We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amy Crosby. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amy below.

Hi Amy, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Taking risks has been an integral part of my career, and my story with Profferfish exemplifies this. During a successful career in Silicon Valley, I always felt a tug to give back to my community, but never had the time. So when I retired, I decided to dedicate my experience and energy to helping others. I started out joining boards and investor groups, and became an advisor and mentor. Eventually, I was introduced to Profferfish—a tech startup that empowers students to discover, learn and lead through community involvement. They were looking for a business partner who believed in their mission and could help get them to the next level.
Joining Profferfish wasn’t just a financial investment for me; it was an investment of my time, expertise, and passion. Diving into a new industry was a significant risk, but I believed in Profferfish’s mission—to cultivate a culture of volunteerism among students. This leap of faith paid off, as I found fulfillment in combining my business experience with my desire to give back, contributing to Profferfish’s success and growth.

Amy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My journey is a blend of corporate success and a desire to give back. I graduated from the University of South Florida when the tech industry was just taking off and knew I wanted to work at companies that were changing the way people lived and worked, so took a risk and moved across the country to Silicon Valley. I thrived in the fast-paced tech world but, despite my success, I always felt a calling to do more.
After retiring and returning to Florida, I was eager to mentor and support local business people and entrepreneurs. This passion led me to Profferfish. Our platform not only helps students find volunteer and paid work opportunities, it also provides an online, paperless process for tracking and approving hours, a crucial component for college admissions and scholarships.
While I continue to mentor and advisor to budding entrepreneurs, I am particularly proud of my work with Profferfish, as it aligns with my lifelong goal of fostering a culture of giving back and supporting the next generation of leaders.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

A focus of my work as a business mentor and investor, is advising startups on how to pitch for capital investment. I met Michael Higdon, the founder, and Heather DePalma, the CEO of Profferfish, when they were looking for seed funding. Their vision of creating a platform that encourages students to give back really resonated with me. I was so impressed by their mission and business proposition that I decided to invest in the company as well as become an active partner.
This partnership has been mutually beneficial. I bring tech industry and marketing experience to the table, while Heather’s background in business and Michael’s understanding of the education market, create a unique set of combined skills. Together, we are growing Profferfish and making a significant impact. By seamlessly integrating families, schools and communities, the Profferfish platform changes student community service and work based learning from a reactive process to a proactive journey.

Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.

My decision to become a partner in Profferfish was driven by both professional and personal alignment with the company’s mission. I recognized the growing importance of technology in creating efficient solutions for educational institutions. Profferfish’s innovative approach to solving a common problem in schools was compelling. I believed in the platform’s potential to streamline administrative processes and instill a sense of volunteerism in students, shaping them into responsible and community-oriented individuals.
Buying or investing in a business is always a risk because there’s just so much you just can’t know. You can go through the due diligence process and ask all the right questions, but it comes down to an act of faith. You have to believe in the business and that your unique knowledge and experience can make it successful. Each business is unique and every situation is going to be different, it’s about crafting a deal that works for both sides. There’s going to be a certain amount of compromise, so you have to decide what’s most important to you. My partners and I were honest and clear about our goals and so far, the working relationship has been incredible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://profferfish.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/profferfish
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Profferfish/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/profferfish/mycompany/
• Twitter: https://x.com/@profferfish
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@profferfishvideos