Starting and maintaining a business can be hard. Working alone can be a slow and difficult path, but utilizing connections with others who have a different perspective and/or life experience can benefit your business in several ways:
- Creativity and innovation: When people from different backgrounds come together, they bring their unique perspectives and experiences, which can lead to new and innovative ideas. By working with people who think differently, businesses can find creative solutions to complex problems.
- Improved decision-making: When people with diverse perspectives come together, they bring different viewpoints and ideas to the table. This can lead to better decision-making by considering multiple angles and potential outcomes.
- Expanded market reach: Partnering with people from different backgrounds can help businesses tap into new markets and customer bases. By working with people who understand different cultures and communities, businesses can expand their reach and better connect with customers.
- Enhanced company reputation: Partnering with diverse individuals and businesses can help enhance a company’s reputation for being inclusive and socially responsible. This can help attract customers, investors, and employees who value diversity and inclusion.
There are several ways to connect with others to promote your business. In today’s economy, it is vital to leverage digital tools, like social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can get your products and services out to the community as well as allow you to connect with other businesses. (Fallon, 2022)
The local chamber of commerce is another way to partner with other businesses in your area. Some chambers offer a monthly meet and greet for businesses to come together. If you want to go a step further, there are minority-focused chamber of commerce groups such as Black- owned and Hispanic and Latinx owned., as well as chambers for women, veterans, LGBTQs, and disabled owned businesses.
Certification as a diverse supplier is available to you if your business is at least 51% owned and operated by one or more minorities, women, veterans, LGBTQs, or disabled individuals. Being certified opens opportunities for public and private work programs, client databases, and business partnerships. (Fallon, 2022)
There are three ways to become a certified diverse supplier. Certification can be sought from non-profit organizations such as the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the National Veterans Business Development Council (NVBDC), the National Gay & Lesbian
Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), and Disability:IN, as well as from federal organizations such as the Small Business Association, or from a state agency that may offer a certification process for minority-owned businesses. (Fallon, 2022)
Whichever path you decide to take, you are not alone in building your business and growing relationships with other businesses in the community. While certifications do not guarantee sales, they are essential for organizations that require validation of your company’s diversity classification. In essence, certifications are the validation cherry on top of a big bowl ice cream of opportunities.
Fallon, N. &. (2022, July 6). CO. Retrieved from 7 Ways to Promote Your Minority-Owned Business: https://www.uschamber.com/co/grow/marketing/how-to-promote-minority-owned-business