Building a successful business sometimes begins with solving other people’s problems.
That was the experience of Katherine McLane, CEO and founder of the Mach 1 Group.
In an interview on Titans of Texas, McLane says she spent years navigating the complexities of politics, government and high-profile crises, which prepared her to launch what is now one of Texas’ leading strategic communications firms.
According to McLane, she did not have a clear career plan early on. “I had no idea,” she says. “I graduated high school and did very well and went to Texas A&M and got an English degree, because that seemed like the most general kind of thing from which to decide and spring over to other opportunities.”
Everything changed during the 2000 presidential campaign. “It was one of those lightbulb moments that changed my life,” she says.
Watching a national campaign unfold in Austin exposed her to the pace and energy of politics and introduced her to one of her mentors, Mark McKinnon, whom she credits with having “the most profound effect on my career, probably more than anybody.”
That relationship opened doors throughout her career, including an opportunity to join Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2003 Gubernatorial campaign.
Despite having less direct experience in campaign work than some others, she volunteered for the assignment and quickly learned the job. “It’s not rocket science. It’s just a lot of details,” she says, recalling how experienced colleagues coached her through those initial weeks.
McLane says growing up in Germany gave her an unexpected connection with Schwarzenegger, making her the only native German speaker in his administration.
One interaction has stayed with McLane. After repeatedly teasing her about carrying an old, worn-out work bag, Schwarzenegger surprised her with a designer replacement at Christmas. “That’s the guy I remember,” she says. “That’s the guy who’s always been so special to me.”
Serving as press secretary at the U.S. Department of Education exposed McLane to another challenge: defending No Child Left Behind as states adjusted to new accountability standards. “It was rolling a boulder up a hill,” she says. “It was not a happily received piece of legislation for many of the states.”
After leaving the administration, McLane joined the Livestrong Foundation team where she had perhaps the most defining experience of her career during the Lance Armstrong doping controversy.
McLane says years of navigating national media scrutiny gave her confidence that she could lead crisis communications herself. “I realized, ‘I can do this. I am doing this,'” she says. “I am leading the response to this and building the kind of strategy to preserve this organization.”
That realization eventually led her to launch The Mach 1 Group with colleague Rae Holliday. But early entrepreneurship came with uncertainty. “I would lie awake at night and think, ‘If that client leaves, are we going to make payroll?'” she says.
Looking back, she laughs at that mindset. “It was the scarcity mentality,” she says. “I wasted a couple of years doing this wrong.”
The firm has continued to grow with an increased focus on legislative communications and government affairs.
According to McLane, that specialty requires experience that cannot be learned solely in a classroom. “You have to have served in government in order to do what Mach 1 does,” she says. “It’s the ringside seat that is going to distinguish you rather than the degree.”
McLane also emphasizes giving back through pro bono work for nonprofit organizations, saying business owners have a responsibility to serve their communities.
Looking ahead to the future, McLane lays out her vision: “The Mach 1 Group to be the number one strategic communications firm in the state of Texas,” she says. “I want the Mach 1 Group to be the go-to firm for that specialty.”