Our book, Certify & Sell: Your Guide to Certification & Supplier Diversity, is now availabe on Amazon (availabe in Kindle or paperback format). It gives the reader a comprehensive guide to follow on their path to diversity certification. It brings historical context, provides advice about the certification process, and explains why supporting documents are required. In addition, there are three interview sections: 1) with successfully certified business owners about why and how certification has helped their business; 2) with certifiers about the history of their certification programs, and; 3) with supplier diversity professionals about best practices when meeting with or pursuing a relationship with supplier diversity.
The amount of information required from business owners can be overwhelming, particularly if you're just starting out. The sites below can assist you with business planning, education and research.
- The Small Business Administration's (SBA) business planning.
- SCORE's (Service Corps of Retired Executives) business counseling, mentoring, and training.
- The Carnegie Library's Tools & Research.
- Entrepreneurship and Education at the Kauffman Foundation.
- US Minority Owned Credit Unions guide highlights the positive impact of minority credit unions on local communities.
- Entrepreneurship and Small Business Resource Guide at the Jobhero site.
- Washington State University's Carson College of Business Business Programs and Resources for Entrepreneurs with a Disability.
- MIT's (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Open Courseware.
- The United Nation’s University of the People.
- Finimpact discusses how to support LGBTQ Business Enterprises.
- Free personal financial analysis tool.
- Tuition scholarship research site.
- From our friends at the Brenham Community Center, this site offers a wealth of information for new entrepreneurs.
- For female entreprenuers Delaware Inc. has a guide.
- Specifically for minority and women-owned businesses, Sales Cocktail is a sales and marketing automation tactical resource for small business. Discover today’s techniques and technologies to eliminate the digital divide for minority and woman-owned enterprises. Accelerate your sales funnel, automate your marketing, and manage your time! We help you filter through the clutter of today's internet apps and identify the right fit for your company and work method!
- Specifically for minority and women-owned businesses, FREE listing in the FirstList Directory of Women & Minority Owned Businesses & Resources, increasing opportunities for consumers and businesses to locate your company's products or services.
For the veterans among us: