Helpful Hints
You Should Get Certified!
If you’re a DMWVLGBTBE (Disadvantaged or Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprise), particularly if you’re a small business, you’ve probably heard that advice. We’ve talked about having a strategy when it comes to selecting the certifications that are right for your business, but just jumping right into filling out a…
Read MoreWorking ON Your Business
Work ON your business, not in it. As SDMWVLGBTBE (Small, Disadvantaged, Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprises) entrepreneurs, we frequently hear that phrase. Sometimes, many of us aren’t even sure what it means because the phrase can encompass many activities … training or education, networking, volunteerism, public speaking, memberships, conferences or mentoring just to list a few. …
Read MoreCAGE Code Changes
If you’re a SDMWVLGBTBE (Small, Disadvantaged, Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprise) owner that has been chasing Federal contracts you have a CAGE code. We’ve had one since the late 1990s. This CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) Code is a unique identifier (ID) assigned to Federal suppliers. And this code is assigned to any business, no…
Read MoreGetting Out and About
We overheard a comment the other day, that “so and so spends a lot of time going to meetings and networking events”. The speaker seemed critical of the person attending events, even though this person’s job involved establishing business relationships on behalf of an organization. It occurred to us that networking events is one of the most…
Read MorePost Conference Blues
We’re back from Orlando, and what a great WBENC conference it was! Sort of lost count on the number we’ve attended, but they get better and larger every year. We believe national conferences and business fairs are a fantastic way for SDMWVLGBTBE (Small, Disadvantaged, Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprise)…
Read MoreDisparity Studies’ Purpose
Disparity Studies are conducted to determine the utilization of Disadvantaged Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (DMWBE) for various states, counties and cities. The study generally examines the process for attaining products and services, the subcontracting practices of prime contractors/service providers who do business with the government, and the evidence collected from a broad cross section…
Read MoreSimplify RFP Reviews
SDMWVLGBTBE (Small, Disadvantaged, Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprise) business owners are often faced with responding to a variety of requests for proposals (RFPs), requests for quote (RFQ), Invitation to Bid (ITB), or Invitation to Qualify (ITQ) by our commercial or government clients. If you are a Not-for-Profit, this might be…
Read MoreWhat is Commercially Useful?
Why should we SDMWVLGBTBE (Small, Disadvantaged, Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprise) care about Commercially Useful Functions (CUF)? Because our federal government or prime vendor clients can only take credit when the SDMWVLGBTBE actually performs, manages and/or supervises distinct elements of work that are necessary to fulfill the delivery of…
Read MoreRequired Certification Documents – Governance
Why does a SDMWVLGBTBE (Small, Disadvantaged, Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprise) get denied certification over Governance? Governance is certifier short hand that refers to the documents governing a diverse SDMWVLGBT business and its operations. Certifiers (the SBA, VA, state agencies or third party organizations) review these documents to make…
Read MoreGetting Certified ~ Six Simple Steps
Our company has always been a women-owned business enterprise (WBE), and getting WBE certified in 1989 was a piece of cake compared to today’s rigorous process. Through various organizations and events we have met many other small business owners who became minority- or women-owned certified at the recommendation of a large corporate supplier diversity contact.…
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