New York City Spends $1 Billion with MWBE Firms
It’s a good (and lucrative) time to be a minority-owned or women-owned business in New York City. Recent reports indicate the City has spent $1 Billion with MWBE firms, a $400 Million increase in just two years. The bigger picture indicates there is a tremendous opportunity for MWBE firms looking …
Read More5 Tips to Generate a Six-Figure Income with Discretionary Spending
As a small business owner or “solopreneur,” a lot of effort is required to balance the books—and a lot of strategy is needed to generate a six-figure income. One such strategy is to work with government agencies with discretionary purchasing authority. What is a discretionary purchase? A discretionary purchase …
Read MoreDo 20% of MWBEs Win 80% of the Work?
I recently reviewed the results of the New York State Disparity Study—and without surprise—it reveals that doing business with the government can still be a challenge for MWBEs. What I found most interesting was that in a lot of circumstances, the study reported that contracts are awarded to the same, …
Read MoreMWBEs: Don’t Forget to Do Business with Small Business
National Independent Retailer Week is happening now, July 17-23. This observance was established by Clare Rayner, author and retail expert, as a way to weave communities with local retailers to accomplish one goal: keep money local. As a Minority Woman Business Enterprise (MWBE), I’ll admit, it’s common to focus most …
Read More3 Months of Social Media Marketing Grew my Business—FAST!
Small business owners—especially MWBEs—often wonder if social media really works. As a MWBE small business owner myself, I’ll tell you this: before you ask if it works, you must first ask yourself what your goals are. Do you want to use social media to: Raise awareness of your event, service, or …
Read More5 Tips for Small Business Success
#1 Connect to Clients’ Wants and Needs. It is essential to go beyond the product and service that you are delivering in order to connect with clients on a deeper level. What do they really want? How can you deliver a top-notch experience?
Read More5 Tips to Avoid a Cash Flow Catastrophe
{3:21 minutes to read} “How can my business be broke and profitable at the same time?” Most business owners will agree: ebbs and flows in business can create a cash flow crises. What if you have steady business activity, but onboarding new contracts—and payment for those contracts—takes an unprecedented amount of …
Read MoreMWBEs, Let’s Work Closer Together to Achieve Success!
{3:10 minutes to read} I was recently at a meeting where there was a lot of pushback from MWBE firms that preferred to self-perform and take credit for MWBE goals; they wished to do this instead of subcontracting the work to other MWBEs. I was a little taken aback by …
Read MoreMWBE Success: 5 Tips for Improving Outcomes in 2017
{3:25 minutes to read} 2016 was an amazing year for my business! We’ve experienced significant growth over the previous year, allowing us to expand our client base and add employees. Here are some of the things that helped us arrive at the next level:
Read MoreAttention MWBEs: The Procurement Department Can’t Find You!
{3:25 minutes to read} Yesterday, I spent the entire day chasing down an opportunity for a professional service that I found on a prime contractor’s website that I thought would be a good fit for one of my clients. The problem was that the date had already passed to apply for …
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