Latest / The SmallBizChat with Melinda Emerson / How to Leverage Supplier Diversity to Grow Your Business with Sharon Manker

Transcript

How to Leverage Supplier Diversity to Grow Your Business with Sharon Manker · The SmallBizChat with Melinda Emerson

• 0:02
  321.
• 0:06
  Lift off.
• 0:09
  Ending small business failure.
• 0:11
  Welcome to the Small Biz Chat podcast with the number one small business expert, Melinda
• 0:17
  Emerson.
• 0:18
  Melinda's goal is to end small business failure, and she'll give you the information
• 0:23
  you need to succeed and live the life you dream of.
• 0:26
  Now here's your host, the smallbizchat lady herself, Melinda Emerson.
• 0:34
  Have you subscribed to the Small Biz Chat podcast?
• 0:37
  Well, it's time.
• 0:38
  Every Wednesday, we offer listeners bite sized actionable tips to start and grow a successful
• 0:45
  small business.
• 0:45
  In just 20 minutes or so a week, you can get a ton of insight and resources to propel your
• 0:52
  business forward.
• 0:53
  Be sure to subscribe to the Small Biz Chat podcast today.
• 0:58
  Let me introduce my guest.
• 0:59
  Her name is Sharon Maker, and she is an award winning supply chain and supply diversity
• 1:05
  strategist.
• 1:06
  She has an inclusion diversity inclusion background and over 2 decades of doing this
• 1:13
  work.
• 1:14
  She is also an author and founder of Advocating for Change, Apologetically LLC.
• 1:20
  Sharon has received numerous accolades, including the 2020 global.
• 1:24
  Excuse me.
• 1:25
  Corporate advocate of the year from the Eastern minority supply development council, the
• 1:30
  diversity champion of the year from the women's business enterprise, National Council, veteran
• 1:35
  advocate of the year, National veteran Business Development Council.
• 1:38
  Listen, she believes in helping folks.
• 1:41
  Alright.
• 1:41
  I I think I think we can get this from her background.
• 1:45
  But she has also been recognized as one of Diversity Plus Magazine's top 15 women in power
• 1:52
  impacting diversity, and she's really dedicated to influencing meaningful change for
• 1:56
  individuals and businesses facing unprecedented odds.
• 2:00
  For more information on her and all of the things that she does, head over to
• 2:04
  sharonmanker.com.
• 2:06
  Sharon, welcome.
• 2:07
  Welcome.
• 2:07
  Welcome.
• 2:08
  Thank you for having me, Melinda.
• 2:10
  The small biz lady.
• 2:11
  It's good to see you.
• 2:13
  Listen, tell me, how did you get into this supply chain supply diversity?
• 2:19
  Like, how did that become your jam?
• 2:21
  You know, what's so crazy is I wanted to go to school to be a lawyer.
• 2:25
  Right?
• 2:26
  That was what I wanted to go to school to be.
• 2:29
  And somehow ended up in an internship in supply chain, in Philadelphia in the health system, in
• 2:36
  their corporate supply chain.
• 2:37
  And then I worked my way up, when I worked my way up from a buyer to a category manager, to
• 2:45
  to now a director of supplier diversity.
• 2:48
  So I've been in multiple, multiple different industries from health care supply chain to,
• 2:54
  insurance supply chain, and finance, and also in the utility space.
• 3:00
  And I knew that what I like to do was, like, contract management.
• 3:05
  So I always tell people my super skill is I can make salesmen cry.
• 3:10
  No.
• 3:11
  It's it's maybe it's because I'm short.
• 3:12
  Maybe it's because they might be intimidated by my shortness, but, I learned how to negotiate
• 3:17
  well and how to make those deals and get the proper ROI on, contracts.
• 3:23
  And so I was able to take that and go from company to company, a lot of publicly traded
• 3:30
  companies nationally.
• 3:32
  And now I'm in the financial services mortgage services company with a mortgage services
• 3:37
  company.
• 3:37
  And what I do here is I'm starting their 1st ever supplier diversity program.
• 3:41
  So it's like starting over again, but it's new and it's a challenge, and I kinda like puzzles.
• 3:48
  So it's a good space to be.
• 3:50
  Alright.
• 3:51
  So tell us what is supplier diversity and how can it benefit a small business?
• 3:55
  Okay.
• 3:56
  So supplier diversity is programs and initiatives that corporations are putting
• 4:03
  together in order to make an economic impact where we live, work and serve.
• 4:09
  Supplier Diversity is making sure that women, veteran, minority, and LGBTQ businesses have an
• 4:17
  equitable opportunity to bid on contracts.
• 4:22
  What does that mean?
• 4:23
  That means we are here to advocate for you.
• 4:29
  We are here to speak up and say, okay.
• 4:32
  You have this contract that's about to expire.
• 4:35
  Are we considering a woman, veteran, minority, or LGBTQ business?
• 4:39
  Are we making sure that our supply chain ecosystem is inclusive of diverse suppliers,
• 4:47
  small business and diverse suppliers, in all that we do.
• 4:53
  Now just for clarification, not every business that's small is diverse, and not every business
• 4:59
  that's diverse is small.
• 5:00
  And so what we do is we fight against those biases every day.
• 5:08
  It is a challenge, but it happens.
• 5:11
  Alright.
• 5:11
  So so how does one get in the like, how does one position themselves to be considered for an
• 5:18
  opportunity with a major Fortune 500 company?
• 5:20
  Like, how what do I got to do to do that?
• 5:23
  Well, there are so many different ways.
• 5:25
  So I'm gonna tell you the the the best ways.
• 5:27
  Okay.
• 5:28
  So here are the industry secrets.
• 5:30
  1, make sure that you use your network properly.
• 5:36
  Your network is your network is how I describe it to most business owners.
• 5:41
  If you are certified by a local certifying agency, use that agency as a way to partner
• 5:50
  with the major corporations that you want to meet.
• 5:53
  How do you use them?
• 5:54
  You make sure that you show up at events, at networking events, at matchmaking events,
• 6:01
  virtual or in person, at conferences that those corporations are gonna be at so that you can
• 6:08
  start to build relationships.
• 6:11
  And then once you start to build those relationships, you gotta be patient.
• 6:16
  Please, please know that we know what's going on inside our walls and beyond our walls.
• 6:23
  We know what limitations we have, what sourcing opportunities are now, which is 2, 3 years from
• 6:31
  now.
• 6:32
  Sometimes we know, and sometimes we don't.
• 6:35
  So position yourself that you can meet the key stakeholders, the decision makers, and the
• 6:42
  advocates like me that will speak up for you when you're not in the room.
• 6:48
  Also, make sure that you contact those local agencies and that you contact them.
• 6:55
  You say, hey.
• 6:56
  I want to meet Sharon Minker from x y z company.
• 7:00
  How can I get in the room with her?
• 7:02
  And I have had people just call me.
• 7:04
  Hey.
• 7:05
  This person's been trying to reach you.
• 7:07
  Can you can you give me sure.
• 7:10
  So so we're like a family of people that, you know, no one really knew until after the
• 7:17
  pandemic or during the pandemic when people started saying supply chain.
• 7:20
  That's the only nobody knew what I did until the pandemic.
• 7:25
  Oh, nobody knew.
• 7:26
  Then every then everybody know, oh, you're the expert because you know how to get things in.
• 7:29
  We know how to make things happen because we keep the we grease the wheels and make sure
• 7:34
  that products get from a to z.
• 7:36
  But make sure you're using those partnerships, those connections, those networks, whether it
• 7:42
  is at an agency or even at a university that you went, attended, or somewhere that you
• 7:49
  volunteer, use those networks to build your, your, your advisory board of folks that will
• 7:57
  get you to other people.
• 7:58
  Right?
• 7:58
  Because you want to make those 6 degree connections with everyone to be able to get to
• 8:04
  what you need to do, but you also got to be patient because it's not going to always,
• 8:09
  always be as quick and easy and, like, social media.
• 8:13
  You know, I want something.
• 8:14
  I can type it in.
• 8:15
  It don't work that way in corporate America.
• 8:17
  It doesn't.
• 8:18
  It should
• 8:18
  be be patient.
• 8:19
  I once had a a a 6 year wait for a contract for a corporation.
• 8:24
  I'm not gonna tell you the name of it, but you you shop there.
• 8:27
  Anyway, so what here's the thing.
• 8:29
  Talk to me about, WeBank and NMSDC because those are like the largest certifying bodies
• 8:36
  that people may be more familiar with, but they're certainly state and local, you know,
• 8:42
  like the city of Philadelphia has 1, the state of Pennsylvania has 1, every state has 1.
• 8:46
  Right?
• 8:46
  But talk about NMSDC and WBENC because those are like nationwide certifications.
• 8:51
  Right?
• 8:52
  Yes.
• 8:52
  Alright.
• 8:53
  So in the certification world, I call it the alphabet soup, of acronyms because, you know,
• 8:58
  you MMSDC and EMSDC and it's just too much.
• 9:03
  Right?
• 9:03
  But here's the gist.
• 9:05
  For women owned businesses, WeBank, the Women Business Enterprise National Council, is the
• 9:12
  largest certifying body for women owned businesses nationally.
• 9:18
  WeBank has regional partner organizations, which are their affiliates that are regional
• 9:24
  around the country.
• 9:26
  Here in Philadelphia, you have WeBank East, which is Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and
• 9:30
  Delaware.
• 9:31
  K?
• 9:32
  Let's pause there.
• 9:34
  NMSDC is the National Minority Supplier Development Council.
• 9:39
  They are the national certifying body for minority owned businesses, and they have
• 9:46
  regional affiliates that are in different region.
• 9:50
  For this region, it is EMSDC, the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council.
• 9:56
  So those 2 are for women and minorities.
• 10:01
  Then you have veterans.
• 10:03
  So you have MVDC and NABOBO.
• 10:07
  So those are the veteran certifying agencies.
• 10:10
  Oh, it gets better.
• 10:11
  Then you have the Asian American Pan Atlantic Council.
• 10:17
  So the US, PANACC.
• 10:22
  Right?
• 10:22
  Then you go to hell.
• 10:24
  So these are the national certifying bodies.
• 10:27
  And then you also have disability in for the, disabled person's own businesses.
• 10:34
  So those are the national.
• 10:36
  Those national certifications, once you have a certified certificate or letter of
• 10:41
  certification with those organizations, there are sometimes reciprocity agreements or fast
• 10:48
  track, in place that will get you a state level certification.
• 10:54
  Why is that important?
• 10:56
  Some corporations, just because you have your 3rd party certification, if they are doing work
• 11:03
  or a bid and they need subcontractors for a state or local city contract, you also have to
• 11:12
  already be in their state or city directory and have that certification in there.
• 11:20
  So the reciprocity really, really counts when it comes to that, because I would have
• 11:27
  suppliers come and they say, oh, but I'm certified in the state of New Jersey.
• 11:33
  I'm like, oh, that's nice, but this is a Pennsylvania bid.
• 11:35
  Sorry.
• 11:36
  I I can't help you.
• 11:37
  Like, I and and this is just like that.
• 11:39
  And I would remind them, like, all you gotta do is take that same paperwork, push that button,
• 11:46
  and and do that process.
• 11:48
  And a lot of times, it is a lot of paperwork to get certified.
• 11:52
  However, the value proposition for getting your certification, for having your business
• 11:58
  documents already there and together for making sure that you can say I am woman owned or I am
• 12:04
  minority owned or I am veteran owned, carries weight.
• 12:09
  Now it also can backfire, so I'm gonna tell you both scenarios.
• 12:14
  Okay?
• 12:15
  When it carries weight as a a value add, that is important.
• 12:21
  Right?
• 12:22
  Because what you want to be able to do is showcase what solutions you have that can bring
• 12:30
  innovation and cost savings to whatever corporation you wanna partner with, then bring
• 12:35
  your certification as the value add.
• 12:38
  On the flip side, when you have different corporations that are looking to do business
• 12:42
  with more minority owned, more women owned, or because that is in their region or that is what
• 12:49
  their customer base is emulating, that's when it you use it on the flip side.
• 12:56
  I understand.
• 12:56
  You they're they're never gonna give you a contract just because you got a certification.
• 12:59
  That's
• 13:00
  Pretty much.
• 13:00
  Pretty pretty much.
• 13:01
  That's just
• 13:02
  on the table.
• 13:03
  It still gotta be people that are faster no matter what certification you got.
• 13:07
  Right?
• 13:07
  Absolutely.
• 13:07
  You gotta be able to deliver, and you gotta be able to meet the insurance requirements.
• 13:10
  You gotta be able to pass risk management.
• 13:12
  You gotta be able to make sure that you are going to deliver.
• 13:16
  And then, oh, yay.
• 13:17
  You're certified.
• 13:18
  Thank you.
• 13:19
  Right.
• 13:20
  Right.
• 13:21
  Alright, miss Sharon.
• 13:22
  Tell us what is the best business advice that you have ever been given.
• 13:27
  The best business advice I've ever been given.
• 13:33
  I'm gonna say it's to fail forward.
• 13:38
  I listened to a podcast maybe about 6 or 8 months ago from, Caroline Wonga from Essence,
• 13:46
  And she did this whole series on 7 fails a day, and it stuck to me.
• 13:53
  And it spoke to me because if you do something that don't work, you keep on.
• 13:59
  Just just just try something else.
• 14:01
  If you you wanna do this and it don't work, just try something else.
• 14:04
  I I published my first book.
• 14:06
  I didn't know what I was doing.
• 14:07
  I self published it.
• 14:08
  I just was watching TikToks, and I learned some from TikTok, and I figured out how
• 14:12
  to publish my book first book.
• 14:14
  And I was like, well, that was alright.
• 14:17
  I'm a try it again.
• 14:18
  And I I learned from that mistake from those mistakes.
• 14:21
  It's still doing well.
• 14:23
  And and I published my first children's book last year.
• 14:25
  So it was like, yeah.
• 14:27
  You know what?
• 14:27
  I did that.
• 14:27
  Well, now I wanna do this fiction book.
• 14:30
  So you you keep going.
• 14:31
  My whole thing is I want to be able to say if I were to leave here today or tomorrow, well
• 14:38
  done, well done, thy good and faithful servant.
• 14:40
  If you saw somebody that needed help, you did it.
• 14:43
  If you saw a student that needed information, you gave it.
• 14:46
  And if you saw a business owner that needed some growth, you figured out an opportunity or
• 14:50
  resource for them.
• 14:52
  I love that.
• 14:53
  I love that.
• 14:53
  And I love you.
• 14:54
  So I appreciate that so much.
• 14:57
  Thank you so much.
• 14:58
  That was so helpful and so compact.
• 15:00
  And I appreciate that.
• 15:07
  Thanks for listening to the smallbiz chat succeed as your own boss.com.
• 15:28
  Thanks again for listening, and we'll see you next week.