We were lucky to catch up with Sierra Lund recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sierra, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I have learned that my confidence and self-esteem is directly impacted by the effort I put into every aspect of my life. In the moments I am feeling most insecure, I can typically find I could be giving more to at least one aspect of my life whether it be personal or professional.
Being a young female owning an aircraft brokerage, I do tend to stand out among many of my peers/competitors. That being said, I don’t walk into the room thinking I am any different. I know my knowledge, skills, and work ethic far outshine any differences there may be.
This is not to say that it hasn’t been a question when I am speaking with potential customers. I knew that my age in particular would be a hurdle for me when it comes to representing UHNW clients, as it should be. If the rolls were reversed I would raise questions as well. Knowing this, I made a commitment to myself to make my knowledge and the value I provide far outweigh whatever concerns my arise that are out of my control. This commitment requires focused actions every day to continue to build upon my knowledge and skillsets. With those actions, has come a confidence I couldn’t have gained otherwise. I have an immense amount of gratitude for my clients and other business aviation professionals that have provided mentorship and opportunities for me to grow into the broker I am today.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Aviation has always been a part of my life. Some of my first memories are going to the San Diego Airshow and flying RC Airplanes with my dad. Growing up my goal was always to fly for a major airline. I was lucky enough to have a pretty unique high school experience, I spent most of my days after school and my weekends flying with my group of friends who were all working towards being professional pilots as well. I started to work towards getting my pilots license at 16 years old.
On my first solo cross country I had an engine failure on take off that forced me to make an emergency landing at a nearby golf course. I was back flying the very next day and ended up finishing my pilots license in the same plane my dad earned his license in. After the emergency landing, I had the opportunity to speak on my experience on a number of different platforms. One of the biggest was at Oshkosh, the largest airshow in the world. One of the biggest things I learned through this experience was how much I love sharing aviation with other people.
Fast forward to February 2022, I helped a friend sell one of their airplanes and loved the process so much I felt that I had to figure out how to continue doing this. April 2022, I decided to jump all in and open my own aircraft brokerage, Sierra Bravo Aviation.
In present day, a year and a half into business, I could not be more thrilled about the direction Sierra Bravo Aviation is heading. Our team is small, with myself, my maintenance consultant, and our pilot advocate. Sierra Bravo Aviation specializes in representing buyers and sellers of turbine aircraft.
I am extremely excited to see how we grow in 2024. My goal is to not only grow Sierra Bravo Aviation, but to become a value add to the business aviation industry as a whole. There are so many wonderful individuals in this industry that inspire me every day to contribute however I can. It is truly a dream to be able to work with aircraft of this caliber and be involved in such a unique industry.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Its interesting to be asked this question so early on in my career because it is something I think about often when reflecting on how I can grow as a broker and a business owner.
One of the qualities I believe I was born with that has been the most impactful in getting me this far is my ability to fail and keep going. Part of me believes this type of stubbornness is innate and part of me believes it can be taught. There have been countless moments where I could have quit and started the path to a normal career, truthfully, some of those moments it might have been seen as the smart decision to throw in the towel. My advice to anyone trying to do something meaningful is there will be more moments you feel like you want to quit but there are moments right past those that will make pushing forward worth it.
Another quality I really feel like has been instrumental in my career is the willingness and want to learn every day. In the aviation industry one thing you have to accept is no matter how knowledgeable you are, there will always be something you don’t know. This is actually something I really love about this industry because it keeps me on my toes. Although I know
Lastly, I believe a skill that I am still continuing to build in both my personal and professional life is the ability to “manufacture” momentum. I’ve come to realize in both business and health motivation is very fleeting and can really vary day to day. If I just count on my motivation levels to move me forward I likely wouldn’t get far at all. Something I have been working on is the ability to build momentum through getting my daily tasks done every day regardless of how I may feel in the moment. I have found that the days I don’t feel motivated and still get what needs to be done accomplished are the days that build the most confidence and the most momentum.
I am still so young in my journey and have such a long way to go. I’m sure if you ask me 10 years from now I will have a totally different answer but these are the three things that have gotten me this far.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
It’s hard to narrow this down to just one particular thing because they really have put so many opportunities in front of me. The obvious answer would be introducing me to aviation, that being said, I really believe the most impactful thing they did for me is instill work ethic and confidence at such a young age.
Some of my best memories growing up are at dance competitions. I also have vivid memories of heading to practice right after school and being there until 9PM on a weeknight. The seasons nearly always ended winning at least one category on the National level. Even being that young, I knew the only reason I was there was because of the late nights I had put in for 7 months prior to that weekend. From competitive dancing, to flying, to building my own business they’ve always supported me 100% without sugar coating how hard it was going to be to be successful.
I have been blessed to watch my parents grow and work towards building their dream life. I’ve been able to see the ups and downs and all of the hard work they have put into getting to where they are today. I believe this is a big reason I have such confidence working towards my goals and aspirations, personally and professionally.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sbaviationgroup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesierralund/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sierra-lund-2226761a4/
