Meet Lisa Diggs of Livonia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Diggs

Hi Lisa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When I was in college I worked as an administrative assistant in an insurance company where my dad was an executive. I would have lunch with the admin staff, and then dinner with him, and constantly think it’s too bad they don’t have a better idea of what each other is thinking or needing. Little did I know then, that I could turn that observation into a thriving business. After getting a Master’s Degree in Adult Education and Performance Technology, I left the corporation I was working for, and launched The Catalyst Company, LLC in 2001. My business started off primarily facilitating existing training courses. Not long after, clients began trusting me to do my own anaysis of their businesses, using those old observation skills, and a lot of learned experience. That led to customized workshops, teambuilders, and retreats, as well as individual and group coaching to help organizations identify goals, align their communication and strategies, and work together to ignite positive changes.
Around 2007, Michigan’s economy dropped into being the most sluggish in the country, and certainly the worst it had been in my lifetime. Most of my clients were out of state, so I struggled to find a way to help. After a sabbatical to South Africa, it occurred to me that we could all help, if we just paid better attention to where our dollars were going. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving that year, I launched Buy Michigan Now, a statewide campaign that encourages people to buy more Michigan-made products and to do business with more Michigan-based companies. The movement has been growing ever since.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I launched my business, which required me to fly on planes constantly, in June of 2001. Three months later, the tragic events of September 11th happened, and nobody wanted to be responsible for business travel. I had to rethink my whole business model. It came close to ending before it really got started, but a lot of netowrking and some creative and aggressive marketing saved the day.
In an eerie similarity, we had spent years developing a new version of structuring our Buy Michigan Now campaign and the website that is its focal point. We prepared to finally launch in March of 2020. Covid took hold, and nobody cared at all about this exciting new program we spent years developing. Not only that, but the businesses we were serving, were terrified that they wouldn’t survive. We needed to change our focus from helping them grow, to keeping them alive. Planning is an incredibly important component of running a business, but so is the ability to pivot when unpredictability makes an appearance.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love getting an opportunity to work with entrepreneurs. As a consultant, I can help them see things they might not be objective enough to see, and to find new tools, skills, and resources to help make their dreams come true. Helping people be more financially successful so they can take better care of themselves and their families is a treat.

Yet, I think I’m most proud of creating Buy Michigan Now. It started as just a little idea about how I could make a difference personally with the way I spend, and grew into something I didn’t even imagine. Thousands of businesses have participated in the campaign. Hundreds of them have gotten media exposure through our efforts that they would’ve never received. We launched the Michigan Positivity Project, and got very famous Michiganders to help us promote great things happening in the state. We created Buy Michigan Week, which has been proclaimed by every governor since Governor Granholm. That led to the Buy Michigan Now Festival, which draws thousands of people together to sell, shop, and celebrate Michigan. The United States Senate even officially recognized the event for its economic impact on our 10th anniversary. This year marks its 15th iteration, and we’re moving to South Lyon. I cannot wait to see how it evolves in this next exciting chapter.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
To me, risk is an inevitable part of life, so I try hard to embrace it. Let’s face it, if you leave a regular paycheck to start your own business, it’s a huge risk. If you create something that hasn’t been done before, it’s a risk. If you change something that’s working, just for the sake of it, you’re taking a risk. The key is to make sure it’s a calculated risk, and not just a blind leap in a new direction.

When I look back over both my life in general, as well as my career, it’s the risks that have brought the greatest rewards. There’s an excitement in taking a chance, and also fear. I never knew how exhilarating a feeling simple relief could be, until I quit my job to start out on my own, and survived the first year. Risk is a word that seems to be entangled with trepidation, but for me, I think it’s what makes life worth living.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://buymichigannow.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buymichigannow
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuyMichiganNow/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisadiggs/
• Twitter: https://www.x.com/BuyMichiganNow/