A New Pipeline for Underestimated Talent—Built in Indiana | Eric Stanley, M2N

My guest today was Eric Stanley, founder of M2N, a social impact company dedicated to making the workforce more equitable by focusing on skills-based hiring. Eric shares his journey from working at Northwestern Mutual and Johnson & Johnson to scaling Passageways' revenue and launching M2N. Our conversation delves into the importance of hiring based on skills rather than status, the challenges of finding and retaining diverse talent, and the impact of apprenticeships and innovative hiring practices. Eric also highlights the development of the Empower platform, which matches job seekers with employers based on skills, and insights into the potential of apprenticeships and the efforts to make hiring more inclusive and representative of society. You are going to learn about: - The Importance of Skills-Based Hiring Over Status-Based  - Innovative Hiring Practices - Difficulties Finding and Retaining Diverse Talent  Thank you to our partners: Hard Truth BBQ Fest Alliance Sports Marketing Check out these great clips from the show: 01:33 Guest Introduction: Eric Stanley, M2N 02:18 Eric's Journey in Sales and Tech 09:20 The Birth of M2N and Its Mission 10:24 How M2N Empowers Companies 13:40 The Importance of Skills-Based Hiring 15:00 Challenges and Solutions in Workforce Diversity 30:29 Expanding Talent Networks with Empower 31:45 Impact of DEI Elimination on Business 32:22 Skills-Based Hiring and Its Benefits 32:59 Soft Skills and AI in Hiring 33:33 Debate on the Value of College Education 38:59 Empower's First Placement Success 40:17 Challenges in Job Matching Software 42:55 Future of Skills-Based Hiring 45:50 Advice for Hiring Managers 48:12 Younger Years Segment: Advice to 22-Year-Old Self 51:21 Indiana's Sports and Events Scene 52:33 Hidden Gem: Marvin's at DePauw 53:41 Shoutout to Tracy Jackson Get IN. is brought to you by our friends at Sweetwater. Whether you are looking to start a podcast or level up your current show you need to hit them up.