Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on February 17, 2010 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship,Small Biz Certifications | 3 Comments to Read

When looking at the Woman/Women Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) Certification, the question I get asked most frequently is. “Is there really a difference between which WBE certification I receive?” The very honest answer to this question is yes. It makes a large impact which agency you choose to certify your business through. If your business is 51 percent owned, controlled, operated, and managed by a woman or group of women then you are eligible for certification. There are generally four different levels of WBE certifications:

1. Local – This certification can be obtained by a local government certifying office, such as a city or a county.  You would want to obtain a local certification if you want to increase your chances of getting business from that particular local agency (such as the city or county in which your business is located).
2. State – This certification can be obtained in most (not all states have a designated program) states through a state certifying office.  You would want to obtain a state certification if you want to increase your chances of getting business from one or more state government agencies.
3. Federal – These are self-certifying, and allow you to sell to the U.S. federal government.  So if you want to sell to the federal government, then you can self-certify that you are a WBE enterprise.
4. National – This is the type of certification you would consider if you want to have large corporations (both privately and publically owned) as clients.  Some large corporations will accept either a National Certification or a State Certification, so before you rush out and get a National Certification, you would first want to see what the requirements are specific to that corporation.

If you are more interested in doing work in the private sector, particularly with publicly traded and privately owned companies, WBE Certification by a third-party certifier is going to be the recommended option. Third party certification (national agency) is geared to the private sector. Such agencies as the WBENC and the NWBOC are third-party certifiers. This indicates that these agencies are an independent entity other than the small business owner or the corporate purchasing entity and are ensuring that the small business is in fact a woman-owned entity.

If your small business is focused on gaining contracts with a government entity, in most cases each city, county, state and federal agency has their own type of certification program which details an individual and distinct process for that city, county, or state. Now you are probably saying to yourself, “Do I really need to get multiple certifications for different purposes?” Due to recent pressure being brought by women business groups, the government agencies are now beginning to accept other sources of certification in addition to their own program. The key, if you find yourself in this situation, is to certify with your home county or city first. By doing this, most other city and county certification programs will reciprocate your home city certification and you can start doing business with Uncle Sam.

Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on March 17, 2009 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship | Be the First to Comment

Every small business will inevitably go through three stages of a life cycle: start-up, throw-up and grow-up, (As stated by Jay Goltz, in an article on CnnMoney.com).  For those of you who haven′t been there yet, it is the point usually between 6 months to 2 years after your initial start up, where you find that your business is not meeting the expectations first projected.  Mr. Goltz gave a fine example on how stage two can come about very quickly and unexpectedly through faulty accounting.  In addition, I believe there are many other variables that can lead to the throw-up stage.

Each of the variables below can either make or break a small business.  If you have found yourself in the throw-up stage, take a few minutes and ask yourself the following questions:

1) Do you resist changing with the times? Take a look around you-the world is not the same way it was 8 months ago, let alone 10 years ago.  Times change and so do market trends, communication capabilities and business tactics, (to include a few examples:  the explosion of online social networks, SEO, viral marketing and blogging). Traditional methods of doing business are not to be forgotten, but you must learn to integrate these methods with a new laundry list of tactics.

2) Do you practice outstanding, excellent and rewarding customer service? Remember the first rule of thumb- “If you don′t take care of your customers, someone else will!” Too often poor customer service can lead to a grapevine of bad publicity and referrals.  Word of mouth can be one of the strongest influencers when one is making a decision.  Don′t believe me? Check out these stats: 67% of all consumer decisions are primarily influenced by word of mouth (McKinsey/Thompson Lighthouse) and  90% of customers identify word of mouth as the best, most reliable and trustworthy source about ideas and information on products and services (NOP World).

3) What marketing and self-promotional initiatives are you practicing? I understand that most entrepreneurs probably have a tight wallet, but a small budget is no excuse to eliminate marketing and pr from your business structure.  Recently, I spent a lot time on some of the top 50 social tools on the web, including (Facebook, Twitter, Furl, Digg and more).  These sites are no longer just for picture posting of the latest college mixer! Large and small businesses alike, have adapted these tools as a way to gain leads and build presence on the web. Utilizing these tools, will act like a bull horn for your company new, updates, questions, promos and comments.

4) Do you know your competition? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Think back to your high school football team.  Usually every night before a big game the team would review “film” from the opposing team′s recent games.  Your home team would take notes, observe tendencies and learn the competitor′s weakness.  The next night, your home team was prepared and ready to take home a victory! The same goes for business, you cannot compete if you don′t know who your competition is!

However it is that your business found itself in the throw-up stage, don′t forget there is light at the end of the tunnel, but not without a lot of hard work and re-evaluation of your current business structure.  In many cases you will have to start at the core of the problem and work your way through this mess, but in the end you will come out stronger and more confident in the future success of your business!

Posted by Biz Central USA Marketing Team on September 24, 2008 under Small Biz and Entrepreneurship | Be the First to Comment

Many contractors are unaware of the numerous small business certification and assistance programs that exist today to aid underprivileged businesses. In fact, many of these programs are aimed specifically at overcoming the effects of discrimination, which may be a significant obstacle for such individuals to conquer. Here at BizCentral, we seek to create increased awareness of these opportunities, as well as to assist socially and economically disadvantaged firms in obtaining the credentials necessary to compete with larger entities.

Numerous government entities, including the Small Business Administration and Women”s Business Enterprise National Council offer innovative opportunities to assure that small contractors are not left behind in the race for federal contracts. Programs such as the SBA’s 8a teach small companies how to compete in the federal contracting arena and how to take advantage of greater subcontracting opportunities available from large firms as the result of public-private partnerships. For more detailed information on the most common certification programs, check out:

•SBA- 8a or SDB
•Women’s Business Enterprise National Council
• Minority Supplier Development Council
• HUB Zone
• Veteran Owned Business
• Department of Transportation

Nonetheless, the process for applying for inclusion in these programs can be grueling. You must meticulously review application requirements and organizational documentation to assure that each your business has the greatest chance at successfully obtaining certifications and subsequently competing for beneficial contracts, thus bolstering profits. These programs are, in effect, the gateway to opportunity for small contractors and subcontractors.