If it hasn’t been made evident by now, we love people here at AAT! We love hearing about their stories and passions for our community, but we also love hearing about what our fellow locals do and why they do it! For example, we have some wonderful neighbors who own/manager some fantastic local businesses and serve our town tremendously by doing so! This fact is why AAT has partnered up with our good friends at B3 Glass, to bring you all “Small Business Fridays!” Each week, we’ll feature a different, local small business and talk with its owner and hear about their journey, their business in general, as well as their heart for their customers and our city!
Today we’re joined by Elizabeth Stanfill and her team at Stanfill Consulting. Since January 1st, 2017 this family company offers well-rounded support for businesses looking to find success in the Elko area.
Sitting down with AAT for this conversation is the owner herself, Elizabeth Stanfill, her daughter Katie Ashley (account manager), and Jenn Sprout (marketing and sales consultant). Their staff is also rounded out by Stanfill Consulting’s administrative assistant, Ann Stenson; however, she was unable to join us for this particular interview.
Ladies, thank you so much for talking with us, today. Elizabeth, as the owner of this local small business, can you share with us a little bit about your background to kick things off? How did you come to be where you are, now?
“I first moved to Elko during the Summer of 2006. I had young kids, one in elementary school and one just starting junior high school. It was time for us to get out of California and Jenn convinced me to come to Elko during a camping trip! A week after that camping trip, we came out here and bought a house!”
“It was a slow start for me at first; I would do odd jobs here and there. I had a marketing position with some casinos, but that really wasn’t my passion. It wasn’t until 2011 when things changed. I met my mentor, and he guided me and showed me the career I never knew I had a love for. When he decided he was going to close down his business and move on, he looked right at me and told me I was ready to start my own business. It was terrifying, but by one call after another I grew through word of mouth connections. I was very fortunate to have clients whom I had strong relationships with; I’m where I’m at today because of them.”
Jenn, as the marketing director, how would you explain Stanfill Consulting’s mission to someone who is hearing of you all for the first time? What exactly does your business offer to the community?
“We do all sorts of business services. We’ve taken care of human resources, budgeting, dispatching, we want to get into advertising in the future; if you have a business need, we want to be able to help with that service. People don’t open a business to focus on things like bookkeeping; they open their business to follow their passions. However, they still need to think about the other aspects of their business, or it will probably fail in the first year. That’s where our help comes in. We want to be a support system for these small and large businesses in our area.”
“If someone brings us something that may not even be Elizabeth’s expertise, she’ll do the research. She’s constantly classes and growing herself so that business owners can take things off their plates; Elizabeth has also hired the perfect people to assist her in this.”
“No business is too big or too small to get help. From a home-based business to a large corporation, we can assist in some aspect.”
Is there anything you would like to add to Jenn’s comments, Elizabeth?
“One of the things my mentor taught me was that business owners don’t need to be working in their business, they need to be working on their business! A business owner is going to make more money and be more successful if they’re out doing what they’re passionate about rather than if they’re spending time focusing on things that we can help with.”
Elizabeth, how to do you feel about growing your own business in the Elko area? Is this community a place you’re excited to expand and engage?”
“I love Elko. I can’t see myself leaving. I fell in love with the community as a whole. I didn’t have to worry about my kids, and I was able to make some amazing connections here. We pick each other up here; people had done that for me when I needed it. This community is so important to me, and now I’m at the point in the business where I can really dive into being involved.”
Speaking of being involved with the town, Katie, you mentioned, before we started the interview, that was something that is important to you. Could you please elaborate on that?”
“Right now, I’m working as an account manager; however, eventually, I want us to get to a point where I can work on keeping us involved with the community and outreach programs! We want to get out and let people know that when they see the name “Stanfill Consulting,” they can know their business will be taken care of.”
Wonderful! Is there anything else you want AAT‘s readers to know about Stanfill Consulting before we get out of your hair and let you all get back to work, Elizabeth?
“As Jenn said earlier, I’m always learning new things; learning everything so I can provide everything has become my passion. So, even if your needs are not listed under the services we offer now, give us a call anyway!”
You can stay caught up on everything going on around here at AAT by checking out our “Stay Connected” page! Make sure you never miss a feature!
See you around, Elko!
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