and I’m more than ever excited to see what the year will hold.

What would you do with your “15 minutes” of fame?
I’d want to bring to attention to world problems that perhaps don’t get enough attention now. A cause that comes to mind is hungry children in our own neighborhoods. This is a huge issue in North America that a lot of people aren’t even aware is happening. If I had the chance to spread the word alongside some cool celebrities, that wouldn’t hurt either. 

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The free ASI Certification Program offers two certification levels for our members: BASI (Bachelor of Advertising Specialty Information) and MASI (Master of Advertising Specialty Information). To learn more and start working toward your own certification, visit www.asicentral.com/education