Abby Dryer Embraces Change, Lets 1-800Accountant Lessen the Stress

Change is something Abby Dryer knows something about. While at her full-time job as a program manager at a large bank, Abby began working in and around change management – introducing strategies for making changes happen and helping people adapt to them. Then, Abby decided to make a change of her own. In August 2017, Abby left her job and started Ask Abby Dryer, a project management and problem-solving consulting company. Abby says, “I decided to start my own business because I haven’t seen a place do what I want to do. If you can’t find it, you have to build it – so here I am!” Abby feels a real calling to help businesses and their employees reduce stress and find the right balance between their jobs and their home lives. Says Abby, “I’ve seen too many people hospitalized (or worse!) from the stress of highly complex or high-stakes projects, and I sort of blended project management with emotion management, which I later found out is a form of change management.” In talking about what inspires her, Abby says, “I call myself an Employee Experience Evangelist. I get a deep sense of personal satisfaction from knowing that I’ve made a difference that will last. If I can help individuals on a team make small changes that greatly impact their stress level and/or work-life balance for the better, I consider that a win.” Abby identifies business development as her biggest challenge right now. But she’s also willing to get help for her business when she needs it. That’s why she hired 1-800Accountant to assist with her finances. “Without 1-800Accountant, my biggest challenge would have been managing the financials. It’s such a relief to know that I have an expert at hand to answer my silly questions about how my financials are supposed to work. It really takes all that stress away.” Looking toward the future, Abby continues to embrace change. She recently rebranded her business as Syncopated Consulting. She hopes to partner with companies to help make a real difference in the employee experience during mergers and acquisitions, leadership changes and other disruptive events.