Hello! I am Sophie Lechner
(By the way, it's pronounced Sofee Lekner)
I'm a LinkedIn Coach for Mission-Driven Entrepreneurs.
Even though I’ve been on LinkedIn since it launched 20 years ago, it wasn’t until March of 2020 when I fully realized how much LinkedIn is a black box for most small business owners.
LinkedIn launched when I was with a Fortune 50 company in New York and I used it daily to connect with colleagues and family around the world.
Through LinkedIn I have met incredible experts, been invited to speak in several countries, built two businesses and was interviewed for a Forbes article.
I studied my own process and reverse-engineered what I did, to create The MAGNET Model, a roadmap for creating a powerful brand around your mission and creating a path to those vital conversations and sales.
Here is a little more about my story:
I had a French mother and a Pakistani father and grew up in several countries so navigating multiple different cultures is second nature to me.
Growing up with parents of very different origins and backgrounds, I became passionate about helping people bridge their differences in order to accomplish common goals.
I have a double Masters in English and French law from the Sorbonne in Paris and King’s College in London and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Early in my career I also discovered that I do not thrive unless I am surrounded by people who are really diverse, so I made the decision to work in global companies, in roles where I would have colleagues from all over the planet!
With British Petroleum, Pfizer and Bayer, in Paris and New York, I gained 25 years of professional experience, leading dozens of cross functional teams across many countries to successful outcomes.
At Pfizer I was asked to create the role of Alliance Manager to facilitate relationships between Pfizer and its partners, where disagreements most often came down to cultural differences.
Later, at Bayer, I managed professional education for several billion-dollar global brands and led multinational conferences and workshops for US and international professionals, physicians and researchers.
When LinkedIn was launched in 2003, I felt as though it had been designed for me! I started connecting with my real-life network which was already extensive, and I immediately loved the conversations and relationships it allowed me to grow.
Although it served me well during my corporate career, it truly showed off its magic when I built my global business. I created a faculty of over 100 experts from around the world, entered partnerships on several continents and built client relationships in many countries, all based on the large, deep and solid global network I built by using LinkedIn.
Over the last 20 years, my activity on LinkedIn has led to speaking engagements, podcast invitations, clients and partners, and an interview in Forbes.
When left the corporate world, I decided to put my legal, financial, marketing and cross-cultural skills to work for mid-size enterprises. I founded Global Commerce Education to help business leaders successfully enter new markets. I coached business leaders from many countries on creating their brand presence in preparation for entering a new market.
I also decided to pursue a certification to become a cross-cultural trainer and enjoyed speaking about how to bridge cultural differences, and how to do business across borders, with speaking engagements in the U.S. and abroad at workshops, conferences and webinars, invited by, or co-sponsored with, private companies, national development agencies and Chambers of Commerce.
Below is a snapshot of some of what I have gained by being active on LinkedIn over the last 20 years!
The press coverage, the speaking engagements, the webinars, the podcasts... It ALL came from LinkedIn Networking!
This is to illustrate the results I got from doing exactly what I share in my MAGNET Model Programs.
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Excerpt from Forbes interview of Sophie Lechner:
“Lechner [..] calls upon select individuals from her global network located in the Americas, Europe and Asia, who can share knowledge with [her] clients."
During the pandemic, in the spirit of helping those around me, I gave free coaching sessions to many entrepreneurs around me who needed to reinvent their business development.
I discovered there were a lot of misconceptions and fears among entrepreneurs around using LinkedIn. That led me to create the MAGNET Model that I now use in teaching and coaching, specifically for mission-driven entrepreneurs.
I have been frustrated to see so many solopreneurs stopped in their tracks by the unnecessary complexity of marketing and I am on a mission to help them share their message and build the relationships that will propel their mission and business forward.
I work with clients one-on-one and via courses, group programs and workshops.
I live in New Jersey USA with my husband, 2 sons and 3 cats.
When I'm not talking about LinkedIn, you will find me creating jewelry from polymer clay, listening to a podcast while cooking plant-based dishes or simply reading, curled up with my cat.
