News & Insights

Not every problem comes with an obvious solution. Sometimes, all you have is a number that doesn’t add up, a missing document, or something that just doesn’t look right. One thing I’ve learned throughout my career is that you don’t always need to know the answer right away. You just need to know how to find it. I like to think of it as following the breadcrumbs. Whether it’s tracking down a discrepancy, figuring out where a process went wrong, or understanding why something w

Working toward a big goal can make it easy to overlook the small wins along the way. I catch myself doing this all the time. I finish something I have been working on, solve a problem, or learn a new skill, and almost immediately I am thinking about what I need to do next. There is always another project, another deadline, or another problem that needs to be solved. At Mettle Ops, we work on some projects that can take months or even years to complete. When you are only focus

I used to think consistency meant doing something every single day without exception. If I wanted to grow, I thought I needed to show up every day, make progress every day, and never let anything get in the way. But life doesn’t work that way. Consistency is about making room for what matters, even when life gets busy. It means managing your time, setting priorities, and making an effort to show up for yourself and the things you want to accomplish. Some days that might mean

If you had told me years ago that I would end up working in IT for the Navy, I probably would have laughed. Before joining, my background was about as far from computers as you could get. I was a plant lover with years of experience in the green industry and an associate degree in Horticulture. Computers were definitely not my specialty. When I joined the Navy, I thought I was signing up for something more along the lines of intelligence work. Instead, I found myself becoming

This summer one of my main tasks has been the movement of QuickBooks Data to ERP templates to load historical data into the new system. Working on this task I learned about the importance of creating process and repeatability. In my time at Mettle Ops, I have seen process after process in action. I never truly appreciated the effort that is put in to create these processes and how much time they save. This summer I learned firsthand how difficult work can be without processes

Young professionals are often discussed as "future leaders," but the reality is that they are already contributing to the success of organizations today. They bring fresh perspectives, technological fluency, adaptability, and a willingness to challenge outdated assumptions. Yet many workplaces fail to provide meaningful development opportunities, mentorship programs, and leadership pathways. When organizations underinvest in younger employees, they create a cycle of disengage

Having a master’s degree, I am aware of the benefits of education. Most jobs require some form of tertiary education or vocational training for a successful career. But what about after that? A typical person who pursues education or training after high school completes it by the age of 25, right before they move into a career defining position. Some jobs do provide on the job training, but again, that is usually at the beginning of taking a position. But what about afterward

One thing about Mettle Ops that inspires me the most is our dedication to the company mission. Every company wide meeting we are aligned with our motto “Warfighters First”. Everything we do as a company, every process we make, every step we take toward quality, is all to protect the warfighter. I believe that having a strong mission is essential to aligning a large organization of people. Without one, most people would work toward their own self-interest or simply bringing th

Mettle Ops Founder & CEO, Katie Bigelow, was recently interviewed for the BLTnT podcast. The podcast is hosted by Matt Loria, the CEO of Auxiom, an IT and Cyber Security company servicing businesses in Michigan. The podcast, spelled out as Business, Life, Technology and Transformations, derives from some of life's best moments that come from "breaking bread" during a meal. During Katie's episode, she covers everything from her time in the Army as a Blackhawk Pilot, the beginn