Starting a Business Right Before a Pandemic

EVelop is a labor of love.

It was scary to think about leaving “corporate America” - with a salary, health care, vacation and sick time, a 401(k), an office and all the necessary supplies, and the feeling that I had a support network.

But.

I felt (and still feel) very strongly about providing the best services and solutions, without the overhead and bureaucracy and roadblocks that seem to happen in companies.

My driving passion, what fuels my fire, is helping other people. That’s why I volunteer for a therapeutic riding program, mentor a student through College Now of Greater Cleveland and another through Big Brothers Big Sisters. It’s why I weed my elderly neighbor’s lawn and shovel her sidewalk. It’s why I tutor students to ace standardized tests to gain entry (and hopefully financial aid) to college.

I’m so thankful to have made my way into workforce development. It blends my deep manufacturing and technical experience with my never-ending quest to connect people with the skills and competencies they need for success.

Launching a business at the end of 2019 seemed like a good time - a clean slate for 2020. Little did I know about COVID-19. I believe that going through this experience with all of you has made me even more laser-focused on providing value to my clients, and giving back to our community in the ways that I can.

I look forward to talking with you about how EVelop can help you grow yourself and your business.

Most Recent

It's Time For Us To Do Better

Posted By Stacey Schroeder
October 31, 2022 Category: General

It’s time for us to do better at connecting people with opportunities. Let me share some recent examples with you to get that amazing brain of yours going! Friday, October 7 was #ManufacturingDay, but it was also the Ribbon Cutting for the new Alliance For Working Together (AWT) Foundation’s Transformation Center in Mentor, OH. I've known the great folks at AWT for years, through my roles at Swagelok, NTMA and the Precision Metalforming Association as well as my personal volunteer work for the Junior Robobots competition and many #manufacturing / #workforcedevelopment-related interest groups. It made my DAY to see the amazing and beautiful space filled with brand-new manual and CNC machines, quality and inspection equipment, classrooms, and all sorts of technology and ways to engage with students of all ages and backgrounds. Every library, community center, K-12 school, community, vo-tech and higher education institution needs to know about this venue – AND be actively making connections. Every community NEEDS to find folks that are PASSIONATE about in-demand industries like manufacturing, healthcare and IT – and fund their big ideas like this! On Thursday, October 27, I started the morning with Team NEO at their Aligning Opportunities Launch. I LOVED the panel discussions and the ENERGY and IDEAS! Can we encourage kids to add a "minor" in a credenti

Leaders: Take Heed.

Posted By Stacey Schroeder
August 24, 2022 Category: Working From Home

The past few months I’ve been trying something different. Each month, I always send a newsletter with an article, some microlearning videos, inspirational quotes and selected upcoming programs to everyone on my The Institute for Management Studies distribution list. That’s not new. What IS new: I started to explicitly offer myself as a resource to each of these amazing people, whether it's talking through their own leadership development, identifying a great thought leader for a customized program for their team, or sharing best practices gained from other IMS members. I included a link to schedule a 30-minute one-on-one meeting with me. I was absolutely FLOORED by the positive response! As a bit of an introvert, I haven’t really minded working from home for the past few years, but the chance to connect with, and learn from, amazing local professionals and leaders is literally THE BEST part of my work. I wanted to share some of the big themes from these conversations, because I think they really highlight what EVERY LEADER should be aware of and more importantly, actively working to address with each of their team members: 1. People do NOT feel that they have all the internal support they need to be successful in their roles. 2. People are HUNGRY for opportunities to grow their skills through REAL-LIFE examples and practice, alongside peers from diff

Let's be a force for good this year

Posted By Stacey Schroeder
January 31, 2022 Category: General

Have you read Josh Bersin’s HR Predictions for 2022 report? "This year’s report touches on 15 predictions encompassing all areas of HR against the backdrop of an historically tight labor market, empowered workforces, and continued pandemic uncertainties." Fill out the short information form here: https://joshbersin.com/hr-predictions-for-2022/ and download your copy. I promise it's worth it, no matter what your official job title or function is. My key takeaways are: The labor shortage isn’t going away. Continue to get creative around hiring requirements – does a role really need a specific degree? Are there ways to assess incoming skills and/or partner with a 3rd party to provide ‘on-ramps’ for basic training instead of rejecting a candidate? No matter what your current product or service offering is, it’s going to become more service-focused over time. That means that more of your organization needs timely, actionable training around customer service skills. To help with that, you may also want to consider reviewing / updating the metrics you use around service encounters. The technology that’s prevalent in many of our personal lives is more and more expected in the workplace. Cue the “metaverse,” VR, AR, immersive training experiences, etc. But, it’s not just technology for technology’s sake – it’s critical to start with an organizational assessment, d

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