BABE #374: JADE STANLEY - Founder, All About You Staffing
Today’s babe knows a thing or two about the hospitality biz. After starting her first business in event management, Jade noticed a void and took the opportunity to fill it. Today, she’s the CEO of All About You Staffing, a private event staffing company providing quality, reliable, and experienced on-demand staff for events of all occasions. Utilizing her years of experience and knack for entrepreneurship, Jade also launched Self Made Jade, where she helps business owners create new business or streamline their existing processes.
The Basics:
Hometown: Huntington, New York
Current city: Jacksonville, Florida
Alma mater: N/A
Degree: N/A
Very first job: Catering server (age 12)
Hustle: CEO, All About You Staffing; Business Development Consultant, Self Made Jade
The Interests:
Babe you admire and why?
The person I admire the most is my grandmother. She is the example of hard work and perseverance. Despite growing up in segregation in the Southeast U.S. and as an adult with limited resources during the Civil Rights Movement, she was able to overcome many challenges—breaking poverty cycles and generational wealth gaps. I’m grateful she shared her experiences with me to help me become the courageous business owner that I am today.
What’s your favorite way to start (or end) your weekend?
I like to end the weekend by planning my activities for the week. Every Sunday evening, I review my meeting schedule to help find time for upcoming self-care opportunities.
What’s the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
From my grandma: “Work as if you can be replaced.” Most people become comfortable and lose their competitive edge. To help stay at the top of my field, I am constantly learning, growing, and uncovering ways to differentiate myself.
If you could have coffee with anyone in the world, who would it be?
Oprah. I would love to meet her and receive some of her entrepreneurial advice.
The Hustle:
Tell us about your hustle.
Like most entrepreneurs, I wear many hats through my multiple business endeavors. A typical workday includes meeting with clients virtually, providing mentorship to multiple business colleagues, managing my staff, and tracking the metrics and performance of business operations. In addition to my normal work routine, I serve as an advisor to several non-profit organizations to help them strategically plan for their missions.
What inspired All About You Staffing? What was the most important piece of your vision for it?
All About You Staffing (est. 2018) was inspired by my first company, J.R. Events (est. 2015). Through event planning, I uncovered the need for private event staffing. I enjoy finding solutions for my clients and was able to create a company to help fill those needs as a sister company. Over the years we’ve tripled in business and adjusted our service model to not only assist J.R. Events clients but to help other event management companies.
What were some of the obstacles you encountered during the early stages of All About You Staffing? What advice would you give to a fellow babe at the start of their entrepreneurial journey?
The biggest challenge was during my discovery phase—figuring out best practices and sales techniques to help meet our goals. I highly recommend finding a mentor in your industry to provide insight about your field. As a mentor, I believe in sharing my learning experiences to help others, and I know there are so many others who do, too. One way to connect with mentors is to intern for their company to gain hands-on experience.
What would you say are the most valuable strengths someone can possess in the hospitality industry? How do you vet potential hires for such qualities, and what type of training do you provide to ensure they deliver quality service?
Great customer service is necessary to thrive in the hospitality industry. We look for friendly staff members with great work ethic and use a referral system to recruit on new hires. In fact, all of our employees have been referred; there has never been a job listing posted for our company.
Tell us about your work as a freelance business development professional. How do you balance this alongside your responsibilities as a business owner?
As a freelance business developer, I work with other business owners to help create new business or streamline their existing processes. In order to meet the demand of my clientele, I use online scheduling tools to help manage client appointments. Additionally, I set expectations of delivery for each client, typically working with the “underpromise and overdeliver” mindset.
How have your past professional + academic experiences prepared you for the work you do today?
I worked in the corporate world for 13 years prior to becoming a full-time entrepreneur in April 2019. My roles included analyst and manager. A lot of my best practices in my current business were learned through my corporate experience.
What’s one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve made in your career?
My volunteer work was time well-spent. I was able to test new skills and figure out what I truly enjoyed. I am a firm believer that if you truly love something, you’ll be willing to give it away as a donation of your time—and still enjoy it. Planning events and strategic planning is a passion I learned through my involvement in non-profit work.
How has being a woman affected your professional experiences? What can we collectively do to support and empower women in your industry today?
Being a woman of color, there were many challenges endured in business. I have a lot of male clients and have oftentimes had to navigate around stereotypes. For women empowering other women, I think there is a need for more collaboration; I see a lot of competition and less collaboration. Building partnerships with other female-owned businesses is key to drive success.
What’s the gender ratio like in your industry? Do you see it evolving? Why or why not?
In the event industry, the ratio for men owning event rental companies and catering companies is 2 to 1 of the people who contract our staff. In most cases, the women I encounter are decor designers, event planners, or venue owners. I do not see it evolving much because I see that women tailor their event industry skills with jobs that may be considered more of a feminine role.
What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career thus far?
I am excited to expand our community outreach. We host and participate in many community based events to ensure we are able to give back as often as possible. Check out our projects here.
How have your job, roles and industry differed from what they looked like before the pandemic?
We receive more in-home requests than public venue locations. Providing a lot more private home weddings and/or backyard rustic weddings.
Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
Amy Green, venue owner and business colleague of Plantation Oaks Farms. She and I have established a great working relationship; she provides advice as well as an ear to listen when I need a sounding board. Iron sharpens iron!
Career and/or life advice for other babes?
Sometimes you have to cheer for yourself more than others will cheer for you. It can be difficult and/or lonely as you navigate through your business endeavors. The biggest challenge I have had over the years is not having a lot of people who understand my journey. But I remind myself: “Other people won’t see my vision, because it is my vision and not theirs.” Find a group of like-minded individuals who you can connect with about your hustle!
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