The ERG Story

“So what exactly do you do?”

This is a question Hope and I get asked all the time. The second thing we get asked is, “Are you a tutor?”

Not that there’s anything wrong with tutors. It’s just not what we do. In fact, I am a pretty sucky tutor. On the other hand, Hope and I identify as educators, entrepreneurs, and developers. And moms.

In the beginning of this journey, we were teachers. Our degrees have been earned in the schools of education on a variety of campuses, not schools of business. We don’t have MBAs, EdDs, or PhDs, and I regularly Google things that I don’t understand just to see if someone else has already asked the same question. 

It was not intentional, but we have spent 16 years building a business that reaches educators around the world. The basic idea is that we know education has the power to change people’s lives. And educators who have access to high quality support and resources are even MORE likely to change people’s lives. That’s where ERG comes in. We provide the support and resources to help change lives.

Like all great stories, ours has not been linear. We started out wanting to provide parent education workshops to bridge the gap between school and home. It turned out, doing those workshops wasn’t going to pay the bills. We adapted and dug into helping schools and school systems, and now, here we are. 

So what do we really do?  

The short answer is that we run a professional development company. 

In a regular week, Hope and I manage projects, sell, market, attend meetings, collaborate, do accounting, create strategy, return emails, coach educators, get coached, lead, research, write, develop, consult, forecast, and take out our own trash. We figuratively fall down and get back up just to do it all again. Because our work matters. 

As working moms, we have also had to hold the tension between doing what we love and spending time with those we love. 

I share this with you in case you are reading and wondering if there is more to your own story.

There is.

But here’s the thing…your story is yours. 

We felt and still do feel called to this work. We have no doubt that our story is divinely guided and not only are we humbled, but we also find inspiration in that. You may be called to move up the education ladder or you may be called to stay (or go back) in the classroom. These paths, along with about a million variations, are critical to positively impacting the lives of students in our schools and communities. 

Ashley Stahl says your career is a vehicle for self-expression. At ERG we want to express empowerment in the world of education.

Maya Angelou wrote, “When you know better, do better.” Thank you for being on our journey and helping ERG do better. And like you, we are not done yet.

For Reflection:

• What is your career expressing? 
• How are you impacting others? 
• What part of your story are you in?