Today we’d like to introduce you to Arlene Peterson.
Hi Arlene, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a first-generation everything! I was the first to attend College, own a business, and much more. I attended the State University of New York at Buffalo State College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Science degree in Higher Education Administration. Throughout my career, I have only ever wanted to make my parents proud and happy that they made the sacrifices they did in coming to this country for better opportunities. Now I want so much more for my future children and family. Now I want Legacy.
In 2018, I was praying what seemed like all year about my purpose which led me to a spiritual fast and on that fast, I learned a lot about myself, my calling, and God. It is on that fast that I learned that the Lord wanted me to move to Texas. As the days went on in August of 2018, I had more and more confirmation that I needed to move, and there were many things reserved for me in Texas, so I resigned from my 6-figure position in September 2018 after being with the University for 11 years consecutively. Then moved to Texas in early October 2018. It was a bittersweet process, and surprisingly my Mom and my Supervisor, the Chief of Staff, was the most supportive. I only told the few people that needed to know, but it spread like wildfire, which made it more difficult; as you can imagine, people were perplexed as to why I would leave a great “Union” job after so many years, having been vested, etc. However, God had it that I would be offered a position to do the same work part-time until I was replaced with a new Chief Diversity Officer & Title IX Coordinator. That position went on for two more years and led me to be offered another Remote position at a different College of a public University system comprised of 24-College Campuses.
It was at that point in the 3rd quarter of 2019 that I began my Executive Career & Business Consulting small business in Tarrant County and actually had the time to do the business development needed because of the part-time position. Since moving to Texas, I have indeed been exposed to more opportunities. I gained momentum and landed Speaking gigs for early 2020 that were canceled abruptly with no plans to reschedule at the time due to the sudden Covid pandemic. However, since then, I pivoted to Writing & Career Consulting Services and was able to receive the TCC (Tarrant County College) Everyday Entrepreneurs Venture (EEVF) Fund to help my business carry-own operations and get all the resources needed to eventually thrive. Now, as a Writing service, I am also helping other small businesses apply for and obtain grants they need to succeed. Texas has a way of supporting small businesses, whether start-up or seasoned, that is unsurpassed; I have not seen it anywhere else.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As I was beginning to gain traction, the speaking events I was scheduled for March 2020 and on were canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic with no plans to reschedule or go virtual. There were very limited in-person speaking opportunities as the world seemingly simultaneously paused. The momentum that I had gained prospecting for the last six months of 2019 had been lost with additional issues on the home front. My mother, who is in Brooklyn, New York, was diagnosed with Vascular dementia and already had diabetes, then she had an emergency at home that would land her in the hospital and then rehab for a total of three months long, and I had to go back to NYC to best take care of her the way I could; I am also her HealthCare Proxy so I juggle the scheduling and managing of communication between all health care professionals who visit her in the home & handle her case. It has required a lot more of my time from work & business than I ever thought.
I had to take some time from both the work and business to visit her and also handle all of her health affairs as her Healthcare Proxy. It was one of the most challenging times since the pandemic was also just spreading like wildfire & all of my prospects had dried up. However, then I began pivoting to Writing & Career Consultation Services portion of my business for individuals, which was more in-demand with people changing jobs, getting laid-off, or walking off the job suddenly due to poor treatment from some insensitive supervisors early in the Covid pandemic.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My name is changing to Arlene’s Executive Career & Business Services, an LLC, and it has been originally called Arlene Speaks It! because my style of giving career advice is very straight-to-the-point and authentic. I am known for helping mid-level professionals get unstuck and move to Executive/Managerial level positions faster.
Arlene Peterson is a Career Consultant and Professional Speaker; as such Arlene Speaks, it offers talks, workshops, webinars for groups and resume, curriculum vitae, and grant writing services, as well as LinkedIn Profile Optimization. Good networking skills and mentorship opportunities are cornerstones of success with helping others and oneself in relationship management and advancement in the workplace. In her talks, Arlene, the owner, includes funny and engaging scenarios she experienced as a Chief Diversity Officer/Title IX Coordinator that helped her solve complex problems in a timely manner while overcoming workplace bureaucracy to better serve Presidents, faculty, students, Hiring Managers, and other stakeholders.
The presentations equip attendees or teams with specific strategies to leverage their current skills and abilities that will lead to greater influence from any line of reporting and increase engagement with their target consumer/customer. Arlene trains individual employees, especially women and minorities who usually experience pay inequity, to go the extra step and apply their strengths both in and outside of their job market to become more marketable and land their dream jobs and/or promotion; increasing their financial security.
My tagline/slogan is I empower emerging leaders to get unstuck and advance their careers.💰
Mid-level professionals learn in one-on-one strategy sessions how to be bold and operate with excellence, going above and beyond when serving the “clients” of their companies, even in the face of adversity, and all while creating and maximizing job opportunities.
Arlene, the Owner of Arlene Speaks It, differs from her competitors in Tarrant County in that she is a former Chief Diversity Officer and has over ten years of experience in recruiting, compensation analysis, guiding search committees, and Hiring Managers on implementing sound hiring and termination practices, mediation and conciliation techniques, and implementing.
I handled the EEO/AA & ADA compliance in all job searches and the work environment. This experience gives the DFW community of job-seekers a competitive edge.
A few differentiators of my Consulting business include:
I am a former CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER, Title IX & 504/ADA COORDINATOR of 11 YEARS, 11 years of Successful Diversity Recruiting & Talent Management, 15-year Expert in Employee Onboarding & Engagement, Executive Coaching & Employment Branding, and Trained and coached HR staff on best practices for recruiting Executives.
Most career Coaches/Consultants do not have such a vast background in the area of diversity recruitment, talent management, and compliance, and especially not all at once, so it gives my clients an advantage because I have my pulse on what’s going on in all of those industries, trends in hiring, how they may affect one’s overall job-search.
I am most proud of being able to bring a client who was working an hourly job, managing many projects and tasks without the title of a Manager from entry-level salary to an executive-level position and salary, $30K to $90K. She landed the new Client Optimization Manager position in just a few months after being laid off from that $30K max position. It was great that we were already working together before that happened & she gained the confidence needed through just three (3) of my Career Consultation sessions and a new Executive Resume to go after the jobs she really deserved. You can review Mrs. Davis’ client testimonial here under “Recommendation Notes”: https://www.linkedin.com/in/speakarlene/.
My plan is to broaden my client base and serve those who need it the most, which means serving a larger group of women, minorities, and veterans, by seeking State & Local government contracts set aside to train these groups, and secure speaking opportunities through contracts with the Texas Workforce Commission and particular Workforce Solutions offices especially DFW Workforce Centers, and secure state and local contracts through bidding on Sources Sought opportunities posted by Career Readiness programs across Texas and nationally. I really admire the work of TWC and would love to work with them soon.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I am Brooklyn-bred Grenadian-American and moved to Texas in Fall 2018. This year I also pivoted to writing and researching for small businesses and one business already received $5,000 to help their operations & marketing! I also won a grant for myself and continuously applied so that I can keep my business funded appropriately and not only survive but eventually thrive through this pandemic. I go above and beyond for my clients in all that I do and it is reflected in my reviews: https://arlenespeaksit.setmore.com/reviews.
Therefore, I am definitely going to be sticking with these services and offering affordable Grant Writing for small business owners who do not have the time because they’re too business with the day-to-day business operations or do not have the know-how of what to write/what Grant-Makers are looking to read on applications.
Pricing:
- Career Consultation Package (Exec Resume/ CV, Mrkt Research & Consultation Session) – $499
- Mock Interview (90mins) – $149
- Grant Research & Applications for Small Businesses – Ranging from $100 – $799
- Academic/Business Consultation – $199
- Exquisite Executive Makeover Package – $999
Contact Info:
- Email: arlene@arlenespeaks.com
- Website: https://arlenespeaks.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arlenespeaks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arlenepspeaks/
- Twitter: https://linktr.ee/arlenespeaks
- Other: http://arlenespeaksit.setmore.com/
