After nearly three decades as a manager at a staffing agency, Erika Winfrey decided in October 2024 to take a bold step toward entrepreneurship by launching her own business, SkillUp Workforce, in Memphis, Tennessee. Winfrey’s extensive experience in staffing — helping to place temporary workers, temp-to-hire employees, and direct hires — opened her eyes to the gaps in the workforce. This realization became the driving force behind SkillUp, a business dedicated to career and business consulting.
“A lot of people do not get the job because of their lack of skill, work ethic, or character to be able to go into the workforce or to transition in the workforce,” Erika said.
"Being able to catch things ahead of time or help guide a person or business in that matter to be able to come together, it’s a passion of mine to help develop that."
At SkillUp, Winfrey focuses on coaching her clients to success. She offers resume development, interview workshops, and life and career skills training — all aimed at helping individuals start or transition in their careers. By equipping job seekers with the tools they need to secure employment and advance professionally, she is strengthening the local workforce and contributing to economic development.
In addition to career coaching, Erika extends her expertise to small businesses and nonprofits, providing business coaching to help them grow, operate efficiently, and create more opportunities in their communities. The Small Business Administration (SBA) reports that 99.9% of all U.S. businesses are small businesses, and nearly 50% of them struggle with workforce challenges such as hiring, training, and operational structure. By filling the HR and operations gap for small businesses that cannot afford full-time staff, Erika is directly addressing this challenge and helping these businesses stabilize and grow.
“I’m filling in the gap when there isn’t an HR Representative or Operations Manager to create processes, policies, and a structured environment to work in to ensure the small business can still operate without bringing in a person as overhead,” Erika said.
What truly fuels Erika’s passion is seeing her clients evolve.
“In our careers, we have dreams and goals, but we may not know how to get there,” she says. “So being able to have that coach to lead, guide, or nudge them in the right direction to help them build those skills, that’s what I want to see. I want to see that transformation and development over time.”
Erika’s connection to Communities Unlimited (CU) was forged through a mutual partnership with Family Biz Builder, a Mississippi nonprofit tied to CU via the Rural Partners Network (RPN). This partnership introduced Erika to Latoyia Morgan, CU’s Training Project Manager for the Entrepreneurship Team, who played a key role in guiding SkillUp’s business development.
"Our meetings were very in-depth truth conversations, and she shared her knowledge with me."
— Erika Winfrey
Winfrey had a solid foundation in finances, but Morgan helped her refine her financial expertise, ensuring her financial statements were organized and easy to interpret. This allowed Erika to gain a deeper understanding of gap analysis and sharpen her vision for SkillUp’s growth.
The two worked closely, breaking down the process into manageable pieces to ensure no crucial detail was overlooked. This methodical approach helped Erika create a solid foundation for SkillUp Workforce. Additionally, she was introduced to CU’s Lending Team, and though she hasn’t pursued funding yet, Erika feels confident knowing the financial resources will be there when she’s ready to take that next step.
Erika’s excitement for the future is palpable.
“I can’t even explain how excited I am,” she said. “It’s my dream goal to retire from my 30-year career into my next chapter, and I see SkillUp as that next chapter.”
