By: Oscar Lang
When Eryn Anitavi was formally diagnosed with autism, it opened doors and empowered her to see the world differently. She had special interests as a child, journaling since the age of eight and honing in on famous French naturalists or steampunk conventions—in the case of the naturalist, Eryn contacted a historian who reported an incorrect detail even—and her diagnosis was able to put words to how she felt she was able to uniquely contribute to a company. As the CEO and founder of Sapphire Partners and The Sapphire Academy, she brings her creativity and strategic insight to help owners focus on their strengths while her team takes care of the more mundane tasks that can drain energy and productivity. Her proprietary Clarity Matrix™, a system designed to rival other operational frameworks like EOS, is a rising tide for the future of streamlined businesses.
With over 250 customizable service options offered through a ‘subscription’ model, Sapphire Partners revolves its platform around helping small businesses and solopreneurs on all kinds of budgets. Different tiers of service can help a business that is strongly rooted in a local community or looking to expand globally; Eryn’s team of gems can offer executive assistance virtually, with HR support and scheduling help, or she can scale it up to bring you holistic, tailor-made support and solutions across your multi-state office. Sapphire Partners doesn’t lie in name—the company is your partner, and they want you to be able to get back to your personal life as often as possible while growing your business. Every gem, or staff member working with Eryn, has gone through the course material of the Sapphire Academy. This accolade means that they’ve been assessed for and trained in calendar and email management, day-to-day operations, travel planning, and working agendas; and they understand deeply the executive mind. Beyond the time management and office skill of a Sapphire Partner, Eryn’s Clarity Matrix™ delivers scalable solutions that are adaptable to individual business needs.
The company’s focus on neurodivergence and neurodiversity is not only personal for Eryn, it’s the right way to run any business. By focusing on a workplace minority, like the ADHD and autistic entrepreneurial gems she works with, her workplace becomes more well-rounded for them and the neurotypical teammates alike. Eryn’s leadership philosophy is all about taking care of the team. When asked about this philosophy, she confirms that “your team is your most important customer. You can replace a customer, but it’s far more difficult to replace a team member.” She holds true to this idea while knowing that she has to be quick to fire from past experiences; however, Eryn believes in fixing problems in the process before getting rid of a good employee: “Apologies, to yourself or others, can indicate a broken process or system—ask ‘why?’ to reach the core issue and solve it,” is her solution. She is particularly passionate about empowering leaders to focus on their brilliance in the areas where they excel while outsourcing tasks that drain their energy. Delegation, in her view, is not just a necessity but an opportunity to build stronger, more empowered teams. Inclusivity is a practice that Eryn is always looking to show more of. She creates a welcoming environment for people of all abilities, ensuring that everyone feels valued and supported. Her team holds special worth to her, and she keeps up the energy of the workplace by being kind and efficient.
At just ten years old, Eryn was already imagining business ventures, and by the age of sixteen, she had co-founded her first company. Sapphire partners is her fifth venture, in fact. Along the way during the first four, she faced financial hardships and significant learning experiences, such as hiring the wrong people and failure to implement strong processes early on. In one instance, she lost $10,000 due to employees falsifying time cards. She turned to stoic literature while building her business and learned to take adversity as a lesson.
Eryn’s business inspiration came from a pivotal moment at a 2018 networking event, where someone asked her for just five hours of support each week. This small task gave her inspiration to transmute executive assistance into a much more functional business model. For neurodivergent entrepreneurs, a group Eryn feels particularly adept to serve, her academy has proven bountiful. Her experiences in business are diverse, ranging from her business and psychology degree to her time submitting a screenplay for professional production, and Sapphire Partners separates itself from other businesses by bringing the unmatched versatility of a program that serves a neurodiverse crowd. Eryn has plans to expand Sapphire Partners’ services globally and dreams of establishing “Sapphire Castle,” a retreat center in Europe designed to serve both employees and clients. This visionary concept is just one example of the creativity that drives her. She’s also perfecting the predictive energy management algorithm she uses, which will make entrepreneurial burnout something that hard workers can easily avoid.
Eryn herself is particularly passionate about speaking on the topic of neurodivergence in leadership, and she hopes to one day deliver a TED Talk on the subject. She’s no stranger to panels and talks, as well as fancy socials she’s earned her way into with business acumen. As her work moves forward, she wants to bring more gems into the workplaces of America—and eventually the world—because they bring a sparkle to businesses that want to shine.
Published By: Aize Perez
