By Ashley Reyes
The SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN) has named Annette Bauer, owner and CEO of Annette Bauer Creative LLC., as the network's newest #SheIsSEMA spotlight member.
Get to know Bauer in her interview with SEMA News below.
SEMA News: How many years have you been with your current company and what do you enjoy most about working there?
Annette Bauer: I've been dabbling in my business since 2013, but finally made a commitment to focus on this passion in 2021. I absolutely love what I do. As an owner and one-woman show, it surely gets busy at times, but truthfully, I thrive in my craft. As a motorsports enthusiast, working with people in the automotive industry is my passion.
SN: What is the most challenging part of your business or job?
AB: In the racing industry, owners and teams want to use every dollar to improve their program. That sounds all-encompassing, but it really isn't. Owners and teams often choose modifications to their vehicle (i.e., performance-based mods, aftermarket additions, etc.) over photography or marketing.
As a racer and crew member, I completely understand this mentality. However, as a marketing professional, I know having quality imagery of your vehicle, team and driver are necessary assets and bring immense value when attracting sponsors.
We'd all like to race on someone else's dime, right? I mean, do what you love and help support a business you align with. That is the ultimate goal for many.
SN: What was your first industry job?
AB: I was born into the industry. My father was a gearhead, and from a very young age, I was taught to wrench on cars and respect horsepower. So, without aging myself, we'll just say I've been here awhile!
My first job was working with my dad at a gas station he managed. At the tender age of 13, I was helping to do little stuff around the shop. You know, sweep, clean windows, retrieve parts, etc. I didn't care what it was, as long as I got to learn and help my dad.
SN: What three qualities got you to where you are today?
AB: As I have gotten older, my ideals have, of course, changed. My experiences have altered the value of various qualities, but I'd have to say the three that have stuck with me are:
1. Be true to myself.
2. Be good to your word.
3. Stay determined.
In my business, I have seen a lot of people change to accommodate their clients, to become what they thought the client wanted to earn or retain the business. I am who I am because of my experiences. I am not for everyone and that is okay. There are billions of people in the world, I am bound to rub on--or several--the wrong way.
We used to be able to shake on an agreement and that was good enough, but in today's society, you need contracts for everything (it seems). I value being good to my word; if I say I will do something, I'm good for it. It may not be a simple handshake anymore, but the importance of this quality still remains that simple.
Last but definitely not least, staying determined or hungry. There is always someone out there doing it differently. That's a fact. The question is--in my business--no one else is going to show up and do it for me. I spent a great deal of time building other people's empires, thinking I wasn't good enough. I am good enough; I just wasn't determined enough then. That is not who I am now.
SN: Being a woman in the industry, what have been your biggest challenges and accomplishments?
AB: As both a racer, crew and businesswoman in the industry, I've heard and seen it all. Some guys want to dismiss your experience or knowledge based on the fact that you have female anatomy. I don't necessarily believe that is sexist, I simply think those men lack experience with a female who knows her way around the industry (well at least most). If men based knowledge on anatomy, I hate to be the whistleblower, but I know men with the so-called "knowledgeable anatomy" that know way less than me, and I learn every day in this industry.
I've been involved in racing for more than 20 years and the best example that comes to mind was as a driver. I had driven a short-wheelbase car for roughly two years and after one of my passes (drag racing), I advised the owner of a problem in the transmission. He retorted, "that's not the problem, you don't know. You don't have the experience."
I tried explaining why I felt there was an issue with the transmission with the same response, so I let it go (not my car). The car sat in the trailer over the off-season without the owner so much as pulling it out to check anything. He put a new driver in the seat at the start of the new season (mutual decision) and upon that new driver doing the very first burnout of the season, broke the transmission. There was no need for comment, I simply said, "get it fixed and get back out there."
The point of my story is that just because I am a woman does not mean I do not know.
SN: Who are your role models or mentors in the industry?
AB: I am a huge Stevie Fast Jackson fan. The man is incredibly knowledgeable and has a magnetic personality. I had the opportunity to meet him in Ferris, Texas, at Xtreme Raceway Park in 2020. To have a tenth of his knowledge would be a game-changer!
As far as the person who has helped me the most, I'd say my husband. He has taught me a lot, shows patience (when I probably don't deserve it) and supports me in every facet of my passion. He is very knowledgeable and I'm literally just trying to figure out how to absorb that information through osmosis or mind transfer (while we sleep). It's a work in progress.
I am of course a big fan of women in general in the automotive/motorsports industry. We have a place here and I support all women who want to get involved.
SN: What is the best career advice you have received?
AB: Best career advice was "do what scares you most, first." It sounds easy, but in truth, it's actually very hard. We are programmed to do what is safe. Get a degree, get a 9-5 job, work to live, etc. All those things are great and yes, they are perfect for most people. Just not me. I don't want to work to live, I want to enjoy this amazing and short life and share my passion with the industry that I am so incredibly passionate about. So that means I need to do what scares me most, first. It doesn't mean be careless or reckless. It just means have faith in what you keep coming back to--it's there for a reason.
SN: Have you always wanted to work in the automotive industry? What keeps you here?
AB: Yes! Although I didn't as a profession, I have always been involved in the automotive/motorsports industry since I was young. My unyielding passion is what keeps me here. I love the people, the experiences, the hard work, the thrash, the wins and losses; you name it, I'm all in.
SN: Who was the most influential person on your career goals?
AB: My husband. With him having faith in me and giving me the confidence that I am good enough, I can make a living doing what I love! He truly has been my rock and my number-one fan.
Fill out a #SheIsSEMA spotlight form to submit a self-nomination or nominate a colleague and highlight how you or she is contributing to the specialty-equipment industry. Selected candidates are automatically eligible to be considered for SBN's #SheIsSEMA Woman of the Year award, featured on SBN's social media, SEMA News and recognized on the sema.org/she-is-sema website.